Milady's Fine Gentleman

It was around four in the afternoon.

The scorching sun was still out on its mighty reign. It was almost spring, and although the the afternoon breeze was still a bit chilly, the mighty sun had unleashed its sweltering prowess. Overall, it was a good – no, perfect – afternoon for a date.

It was the kind of weather which encourages the ladies to wear a little less layers of clothes because of the sun, but come nighttime, the breeze would have lent a hand and encourage the chivalrous deed of the man to offer his coat to the lady.

But it was still too early for that. It was only four in the afternoon.

Teng Man Rui was quite disconcerted that she even had a hard time in fastening her seatbelt. She wasn"t comfortable with being on a date with another man. After all, she had only known and been with one man, the devil.

She could not believe that even her best friend, Xue Jinxu, would kick her out from the shop and would push her onto this man. In her best friend"s perspective, she had been lonely for quite some time now.

With trembling hands, and due to the pride of not wanting to look at her left where the driver"s seat was, she could not attach the seatbelt to the lock.

"Here, let me help you." Zhu Li Qiang grabbed the buckle of the seatbealt from her hand, firstly clasping her hand into his before getting the buckle. Using his left hand, he unwound more tether, getting intentionally closer to her face. How brazen!

Teng Man Rui shuddered and held her breath, slightly tilting her head making sure that distance, however small, was maintained between them.

She was getting a bit annoyed by this little episode.

"Hey, Zhu Li Qiang. You"re getting quite bold. Please mind your manners."

The man inwardly chuckled. "Manners, my foot. This is the only opportunity I will be able to get close to you. I"mma throw my manners out of the window for now. Just for now. I hope I don"t go overboard, though." He scratched the top of his nose, embarra.s.sed by his own desperation. "By hook or by crook, Man Rui…" His ears were turning red.

"So… Want to watch a movie?" In the end, he ignored her words as if nothing out of the ordinary happened, and repeated his suggestion.

"Up to you." The lady quietly answered. She was keeping her head low.

Zhu Li Qiang started the car. The engine revved softly. The soft purring of the car lulled Teng Man Rui to nap.

"She"s sleeping." Zhu Li Qiang realized when he glanced sideways to her direction. "My angel is sleeping." Partnered with the rays of sunlight from the outside window, Teng Man Ruis"s form radiated majestically. Zhu Li Qiang was too distracted that he needed to pull over first and stared at the sleeping beauty beside him. Calling her "sleeping beauty" was quite an understatement. It was as if an angel, a tennyo, had really descended from the heavens.

He took his phone out and captured a photo of the sleeping angel.

Then he resumed driving towards the cinema. He had parked his car for a good few minutes already but he did not wake the sleeping angel. Instead he marveled at the sight with utter reverence. He was quite having second thoughts on his previous plan to throw his manners out of the window. He doubted that he could possibly show any form of impertinence to this benevolent creature whom he wors.h.i.+ps. He had been reminded of the good old times when they were still by the countryside.

"How wonderful would it be to open my eyes first thing in the morning and behold such sight every single day?" he thought, with such dreams of a pleasant, distant future with the sleeping angel.

"Ugh-Mhmm.." Teng Man Rui grunted while waking up naturally. Zhu Li Qiang snapped out of his daze. "Are we here yet?" The lady asked while turning her head left and right.

"Y-Yeah."

"You didn"t wake me up? Sorry, I did not intend to fall asleep. Just that I haven"t been sleeping normally lately." She explained apologetically.

"No worries. At least you"re all charged up for our date." He winked.

The lady felt hot in the cheeks. Just a while ago when they were talking, it did not feel like a date at all. It was all too natural. She had even forgotten that they were on a date in the first place. She was comfortable with Zhu Li Qiang, but for her, he was just a good friend.

The two alighted the car wnd went straight to the counter where the tickets and popcorn were offered. Zhu Li Qiang insisted for Teng Man Rui to choose the movie they will be watching. The lady gave in, finally choosing fantasy-themed movie. Zhu Li Qiang raised his brow at the choice.

"Do you usually watch this kind of movie?" He asked the lady.

"Uhm, no… Actually, I"m inclined to watch more of the light romantic comedy films but…" She retorted, each word dwindling and fading until it was nearly inaudible. "Rom-com movies do not suit the situation." She completed in her mind. She was in a date after all.

Teng Man Rui was still too adamant into liking or even trying to like Zhu Li Qiang, not to mention, she was getting so worked up especially now that they were together in public. "What if he sees us, what will happen to him?"

"Hey, Man Rui, relax! You"re so tense. Let"s watch the romantic comedy film available. That"s what you really want. Let"s just enjoy, alright? You can think of it as a friendly date if you like, although I wouldn"t want that, just so you know. But on top of everything, Man Rui, I just want you to have a good quality time with me." He expressed his solemn wishes through his eyes. It certainly reached the lady, as she had another blush attack.

For some, if not most, the ladies who were the recipient of such attention would not be numb and would have fits of blushes even if the man that was sending the special treatment was not regarded dearly yet by the lady. Such was the case with Teng Man Rui. She"s a normal lady after all. All the attention and special treatment was making her feel more… delicate. Yes, delicate.

She was starting to think if she"s worthy of such treatment.