Early in the morning, Lin Hui, as usual, went to check the schedule with He Jian Shan.
“Before you finish work on Wednesday, you need to finalize the revised plan for Ninghai.”
“Thursday afternoon at 3 PM, there’s a meeting in the city you must attend, and a dinner is arranged for the evening with several senior leaders present.”
“Friday morning, Master Zhao will drive you to Lincheng to meet with the partners there. Liao Dong said everything is arranged.”
“Then on Saturday morning, there’s a meeting about the project. After the meeting, you need to review the Wan Zhu Group’s year-end meeting materials and some project advancement suggestions in the afternoon. These are quite urgent.”
“Sunday morning at 9 AM, there’s a meeting with the overseas project partners…”
…
“That’s all for now, do you have anything else to add?” Lin Hui closed his notebook, waiting for He Jian Shan’s response.
In public, Lin Hui still insisted on using the formal “you”, although He Jian Shan had corrected him a few times, Lin Hui wouldn’t change, so he let it be. He Jian Shan, while signing documents rapidly and without looking up, said, “I’ll review the year-end meeting materials and the project advancement suggestions on Saturday morning. Free up my time after 4 PM, including the evening.”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible. You can only review the year-end meeting content in the morning.”
“Then I’ll get the project advancement suggestions out on Friday night.”
Lin Hui frowned, “That’s too tight. Mentioning Friday night, you won’t even think about sleeping in Lincheng, and you’ll definitely have dinner with the partners.”
“It’s okay, just Friday night. I’ll provide feedback on the advancement suggestions to the projects on Saturday morning.”
“You’ve been working too much lately, I suggest you manage your time reasonably.”
“That’s fine, trust me.”
Lin Hui paused for a moment, “What are your plans for the freed-up time on Saturday afternoon? I’ll note it down for you.”
“Add a personal appointment,” He Jian Shan looked up, “a date.”
Lin Hui’s hand, which was writing, paused, and he suddenly felt a complex emotion, not happiness, but somewhat stifled. He couldn’t help saying, “I suggest you postpone the date. It can wait until after this busy period.”
He Jian Shan disagreed, “If we delay it, it will never happen. I don’t ever have free time.”
Lin Hui tried to persuade him, “Then I suggest compressing the date to a 2-hour meal, and you can spend the evening on the projects.”
It’s too rushed, especially at the end of the year when He Jian Shan’s schedule is already very tight and the workload is immense. Now, to make time for their date, he’s squeezing his rest time relentlessly.
Seeing his concern, He Jian Shan put down his pen, “Assistant Lin, we agreed to not mix personal matters with work, but I still want to say, work is important, but dating is equally important to me.”
Lin Hui thought to himself, No, you are the most important.
Lin Hui returned to his office, feeling inexplicably down. For him, whether it’s chasing or dating, he really didn’t mind. Seeing He Jian Shan every day at work already made him happier than many people in love. But for some reason, He Jian Shan was unexpectedly adamant about this. He said they had skipped many normal steps and could not skip any more, and what was previously missing should gradually be made up.
Lin Hui still remembered He Jian Shan saying, “Our dating and me chasing you can happen simultaneously.”
“Chasing is for dating, since we are already together, can it still be called chasing?” Lin Hui didn’t understand.
He Jian Shan laughed, “Others chase to date, I chase to let you enjoy dating. There’s no contradiction.”
It sounded completely absurd, but Lin Hui had no way to argue.
Lin Hui thought, he was seriously dating him.
No one can refuse someone who is serious.
Anyway, their relationship was already messy enough; they had already been intimate, so why bother quibbling over this small matter. His only regret was that during his secret crush, he always felt he couldn’t help He Jian Shan; now that they were dating, he still felt he wasn’t helping him, and his presence even seemed to increase He Jian Shan’s workload.
It shouldn’t be like this.
He didn’t know what dating was like for others, but his relationship with He Jian Shan shouldn’t be like this. He is Wan Zhu Group’s first assistant, not a burden to the general manager.
With this thought, he sent He Jian Shan a WeChat message: [About the private appointment on Saturday afternoon, have you decided on the plan yet? Let me arrange it.]
Since some things couldn’t be changed, he would help to the fullest—arranging his own date was indeed a rare experience; He Jian Shan wouldn’t need to worry, just be the one to pick the peaches.
However, He Jian Shan seemed not to want his interference, quickly replying: [There’s only one thing you need to arrange, help me pick a movie for the date.]
Along with the WeChat message, there was a screenshot of a movie list. At this time, it was a bit awkward as there weren’t any interesting films; all the big films were waiting to be released for the New Year. Lin Hui scrolled through the list from top to bottom, then opened a film review website to search, finally picking a literary film called “Time Traveler,” which had a rating of 2.6 out of 10.
After Lin Hui sent his choice, He Jian Shan did not reply again. Lin Hui then continued with his work, both of them diligently finishing their tasks for that Saturday’s date.
Soon, it was Saturday afternoon.
Lin Hui had changed his clothes early and was waiting at home for He Jian Shan to pick him up. Originally, he had said he would drive himself and they could meet at the cinema, but He Jian Shan insisted on picking him up personally, which made Lin Hui laugh and cry—he only then realized that He Jian Shan really valued ceremony. Initially, he even planned to book the whole cinema, but Lin Hui repeatedly emphasized it wasn’t necessary, as there wouldn’t be many people watching this film, and He Jian Shan finally gave up.
Honestly, compared to the tense and anxious mood of watching a movie the last time, Lin Hui was much more relaxed this time. Even when He Jian Shan called him to say he was at the door waiting for him, Lin Hui was still hesitating, wondering whether to bring a contract to discuss with He Jian Shan on the way. But for some reason, as he slowly walked towards the community gate, as he slowly approached He Jian Shan and saw him smiling at him the moment he saw him, Lin Hui’s heart couldn’t help but beat uncontrollably fast.
The winter sunset was pale and cold, but He Jian Shan stood there as if all the light and warmth were drawn to him, making Lin Hui involuntarily want to smile. In the past, he had fantasized about dating He Jian Shan, those romantic or plain thoughts often made him laugh in the middle of the night. Only now did he realize that reality was far more exciting than fantasy.
Lin Hui walked up to He Jian Shan, He Jian Shan looked at him and smiled, and Lin Hui also looked at him and smiled. After a while, he said, “Don’t tell me there’s a bouquet of flowers in the co-driver’s seat.”
He Jian Shan’s expression visibly faltered, as if to say, “Do we need flowers?”
Lin Hui couldn’t help but laugh out loud, realizing that, despite his smooth talk, he was still somewhat inexperienced.
That’s fine, they were both novices, learning from each other.
When they arrived at the cinema, it was just five o’clock. He Jian Shan had arranged everything, watch the movie at seven, then go directly to dinner. While waiting to check tickets, they hid in a corner and chatted quietly. He Jian Shan looked at the movie tickets and began, “You never asked why I was late that day.”
Lin Hui smirked, “What’s there to ask, it’s rare for flights to be on time these days. Plus, Annie later told me that there was air traffic control there, not knowing when it could fly, you couldn’t wait, and booked another flight to come back.”
Lin Hui paused, then added, “But why didn’t you explain to me?”
“I was too anxious and didn’t think it through. Plus, see, I didn’t say anything, and you didn’t blame me.” He Jian Shan suddenly smiled, “I actually hope you would blame me a bit, don’t always try to find excuses for me.”
Lin Hui laughed and cried, “He Jian Shan, how come you do things backwards when you’re in a relationship?”
“It’s like managing a project, it needs to be a win-win for both parties to last; if one side always suffers, that won’t work.”
Lin Hui understood his meaning, “Maybe the parties involved don’t feel aggrieved.”
He Jian Shan shook his head and said no more.
When the movie started, as expected, the large cinema hall only had He Jian Shan and Lin Hui. Lin Hui thought, rightly so for the lowest-rated film of the season. He looked around and remembered sitting alone in the cinema last time, feeling that the cinema was excessively large. Today, although only one more person was added, the seats were still the same, the lights were still the same, yet everything felt different.
Lin Hui couldn’t help but poke He Jian Shan, who was busy checking the seats, “Look, we saved money on booking the whole cinema.”
He Jian Shan didn’t look up and said, “Assistant Lin is so good at accounting, I’ll tell Wang Kai Chun to let you do the company’s annual financial planning.”
Lin Hui’s scalp tingled at the thought, “President He, please spare me.”
He Jian Shan laughed and handed him a Coke. When they settled down, the movie began.
This 2.6-rated low-quality masterpiece had only been playing for 15 minutes when Lin Hui started feeling sleepy. He leaned slightly towards He Jian Shan and whispered, “He Jian Shan, this movie is so boring, it’s making me sleepy.”
Even though there were only the two of them in the cinema, Lin Hui still whispered as if afraid of disturbing others.
He Jian Shan also whispered, “What should we do, shall we not watch it then?”
Lin Hui yawned, “No way, we paid for it, not a minute less than two hours.”
“If it’s too hard, you can sleep for a bit.”
As if waiting for this cue, Lin Hui almost immediately responded, “Okay, then I’m going to sleep.”
He Jian Shan chuckled softly, “Yeah, sleep.”
And so, Lin Hui leaned on He Jian Shan’s shoulder and slowly closed his eyes. Perhaps influenced by Lin Hui, after watching for a while, He Jian Shan also started feeling sleepy. He had been working continuously for two days, pulling an all-nighter, slept a bit in the car in the morning, and after discussing matters in the afternoon, came straight to pick up Lin Hui for the movie.
He was actually quite tired, and while waiting for Lin Hui, he had been standing outside the car in the wind. But seeing Lin Hui walking towards him, his heart surged with an unprecedented anticipation and joy, and he suddenly felt not so tired anymore.
The protagonist on the screen was tirelessly performing, and the soft background music combined with the dim cinema environment completely relaxed He Jian Shan. He shifted his position to make it more comfortable for Lin Hui to lean on, and then he too slowly closed his eyes. Within a few minutes, He Jian Shan fell asleep, and Lin Hui, in his arms, quietly tightened his grip on his hand.
The two-hour movie ended without a sound.
For their first date, spending two hours sleeping in the cinema, He Jian Shan actually felt a bit guilty. But Lin Hui was very happy, not mentioning the movie at all, just saying he was hungry. He Jian Shan then drove to Wang Hai Lou, a restaurant he had booked in advance.
Wang Hai Lou’s name was grand, but it didn’t overlook the sea; it overlooked all of Jinghua. This restaurant was on the 56th floor of Jin Sha Plaza, the tallest building in Jinghua City. Half of its walls were transparent glass, overlooking the entire city, with a night view that was second to none. Therefore, although it was not the most expensive restaurant in Jinghua, it was always the hardest to book.
Over the years, Lin Hui had followed He Jian Shan to many fine dining experiences and witnessed the extreme luxury of the wealthy, but still, he couldn’t help but exclaim “Wow” after entering the private room. He walked to the glass window, captivated by the lights outside, “I’ve never seen Jinghua from this angle before.”
“You like night views.” He Jian Shan also came over and spoke.
Lin Hui thought for a moment, “Maybe I’m too busy during the day, and there’s too much to see in the daytime; only at night, some things belong only to the night.”
Like the stars, the moonlight, the sunflowers waking up after drinking, the kisses in the rain sound.
Too many.
All the beautiful things in Lin Hui’s memory were inseparably linked to the night. He didn’t know if He Jian Shan thought of the same things, their gazes met in the reflections on the glass, entwining for a long time without parting.
Dinner was adjusted by He Jian Shan according to Wang Hai Lou’s menu, adding Lin Hui’s favorite dishes. The usual ingredients, transformed by the skilled chefs at Wang Hai Lou, became exceptionally flavorful. Lin Hui enjoyed the meal very much, just like before, talking non-stop, while He Jian Shan listened with a smile, occasionally responding, but his hands were busy arranging dishes, pouring wine, peeling crabs, and picking meat… Halfway through the meal, a loud “bang” came from outside. Lin Hui raised his head—it was fireworks.
Lin Hui was stunned for a moment, then put down his chopsticks and walked to the window, unable to resist calling out, “He Jian Shan, there are fireworks today.”
He Jian Shan looked up, then lowered his head and continued peeling shrimp, “Hmm.”
“Wow, it’s beautiful.”
“Hmm.”
Lin Hui turned his face suspiciously, “It wasn’t arranged by you, was it?”
He Jian Shan smiled, “No, it’s a coincidence, probably some event.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
He Jian Shan was still focused on peeling shrimp for Lin Hui, Lin Hui glanced at the fireworks, then looked at He Jian Shan. Then, he took the food from He Jian Shan’s hands and pulled him to the window.
He Jian Shan was caught off guard, his hands still unwiped, “Wait—”
“I can skip the shrimp, but you can’t miss the fireworks.” The colorful lights reflected on Lin Hui’s face full of anticipation, “Come on, tell me, which one do you think is beautiful?”
He Jian Shan paused, then shifted his gaze to the window.
“That gold one just now, very brilliant, this one is also not bad.”
“This silver one looks great! Oh oh oh!”
“Fireworks blossoming like silver trees.”
“Wow, it burst open… tsk, it’s raining gold now…”
“The red is dazzling, it’s as bright as day.”
“A whirlpool! This one looks like a whirlpool!”
…
The fireworks lasted for about 20 minutes, and they watched for the entire duration. Forgetting to drink, no longer peeling shrimp, the table full of delicious dishes became just a backdrop, and by the end, they almost forgot to talk—
“Why do people like watching fireworks so much? I remember once I was late getting home from work, passing by Li Shui Bridge, there were fireworks there, and although everyone on the road was in a hurry, seeing the fireworks, they suddenly slowed down.”
He Jian Shan looked at Lin Hui, and Lin Hui also looked at him seriously.
“He Jian Shan, are the fireworks beautiful?”
After a long while, He Jian Shan tightened his grip on Lin Hui’s hand and said softly, “Yeah.”
Author’s Note:
The first date.
