"Oh, my poor feet!" exclaimed Ruxuan, sinking into her chair with a dramatic sigh.
Weiwei and Ruxuan had just stumbled into a booth at a large café on the corner of the shopping center where they'd spent the last two hours. They hadn't bought much, but had spent a lot of energy darting from store and store, battling the crowds, and laughing all the while.
It felt good to sit back and relax in the relative quiet of the café, shielded by a glass wall from the busy mall.
"That last store was one too many," Ruxuan said with a grin, brushing a stray hair from her face. "I haven't done this much walking in ages!"
Weiwei nodded. She was getting tired a little herself, so the timing of their coffee break couldn't have been better. Well, coffee for Ruxuan and tea for Weiwei, technically speaking.
Ruxuan laughed. "But it was fun. We should do it again soon."
Maybe something other than shopping? But what?
The cool air and the hum of conversations around them made Weiwei feel almost sleepy. She sipped her tea to get some strength back.
"By the way, I've been meaning to tell you something juicy," said Ruxuan, a teasing smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "It's a little embarrassing, so promise me to keep it a secret."
Weiwei smiled. "As long as it's not something like the Lántiān Group quarterly report."
"No, no, it's strictly personal."
Oh, wow, Ruxuan has got something strictly personal. I wonder what's going on?
Ruxuan hesitated for a moment, then leaned back in her chair, her gaze momentarily wandering to the window. "You remember Chengli, right?"
"Of course," Weiwei said, now a bit confused. Why Chengli?
Ruxuan's voice lowered slightly. "Well… I think he's making moves on me."
Weiwei blinked. "Seriously? Chengli? Making moves?"
Of all the people in the office – or even the world – Chengli was the last person Weiwei would think of as someone making moves on Ruxuan – or anyone else for that matter. It wasn't that he was completely unattractive or boring, but in all her interactions with Chengli Weiwei had never thought of him that way.
"Mm-hmm. At first, I thought I was just imagining things. You know how he is—always keeping to himself. But lately, he's been texting me more often, stopping by, even took me out to lunch on the weekend."
"I'm really surprised," admitted Weiwei. "With his personality, that definitely sounds like he's making moves."
"Right?" jumped in Ruxuan. "You understand what I mean?" A thoughtful expression crossing her face. "He's a good guy, but… you know, I'm not sure I should keep encouraging him."
"Why not?"
Ruxuan shrugged, somewhat dismissively. "Is it even a good idea? As I thought about it, if it came to that, would I date him? I'm not sure, but I doubt. I always expected to date someone who's popular, someone who's handsome. I want someone who can really spoil me, you know?"
"I'm not entirely sure in what way. Let me ask you this," Weiwei began, leaning forward slightly. "Can you describe how you'd like to be spoiled? What matters to you the most?"
Ruxuan glanced down at her latte, swirling it slowly before answering. "I want someone who makes me feel really good. Someone who can take care of me, anticipate my wishes when spoiling me, you know, buy me things I wouldn't think of buying or couldn't afford." She raised her eyes to meet Weiwei's. "I don't want just a guy who falls for me. I want to date someone who would do anything I want for me."
That's our generation, in a nutshell. We've been raised so that each of us wants to be a little princess. Well, almost all of us. My parents weren't there for me to grow up like that.
"Do you think it's too much?" asked Ruxuan, scrunching her nose in doubt.
Weiwei smiled. "It's okay to want the best. Just don't wait forever." She continued calmly, "As far as Chengli is concerned, he might just be the right person to spoil you."
"You think so?" Ruxuan was clearly taken aback. "Why?"
That I can't tell you yet.
"A hunch."
"A hunch?" Ruxuan raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. "You think a timid simple guy like him could spoil me like that?"
I don't know for sure, but you might be surprised.
Weiwei shrugged lightly. "You never know. I have the feeling he's not all that simple. He's like an iceberg, there is a lot we can't see. He's keeping it all to himself."
Ruxuan's gaze lingered on Weiwei for a moment, a flicker of suspicion crossing her face. She set her cup down with a thoughtful frown. "Wait a minute," she said. "Did you and Chengli?"
Weiwei laughed out loud. "Come on, Ruxuan!"
If there was any doubt in Ruxuan's mind, it seemed to fully dissipate watching Weiwei giggling like a child.
"Okay, not that. But you're hiding something from me, aren't you?" asked Ruxuan. Ruxuan's sharp gaze hadn't missed the small shift in Weiwei's demeanor. "I can tell something is different about the way you talk about men. Even the way you walk. Tell me the truth: are you seeing someone?"
She is good at observing things. No wonder no gossip escapes from her.
Weiwei exhaled quietly. "Yeah," Weiwei said softly, meeting Ruxuan's eyes.
"I knew it!" exclaimed Ruxuan. "No way! No way!"
"Shh," Weiwei whispered. "Would you keep it down. It's literally just started, no reason to make a big deal out of it."
"No reason!" Ruxuan couldn't contain herself. "My little flower started dating – and there is no reason to talk about it? It's major piece of news!"
Weiwei laughed, shaking her head. "Careful. It's for your ears only."
"Of course, of course," waved Ruxuan. "You can count on me!" She leaned forward. "Tell me all, who is he? How did you meet? Everything!"
"I'll tell you—gradually. I'm still not used to it," said Weiwei evasively. "What's important is that he's a very nice person. Someone I never expected to like me."
"That's just like you." Ruxuan leaned back in her chair, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. "My little flower is dating a nice guy. Maybe I should give Chengli a chance, after all."
They sat quietly, sipping their drinks, exchanging smiles and unspoken thoughts about what the future might hold.