"He knew it before I did. He knew it even before he did." ~ Dr. Sang Tian
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As decided, Fang Haoran had his executive assistant clear his schedule for the whole day. Sang Tian had shared with him her personal contact number and gave him the address of the Lakehouse as well. They had exchanged contact numbers after their dinner on Friday night.
Sang Tian was not into the endearing nickname and cutesy romantic stuff so she saved Fang Haoran's contact in her cell phone by his name but added a red heart next to it because that is how she had saved Li Si Han's contact number as well. Just another extra touch to make them look real. As for Fang Haoran, he did the same sans the heart.
Instead of going back home, Sang Tian had chosen to go to the Lakehouse. She spent the night there and was joined by her friends early on Saturday morning. They had breakfast and made a list of things that a couple would know about each other. Things that Fang Haoran and Sang Tian should know about each other.
The list ranged from the things they loved and liked to the stuff they disliked and pretty much hated. From their allergies to their phobias to the way they liked their drinks to be made and served. Everything under the sun was listed under that list.
When Fang Haoran arrived at the Lakehouse the four friends were huddled at the kitchen counter going through the damn list with Sang Tian writing down the answers to all of the items listed on a separate sheet of paper.
They were so busy and focused on the task at hand that they did not notice Fang Haoran standing at their doorstep.
"How long did you say you and Fang Haoran were in a relationship?" asked Dylan, "According to science it may take as little as 36 hours to be ready to be intimate while some may wait for a year and sometimes even longer than that."
At once, Dylan was smacked by three different hands on his head, "Do you really think that any of her family members is gonna ask her to share her sex life with them?" pointed out Yu Xin with a roll of her eyes.
"Okay, fine." replied Dylan, "But we need to decide from how long this relationship is going on. I would say 10 months; at this point, you haven't decided if you two will get married or not but you are kinda sure that you don't want to marry anybody else."
"Agreed." commented Chen Qiang, "But we also need to make sure that Fang Haoran wasn't dating someone during that time frame."
"That won't be an issue because apparently, the man hasn't dated anybody since his university days. Which is like," Yu Xin did some calculations using her fingers before adding, "7 years." she looked and sounded horrified after making that deduction.
"The man's tall, dark, and handsome and he's rich, even more rich than Richie Rich and Uncle Scrooge combined." her compliment and analogy sounded amusing to Fang Haoran, "How could a man like that remain single for 7 long years?"
"Perhaps, because I was waiting for someone who would genuinely interest me and not just fall at my feet because of my looks and money." commented Fang Haoran making his presence evident from the doorstep where he had been standing for the past few minutes.
Yu Xin froze still in her spot and made no move to turn around and face the man because of how embarrassed she was. Whereas, Dylan, Chen Qiang, and Sang Tian stepped forward to welcome him inside and greeted him warmly.
They moved from the kitchen counter and to the living room while Yu Xin stayed behind to collect herself and arrange snacks and refreshments for their guest.
"Okay, so we have compiled this list," began Sang Tian as she handed Fang Haoran a copy of the list along with a notebook and pen, "There are a variety of items and questions on the list. You can skip any of it in case you are not comfortable." she informed.
"I am halfway done with the answers for the items on the list. We will exchange these sheets once we are both done with answering them so that we can discuss it all and mix it up seamlessly with the story that I created." Sang Tian could not hide her embarrassment, her cheeks coloring pink.
Being reminded about the fact that they were in this mess because of her lies was no reason to be proud of.
Fang Haoran took the list and the notebook from Sang Tian and began writing down his answers corresponding to the items on the list. He was writing down his favorite color when Yu Xin arrived carrying a large tray holding glasses of juice and some snacks to eat.
"When did you arrive?" Fang Haoran heard the tiniest whisper of a voice as Yu Xin lowered the tray of refreshments for Fang Haoran to take whatever he wanted.
"When you were discussing how long your friend and I have been in a relationship." he chuckled lightly as he grabbed a glass of juice for himself.
After serving them, Yu Xin sat down next to Sang Tian. After both Sang Tian and Fang Haoran finished writing their answers, they all began discussing and perfecting the story they were going to tell Grandfather Sang.
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On Sunday afternoon, Sang Tian and Fang Haoran arrived at Grandfather Sang's mansion. The mansion was a fine example of traditional architecture and design. Fang Haoran's gaze wandered around in awe and admiration of the beauty of the mansion.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" whispered Sang Tian as they made their way to the south courtyard where her grandfather was waiting for them.
"It is." responded Fang Haoran unable to hide the awe in his voice. Sang Tian smiled softly at him and responded in kind. His smile eased some of Sang Tian's nervousness but it still wasn't enough.
"Everything will be fine, we have gone through this three times now. I have everything memorized and in case you make some mistake I will be there to help you." assured Fang Haoran as he squeezed her hand lightly.
Sang Tian nodded her head but said nothing as they continued walking towards the southern courtyard.
Grandfather Sang was already seated there, drinking his cup of tea when Sang Tian and Fang Haoran finally arrived. "Good afternoon Grandpa." greeted Sang Tian as she walked over to where her grandfather was seated while Fang Haoran followed her at a slower pace.
Grandfather Sang smiled seeing his granddaughter but the moment his eyes fell on the man standing behind her, his expressions hardened.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Sang." wished Fang Haoran and bowed slightly in front of the elderly.
The old man acknowledged it with a nod of his head before looking at the young couple in front of him from head to toe and then back up.
"Did you two deliberately decide on matching outfits to make your relationship look more convincing?" asked Grandfather Sang while taking a sip of his tea.
Sang Tian frowned in confusion and turned to look at Fang Haoran. She looked at him, like really looked, and finally noticed what her grandfather was talking about and what her friends were teasing her about earlier this morning when Fang Haoran had arrived at the Lakehouse to pick her up.
It wasn't deliberate, nope, Sang Tian did not plan this to happen. She had randomly picked an outfit and had only told Fang Haoran to dress in a suit like he usually does. She didn't notice anything odd before but now that her grandfather pointed towards it Sang Tian finally noticed that she and Fang Haoran were dressed in the same colors.
Fang Haoran was wearing a rose pink colored suit while she was dressed in a similar color wrap-around dress which she had accessorized with silver jewelry and white wedges.
"We did not do this on purpose Grandpa!" exclaimed Sang Tian, "It just happened." she giggled nervously.
Grandfather Sang just hummed in response before taking Sang Tian's hand in his and saying, "Why don't you go to the kitchen, your Aunt Shu was very happy when I told her that you would be visiting. She told me to tell you to go see her the moment you arrive. She's been preparing all of your favorite dishes and said she had a surprise for you as well."
Though Grandfather Sang was saying something, it actually meant something else. If loosely translated, Grandfather Sang was saying, 'Go away, I need to talk to this boy alone and see if he deserves my precious granddaughter or not.'
"What?" Sang Tian mumbled weakly, her senses enveloped by the blanket of absolute panic. She understood what her grandfather wanted but was afraid of leaving Fang Haoran alone with him, "But Grandpa -"
"It's okay. You should go meet your aunt." said Fang Haoran as he gently squeezed her hand in assurance.
"But -" (what if you mess up?!) she wanted to protest.
"It's okay." smiled Fang Haoran while Grandfather Sang gave her that strict look that told her that he meant business.
Sang Tian shook her head but followed her Grandfather's orders and walked away to meet up with Aunt Shu while leaving behind Fang Haoran with her grandfather.
"Do you know how to play Go, young man?" was the first question that Grandfather Sang asked.
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As expected Aunt Shu was instructed to not let Sang Tian go back until and unless given further instructions from Grandfather Sang.
Aunt Shu was the chief maid at the mansion and also Grandfather Sang's chef. She was like a second mother to Sang Tian and had been there since before Sang Tian was even born.
When Aunt Shu got to know that her little miss was bringing a boy with her to introduce him to her grandfather, Aunt Shu's reaction was no way near positive. She was of the opinion that there was no man in this world good enough for their precious little miss.
But who was she to force her opinion on anybody. That's why Aunt Shu trusted Grandfather Sang's judgment regarding this matter and did not question him when he instructed her to keep Sang Tian busy while he interrogated the boy.
Aunt Shu could see how anxious her little miss was and tried her best to distract her by feeding her the dishes that she had specifically cooked for her, giving her the belated birthday gift that she had brought for her, and other things that she could think of to keep Sang Tian there and busy enough.
It was around 50 minutes later that Aunt Shu received a message on her cell phone from the butler that read;
You can let little Miss leave now.
And that's what she did.
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Sang Tian almost tripped and fell as she ran all the way back to the southern courtyard. She was extremely anxious and worried for Fang Haoran and herself wondering what must have happened in the past 53 minutes.
It seemed like all their research and preparation failed and Sang Tian was restless thinking that her grandfather must have caught on to her lies. She steeled herself for her grandfather's anger and the disappointment in his eyes but was astonished when she saw her grandfather walking over along with Fang Haoran.
What amazed her was her grandfather's genuine laughter as he patted Fang Haoran's back like a proud parent. It felt like she had gained her grandfather's approval somehow.
But how?
What happened in the past 53 minutes?
"Ah, Tian Tian, we were coming to meet up with you." smiled her grandfather, "Did you have fun chatting with your Aunt Shu?"
Sang Tian could only nod in response.
"Good." smiled Grandfather Sang, "Why don't you two stay for lunch and give this old man some company?"
Before either of them could answer, Fang Haoran's cell phone rang and he excused himself and walked away to attend the call.
"You did well." said Grandfather Sang, his lips curved up in a fond smile, "That's a fine man that you chose. I like him."
"Really?" Sang Tian looked at him with wide eyes and her jaw dropped slightly.
Chuckling, Grandfather Sang pinched Sang Tian's chin lightly and said, "Yes, I do. He's a good man and most importantly he adores you."
Sang Tian was left speechless while Grandfather Sang continued, "You made a good choice, sweetheart. Haoran truly cherishes you, I can see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice."
"Really?" was all that Sang Tian could say.
"I am sorry, Grandpa." Sang Tian was brought out of her thoughts when she heard Fang Haoran address her grandfather as Grandpa.
Oh my God.
They truly got his approval!
"Something urgent came up so I can't join you for lunch. Maybe next time?" asked Fang Haoran to which Grandfather Sang responded with, "Okay." and a smile while Sang Tian could only watch them interact with her jaw dropped wide.