"Lan'er, have a talk with me." Grandpa Tang signaled her to a private room.
Inside the room, Tang Renshu admonished her unceasingly, "You have to take precautions against that girl, Bai Hualing. She is not as simple as you think. She said she was attacked and forced inside the room. But, no one can vouch for her and she doesn't have any evidence to prove her innocence. She is an orphan. Her childhood was rough, way more than you could imagine. You don't understand how far people can go for what they want. I have already put her to the test. You just wait and see!"
Uncomfortable, Xiulan furrowed her brow in confusion, "Grandpa, what are you insinuating? What is the test you are talking about?"
"That you will know later. And you get exactly what I want to mean. I see that you regard her as your good friend but it is wise to be cautious before anything worse happens. I just want to warn you. You have your own rational reasoning, so you decide what is right and what's not. Bear in mind that it's better to be safe than sorry."
Zhang Xiulan defended her friend, "Grandpa, I appreciate your care. But, Hualing is a cultured girl with good manners. You will see when you get to know her better."
Tang Renshu sighed in fatigue, "Honestly, Weimin is also very protective towards her. Do you think he will be that defensive if they've spent just one night doing nothing? There is more to their story. And I suspect his disclosure about the case. I don't want to badmouth my own grandson without concrete facts, but we can't underestimate anyone. Where there's smoke, there's always fire!"
"I doubt Weimin is that kind of person. Our relationship was based on mutual respect and understanding. He can just cancel the engagement if he wants. He has nothing to be afraid of." She stated the facts.
"I'm old and mentally exhausted, Lan'er. I didn't see it coming in his father's days as well. That father and son pair always caught me by surprise." Grandpa Tang was dejected. He adored Xiulan like a granddaughter of his own, so he simply wanted her to stay away from the problems.
She had no idea what had happened regarding Weimin's father. She wondered what made Grandpa Tang be so pessimistic about his own kin. In respect of Grandpa's words, Xiulan was uneasy about her friend. Bai Hualing's ashen face was still lingering in her vision.
The situation drove her to think of the conversation she had with Bai Suying previously at the cafe.
"Xiulan, I have something to divulge but I hate to mislead you. Anyways, it's best to be careful of Hualing. She stays at your apartment. She wears what you bought for her. I am afraid she is taking advantage of your friendship to get things she wants. I wish I could warn you beforehand but without any solid proof, you might conclude I'm slandering her. But after this incident, I rethink. At the end of the day, an ounce of protection is worth a pound of cure!"
The apartment was Xiulan's birthday present from her father. She let Hualing stay there because it is near the school where she worked.
Bai Suying said it right about the clothes too. Unlike skinny Xiulan, Hualing had the curves in the proper places and she was as stunning as a beautiful doll. The sight of her fair complexion with shiny straight hair was so intoxicating under any light. Xiulan was an adorable girl but Bai Hualing's beauty was the gold standard. Best of all, she was a conservative and docile girl. She always wore a gentle smile on her face which was so lovable in people's eyes.
Xiulan was fascinated by her beauty. She started to drag her along whenever she went shopping. Xiulan's interest in fashion made Hualing a living mannequin. Some pretty clothes and accessories weren't suitable for her look but were fitted perfectly well in Hualing. Then, she would buy them for Hualing willingly.
After getting out of the Tang family's mansion, she gave a call to Hualing, but she didn't answer. At first, she intended to go to her place. But on second thought, Hualing might want some private time and Xiulan also had something on her mind so she decided to clear her head before she went there.
Exhausting at the thought of the unsolved problem, she converted into reminiscing about something positive that could comfort her. Out of the blue, she recalled Li Jianyu which brought a smile to her face. She seriously thought she had a crush on him, but it was all a fleeting emotion yet lovely.
Legends had it that when you encounter someone unexpectedly three times, that's destiny. She wondered if she was also fated with him. She didn't know why but she had the hunch that she would meet him sooner or later at someplace.
Sure enough! What a coincidence!
"Zhang Xiulan?"
Caught off guard, Xiulan jolted and turned her head in a swift moment.
It was him, Li Jianyu! Her instincts served her right!
"Mr.Li, what a pleasure!" She gently bowed to him.
He nodded while taking a vacant place at her side, "I have some work to do near here. And on the way, I failed to resist the temptation of this beautiful place."
It was a riverbank that was situated across half of the city. With the sun setting, the sky turned yellowish-orange, and the birds were on their way home, communicating with each other in the mid-air, squeaking. The orange maple leaves were dancing within the cool wind, which carried away one's worry and anxiety with a brush. The fast-flowing river water didn't fail to reflect the serene scene above.
"What a stereotyped artist!" Zhang Xiulan remarked.
"I'm not an artist."
"You paint."
"It's for fun."
Xiulan retorted guilelessly, "But you can paint exquisitely, so you are an artist. How about you teach me how to paint? I'll decide whether what you said is true or not."
Jianyu chuckled at her stubbornness. "I don't draw quite often. I'm afraid I'm not a qualified teacher."
"I like your art style. You're more than qualified."
"It's so kind of you to say that. But I'll pass on it."
Since he was not into the idea, she didn't press any further. "I also went out to get some fresh air. By the way, I guess we are about the same age. Shall we become friends? You can call me Xiulan. Can I call you by your name?" She was astounded by her own offer as she always had a hard time having conversation with people. But he had the effect that made people confortable being around him. There was no drawbacks in being friend with such a person.
"Being friends is fine and you can call me as you like. But for the record, I am sure I am much older than you." Jianyu affirmed irrefutably.
"Which year were you born?" She asked with a pair of wide eyes while contorting her upper body a little to get a better look at his eyes. Abruptly she returned to her original position and rested her palms on her ears on both sides. "No! Don't answer me. I am sure we don't have a large age gap. So we can be informal with each other."
"If you say so." He laughed in his throat upon seeing her reaction. Later they exchanged their numbers.
Xiulan saved his name as Generous Li on her phone while saying, "I am dying to know how you know me?"
He answered truthfully, "I have heard your name for a long time as you are Chairman Zhang's daughter but I realized it's you just before we met on the train. I saw your video about the case that happened at the hotel where we first bumped into each other."
"Argh! It hasn't been solved yet." Zhang Xiulan howled in a brittle voice, imitating a sad look.
Jianyu smiled while shaking his head at the sight of Xiulan's drama, "I am trying. Give me a little more time."
She was confused before she predicted, "Did Weimin ask for it?"
"Un-huh"
She was waiting for his further elaboration. Apparently, he didn't disclose anymore and a brief silence was cast.
"I have heard chefs cook to clear their minds." Jianyu deviated from the topic.
It was confusing why he brought about chefs all of a sudden before she recalled her nature, "Ah..Don't be shocked. I can't cook."
Without showing any trace of surprise, he continued. "I supposed all your family members can cook. Your family is famous for it after all. Your brother's improvisation is one of a kind."
"All can cook except me. He's indeed the best chef. But I suck at it. Honestly, I have never tried seriously because I am not intrigued. Worst of all, I am stuck at managing stuff. My dad wants me to follow his steps and if I oppose, my dad will be sad. So I complied." Zhang Xiulan's head was hanging low disheartened.
"Then what interests you?" He inquisitively uttered, wearing a small smile.
"I like painting." She had no idea why she said that. She'd tried painting. But she'd tried doing a lot of things. She liked to do all of them, but nothing stood out to keep her in that field.
He stared at her side profile, "No wonder you were in a daze when you saw my painting." He curled his lip up a bit before retracting his gaze. "Cooking is also an art that you can innovate as you like. Such as temperature, amount of seasonings, sizes of the pieces, time adjustments, and… well, there's a heap. And at the end, decorating your dish is also up to you. I don't know much about cooking, but I guess it must be interesting."
Xiulan furrowed her brow seriously and nodded at his advice. "If you say so, it seems truly exciting."
"You should give it a shot if you want."
"I will."
Xiulan abruptly recalled, "Ah! I've been wanting to know about it for a long time. What's your perfume brand?" She didn't have a chance to ask him beforehand in the countryside since the conversation was interfered with by a man.
He didn't expect her to ask about it and was taken aback for a while, "It isn't for sale. I have a friend who creates perfume. She let me test it out by myself. So basically this is the scent I improvised."
Xiulan seized the opportunity to investigate more, "So it's a she! Your girlfriend?"
"Not exactly. She is my business partner." No unusual expression could be detected on his face.
She inadvertently spouted, "Am I supposed to believe that? I mean you are such a big fish. I doubt you don't have an important woman at your side."
'We just become friends a while ago. Am I getting too ahead of myself?' She pondered, but she shook off the thought instantly.
He took a deep breath upon hearing her question, "I did have one. But now she's gone." His usual smile disappeared and his tone turned serious.
"Gone? To where?" Her curious eyes were round and clear.
"There was an accident and it took her life." Jianyu sighed and muttered leisurely.
Didn't expect things to turn out this way, Xiulan was flabbergasted, "I am sorry. I believe she was a great lady."
He softly nodded. "She was."
All of a sudden, he was all smiles and continued, "But now I have got a little girl myself."
'Little girl?' She pondered.
As if he heard her thoughts, he replied. "She is the most important person in my life."
Xiulan was willing to learn more about him in addition. However, it would be rude to pry his privacy any further as they were acquainted with each other just for a short period. There was still lots of time to find it out later.
While she was contemplating whether she should ask him or not, Li Jianyu excused himself. "I've got to go. The air is freezing here. Don't stay too long."
With that, they parted again. She used to be convinced that physical contact could comfort and relieve the negativity which was why she hugged Hualing who was distressig. She never thought it was words that worked so effectively like magic to appease her melancholy. Which he said was like the incantation which encouraged her to try cooking and his sole presence around her lifted her mood. She began to like having a crush, a free mental therapy with no cost.
If she asked her mother for a chauffeur, she would have to stand for a while to wait for it. She'd better take public transportation. In a taxi, she commenced a conversation between her and herself in her imagination.
'Perhaps, his mother?'
'It is possible since he even showed his appreciation to his mother in the speech at the ceremony.' She reasoned herself.
'Will you title your mother a little girl?' She felt suffocated.
'Maybe 'little girl' is his mother's nickname. Even I call my mom, big sister Cai.'
'I should have asked him directly!' She regretted it.
'No, I did it right. He will mistake me as a paparazzi if I continue any further.' She assured herself.
'Still, one question won't make any difference. That is such a big case yet why I didn't ask him? Why did I become conscious of it specifically at that time?' She was on the verge of crying.
"Naughty! Useless!" She berated her naughty brain while hitting her head hard with her little fists. The taxi driver gazed confusingly at her through rearview mirror.
Now she had no scapegoat to blame for!
When she reached the apartment, just as she was about to open the bolted door, she heard a stern voice of a girl sounding from inside the room.
"Don't be so dumb, Liu Tengfei. I dated you because you are easily manipulated and blind to my mess. But now I've got a better one. Tang Renshu directed me to marry his grandson. Tell me why I should choose you over him!"
It was not fair to eavesdrop. Xiulan kept her distance.
Her eyes were closed when she rested her head on the cool wall behind, 'So that's what Grandpa told her. Hualing, later I will hear out what you have to say.'