When Wang He Di leaves the small village he grew up in, to find work in the streets of glamourous and dangerous Shanghai, the first thing that catches his eye is the beautiful Shen Yue, a young woman also trying to make her fortunes in the "Paris of...
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Over the next two months Yuèqín has established a solid routine with Bohai. During the day she will go to school and live her normal life, while he will return to the streets and do whatever he can to make money. Then when everyone is sleeping she will sneak him into the house for the night, so that he can continue to sleep on her floor. They are lucky that the house they now live in, thanks to the wealth He Di has accumulated as a hotel owner, has two wings. They moved into a colonial style house on the hill, seeing as the end of the war and the end of the decade has made it possible for Chinese people to live in areas they previously could not. Her parents' bedroom, her grandmother's room and the room He Li and Xiao Xing share, is in one wing, while Yuèqín'sbedroom is in the other along with her father's study and her mother's piano room. Before her grandmother moved in she slept in the other wing with everyone else, but when the opportunity arose, she willingly gave up her old room and moved to the other side of the house wanting her very own bathroom, so that she would not have to share with her sisters. Her side of the house utilizes the back stairs, while everyone else uses the main stairwell to get to their rooms.
This means that Bohai is free to bathe in the late hours and this is something he cherishes very much. It's been a long time since he was able to wash every day and it has made him feel human again. Yuèqín will always have food waiting for him when he gets there and it is truly the highlight of his day, knowing that he will sleep on a full stomach with his body clean and in a beautiful room. They rarely talk much seeing as they only see each other late at night and early in the morning when she is sneaking him out, but they have become used to each other, comfortable in the pattern they have developed. Sometimes Bohai will be mortified at how he tried to come on to her the first night and he will find it difficult to look her in the eye, but she seems to have forgotten all about it, never having brought it up again. As he sleeps at night on the pillow that smells like her, he prays and wishes that this secret bubble they have created can last forever. He cannot bear to think what will happen to him should she stop welcoming him in to her life.
It is Thursday evening and He Di has decided to treat his family for a night in the hotel the following day, like he usually does from time to time. The younger girls and Shen Chuntao are extremely excited at being waited on and pampered by the staff, so they are eagerly awaiting for tomorrow, ready for a break from the usual daily routine. After Mrs Kwan and Yeye Yang, Yue decided that she did not wish to get attached to anyone, in case they found themselves in a similar position later on, so she has two cleaning girls who come to the house five days a week, from the 7am in the morning until 3pm. Shen Chuntao is happy to make dinner on the nights that Yue is not available to do so and she spends the rest of her time babysitting Xiao Xing and He Li, so it has all worked out perfectly.
He Di turns to Yuèqín and says,
"What's the matter Qínqín? How come you don't seem so excited about tomorrow?"
