It had been twelve days since Li Wei texted me last. Twelve days of pretending I was hard to get. But regardless, I've told him Yes. But we haven't found a perfect time to go out on our first date… he's always busy… and everytime he's not… I'll have classes. But we've been chatting though…
Then, that morning, my phone buzzed.
> Li Wei: "Are you free tonight?"
Me: "Maybe. Why?"
Li Wei: "Dinner. I'll pick you up."
Just like that. No emoji. No hesitation. Just confidence… the kind that made me forget how to breathe for a second. I've grown used to that confident.
When I told Meilin, she screamed so loud I almost dropped my phone. "You're going out with Li Wei?!"
I rolled my eyes. "It's just dinner, Meilin. Not a marriage proposal."
She ignored me completely, already dragging clothes out of the wardrobe like some fashion-possessed demon. "You don't understand these celebrity types. They want perfection. You can't just show up looking like a human being."
I sighed, sitting on the bed. "He already saw me half-asleep and confused in a hotel suite, Meilin. I don't think he's expecting perfection."
She turned sharply, holding up a shimmering black dress. "And that's why I'm your best friend"
I couldn't help but laugh. "You're insane."
"Insanely right," she said.
While she helped me get ready, she wouldn't stop talking…about what to say, how to act, what not to spill on my dress, and how to smile just right.
"Meilin," I groaned, "it's just a date. We're going to eat, talk, maybe awkwardly wave goodbye. That's it."
She narrowed her eyes at me through the mirror. "You're pretending to be calm, but I can see your hands shaking."
I bit my lip. "I'm not shaking."
"Yes, you are."
"Fine. Maybe a little."
She smirked, clearly satisfied that she'd proven her point. "See? You like him."
I didn't reply. Because she might be right. I was falling for him. And that scared me more than anything else.
By the time I was dressed…hair falling over my shoulders, skin glowing under the light… I could barely recognize myself.
"You look… wow," Meilin said softly. "I think you'll change celebrities taste of fashion when he sees you"
I smiled faintly. "I'm not trying to impress him"
"Sure," she said, unconvinced. Then, like she suddenly remembered something, she opened her drawer, rummaged through it, and pulled something out.
A condom.
I blinked at it, speechless. "What… what is that?"
She waved it casually. "Backup plan."
"Meilin!"
"What? Anything could happen. He's Li Wei. You're going on a date with a superstar who has millions of women throwing themselves at him. I'm just making sure you're… prepared."
"I'm not going to need that," I snapped, snatching my purse.
She just smiled mischievously and said, "We'll see."
I turned away, trying not to blush, and didn't even notice when she quietly slipped it into my bag.
★★★★★
Li Wei didn't come himself. He said there'd be too much attention if he did… that people followed him everywhere. So he sent a driver.
The car was sleek, tinted, and smelled faintly like cedar and expensive perfume.
Beijing shimmered outside the window as we drove. The city was alive… headlights glinting, couples holding hands under the glowing street lamps.
My heart wouldn't calm down.
When we stopped, I looked out the window and nearly choked on air. There was literally no one here…He had rented the entire restaurant. Classic.
When I stepped inside, he was already there. Sitting by a table covered in white silk, soft jazz playing in the background. His black shirt fit perfectly against his skin, rolled sleeves revealing lean forearms. His hair was slightly messy, like he didn't even need to try.
He looked up… and smiled. That slow, dangerous smile that made me feel warm in places I didn't want to admit.
"Francesca," he said, standing. His voice was calm, smooth, a little husky. "You came."
I tried to sound unaffected. "Well, you said dinner. I was promised food."
He laughed softly. "Yh, sure."
He gestured for me to sit, and when the waiter appeared, he switched to flawless Chinese…confident and natural.
"点菜.两人份,谢谢." (Order for two, thank you.)
The sound rolled off his tongue effortlessly, deep and melodic. I didn't understand the words, but the way he said them made something stir inside me.
He turned back to me with a small smirk. "I hope you don't mind that I ordered for us already."
I leaned back. "That depends. What if I hate what you picked?"
"Then you'll choose whatsoever you want, it's on me." he said.
I laughed, shaking my head. "You're too confident."
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
"Maybe it is."
"Maybe that's what you like about me," he said casually, eyes holding mine a little too long.
I didn't answer. I couldn't. My pulse was loud in my ears.
I cleared my throat, trying to switch topics.
"Do you like it here?" he asked, swirling his wine.
I shrugged. "Sometimes. I don't think Beijing likes me back, though."
He smiled, leaning in slightly. "You're wrong. Beijing has just never met someone like you."
My stomach flipped. "You don't even know me."
"Not yet," he said. "But I will."
He asked questions…about the things I missed from home, about what made me laugh, even about my fears. He listened like every word mattered.
Then, somewhere in the middle of a story about my mom's obsession with Chinese takeout, I gestured with my hand… too wildly. My purse slipped from the chair and fell open on the floor.
"Oh no—" I reached down to grab it, but before I could, a small silver packet slid out.
A condom.
Right there. On the pristine restaurant floor.
For one horrifying second, time
stopped.
Li Wei blinked, then looked up at me, eyes wide… and curious.
My brain screamed kill me now.
I'll kill meilin for this….