Ten Thousand Books, But Only One You

12 Five Years Later

Chapter 12: Five years later

Five years later

The white Mercedes-Benz sedan I was in pulled up into the driveway of Man Xin Yuan, one of most upscale restaurants in the capital city with a long, rich history. The restaurant was not only known for its superior and one-of-a-kind Peking Duck, but also the types of patrons it attracted. Behind the doors of its many private suites, corporate high flyers closed business deals over executive lunches, elite members of society held formal family dinners, and the ultra wealthy had "simple" meals on a regular basis. The only way I could have set foot in this place was if I became a dishwasher. Given my absolute lack of experience in the F&B industry, even being employed as a server here would be unimaginable.

However, today I was invited as a guest for a lunch meeting at the fancy restaurant. One might wonder how this came to be—especially since the people around me (including myself) were from humble but respectable backgrounds. It all happened a week ago when a sophisticated and charismatic businesswoman who looked to be in her late 20s suddenly appeared at the office where I was interning at. Handing me her name card, she introduced herself as Li Qin, a Librarian. I glanced down at the name card somewhat befuddled. Her name card clearly stated her job title as a Director of a conglomerate. Not knowing about the confusion in my mind, Li Qin proceeded to arrange a date and time to meet up for lunch sometime during the weekends. It was only when she said, "you don't have to look so scared. I'm Ji Kai's friend" that all the scattered dots in my head finally connected. Curious about the serious matter that she required my assistance in, I agreed to the meeting.

Within seconds of the car coming to a stop, a man in a black suit walked over to open the passenger car door. He spoke into a black earpiece before greeting us. Li Qin stepped gracefully out of the car despite wearing a pair of cream-coloured stilettos which matched her beige belted blazer dress. I followed after her quickly but cautiously, careful not to bump my head against the low car door frame.

"Miss Li, we are glad to have you back with us again. Before I take you to your private dining suite, could you please show me your health code." The waiter said in a cheerful tone, his eyes smiling above his blue mask.

I secretly heaved a sigh of relief when I saw the bright green code on my screen. I had this paranoia whenever I had to display my health code every single day.

Seeing that we were both labelled as healthy and well, the waiter extended his hand. "Thank you, ladies. Please follow me this way. One of your guests has already arrived and is waiting in the room."

Li Qin nodded politely. It was when she called out to me to follow her that I realised I had been standing unmoving in the same spot holding my breath, dumbfounded and awestruck as I stared at the posh interior of the restaurant through the thick glass doors.

When we reached the private dining room, there was already a young man sitting at the huge round table facing the entrance—at the seat of honour. There was something about this trivial matter that did not sit right with me. Upon seeing us, he set down his glass of water and gave a friendly wave.

"Yo, Ruijie—Did the sun rise from the west today? How did you arrive before our scheduled time?" Li Qin sat herself down beside him, habitually removing her mask in the safe confines of the room.

The young man chuckled and tilted his head towards me. "We have an important guest today. Of course I'd have to be punctual."

Realising that I was still standing by the door awkwardly, Li Qin patted the cushioned chair adjacent to hers. "Have a seat! Make yourself comfortable, you don't have to stand on ceremony."

I tottered over and plonked myself down at the empty table feeling dazed. In fact, I had been in this state of absentmindedness since Li Qin picked me up from the train station in her chauffeured car.