chapter 7

“Where do you think we'll be in ten years?” Her voice had been so quiet he could barely hear what she had said.

Gao Qingyu turned over onto his side to look at her as her soft voice was carried by the gentle breeze.

She was laying on her back with her eyes attached to the glowing moon in the endless night sky. There are no stars, yet her eyes still manage to twinkle. It was dark out, but the moonlight was bright enough for them to see every movement of the other, especially when they were laying so close to one another. 

The wheatfield is tall during this time of year and they were hidden in its depths. No one could find them even if they had a search party, yet the two teens still chose to whisper faintly as if they were afraid to be found.

Her face is a blushing shade of a baby pink rose. They know it’s from the alcohol he had sneaked from his father’s cellar and secretly drank until the glass was empty. Her skin feels warm to the touch, but the night camouflaged the drunk in her. She raises a hand to touch her forehead, then pulls back the locks of hair that are being blown by the light air.

The sight of her is very mesmerizing the longer he stared.

Qian Xiaowen gave him a rather grim glance which immediately put away all inappropriate thoughts in his mind, no matter how small or innocent they were. It was no secret that the girl in front of him is quite the beauty, but Gao Qingyu would never overstep that boundary.

She is his princess and he is her knight. He would always protect her.

“Answer me, Gao Qingyu.” She asks again, this time clearly, “where do you think we’ll be in ten years?”

He didn’t give it much thought. “I don’t know,” he answered, “I don’t really care.” 

He twirls the empty wine bottle in his hand and the clear glass glistens as the moonshine falls against it. A faint chuckle fell from his thin lips when he saw her closing her eyes and struggling to stay awake. “You okay?” He asked, sensing the alcohol had taken effect on her, but instead she began to laugh.

Qian Xiaowen had a contagious smile, but she wouldn’t smile often around him, so whenever he managed to catch a glimpse of her rosy lips and melodious laughter he would end up staring at her in complete silence. It didn’t bother her whenever she caught him staring at her with a look of enchantment in his eyes. It’d be a lie to say she didn’t know the sort of power she had over him. 

She giggled, turning to face him with that innocent smile on her pretty, little face. Her voice is hot as she leaned in closer to him, “aren’t you going to ask me as well?” She protests, playfully shoving his shoulder with a pout. 

Her childish antics were only done whenever she was drunk and Gao Qingyu knew immediately at that moment that the Qian Xiaowen who was quiet and rarely talked was gone; yet he didn’t mind this rare sight of her either. 

“Where do you think we’ll be in ten years?” He asks in return as she had wished and she manages to beam up like a happy child.

She hums in thought, before confirming with him, “will you still be beside me then?”

Gao Qingyu chuckled, but nodded without hesitation, “of course!”

Qian Xiaowen answered, “I’d like to be married by then.” When he erupted into laughter she became upset at his reaction, she sat up and faced him, “Gao Qingyu, you dare to laugh at me?” She placed both hands on each of his shoulders and pushed him against the ground, she began to tickle him in fury, “do you really find it funny?”

He tried to deny it, shaking his head and grabbing her small hands to appease her. He leaned forward towards her, noticing how sensitive she has become due to the alcohol. The sober Qian Xiaowen he knew would have probably punched him in the face for staring so closely at her. 

“It’s just that I don’t see you with any boys at all, so thinking about you getting married doesn’t seem realistic!”

Silence fell between them.

He thought that his words had struck a chord in her, perhaps he had hurt her with his words. “I don’t mean that you wouldn’t be able to get married! Of course you’ll get married one day! Who wouldn’t want to marry you!”

Qian Xiaowen suddenly fell closer to him until there was no space left between them. Her hot breath tickled his face as her next words fell from her lips irresistibly, “would you marry me, Gao Qingyu?”

As he saw the seriousness in her eyes, his heart began to beat rapidly in his chest and when the quiet wind brushed against them neither felt the coldness on their burning skin. He was still holding onto her wrists, they were so frail in his grasps that he thought he could hurt her. In that brief moment, he somehow managed to not lose control of himself.

He gently held her shoulders and pushed her back. Unable to stand her alluring gaze, he says, “it’s late. We should head back.”

The air went silent and only the howl of gusts rustling the tall wheatgrass can be heard along with faint chirping of crickets in the distance. Her shoulders slumped, her hands falling to her side as she stares at the boy in front of her. Before he could get up, she pulled him back towards her so they both were laying on the ground.

Qian Xiaowen placed her hands on each side of his face as she climbed over his body; “Gao Qingyu,” she daringly whispered, "kiss me."

---

Gao Qingyu woke up from a sweet dream, yet he had been perspiring as if it were a nightmare. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face to his chiseled jaw, his breathing is harsh and heavy, his eyes red and alert. He managed to rough up his short hair with his hand, then scratches the back of his neck as he pondered over the dream.

He dreamt of Qian Xiaowen again.

It was a time back in the old days when he had been a young, naive teenager. The dreams had become more frequent lately and he didn’t know if he should feel troubled about it or not. They were innocent, vivid dreams, yet they made him feel so restless.

The sun was already high in the sky and filling every corner of his room with it’s light. He wanted to sleep for another hour, maybe hoping he would see her when he closed his eyes, but the time on the clock on top of the bed stand immediately brought him back to his senses. 

It was almost noon!

He sprang out of bed and rushed into the bathroom to get ready. Today is an important day, how could he not hear his alarm clock, he couldn’t be late today!

By the time he rushed downstairs, his family had already had their breakfast and there was a strong smell of incense throughout the room. Gao Qingyu coughed as he rushed to see the commotion, only to find his mother had been praying to the ancestors again.

“Please guide our Qingyu to do well today, ancestors. Our Qingyu has been through enough sufferings!”

Gao Qingyu rushed to open the veranda windows to air out the area, “mom, why didn’t you wake me?”

“She did, but you were too busy drooling!” His younger sister, Gao Qingge insisted as she bit into her savory meat steam bun, “but don’t worry, we don’t have much hope anyways!”

Gao Qingyu was already short on time, so he did not wish to argue with the teenager. He simply rolled his eyes at her and rushed towards the door while still trying to tie the tie around his neck and put on his shoes at the same time.

“Don’t forget your bus card,” Gao Qingge reminds, although she remained rather uninterested.

“I know, I know!”

“Ey, Qingyu, don't forget that tonight is your--” His mother chimes in, but her son is already out the door and didn’t hear her. 

Gao Qingge looked at the empty entrance foyer where her brother was just standing earlier, then she looked back to her overwhelmed mother. She took another bite of her steamed bun and said nonchalantly, “if he passes can I have his room?”

Sun Hualing suddenly felt anxious again, she went back and continued praying.

Gao Qingyu was more nervous today than he’s been in a while. He had a huge interview today, but was already running late. He was definitely down on his luck these days. His yearly fortune did foretell that he was going to have a rough year, and there were still three more seasons to get through!

Thankfully, he made it just in time and his name had not been called yet. He leaned back on his chair and let out a deep breath. The hall was filled with other hopefuls, all who were as nervous and uncertain as he was, but some seemed more confident than others. He scanned the hallway twice, seeing some familiar faces from other job interviews he had applied for earlier in the year. He was down on his luck, nothing seemed to have been going as he wanted.

Gao Qingyu is a hard worker, but what does that merit hold to anything else? Everyone is a hard worker by their own definition. What really draws the line between all the people in that hallway came down to two things: experience and talent, both of which Gao Qingyu would lack in his application compared to most. 

He is 28 years old, graduated from a small community college to earn his degree in Business Administrations, but had little experience with jobs related to that field. Unless one had connections, one had to keep digging until they could reach a goldmine.

“Number 79, 80, and 81. You’re up.”

He looked at the number that had been stickered on the front pocket of his suit. 81. With little time to even breathe, he joined the other two hopefuls and followed them into the room.