Two days later.
Song Ren went to the marriage meeting. She was to meet the mysterious man at his home. When she arrived, his house was thrice the size of her family home. It stunned her.
She took a deep breath as she walked towards the entrance. She told security her name, and they let her in.
Inside the house, she was lead by the servants to a large room. There was a grandfather clock in the lounge. She looked around the room. Whoever this man was, he wasn"t simple.
Song Ren was spying around the room when she heard someone approaching. She quickly took a seat, straightening her back. The man walked in. Her jaw nearly dropped.
It was Long Huojin.
He wore casual clothing, black pants and a white s.h.i.+rt. His black hair tousled to the side, and his sapphire eyes narrowed to look at her. He looked p.i.s.sed.
Song Ren was stunned, not because of his handsome features, but because she wondered how her father managed to arrange this meeting? Judging by his face, he probably didn"t know about the meeting at all.
Song Ren bowed. He was probably the wealthiest heir in the country, outranking every man she ever knew. Long Houjin did not return the sentiment. His face looked slightly annoyed. His hand"s were in his pockets; he stood tall, his face was beautiful; she had to admit. But he wasn"t her type; he wasn"t Su Feng.
"h.e.l.lo," she said to him.
Long Houjin"s face was hard and tight. "I"m sorry," he began deeply. "I didn"t know that you were coming. Otherwise, I would have told you not to come at all." Song Ren was slightly shocked but happy at the same time. Noticing her shock, he continued. "Sorry. I just don"t want to get married, and certainly not to you," he said bluntly.
For some reason, Song Ren liked this man, because he reminded her of someone she knew. She smiled, "Not at all. In fact, I"m only here because my father forced me. Otherwise, I would be marrying the man I love by now." Long Huojin"s eyes slightly widened, a smile bloomed into his face. "So you don"t want to marry me?" he asked her for rea.s.surance. "Nope," Song Ren responded back with a slight smile.
Long Houjin smiled back, genuinely, not sly or mischievous. He then took a seat on the armchair. "Your father forced you?" he asked her. She nodded. "Would you mind telling me why?" he asked, curiously. And Song Ren told him everything. He listened to her diligently, understanding, as she spoke.
After she finished, Long Houjin said, "I don"t want to marry anyone. And I turn every woman away because they want something from me." He paused to think. After a moment, he continued, "Let"s pretend," he said.
"What?" she questioned.
"Let"s pretend we"re engaged. Until we figure things out," Long Houjin proposed. "That way, both our father"s will stop bugging us. When we both want something different."
Song Ren looked at him puzzled, "And what do you want?" she asked him curiously. Long Huojin paused. He was not meeting her eyes. He seemed to have thought, carefully, before he said, "I just don"t want to marry anyone," he dismissed. She wondered if Long Huojin had someone in mind, someone else, that he did not want to admit.
"All right," she said. "We"ll pretend for now." She then rose. Long Huojin mimicked her movement. They both shook hands, "Thank you, Mr. Long," she said. Long Huojin smiled, "It was nice to meet you, Song Ren," he said gently. And Song Ren then figured him out.
Long Huojin seemed to be cold and dismissive, but once you show no ulterior motives, he was kind and gentle. Perhaps being considered a prince by most of his fans, Long Huojin didn"t like the attention. But he was a man that was worth befriending. She was glad they were on the same page.
Song Ren went called Qian Meigui and asked her to visit Su Feng"s home. When Qian Meigui arrived, she was stunned by the beautiful furnis.h.i.+ng of his house. She welcomed her sister in, they both ate and drank, catching up about their days. Qian Meigui mentioned that nothing much has been happening in her life between school and working on the side.
Song Ren then caught her up on everything about what"s happening between Song Rui and the marriage meeting.
"Long Huojin doesn"t want to marry me," Song Ren said, happily. Qian Meigui looked at her, but she wasn"t surprised. "Perhaps, you should marry him, instead." Qian Meigui glanced at her, pretending to smile. "He wouldn"t be interested in me," she responded.
Song Ren"s eyebrows knitted. "Any man would be interested in you," she began. "Have more confidence in yourself," she said. Song Ren doesn"t know that Qian Meigui was already in a relations.h.i.+p, and she was afraid to tell her. Would Song Ren approve? Or would she think it was disgusting because they always considered each other as sisters, despite not being blood-related?
"I don"t want him," Qian Meigui told her. Song Ren was eating when she glanced up at her, "Fine. I was only teasing. He seemed like a decent man, and you haven"t met anyone yet," she said.
Qian Meigui exhaled. "Ren, I want to marry for love, like you," she said.
Song Ren paused her eating to look at her. "All right," she said. "When you fall in love, let me know right away. I want to meet him and scare him a bit," she winked. Qian Meigui smiled grimly at her. She wondered if Song Ren knew that her boyfriend was Song Sheng, would she disapprove? Would she hate her?
After dinner, Qian Meigui went to Song Sheng"s apartment, feeling the gloom. She decided to work on her case and he worked across her on his projects. They both respected each other"s work and whenever they finished. She would join him in bed. But she wouldn"t sleep, as she would have to go home. She would often wait for him to fall asleep, then she would kiss him softly, deep, before she slips out of his apartment to go home. She contemplated. What would happen if she told the world, she was Qian Meigui?