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EPILOGUE
There is a hot breakfast waiting for me when I come out of the bedroom, my hair still mussed. Actually, calling itabreakfast seems inaccurate, given there are so many dishes on the dining table that it looks more like five different breakfasts. There are pumpkin pancakes, a few dim sum favorites like shao mai and har gao, jian bing—Chinese crepes filled with eggs and scallions and shredded chicken—and cold, spicy sesame noodles.
“Oh my god,” I say, gaping at all the food.
“Morning,” Shang says, walking into the dining room carrying two mugs of coffee. He hands one to me and leans down to kiss me.
“How? Why?” I say.
Shang grins and pulls out a chair for me. “You’re a pretty heavy sleeper.”
“Or you are the world’s quietest cook?”
“Gonna go with heavy sleeper.”
I can’t keep my eyes off him as I lower myself into the chair. “But why? There is so much food here.”
“It’s your first day as a partner at your firm. I didn’t want you to go to the office hungry. Anyway, we can save some for your parents. Your mom was the one who told me all your favorite breakfast dishes.”
I blink. “My mom?”
“Yes. There’s a group chat.”
“A group chat? Who’s in this group?”
“Both our moms. And me,” Shang says, smirking. “It’s called the Foodies.”
My mouth drops open in mock outrage. “You didn’t think to invite me to this group?”
“Are you a foodie?”
“I eat food!”
“This group is for serious cooks and food enthusiasts only,” Shang says.
“You smug bastard.” I take a big bite of cold sesame noodles and my eyes flutter closed. As with everything else Shang cooks, it’s delicious. “Thank you for doing this. And for creating the group chat. I bet my mom loves it.”
“She does, actually. Every morning I wake up and find like a dozen messages in there already. Our moms wake up really early.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “Unbelievable.” This man. I lean forward, smiling, eyes bright. This is the best moment. My smile widens. Over the past month, ever since the awards banquet, I find myself thinking:This moment is the best moment, I want to memorize it.Except there are so many of these moments. My days are now moments like these, bright and sparkling, stitched together. “Hey,” I say, “I love you.”
“Good, because I’m in love with you, too.” Shang meets me halfway, kissing me just the way I like, soft and slow.
At the office, I knock on Ba’s door. When I enter, I hold up a container. “Ba, I have some jian bing here for you.”
Ba’s face breaks into a smile. “Ah, jian bing! My favorite.”
“Shang made it.”
“Excellent,” he says. “Come sit down, Mulan.”
I sit across the table from my father. He gazes at me fondly. “Look at you,” he says. “Facai Capital’s newest partner. I couldn’t be prouder.”
It’s all I can do to whisper, “Ba.”
“Can I give you some advice?”
I nod.