Page 1 of He Is My Bride

Li Ying felt stifled in his suit. He didn’t register what the representative on stage was saying anymore, his attention span spent within the first minute.

“How much longer before there’s food?” Li Ying whispered to his friend, oblivious to the disdainful gazes sent his way.

His friend looked at the program. “One more presenter after this.”

“What?!” Now Li Ying noticed his fellow students giving him a side-eye and lowered his voice, “I’m hungry…”

Li Ying had come to the medical students’ sponsored dinner precisely for the free meals and booze, but this was like being made to sit through an hour of advertisements, and on a Friday night at that. Li Ying could have been out partying.

At last, the pharma rep wrapped it up, received his applause, and gave the stage to the next person.

Up the stairs walked a tall man with East Asian features, impeccably groomed in a tailored suit. Now Li Ying perked up.

“At least this one’s hot.” To put it mildly; the guy looked like he could have been a model: tall, athletic, and moving with confidence and grace. “Like, damn. ”

Li Ying’s friend shifted awkwardly in his seat, but the man on stage couldn’t possibly have heard Li Ying’s comments from the back of the auditorium.

The man hooked up his laptop, set a Bluetooth headset around his head, and began:

“Hello, my name is Wu Hanjun, I’m the senior business manager of Measumed Clinical Solutions…”

But after the snack had introduced himself, it was all ‘blah blah blah’ to Li Ying, who had begun jostling his leg because he couldn’t sit still.

The handsome rep’s voice was deep and smooth, but Li Ying didn’t pay attention to what he was saying. Li Ying found himself staring at him. At least it would appear like the representative had his rapt attention, even if all Li Ying could think of was how dare a man be so beautiful.

Once the arduous talks were over, the host ushered the medical students to the buffet.

Li Ying stacked his plate, poured himself a glass of wine, and sat down with his friends.

After a few glasses had been emptied, Li Ying’s weekend had kicked off to a good start, and he had begun thinking of the next step in his evening plans:

“Does someone want to go out after this?” he asked.

“I don’t know.” His friend seemed reluctant. “I really should get some reading done.”

“Come on, just for a while! Anyone?”

Li Ying managed to recruit a few people to join him at a bar later, but first:

“Better get wasted now that it’s free!” Li Ying grinned and headed back to the open bar .

He was already deep into his drink when he turned to leave the bar with two cans of beer and came face to face with a cashmere silk tie and neatly ironed coat lapels. They smelled like cypress and bergamot.

Li Ying looked up and saw the face of that handsome representative looking right back at him. He was much taller up close. Li Ying’s cheeks must have been red as they were, but now he felt heat creep all the way down to his neck.

It had been a long time since he’d felt like swooning.

“…Hi!” Li Ying smiled at the man, effortlessly putting on his charms even if his knees felt weak. “Nice talk earlier!” Not that Li Ying had been listening, but what was the guy going to do, quiz him?

The man glanced at the beers in Li Ying’s hands and frowned. The delicate scrunch of his fine brow didn’t make him any less handsome. Quite the contrary. Li Ying felt light as if his insides were free-floating in his chest.

Finally, the guy looked back at his face.

“Thank you,” he said.

“What was your name again?”

The man responded in a professional tone, “Wu Hanjun. Senior business manager—”

“Do you wanna come drink with us?” Li Ying asked and held out a beer for him, smiling brightly. “My name’s Li Ying!”

The man, Hanjun, stared at him, stunned for a second before responding, “No, thank you. I’m still working.”

“Really? Aww, well, how about you don’t, and come out with us instead? We’re going out after this.” Li Ying really wanted him to come. He wanted to get to know him. “Where are you from?”

Hanjun’s English was very good, but he spoke with an accent that told Li Ying he was not from New York, likely not even from the States.

Li Ying himself was a born-and-raised New Yorker and had a notable Brooklyn accent, though he too was a member of the Chinese diaspora.

“ You speak Mandarin? ” Li Ying tried in Mandarin Chinese before the guy could answer his previous question.

Hanjun didn’t seem to know how he should take the young man’s aggressive friendliness.

“ Yes, ” Hanjun replied succinctly in a soft accent.

“Hehe, you’re so cute!” I said that out loud just now, huh? Li Ying laughed it off even as his cheeks burned.

Now the poor guy seemed completely lost, but Li Ying was too much in his own head to notice if things had become awkward.

Li Ying continued in Mandarin:

“Are you sure you don’t wanna come? My treat!” Li Ying was not desperate! He was just being friendly! “Although,” he smirked and tilted his head, his mid-high ponytail swaying above his shoulder, “isn’t this supposed to be a sponsors’ dinner? If you’re still working, shouldn’t you be treating me?”

Hanjun frowned again. “You seem to be helping yourself on the sponsors’ expense just fine.” He glanced again at the two cans of beer in Li Ying’s hands.

Li Ying laughed. “Alright, alright, no pressure, but do you want my number?”

It had been a while since Li Ying had gone on a date. He had grown tired of one-night stands. It wouldn’t hurt to try, though he didn’t really expect this frigid man would say…

“…Yes.”

Now it was Li Ying’s turn to stare dumbfounded while Hanjun took out a planner—yes, a physical notebook—and a very nice company-branded pen. Hanjun handed them to him, and Li Ying accepted, still stunned that the man hadn’t simply brushed him off.

Alright, Li Ying, shoot your shot! The pen was heavy in his hand, and writing with it felt like signing away his soul, but Li Ying wrote down his number and drew a big old heart around it for good measure.

“There!” Li Ying handed back the planner and pen .

“Thank you. I will be in contact,” Hanjun said, took his stationery, and turned away.

Li Ying returned to his friends, unsure if he had just arranged a date or a job interview.