Maybe she should call her friend Min to come pick her up with a cab. But where was she going to tell her to come pick her up?
She looked around to see if any taxis were coming in her direction, but none seemed to be in sight. She got discouraged. Was she going to remain there, or could she just return to Wei and accept his offer to have his driver take her home?
At least that sounded better.
"I think I should just accept Wei's offer of driving with his driver; at least he made me come here in the first place. Nah! I won't try such." She murmured to herself.
**********
"Get in," A car pulled up in front of her, and the driver asked her to join him in the car. That wasn't Wei, but the face looked familiar to Fang. She was trying to remember where she had met the man.
"But you don't know me, so why are you asking me to ride with you?" Fang asked.
"I don't know you, but I am only trying to help you get to your destination. Besides, you've ridden with me before, so this isn't going to be the first time." The young man responded
It then dawns on Fang who the guy is, but she has forgotten his name already.
That was He Jinyong, the charming-looking guy who helped her home one evening after work.
She then got into the car and had the door shut behind her.
"I remember you now. Sorry to ask, but do you always get to know whenever you need this kind of help?" She asked as they drove.
"I already asked myself the same question immediately after I saw you. Maybe fate wants it the way it's already making it to be; what do you think?"
"I don't know what to think. All the same, thank you for coming through for me for the second time." Fang thanked him.
"You're welcome, so what have you come here for?" Jinyong asked
"I guess that shouldn't be your concern. All you should be after now is how to get me to my destination safely."
She sounded rude to him. But He Jinyong was not miffed by her rudeness. He thought it was normal for ladies to act that way sometimes, especially those playing too hard to get.
"Okay. You are Wang Fang. Or isn't that the name you told me the last time? Or maybe that isn't my business too; let me mind my business by driving and not asking too many questions."
"You're funny. It's fine; I am Wang Fang. Although I can't remember the name you told me was yours the other day,
"Really? I'm not surprised you've forgotten my name already because you were not in your best mood that very day. I am He Jinyong," he said, smiling at Fang.
"alright.Thanks."
"So am I taking you to your house this time around, or am I stopping you at that same spot I stopped you the other day?" he asked
"Ooh, that's okay. You'll get to know my residential apartment today, but you are not going inside with me. Agreed?"
"I have no issue with that, but do you mind giving me your digits? He asked.
"Of course not," she responded.
Jinyong gave her his phone to punch her digits inside. She did that and gave him back his phone.
They finally got to her residence, and she pointed her flat to him and excited his car.
Jinyong watched her walk into her apartment and zoomed off immediately; she was no longer in sight.
*********
After having a shower, he placed a call to Fang, but she didn't answer her phone. He thought she would be busy and decided not to call her again until the evening.
Soon, his phone started ringing, and it was Fang who was calling.
"Hello!" Wang talked first as soon as the call went through. She didn't have Jinyong's number because she didn't ask for it.
"Fang? How are you? he responded
"I'm good. Jinyong?"
Yes, I'm sorry I didn't give you my number before now. Uuhh... Do you respond to nighttime calls? He asked.
"Not really. But why did you ask?"
"I'm kind of busy at the moment. I have a lot to talk to you about, so I was hoping we could talk tonight."
"Ooh! I don't do that. But since it's coming from you, I have to compromise to make you happy."
"Alright, thanks for that. I have to go now," Jinyong said as he dropped the call.
"Immediately the call went out, He Jinyong started rehearsing what to say to Fang. He knew exactly what to say, but how to say it without getting furious was the issue.
Was he not being too fast or something? Maybe that is how nature wants it to be.
"Okay, Fang. Do you have a boyfriend? Nash! That's too lame," he said in a soliloquy.
He was not the type to be quick to ask people about their private lives, especially when it come to things like relationships.
In his entire life, he had only been in a relationship once, and it was a planned one between his parents and the girl's parents.
Both parents wanted them together, so he wasn't given the chance to do the talking or express how he felt about the whole thing.
While rehearsing how to express his feelings to Fang, it was so hard for him to put suitable words together, as words had failed him woefully. He then opted for the option of talking to his friend over the phone to put him through it.
"Chang An. What's up with you?" He spoke as soon as the call went through.
"I'm good. You?" Chang An responded.
"I'm ok. I need your help with something I consider very important to me. I need your advice and guidance on how to go about it.
"Okay, what could that be?" Chang An had asked curiously.
"I have fallen in love again, but the problem now is how to let her know how I feel about her."
"Waoh!! Are you sure about this? Do you think you are really in love with her, or are you just infatuated with her?" Chang An asked to be clear about what He Jinyong was trying to get into.
"You should know by now that I take things seriously. Since my last relationship, I haven't discussed anything like love with you before. So I'm extremely in love with this girl." Jinyong sounded very serious and factual.
"I see. So who is she, and where does she live? And where did you meet her?"
"Man, that should be a story for another day when we are together. I just need some tips from you on how to go about it. I know you are good at these things."
"Really? You should be ashamed of yourself. Are you not a guy like me? Even if I am going to help out, I still need you to tell me how you met her."
Chang An had tried to make sure Jinyong moved on after his past relationship. He gave him so many reasons why he should do that. He went as far as making him join him in clubbing.
Jinyong wasn't the clubbing type; he doesn't like the social lifestyle. Chang An made him see why he should loosen up a little, and all Chang's efforts to make that happen proved abortive.
When he could no longer convince Jinyong to have another girlfriend, he left him to his celibacy lifestyle.
"I saw her along the road on my way back from your residence. She was trying to get a cab to get a house, but she seemed to have been standing there for too long, and no cab was forthcoming, so I offered to give her a ride instead.
I saw her again today and gave her a ride for the second time." Jinyong explained
"Wow! Roadside love it is," Chang teased He Jinyong.
"Be serious for once in your life," Jinyong said angrily.
"Are you trying to call me unserious? So you are the serious one here, yet you cannot talk to the lady you met. Your over-seriousness is the reason why you are still single to date." Chang An Mocked He Jinyong
"Please help out and stop talking about irrelevance."
"Be quiet, and let me do what I know how to do better than you," Chang requested.
"Okay. Here is what you should do: You start by asking her out on a friendly date. It could be a lunch or dinner date. Ask her a few questions about herself. Get to know her better before asking her to date you. Please be mindful of the questions you ask her. Don't go too deep into her private life," Chang An had advised Jinyong after teasing and mocking him.
"What questions should I ask her to avoid asking her irrelevant questions? "
"I suppose you know the meaning of the "Suppose you know the meaning of the word "irrelevant," so you should be able to tell when a question is irrelevant." Chang Mocked
"Ooh, my goodness. Why then did I call you a friend if I knew the right questions to ask her?" Jinyong asked.
"Bro, man up; stop acting like a teenager. Are you even sure of what you feel for this girl in question? What is her name?"
"What I feel for her is love, not infatuation. Her name is Fang. Do you have any issues with my feelings for this girl?"
"You talk like a child. Why would I have issues with what you feel for her? You seemed to have forgotten that I had been the one convincing you to give love a chance again.
I only asked you that because you are not sounding like someone who is really in love with a lady. If you are truly in love with her, then you should know exactly what to do to win her heart."
"You're a big fool! Anyway, I'll give her a call now and ask her to join me for lunch tomorrow. Then I'll get back to you on the outcome of it all."
"You are the bigger fool here! Loverboy, or should I call you a lover man? Nah! Loverboy suits you best because you act like a baby."
"You are not serious. Talk to you later." Jinyong hung up the phone.
**************
He dialed Fang's number later in the night at 11:30 p.m. and found out that Fang was on call.
He checked the number to be sure that it was Fang's that he had dialed. He felt disappointed when he realized that it was Fang's.
Was it, not the same lady who told him she does not answer night calls and her number was busy with another call?
Could she have lied to him in the first place? He was trying to make his feelings known to her, and this is what he was already getting. A lie?
He dialed the number again, and this time around, she answered it.
"Hello Jinyong, I've been up waiting for your call." Fang talked.
Jinyong didn't say anything immediately.
"Jinyong, are you there?" She talked for the second time since she did not receive a response the first time.
"Yes. I am here. Sorry for the late response. How are you doing?" He finally uttered
"I'm good. How about you?"
"I'm doing great," he responded.
"Are you sure you are okay? You don't sound like it at all." Fang asked in concern
"Trust me. I'm good."
"Alright then, if you say so."
"Yeah. Fang, I was hoping we could talk over lunch tomorrow. What do you think?"
" Lunch? I don't think I will be able to have lunch with you tomorrow. I'm sorry." She turned down his request.
" Fang. We need to talk. I need to say some things to you but in a one-on-one conversation with you." Jinyong Insisted
"But what is the essence of this phone call if not for us to communicate? So why don't you just say it over the phone?" She asked
"I know we know little or nothing about each other, hence the dinner date she is asking for. I need us to be close friends."
"Then we are friends already."
"If we are friends already, then I see no reason why you can't go out on a date with me."
"Stop making me feel bad already. Okay fine. What time and venue?"
"Good. 2 p.m. isn't bad. Let's meet at Divino Wine and Bar Restaurant."
"Your choice; just try to keep to the time you fixed."
"Sure, I will keep to the time. Would you rather have me come pick you up at your place?"
"That won't be necessary. I'll find my way there."
"Alright then. I have to go now. I have a wonderful night's rest."
"Good night," Wang muttered as she quickly hung up the call before Jinyong could do that.
Jinyong could not wait for the next day to come. He felt so good now that he could not remember to get back to his friend about how his call with Fang went.
He was super excited. The thought of him dining with the one he truly loves got him overjoyed.