Chapter 91: Today

Tang said she was not hot, yet she found an excuse to sip her tea, hiding the flush on her cheeks and trying to look less flustered.

The man saw through her embarrassment, of course, and had no intention of exposing her. Yet the smile gathering in his eyes did not fade in the slightest.

Though Rong Shen had no experience with romance, he made up for it with keen intuition and seasoned composure, especially when it came to reading Tang's emotions. In that, he was remarkably adept.

After a stretch of awkward, intimate silence, Tang thought she had regained her composure. Only when she met the man's gaze did she blurt out a lie, saying she needed to use the restroom.

The smile at the corner of Rong Shen's mouth deepened. With elegant fingers, he pressed the call button at the edge of the table.

The door opened, and the service manager asked respectfully what they required.

The man glanced at Tang and motioned lightly. "Have him take you there."

Tang walked out with her head down. It was not until she was beyond Rong Shen's sight that she lifted both hands to pat her burning cheeks and drew in a few breaths to steady herself.

She did not know whether other girls fell in love like this, always with a racing heart and nervous anticipation, yet secretly hoping to open the door to more possibilities.

In truth, aside from holding hands, they had hardly even embraced.

And yet Rong Shen could so calmly eat the food she had eaten before her. For Tang, who was newly touched by love, it was difficult to restrain the sweetness and shyness that bloomed within her.

Soon after, she returned to the private room. The redness on her face had faded somewhat, though traces of moisture still lingered.

The dishes had already been served: three dishes and a soup, all local specialties of Harbor City.

Tang more or less understood his intention now. He had brought her to a private dining house to taste the flavors of Harbor City, as if to comfort her homesickness.

...

After dinner, it was past six, and the sky outside had completely gone dark.

From their private room, they had a perfect view of the ferris wheel by the river channel and the sea of wheat-like lights stretching across the entire horizon.

A faint, curling scent of smoke drifted over from across the table.

When Tang turned, she saw a scene that made her heart tremble.

Perhaps the lighting in the private room was too soft; the amber glow spilling from the lamps fell just right around the man, as though he were rimmed with a hazy band of gold.

He was leaning back in his chair, smoking. Blue-white smoke rose and blurred his outline and edges.

Only those bright black eyes, across a fitting distance, remained fixed upon her with complete focus.

Tang did not know how long he had been looking at her, but she could read earnest tenderness in his expression.

She smiled softly and met Rong Shen's gaze without hesitation.

"Are you full?"

Tang touched her stomach and nodded. "Mm."

He had smoked half a cigarette when he stubbed it out and brushed at his suit trousers. "Then let's go."

They put on their coats and left the private room one after the other.

Just before they stepped out of the dining house, the service manager came over carrying a beautifully wrapped cake box.

"Mr. Rong, the mousse cake has been packed. It will keep for three days in the refrigerator."

"Thank you."

The man's slender fingers took the box, while his other hand very naturally held Tang's as they walked out.

"When did you order the cake?" Tang asked as they went, craning her neck to peek inside. Though she could not see what was in the box, she had a feeling it was that delicious lime mousse.

Rong Shen glanced at her from the side, his voice low and steady as ever. "When you went to the restroom."

Tang thanked him with a faint smile, then pretended otherwise as she sighed, "Eating too much cake will make me fat..."

"Shall I send it back?" The man deliberately paused, his dark brows lifting slightly, the teasing in his tone unmistakable.

But Tang did not notice his expression. She hurriedly let go of his hand and took the fragrant cake box on her own. "Since we've already brought it along, sending it back would be such a hassle."

One might call her the very picture of saying no while meaning yes.

A deep laugh spilled from the man's throat. He ruffled Tang's hair, his eyes full of warm indulgence.

...

After eating the food of her hometown and packing up her favorite cake, Tang could not think of anything else to do besides going home.

Yet the direction the man drove was clearly not the way back.

Even though Tang was not yet familiar with Zhangzhou, she could still make out the general direction.

It had only been about ten minutes before the car pulled into the parking lot of the river amusement park.

Unable to contain her curiosity, Tang asked, "Why did we come here?"

"Weren't you wanting to ride the ferris wheel?" Rong Shen parked the car and took the cake from her lap, placing it on the back seat.

She had never said she wanted to ride it, yet he knew.

Tang unsteadily unbuckled her seat belt, looking at the towering ferris wheel and unable to imagine what it would feel like for such an elegant man, in his tailored coat and suit trousers, to accompany her into it.

Even at night, the river amusement park still had plenty of visitors.

There were couples with arms around each other, and there were three-member families who had come after work with their children to unwind.

The facilities inside the park were all new, and strings of lights and curtains of illumination made the place as bright as day.

Rong Shen bought two tickets at the window, while Tang stood a few paces behind him, watching quietly.

An indescribable freshness filled the moment. Even standing among the crowd of visitors, he did not look out of place in the least; rather, his exceptional height and appearance drew frequent glances.

For instance, beside Tang, several girls waiting to buy tickets were craning their necks to look ahead, whispering to each other as they discussed the man.

She did not catch the others, but one remark stayed with her.

That height, that aura, isn't this just a domineering CEO appearing in real life?

The corners of Tang's mouth, hidden beneath her scarf, lifted slightly, and she felt a small, proud sense of shared glory.

At the foot of the ferris wheel, after waiting about five minutes, the two of them walked hand in hand into a cabin.

The cabin was neither too large nor too small, with two rows of seats facing one another.

Tang sat by the window, resting her arm on the safety bar as she looked down over the nightscape of the western district.

As the cabin rose higher and her view became obscured, Tang stood up to look down at the lights of the park's attractions.

"When was the last time you rode a ferris wheel?"

Suddenly, warmth pressed against her back, and a magnetic voice, carrying a gentle breath, brushed past her ear.

Tang shrank her shoulders slightly. Through the reflection in the glass, she could clearly see the handsome face behind her.

Rong Shen's chest did not truly touch her; rather, they were very close, and his arms had reached around her sides to rest on the safety bar.

In such a posture, it was as if he had caged the girl in his embrace.

Tang lowered her gaze to the man's arms and said softly, "The last time was several years ago, when I was about sixteen. What about you?"

Rong Shen leaned forward slightly, as if gazing out below them, and answered in a low voice, "At twenty-seven."

"This year?" Tang was mildly startled. She instinctively turned her head, nearly striking the man's chin with her forehead.

That answer made her assume Rong Shen had also ridden a ferris wheel this year. It was not exactly jealousy, only a strangely uncomfortable thought: who had he ridden it with?

It couldn't have been with that group of buddies, could it?

Unbeknownst to her—

Rong Shen lowered his head and met her eyes, his gaze calm and profound.

"Today."