Wei Lan remembers clearly how they had met.
It had been Ying Yue's eighteenth birthday and a big bash was being thrown in her honour. For Wei Lan and his friends, it had been a great time to celebrate as they had just graduated from university and were taking a much needed break before going on to face the corporate world.
Wei Lan's life was already mapped out for him. He was joining the family business as an executive and he had never thought of doing anything else. His father had groomed for this role from birth.
There was a great turn out for the party and some of Wen Lan's friends from his university including Shin Lin had been invited. They were always up for a party. Chairman Jin had used his influence to get Yin Yue's favourite band as part of the entertainment, as well as a popular Disc Jockey. The party was already in full swing by the time Wei Lan got to his father's mansion.
His date for that evening had been Zhi Ruo, who was quite beautiful but a bit of a snob. Wei Lan liked her enough and they made quite a well matched couple judging by appearance, or so one of the gossips columns had pointed out. They both liked to party and have fun so he was okay with dating her for a while. She looked good on his arm and never demanded too much of his time.
On arrival, Zhi Ruo met some people she knew and Wei Lan went in search of Ying Yue so that he could give her his present, an autographed photograph of Ingrid Bergman, one of the greatest actresses of all time whom she absolutely adored. He knew she was going to love it. He had moved heaven and earth to get it and it had cost him an arm and a leg. However, he knew it was worth it because in spite of all their bickering, they genuinely love one another. They had had to rely on each other a lot growing up.
As he approached her he realised that she was talking to another girl. Her back was to him and all he could see were long black stresses with hints of blond highlights, milk coloured skin, a small waist line, long shapely legs and amazing curves. There was a tinkle of laughter and Wei Lan felt something flutter in the pit of his stomach. His male curiosity was immediately aroused.
He approached Ying Yue and the girl quietly, his eyes darting back and forth between his sister and the girl. When he reached them he hugged Yin Yue from the back lifting her a bit off the ground which startled her a bit before she realised who it was.
Ying Yue gave him a full smile as he wished her a happy birthday and gave her the present. Being known for her impatience, Ying Yue opened it right away, her scream leaving no doubt of how much she loved it and then almost hugged the life out of him. He had to physically extract himself from her. Only then did he turn his eyes to the girl who was looking at them in amusement.
The first thing he noticed is her pair of big eyes that are an amazing hazelnut colour with flecks of gold. Her gaze looked like it could easily draw one in it. Her small melon- seed- shaped face hosts perfectly formed delicate features and her smile was absolutely enchanting. She had a dark mole just above her lips and somehow it kept drawing his gaze.
She was wearing heart shaped ear rings, matching bracelet and necklace. Something about the necklace kept drawing his attention. He only realised later how it must have looked to others since the pendant of the necklace rested close to a rather …umm sensitive area. Nothing he did that night was in character.
Wei Lan was usually deemed a cool guy but in that second he lost his whole reputation as he could not help but stare at her unblinkingly, his stance akin to someone struck by lightning. The instant attraction he felt for her was earth shattering, perhaps made more potent by the fact that he had never experienced it in his life before. It hit him with the magnitude of a seismic wave.
Ying Yue, who had seen him staring liked smirked; and introduced her as Gu Yan Ran, one of her friends from university. Wei Lan was wondering why he had never met her before and picking on his thoughts, Ying Yue went on to explain that she was a transfer from NY University in Country A.
She explained how they had been friends briefly in middle school before she moved away suddenly with her father to Country A. She had recently returned, opting to enrol into a local university instead of staying in Country A. Wei Lan had noticed how Yan Ran had veiled her eyes at the mention of her immigration. He figured that there must have been a story there but was reluctant to be intrusive.
Wei Lan had barely had a chance to shake hands with the gorgeous lady before Ying Yue excused them and pulled Yan Ran away with her. Wei Lan had felt a tinge of regret without knowing why, as he watched his sister introducing the girl to other guests. In retrospect, maybe it was the fact that he wanted to have kept chatting with Yan Ran to discover what lay beneath those fascinating eyes.
Without really being aware, he had found his eyes following her around the entire party, noticing how she drew men like a magnet. The force with which he gritted his teeth would have shattered several windows. His feelings had baffled him. How could he feel like that for a stranger, even though she was a stranger he had a strong urge to know better?