Page 54 of He Is My Bride
On his way out to the balcony, Li Ying left his empty glass on a table and attacked a tray of canapés a waiter was carrying. He took one in each hand and ate them in two bites, not caring if it was unladylike, because he was hangry.
He knew Hanjun had meant well and not to come off as condescending, but Li Ying was already frustrated and it didn’t help him to try to rationalize. He just needed a moment alone before his temper would go off and sour their whole night.
Li Ying headed over to the balcony, which boasted a sweeping view of the Pudong skyline. The city lights danced across Huangpu, the river’s surface criss-crossed here and there by river cruisers and yachts. The tables outside were covered by canopies of hanging silk flowers and glowing lanterns.
It was chilly, and Li Ying wrapped the fur shawl tighter around himself while walking to a quieter corner of the terrace, where he might have a moment to himself without having to pretend he was as posh as everyone else.
On the way, he was looking for someone to bum a cigarette from. He approached a small group of gentlemen who instantly locked their eyes on him. Li Ying saw those eyes flash to the diamond on his finger as it glinted in the dim light. Li Ying lifted two fingers to wag back and forth by his mouth.
“Can I ask you gents for a cigarette?”
All the guys started digging their pockets at the same time, but then Li Ying was intercepted from the left field by a hand, holding out an open packet of slim Nanjings.
“Allow me,” said Lin Yong.
Well . Li Ying turned to him. You caught me. Now what? He took out a ciggy from the packet and put it into his mouth without breaking eye contact.
Lin Yong met his gaze. There was something oddly intense about it.
“You got light?” Li Ying asked, the ciggy wiggling at the corner of his mouth.
Lin Yong took out a gold-plated, custom-engraved lighter and clicked it open. Li Ying humored him, leaning in to light his cigarette on the flame. He drew his first smoke in several months, knowing it set him back to square one. Hanjun had been right, as usual.
I’m sorry Hanjun, for being such a sucker.
Li Ying grabbed the ciggy delicately between his fore and middle finger and blew a cloud of smoke, while Lin Yong took one for himself and put the packet away.
“Mind if I join you?” Lin Yong asked.
Li Ying shrugged.
“Good. I need to talk to you.”
You really don’t.
Lin Yong led Li Ying aside, corralling him with his hand but not touching. Once they were away from everyone else, Li Ying leaned his back against the railing and crossed an arm over his chest. He kept smoking, waiting for Lin Yong to state his business.
The man was wearing a dark teal paisley suit with a black shirt and a golden tie, looking like a peacock, although he was shifting awkwardly in his feathers. He seemed to make up his mind about something, and sounded determined when he spoke up:
“I wanted to apologize.” When Li Ying said nothing, just stood there staring him down, Lin Yong blinked and averted his gaze, his resolution faltering. He took a last good smoke to settle his nerves before stubbing the half-finished cig and looking back at Li Ying.
“I should have stepped in sooner when Wang Hao and those women bullied you back at the club.”
“What about you, then?” Li Ying gave the man no mercy. “Don’t think I missed your subtle insinuations about the nature of mine and Hanjun’s relationship.”
Lin Yong blushed.
“You may apologize for that, too.”
Li Ying drew smoke in turn and tapped the cig over the railing, to shed off the ashes while not removing his gaze from Lin Yong. The man was squirming quite delightfully, Li Ying thought. The Lin heir lowered his gaze in shame.
“…I apologize, I was wrong.” Lin Yong raised his gaze back to Li Ying’s eyes.
It wasn’t the power trip it could have been for Li Ying, having one of the wealthiest and most influential young men of Shanghai crawling before him for forgiveness, but he only thought it fair and just that the man admit his mistakes and apologize properly.
“But Li Ying,” Lin Yong said, “I recognize your position, and I believe I could offer you more.”
“My ‘position ?’” What the fuck, Lin Yong, didn’t you just admit you were wrong about mine and Hanjun’s relationship being transactional! …Wait a moment ! Y ou what?!
But Lin Yong didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with what he had just said. He looked insistently at Li Ying, who stood shocked at the audacity, and the realization that Lin Yong was…
No way !
“After all, a man like Wu Hanjun must be very cold,” Lin Yong said. “I would treat you right.”
“Lin Yong, what the fuck are you talking about?” Li Ying asked when he had recovered from his shock.
“A woman whose blood runs as hot as yours deserves a man who can match her energy. To be honest, Li Ying…” Lin Yong stepped closer—too close, and Li Ying leaned back over the railing to escape him. “I was smitten with you the moment I saw you.”
Li Ying burst into laughter. What else could he do, Li Ying thought, the situation was ridiculous!
Lin Yong’s face dropped. He seemed mortified. They drew gazes from where people were standing around socializing, getting curious as to what the two of them were up to.
“You’re so full of shit, Lin Yong!” Li Ying may have still laughed, but in fact he was annoyed at the man’s attitude.
“You’re telling me that you liked me from the start, yet you insulted me in front of everyone, and you said nothing, did nothing, when shit was going down, and still you assume I’m some kind of a…
What exactly do you take me for, huh, Lin Yong?
” Li Ying straightened himself, and to his satisfaction Lin Yong startled back.
“I—”
“Wu Hanjun and I are marrying for love! And just so you know…” Li Ying finished his cigarette in one big inhale and blew his smoke out in a great billow while he stubbed on the railing. “He can more than match my energy.”
Li Ying stepped past the man and was going to head back inside, but Lin Yong grabbed his arm.
“Li Ying please, wait!” His hold was gentle enough that Li Ying could have pulled away, but he stopped to look back at him with a frown; couldn’t the man take a hint?
“How do you know what you have is true love?” Lin Yong seemed desperate, and Li Ying looked at the man almost with pity .
“I just know. And you will know too, when you fall in love with someone, Lin Yong.”
“But I—”
“No, you don’t!” Li Ying didn’t let him finish that sentence. “You don’t know me.” You really, really don’t! “I accept your apology, but whatever you’re feeling, I’m sorry, but I can’t reciprocate it. Goodbye.” Li Ying left, and this time Lin Yong let him go.
Turned down for the first time in his life, Lin Yong was left out in the cold.
Li Ying went back in to find Hanjun. He wandered the crowd like a lost child, returning every smile politely but not stopping to talk to anyone, until he saw a glimpse of a white suit, hoping, and yes:
“Hanjun!” Li Ying hastened to him, heels clapping, and just as Hanjun turned to see his wayward beloved returning, Li Ying was already hugging his arm.
“Are you okay?” Hanjun asked, concerned.
“Yeah. Missed you.” Li Ying kissed his shoulder, then looked up at him with kitten eyes. “I’m sorry. For earlier.”
Hanjun hadn’t been angry. Dejected, maybe, but everything had already been forgiven. They could both be stubborn sometimes, Hanjun figured. “It’s okay,” he said and gently rubbed the small of Li Ying’s back.
“You won’t believe what just happened—” Li Ying was about to spill the tea, but then someone called out to them:
“Wu Hanjun, Li Ying, come!” Huang Xiang was walking towards them with two tall, model-looking ladies in tow.
“Huang Xiang!” Li Ying still had that adrenaline going and automatically threw open his arms until he remembered himself. “Uh, hug?”
Huang Xiang had already prepared to receive it, although he seemed surprised by the gesture. “For my American friend: of course!” Huang Xiang saved them both face and hugged Li Ying, even if it was a little exotic.
“Should we kiss each other’s cheeks like the French?” Li Ying grinned as they separated.
“I would slap you.” Huang Xiang smiled.
“And we haven’t even taken any shots yet!”
Both laughed, but Huang Xiang cut it short, “Let’s catch up on the yacht!”
“The what now? Ah, hello!” Li Ying stepped over to introduce himself to the models, not wanting to be rude and ignore them, so Huang Xiang addressed Hanjun:
“The promoter has arranged a secret party within the party on a yacht. You had to be on a special list, but I heard they have a few spots open for grabs, so why don’t you come with me? I’ll get you in! The yacht’s departing soon, we should go to the pier.”
“Thank you, Sir Xiang, I’ll ask Li Ying if she would like that.
” Hanjun thought Li Ying might not want to be trapped on a boat, possibly for several hours, as he had already expressed some anxiety over socializing with these people, and with a limited number of them on board it would be even harder for him to slip away if he wanted privacy.
Huang Xiang’s smile didn’t waver, but Hanjun saw his gaze grow more insistent.
The man leaned ever so slightly closer while lowering his voice: “I rather think you two need to get out of here,” he whispered, and Hanjun was listening.
“I saw Tang Xiuxiu, Wang Hao’s ex from the club.
They’re not together anymore and there’s no way she would have an invitation in her own name, and she’s acting off. Something’s up.”
Hanjun looked into the man’s eyes and saw he was serious. Hanjun nodded.
“Li Ying,” Hanjun turned to call to him, but Li Ying had pranced off somewhere .
“He went to get us shots,” one of the models said and looked to the direction of the bar, where Li Ying had already disappeared into the crowd.
Hanjun strode to go find him, wasting no time.
Li Ying wanted to make friends with the models, figuring they would make for more relatable company on the yacht—he would get on a yacht!
—so he had decided to make some ice-breaking toasts before they would go, so off to the bar he went.
He was weaving his way suavely through the crowd when he saw a familiar face: it was Tang Xiuxiu, eyes nailed on him with an intensity that immediately set Li Ying’s instincts off in an alarm.
His pupils dilated as he saw her hands take something out of her bag.