Su Haoyu hurriedly made his way to the Xxx Tower , sat on the reserved seat and began waiting for Lin Qing.
At that moment, Lin Qing was still in her hotel room. As the clock neared 8:30, she finally arrived at 'Peak' scanned the code for the reservation at entrance and began to survey the room.
Their eyes met.
Su Haoyu rose from his seat and nodded in her direction.
He was dressed more formally than usual, donning a shirt and jeans, different than his typical sweatpants and hoodie attire that he wears even for formal occasions.
As Lin Qing approached, Su Haoyu held his breath, mesmerized by the way she looked, she was wearing a short red dress that accentuated her curves and her long, wavy hair swaying with each step. She stood before him with a warm smile.
While standing together like this, their heights was almost looked same because of the high heels she had.
Uncertain of whether to shake her hand or hug her, Su Haoyu simply gestured to the table, and they both sat down.
Their mismatched attire seemed almost comical, with one looking casual with his lumberjack shirt as if he was going for a camp and the other with a fancy red dress as if she were attending a film gala.
Lin Qing first made an eye contact, she sweetly asked;
"Did I make you wait for too long?"
He tried to clear his throat, but his voice came out as a croak. He felt like a fool, unable to form a single coherent sentence in front of the woman he had been crushing on for years.
"N-o , I mean why would I wait? I just got here," Su Haoyu responded and shrugged his shoulders , as though he hadn't been checking the time and glancing at the entrance for the past 30 minutes.
Lin Qing nodded.
Sitting opposite him, Lin Qing glanced at the single menu on the table. The waitstaff in this establishment wouldn't bring these unless they think the guest being stood up.
Then, looking at Su Haoyu's face, she placed her hand on his and asked, "Are you alright? You seem a bit tired. Did I choose the wrong time?"
"I always look like this, and I wouldn't have come if I was busy," Su Haoyu pushed the menu toward Lin Qing. "Choose something you want to eat," he said.
He tried to avoid her deep gaze that seemed to suck his soul out of his body.
Lin Qing didn't seem to mind his eccentric behaviour, so he exhaled a long breath, whenever he was nervous , he would always say things he doesn't mean but his ego wouldn't allow to take his words back.
"Why did I say it like that?
But she didn't say anything or she didn't look upset, does she not care?
Maybe she would start to hate me now?"
While Su Haoyu was overthinking , Lin Qing checked the menu.
"What do you want to eat?"
She asked.
" I don't mind these things, order whatever you like" Su Haoyu tried to put a cold front.
Su Haoyu was watching Lin Qing confidently ordering food and realised that most of the things she picked was pretty much suited his taste, he couldn't help but blush at the thought of her picking them for him so he couldn't hear her ordering a strong wine at the end of the order.
After their meals arrived, they both quietly began to eat and slowly drink their wines.
Lin Qing cut a piece from her orange duck and pushed the fork in front of Su Haoyu, saying playfully, "You should try a bite."
Su Haoyu looked at the fork and her face and he shyly took a bite.
While they were chatting and eating, Lin Qing decided to talk to him about something he was familiar with in order to encourage him to open up more.
She said, "I really liked the visuals of 'Fight of the Supreme Concubine.'"
'Fight of the Supreme Concubine' was one of the games that Su Haoyu's company had created.
Su Haoyu's eyes lit up with pride as he spoke,
"Oh, so you game? Actually, there are a lot of secret routes that most gamers don't know..." He continued to describe and discuss the game and which historical period they sourced it from and the problems that arrived while they were creating the game , he was unaware that Lin Qing had no idea what he was talking about.
She only said that the visuals were good; in fact, she couldn't play games at all, except for dressing games or Pac-Man type of easy games.
She only wanted to have something to talk about with him so she watched few videos of the games he created and thought 'Fight of the Supreme Concubine ' would make a great tv series as a period drama,maybe even something like the popular series that emerged in the future , that have multiple endings, where the audience has the power to choose what the protagonist's next move will be, resulting in various endings.
But she didn't reveal any of this; instead, she thought it was nice to listen to him talk so eagerly and her eyes narrowed with a smile..
Upon finishing their meals, Lin Qing proposed to Su Haoyu, "I heard that the rooftop here is amazing. It's a bar, but I read online that the music is really good. Do you want to go check it out?"
Su Haoyu didn't have an early morning work commitment, as he could easily work from his bed, so he simply nodded and allowed Lin Qing to lead him to the elevator. He could feel the warmth from her delicate and soft hands that she held his.
Even after reaching the rooftop, Lin Qing did not release his hand,Su Haoyu's mouth curled up while looking at their clasped fingers.
As the music began to play, She turned to him and whispered in his ear, "Let's dance."
Su Haoyu hesitated and tried to answer coolly, "I don't dance."
However, maybe with the courage of alcohol Lin Qing was persistent and she didn't try to put on an innocent act or behave like she usually does infront of him.
She moved closer, placed her hands on his shoulders, and coquettishly pleaded, "Pleaseeee, it'll be fun."
As she drew near and her breath tickled his cheek, he blushed. The spoiled way she acted and her closeness left his heart in turmoil, he relented,"Fine, whatever, if you really want to."
Then they started dancing in a lighthearted manner.
She continued to whisper into his hear "Isn't it fun?"
He hummed and nodded,"It's not too bad."
She rested her forehead against his shoulder, and they continued dancing under the sky for a while, neither of them were willing to let go of the other.
As they prepared to leave, Su Haoyu intended to pay the bill, but Lin Qing had already taken care of everything, leaving him feeling a bit guilty.
"Did the driver send you? Will someone pick you up?" Su Haoyu inquired.
Since she had been drinking and didn't want to go home, she replied honestly or else he will really send her home and that would let her mother nag her continously;
"Well, uhm, I actually booked a room downstairs."
"Is it safe? Should I ask my driver to take you?" Su Haoyu probed.
"This is a renowned place, I don't think they would let anybody, What would happen to me in here?" she tried to assure him.
Upon hearing her response, he didn't want to sound too controlling , even if he felt hesitated he said "Then I'll walk you to your room."
She wasn't intoxicated enough to be unconscious, but she was giddy and eager to spend more time with him, so she didn't refuse him and nodded in agreement.
As they made their way back to her room, Lin Qing pulled Su Haoyu inside and closed the door.
He was dumbfounded by her sudden actions.
Lin Qing was also taken aback by her own actions, but she tried to brush it off and remarked,
"Looks like this suite is pretty safe, doesn't it?"
She continued to chatter, "I'd like to have some coffee.
Would you like some too?
Today was relatively hotter.
Wearing high heels for too long is torture, you know..."
As she took the kettle and poured water into it, Su Haoyu took the kettle from her and said,
"Sit down, I'll do it. Take off your shoes and rest."
The suite featured a large king-size bed on one side, with a wall and a mounted TV separating it from the other side of the room, where there was a spacious couch. Near the entrance, there was a small kitchen area with a sink and counter. Su Haoyu picked two mugs and washed them.
Lin Qing slouched down on the couch as she watched him prepare her coffee. They both remained silent as the water boiled.
Su Haoyu rolled up the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows, revealing his slender and pale forearms. His fingers were long and delicate, slightly larger than hers. Lin Qing was intently studying his hands and didn't notice that he was also gazing at her.
One of the straps of her dress had fallen off her shoulders, her hair cascaded down onto the couch, and due to the short length of her dress, most of her legs were exposed making the scene alluring,
Su Haoyu swallowed audibly, and his Adam's apple bobbed noticeably as he took in the scene before him. He tried to avoid looking at her as he brought the mug and placed it on the small coffee table in front of her, and in a reprimanding voice, he said,
"Sit up, you're so careless when you sit. It's not like I care or anything, but I'm a guy, you realize that, right? You should be more careful!"
Lin Qing giggled and observed his flushed face.
Su Haoyu gave her a stern look.
"Alright, yes, I understand," Lin Qing confessed, but she was still smiling.
"Sit up properly," he repeated.
"Why does it matter to you if I don't sit properly? Didn't you say you don't care?" Lin Qing playfully inquired, blinking innocently, but a hint of anger crept into her tone that she couldn't control in her acting.
"Don't play around" he said in a tone that was a mix of slight annoyance and affection.
Lin Qing straightened up and pushed the strand of hair that had fallen on her face behind her ear.
Attempting to be serious, she asked in a grave tone, "Haoyu, what do you think of me?"
Su Haoyu wasn't prepared for her serious inquiry, leaving him tongue-tied and at a loss for words.
"Uh, I don't know..."
He hold his next words while looking at her dark obsidian eyes that were looking at him expectantly, he was about to blurt out 'childish and stupid' but for some reason he ended up saying;
You're alright, I guess
Pretty...
Pretty alright." He stuttered out the last sentence.
"Why are you asking such strange questions?" He asked.
"Cause I like you," she declared, moving closer to him, making him more uneasy.
"WHAT?"
' Like me?
She said she likes me'
His brain circuits haywired.
"Wait, what?
What did you say?" He asked again to be sure.
Lin Qing leaned in and whispered in his ear, "I said I like you." Her voice was low and husky, sending shivers down Su Haoyu's spine.
"So what do 'you' think of me?" She asked again, her eyes fixed on his.
Su Haoyu's heart was racing so rapidly that it felt like it might leap out of his chest. His eyes widened, and his heart pounded in his chest. "R-really? You... do?" He murmured, barely able to form the words.
Now that she asked him two times, he couldn't hesitate about this. "I also, I mean , I wouldn't mind if..." his voice became lower and lower.
She put on an exaggerated confused look with a smile and asked him again, "So do you like me or not?" Her voice started as assertive and commanding but softened into something quieter and gentler at the end of the sentence.
He nodded, feeling his cheeks flush. "Yes."
His head was down, he didn't have the courage to look her in the eye.
"So should we seal it with a kiss?" Lin Qing abruptly asked.
As he heard the word "kiss," his gaze was drawn to her lips, which glistened faintly. They were plump and luscious, he felt a sudden urge to taste them.
Although he had never done it before, he instinctively leaned in and pressed his lips against hers.
The kiss was electric. Her lips were soft and supple, like a cloud against his own. He could feel the warmth spreading through his body and sending shivers down his spine.
However, just as Lin Qing was responding to the kiss with her tongue, Su Haoyu stood up abruptly and rushed to the bathroom and locked himself in.
He placed his hands on his burning cheeks and tried to calm his racing heart.
"What are you doing? She is drunk, stop yourself " he thought to himself.
Then there was water sounds coming from the bathroom.
Lin Qing was left bewildered as Su Haoyu fled right after kissing her.
This guy!