Page 51 of He Is My Bride
“See you then.” Hanjun reluctantly parted from Li Ying’s lips. He simply adored that kissed-silly face. But something else caught his attention:
Li Ying followed Hanjun’s gaze and saw the two interns, Yiyi and Xinyu, standing behind the glass, staring at them with flushed cheeks. Li Ying winked at them, and the boys turned around as if they could still pretend they hadn’t spied on their cousin snogging with his girlfriend.
Chapter 11: Gifts
Wu Yiyi and Wang Xinyu both accompanied Li Ying as Yiyi drove him back to Hanjun’s place. Li Ying thought he should start getting ready for the evening, since Anne had made it clear that dinner functions required an outfit change.
“I’ll pick you up whenever you want, just call me,” Yiyi said while stopping the car in front of the main entrance.
“Thank you, A-Yi.” Li Ying dug into his purse to find his wallet. Li Ying had thought of inviting the interns in, but decided against it: he didn’t need the boys getting nosy at the wrong moment while he was changing.
“You boys go get yourselves something to eat now.” Li Ying handed them some cash.
“Ah, there’s no need, Miss Li…” Yiyi tried refusing, but Li Ying insisted:
“Hey, it’s past office hours, yet here you are, driving me around, and as interns, you don’t even get paid, right? I’m offering this in place of Wu Hanjun as your employee benefits.”
“If it’s really okay?” Yiyi finally accepted, but Xinyu yet hesitated.
“I’m not really even supposed to be here,” he said, “I just tagged along with Yiyi because if I’m at the office, I’m just made to file papers. I’m not really given any meaningful things to do.”
“I’m Hanjun’s girlfriend, remember, and you are Hanjun’s family too, A-Yu, so I can offer to buy you a meal.” Li Ying’s tone made it clear this was not a question.
Xinyu still seemed unsure if it was okay, but accepted the cash from Li Ying with both hands.
“Thank you, Miss Li.”
“I’ll call you when I’m ready?”
“We will pick you up then,” Yiyi said. “Thank you so much, Miss Li!”
Over at Hanjun’s, Li Ying had a video call with Anne to consult her on evening wear. She told him to add lipstick for a more evening look and go with a safe choice, a little black dress: backless with a halterneck, and an amply plunging V-neck, the one Anne had sewn for Li Ying herself. Li Ying changed bras accordingly and made sure to touch up his chest contour. But there was something Li Ying wouldn’t agree to.
“Anne, my feet are done! I have been up on heels all day, and I’mnotwearing them if we’re still supposed to go shopping and everything! Hell, I’m not wearing heels even if you personally carried me around. Why did you pack me sneakers if I couldn’t use them?”
“In case you want to go exercise! Play tennis, or something. Li Ying, you arenotwearing sneakers with that dress!”
“And what will you do to stop me?” Li Ying put on the fresh black Nikes with white soles and showed off to Anne, taunting her, “A-ha! What now?”
“…It doesn’t look that bad. It’s not what I would do, but I’ve seen this combo in some catalogs.”
“Did I just out-fashion you?”
“Tch, no. It kind of works, but don’t think this would fly where you would normally be required to wear dress shoes! I did ask Hanjun which restaurant he’d reserved, and it’s a nice place but not formal, so at least you won’t be turned at the door because of those.”
Once the shoe debacle was over, Li Ying agreed to meet Anne at the mall. She’d been there for a while already and said she’d found new clothes for Li Ying to try. Li Ying called up Yiyi, and the boys drove over.
Xinyu got up to open the door for Li Ying. They seemed to enjoy playing his personal driver and butler, since they so readily bustled about him. Li Ying thought back to their encounter with Wang Guosheng and figured he would not be pleased to see his grandson toting over him like this, but for Li Ying, pissing off someone like Wang Guosheng would be a pleasure. Li Ying hadn’t liked the bearing of that man, not one bit, nor the strange way he’d looked at him. Li Ying rubbed his knuckles against the car seat as if to wipe dirt off them.
They arrived at the mall along Western Nanjing Road and began looking for a place to leave the car. There was a huge illuminated tree in front of the mall, and Li Ying was reminded that it was indeed Christmas Eve.
They were trying to find a place to park the car, but the parking garage was full.
“Thanks, boys, you have been a great help today, but I think I have to let you go home now. Just drop me off here,” Li Ying said.
Not only were the poor interns having a completely ordinary Monday at work even though it was Christmas Eve, but they were even doing overtime because of him.
The interns looked at each other.
