Weiwei woke up in awe. As soon as she opened her eyes and saw the room around her and felt Qi's hand resting on her shoulder, she was filled with disbelief, happiness, and amazement.
Life is so wonderful and unpredictable. Maybe we're simply blind or ungrateful when we complain about our hardships. Are they just steps in the journey? What if it's like climbing a mountain: hard, sweaty, and full of struggle, but not only at the end—along the way, you also get to see beautiful views, breathe in fragrant air, and feel the thrill of the climb?
Weiwei lay there, smiling.
Yes, that's how I'm going to rethink my entire life. Everything I thought was misfortune was, in fact, just a step in my journey, meant to help me feel more deeply, to better understand right from wrong. It was all to make me who I am today and make me feel happiness when I experience it as deeply as I feel it this morning.
She turned to Qi, gazing at him with tenderness. She felt her heart brimming with warmth and love.
I'll let him sleep.
Weiwei slipped out of bed and padded barefoot to the bathroom. There, she stood before the mirror for a moment, gazing at her reflection and the space around her. Weiwei still couldn't believe how huge Qi's bathroom was. It was almost as big as her entire apartment, or so it seemed to her.
The same went for the kitchen, where she went next. There were so many cabinets and gadgets, it felt a little overwhelming for her to get comfortable. She filled the tea kettle with water and turned it on, when she heard Qi approaching.
"Good morning," he said, pulling her into a hug from behind.
They stood like that for a few moments, feeling like a blissful eternity to Weiwei.
I love it so much! I wish it never stopped.
"You never wake me up when you get up," he murmured in her ear. "Why is that? You don't like it in the morning?"
"You were so cute, I didn't want to disturb my precious baby," Weiwei replied.
"Is that the real reason?"
She slowly turned in his arms, still held close. "Yes. Why? What did you have in mind?"
Now standing face-to-face, they could kiss, both wide awake.
"Your place is too big," she muttered.
He smiled. "Isn't it good? It gives us so many more places to do things."
I have such an adventurous boyfriend…
After breakfast, Weiwei stood by one of the big windows watching sunshine playing in the trees of the ravine.
"By the way, I think it's time you meet my grandfather," said Qi.
Weiwei turned to him. It wasn't entirely unexpected after accepting Qi's proposal, but she still wasn't mentally prepared.
"Today?"
Qi gave her a calming smile. "At some point. You can choose when."
Weiwei sighed.
It's my duty, I know. But what if his grandfather doesn't like me. What if he's going to be against our relationship?
"Tell me more about him," she said. "What does he like? What should I tell him?"
"It doesn't matter what he likes," chuckled Qi. "Just be yourself. I'm going to marry you, not him. And I like my Weiwei just like she is right now."
She felt gooey again, but resisted the temptation of getting distracted.
"Still," she said, "tell me more about his personality. Is he direct? Is he frank? How does he judge people he's never met?"
Qi shook his head. "I'm telling you: you're overthinking it. You don't want to adjust to meet his expectations. In any case, I don't know how he chooses people he likes or doesn't like. I can tell you that he's pretty straightforward, so you'll know what he's thinking right away. He doesn't waste time pretending in his personal life – business is the whole different story, of course."
Weiwei thought about it. "You said once that he was ruthless."
"In business, obviously, you can't succeed without being very determined."
Weiwei cocked her head. "No, you said it about the way he treated you. That was personal."
Qi nodded. "Yes, I did say that. And that wasn't entirely fair. You remember what it was like when he kicked me out of this place, and out of TTT Group – I was very angry with him at the time."
"I would be, too!" exclaimed Weiwei.
"You wouldn't be," said Qi, smiling. "You're an angel, Weiwei."
"Stop it."
"But you are," he closed in on her, trying to cover her mouth with a kiss.
She let him kiss her and then continued. "Well, if you don't want to prepare me for the meeting, we might as well go sooner rather than later."
Qi squeezed her in his arms. "I want to prepare you in any way you'd like. I'm just telling you that you can only be yourself. You don't want to appear to be someone else. Because I like the real you, and my grandpa will have to live with that."
"Fine," said Weiwei. "So when should we go?"
"How about tomorrow?"
"Okay."
The next afternoon they drove to see old Mr. Feng. Weiwei didn't sleep well in the anticipation of the encounter, and only in the car on the way over she had suddenly relaxed. You can't predict the future, and you can't choose your destiny.
She felt better after letting go of her worries.
I'll just be the best I can be.
They arrived at a house of respectable size just outside the city that didn't scream wealth and luxury.
I guess he doesn't like to show off his prosperity. I like it.
A maid led them to the back of the house, facing an immaculately landscaped garden, complete with two dragon statues and a beautiful Japanese-style wall waterfall.
"Your grandfather has a very good taste," said Weiwei.
Qi nodded, looking a bit preoccupied.
So he's worried about what his grandfather is going to think of me, after all.
The door opened, and someone walked in. Weiwei braced herself as she looked up.
In front of them stood the old man she had met in the park.