“Talking about flowers, on the card that I gave you was a message saying that if you forgive me, call me. I never did receive your call, so I thought you never forgave me,” Li Zhuoan said and smiled. “Let me atone for my sins of the past. Although a phone case is not much of a gift, please accept it. I’ll make it up to you another time.”
“I’m sorry.” Song Yu bit her lower lip sheepishly and replied, “I think your name card fell off, so I didn’t know your number.”
Li Zhuoan was silenced.
“Excuse me, sir, we only take cash here.” The cashier finally found a chance to speak up.
Li Zhuoan’s expression tightened as he extended his arm. The cashier dropped the card in his palm. This was just embarrassing.
Song Yu took her chance and stuffed some bills into the hand of the cashier.
She took the phone case and left the shop as Li Zhuoan seemed rooted at the same spot in front of the counter. She was hoping that he would not follow her.
As she exited the shop, she spotted Qi Chengzhi walking over with his phone in his hand. He must have just gotten off a call.
Qi Chengzhi stopped a few steps away from her with one hand tucked in his pocket. He eyed her with an impassive look, seemingly unaware of Li Zhuoan’s company.
Under that stare, Song Yu felt like she was caught red-handed despite her innocence. She quickly jogged over to Qi Chengzhi and looped her arm through his.
“Why are you here? You’re done with work?” she asked gently with a smile in her eyes.
“I was already walking over when I called,” Qi Chengzhi replied coolly. He continued to ignore Li Zhuoan’s presence. The dark, soulful eyes shifted to the gift bag in Song Yu’s grip. “What did you buy?”
Song Yu noticed that Qi Chengzhi’s phone did not have a case. The man was not a fan of eye-catching designs and probably thought that having a phone case was a hassle.
Regardless of her observations, she retrieved the phone cases that she bought and presented them to him. “I bought matching phone cases for us since we have the same model.”
“Look at this one, the feather symbolizes my name.” Song Yu pointed out to him. She took the other one and said, “And this one has an orange. It sounds like your name, Chengzhi.”
Qi Chengzhi silently took the two phone cases in his hands. His expression was unreadable as usual.
Li Zhuoan had walked up to them now and a look of surprise graced his face. When Song Yu picked the phone cases, he thought they were for personal use due to the colorful and feminine design. Men like them rarely used phone cases—a black leather case was the most they would consider.
Li Zhuoan would never use a phone case like that. He figured Qi Chengzhi would reject the gift. The cutesy design really did not match his persona.
If his subordinates or clients saw the phone case, Qi Chengzhi would be the butt of their jokes.
After a glance at the selection before him, Qi Chengzhi wordlessly took the white phone case from Song Yu’s hands. His nimble fingers teased out the phone case from its box and gave his phone a new skin.
He had taken into consideration the options and chose the lesser of two evils. White, while still a feminine color, was not as eye-catching as orange.
Song Yu watched Qi Chengzhi hold up his gleaming white phone. The white phone case did not match him—it was too feminine.
However, Qi Chengzhi appeared to be unaware of this fact. In fact, he seemed pleased with the feather design phone case in his hand.
“I’ll take this one, while you use that one.” He ripped the orange phone case from its packaging and proceeded to put it on Song Yu’s phone.
This whole time, Qi Chengzhi had on a stoic face. Li Zhuoan noted that his expression only softened when he was done putting on the orange phone case on Song Yu’s phone.
Song Yu studied Qi Chengzhi’s phone. The awkwardness faded the longer she looked at it. The feather design on the back of his phone made it feel intimate.
She had wanted the feather design for herself but Qi Chengzhi had made up his mind, and consequently, hers. The unexpected outcome ended up being much better than she had hoped for.
Song Yu got her phone back and smiled. Her eyes crinkled in happiness as she stared at her new phone case—it was similar to having Qi Chengzhi’s name carved onto the back of her phone.
The phone was carefully deposited into her pocket. Li Zhuoan was still here and as Song Yu thought of ways to shake him, Qi Chengzhi looked pointedly at Li Zhuoan. “Is that your car at the back?”
Seconds trickled past before Li Zhuoan whipped around to find his car. As Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu were talking to each other, Li Zhuoan’s existence was utterly ignored. Hence, when Qi Chengzhi suddenly spoke to him, there was a delay in his response.
Parking was not allowed on that stretch of road. Originally, there were only the lonely Maserati parked on the side of the road. Now, there was a tow truck in front of the Maserati. The tow truck rumbled to life and they watched as the Maserati was slowly towed away.
Li Zhuoan’s eyes bulged and without saying goodbye, he ran after the tow truck. He exchanged a few words with the tow truck driver but alas, there was no room for negotiation. Li Zhuoan stared wide-eyed as his car was towed down the street.
When Li Zhuoan turned around, Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu were gone.
The feeling of helplessness and anger filled Li Zhuoan but all he could do was raise his fist and curse at the sky.
…
…
At this time, Song Yu was already settled in the passenger seat of the Range Rover. Once Li Zhuoan turned his back against them, Qi Chengzhi had tugged her away without any plans of exchanging pleasantries with the man.
While Song Yu did not want to be rude, her resolve was easily broken. She learned that following Qi Chengzhi’s lead was the best course of action in most situations.
She took out her phone and traced her finger across the orange prints. She turned to Qi Chengzhi and smiled adoringly. A thought struck her. Qi Chengzhi had just finished a call when she spotted him outside the shop.
What a coincidence…
Qi Chengzhi’s face was back to its apathetic state even as Song Yu stared at him. She asked, “Were you the one who called the tow truck?”
Qi Chengzhi glanced at her before replying in a teasing tone, “Did you still want him around?”
Song Yu sealed her lips. His question was more or less an admission.
Qi Chengzhi brought his focus back to the traffic ahead. He was around the company area when he hung up the phone. He had never heard of the shop that Song Yu mentioned, so he asked the patrol guard at the door. The patrol guard nearly had a heart attack seeing Qi Chengzhi but he managed to give him the location of the shop which was just beside Qilin.
As Qi Chengzhi walked toward the shop, he saw a Maserati parked illegally by the road. He did not mind it until he saw the plate number. It was Li Zhuoan’s Maserati.
Upon further surveillance, he saw Song Yu talking to Li Zhuoan outside the shop and then they entered the shop. Qi Chengzhi dialed for the traffic police to report the offending Maserati.
He did not expect such a quick response from them.
Song Yu’s phone rang. It was Yu Qianying calling from home.
“Hi, mom.”
“…”
Song Yu gave Qi Chengzhi a furtive look and said, “A dishwasher? Hold on.”
She turned to stare at Qi Chengzhi. “You bought us a dishwasher? My mom is saying that it’s fully paid for and they won’t take it back.”
A red light was coming up and the car rolled to a stop. Qi Chengzhi calmly replied, “I bought it. I saw that she was up all night doing chores in the kitchen, so I thought a dishwasher would help.”
A small smile appeared on Song Yu’s face as she conveyed his message, “Mom, it won’t consume a lot of water. It’s the same brand as the one Chengzhi has at home. Think about it, you spend an hour to wash the dishes but with this, it’ll only take a few minutes. It’s convenient for you and you won’t have to deal with the extra oily plates.”
“…” The muffled voice of Yu Qianying could be heard.
“The one we had last time was an old model. Now that technology is so advanced, it won’t be so hard on the water and electricity bill. How about you try it out for a month? Don’t worry so much, I can cover the little bit of extra cost.”
Song Yu continued to persuade her mother. A few sentences later, Yu Qianying appeared to have agreed to a trial period and Song Yu hung up the phone.
Song Yu faced Qi Chengzhi and explained, “My mom was worried about the water bill, that’s why she doesn’t want it.”
Qi Chengzhi smiled and leaned over to take her hand. He placed her hand on his leg and said, “What is there to worry? If I said that I will take care of the expenses now, you and your parents will definitely kick up a fuss. But when we’re married, your family doesn’t need to worry. Then, we will get them a big house—something to their liking. I will have everything arranged. They won’t have to do anything unless they wanted to.”
Song Yu flipped her hand so that she could lace their fingers together. She did not know when it started but being with Qi Chengzhi made the uncertainties of life disappear.
She did not know when she made up her mind. They were getting married—she had no doubts.
…
…
Qi Chengzhi managed to get off work early on Friday. When Song Yu stepped out of the company, the Range Rover was already parked by the roadside waiting for her.
There was a line of parked cars by the road. While the Range Rover was inconspicuous, she could tell that it was Qi Chengzhi sitting inside.
“Song Yu!” a voice called out as Song Yu was about to cross the road.
Song Yu looked around and saw Yang Yunshu jogging toward her.
Ever since the rose incident, Yang Yunshu had avoided speaking to Song Yu. However, these past two days had seen Yang Yunshu being all friendly and pleasant.
Song Yu halted her steps and waited as the woman approached. “Wanna go home together? How are you getting home?”
The pedestrian light turned green and Song Yu took it as her cue. “My boyfriend’s picking me up,” she muttered before crossing the road in hurried footsteps.
“I saw a Range Rover picking you up that day. Our colleagues say that it’s Master Cheng’s car. Your boyfriend…” Yang Yunshu huffed as she quickened her steps to match Song Yu.
Her words trailed off as they reached the Range Rover.
The window of the driver seat was down and an arm was resting on the window sill. The slender fingers held a cigarette with the utmost elegance.
Song Yu’s appearance prompted him to extinguish the cigarette.
“Master Cheng,” Yang Yunshu greeted enthusiastically.
Qi Chengzhi glanced at the woman and gave a perfunctory nod.
“I’ll take my leave,” Song Yu smiled politely and nodded at Yang Yunshu.
Song Yu got around to the passenger side and slipped in. The Range Rover pulled out as soon as Song Yu was on board.
Yang Yunshu was left standing by the side of the road, gawking at the dust kicked up by the departing car. They did not even bother to ask if her stop was on the way.
…
…
While Song Yu and Yang Yunshu were not close friends, she could tell that Yang Yunshu had ulterior motives. It either involved Qi Chengzhi or using him to gain access to the wealthy and famous.
She figured the former was more likely. Regardless, she did not like it one bit.
The fact that Qi Chengzhi had eyes for no one else made it easier for her to toss this issue aside.
Song Yu giggled aloud—when did she develop such confidence in Qi Chengzhi?
“What are you laughing at?” Qi Chengzhi asked. The curve of her lips was enticing.
“Laughing at myself. Of how confident I am that you won’t be seduced by some other woman. I wonder if my faith is placed in myself or you?” Song Yu turned around and looked at the dashing man sitting in the driver’s seat.
The cold mask that Qi Chengzhi wore when facing Yang Yunshu was gone. His eyes were gentle now.
He chuckled and grabbed her hand to his thigh. She could feel the roughness of his skin as he massaged the back of her hand.
The heat radiating from him was immense and she felt her blood pulsed through her veins.
Song Yu’s palms started to sweat. The faint smell of tobacco wafted over even though there was no cigarette lit. That little gesture he did when he saw her was touching.
Qi Chengzhi had been very considerate about her dislike for cigarette smoke.
Despite Song Yu’s initial dislike, she was slowly growing used to the smell.
Of course, she did not let on the fact. “You should smoke less. You don’t smoke when I’m around but when I’m not here, who knows how many sticks you go through.”
As she said that, her thumb traced the back of his hand. Unlike his fingers, the skin on the back of his hand was smooth and without a blemish.
“I’m smoking way less than before.” Qi Chengzhi steered the car with one hand while the other toyed with her fingers. Song Yu always found it attractive when he drove with one hand.
The roads that they were passing were not toward Viewpark Residence.
“Are we going out for dinner?” she asked. It was customary at this point for them to have dinner at home.
Qi Chengzhi would pick her up from work and she would cook once they got home. It was very domestic and the habit had made him develop a dislike for outside food.
He was not a picky eater, so he usually went to restaurants for convenience sake. After being spoiled with home-cooked food, he could no longer tolerate the taste of outside food, no matter how expensive they were.
“We promised your parents that we would go back for the weekends right? We can stay over there for tonight. Tomorrow we’ll head straight to the family house for Chengyue and Jianyi’s return from their honeymoon trip.”
…
…
Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu’s arrival was not a surprise for Song Donglin and Yu Qianying. Clearly, he had already informed her parents beforehand and she was the only one out of the loop.
Dinner was almost ready, courtesy of Yu Qianying.
Presently, there was a big improvement in Yu Qianying’s attitude toward Qi Chengzhi. Although there was little warmth in her tone, Yu Qianying occasionally directed a smile at him.
On normal days, the house only had Yu Qianying and Song Donglin and there was no one else to drink with them. While Qi Chengzhi was here, his behavior was nothing short of utter respect for the two elders despite his social status.
Qi Chengzhi was not much of a talker but with his future father-in-law, he did his best to answer all the questions. The conversation flowed with ease and Song Donglin drank his wine merrily.
After dinner, there was no fight for dishwashing duties because of the shiny, new dishwasher.
However, Yu Qianying was not familiar with the controls.
Before the family went into bankruptcy, their dishwasher was operated by the maid. Yu Qianying hardly ever stepped into the kitchen.
After the bankruptcy, such luxuries were no longer affordable. The brand new dishwasher was only installed today and Yu Qianying stood over it, scratching her head over the controls.
Hearing her woes, Qi Chengzhi rolled up his sleeves and walked into the kitchen with the operating manual.
Song Yu stood by the kitchen entrance watching his tall frame in their tiny kitchen. He squatted down by the dishwasher with the manual in hand. Although his house had the same model, Aunt Yang was the one in charge of it.
With his sleeves rolled up, the veins on his forearm protruded when he clenched his muscles. Song Yu wished those arms were around her.
Fortunately, the instructions were clear and Qi Chengzhi managed to get the dishwasher up and running after a while. He patiently taught Yu Qianying the steps.
Yu Qianying placed the dirty dishes into the dishwasher and went to prepare Song Yu’s bedroom.
Qi Chengzhi noted that Yu Qianying did not bring out the guest bedsheets. It seemed like he was sleeping in Song Yu’s room tonight.
After some tidying up, Yu Qianying left Song Yu’s bedroom. Qi Chengzhi surveyed the bedroom that Song Yu had been living in after she turned seventeen. It was starkly different from her childhood bedroom. The room was simplistic—there was a bookshelf, a study table, a dressing table, and a super single bed.
There was not much furniture in the room. The furniture looked to be custom-made—the woodwork was not the most appealing but it was functional. It would have cost less than purchasing furniture from Furniture City.
“You never redecorated your room?” Qi Chengzhi sat on her bed and reached out for her.
“Yeah. After I transferred, we wanted to settle in as soon as possible. These were all the furniture we managed to get in time. We weren’t financially stable then, so I only got the most basic stuff like the bookshelf and desk.” Song Yu took his hand and sat down beside him.
“After I graduated from university, the family was doing better. So I got the dressing table.” Song Yu pointed to the dressing table. The dressing table had a distinct style, unlike the bookshelf and study table. It was those ready-made types from Furniture City.
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