Standing in front of the large mirror, Shi Lian looks at her reflection and not feeling happy about it.

The fingers she runs through her hair tell her not to worry. But she cannot help but think or overthink.

She is careful not to look at Zichen's message again. She should be at ease knowing he is at least fine but she can not shakes this uneasy feeling. In this past 12 hours, he has only sent her a text, a single text! It said he is fine and he will call her later.

It gave her the cold vibe as if he is trying to ignore or something.

But her heart wasn't quite as calm as she thought it would be. She tried telling herself that he is busy and she should stop worrying about him too much. But it wasn't satisfying.

She gets dressed in a simple black dress, her hair falling in loose curls. She puts on lipstick, barely caring how she looks, and grabbing her purse and phone, she heads downstairs and out of the house.

Mr. Ming urges them to send a car for her but she refuses and told him that she can come by herself. She felt it was annoying of him to keep persuading her for that.

Getting inside the car, she tells the driver to head to the given location.

The car moves swiftly, crossing lanes and highways and almost half an hour later, she reaches the location.

She steps out of the car, the chilly air making her shiver a little. The Sinclair restaurant looks lavish and appeared to be made only for the elites.

She made her way inside, her pumps touching the red carpet laid below. People, all of the rich status are sitting graciously and are eating their food.

She ponders if Mr. Ming is already here or not. She searches for him but the place has huge and there are more than a hundred people in business suits so it's hard to recognize him.

The manager, she guesses, comes to her with a smile on his face and asks, "Ma'am. may I help with something?"

"Yes, can you tell me if a person named Ming is here?" she asks.

As if he is waiting to hear this, he nods, still smiling, "You must be Miss Shi Lian." She nods, relief that he knows. "Please come this way" He leads her, passing the first hall and moving to a table where she can already see a man sitting. She guesses it must be him and walks further. Reaching their, just as she expected, Mr. Ming turns to see her standing beside her. His eyes light up and he gets up from his seat, greeting her.

"Miss Shi Lian, good evening" He greets her with a smile.

"Good evening" She greets him back.

"Please take a seat" He gestures to a table set opposite to his.

"Thank you" She curtsies and they sit down. The table is set with a fancy table cloth, the centerpiece is a bunch of roses.

"You look beautiful, absolutely splendid, Miss Shi Lian," He says.

"Thank you. You look handsome too." Shi Lian thinks it will offending to not praise him since she can see he has tried to dress in his best clothing.

He blushes and says thank you. "Would you care for wine? It's a special bottle of wine from Napa Valley."

"Yes please," She replies. Beaming, he opens the cork of the bottle to pour her a glass of wine. The smell of wine wafts across the table. It seems like he is trying to make sure everything is perfect for her. He pours the wine in both glasses and gives her hers.

"I hope you like it. It has a special flavor" He says, with a smile on his face. Shi Lian's jaw hurts after smiling for like five minutes. He is nice but he is annoying as well. And sometimes he makes her uncomfortable with his compliments.

She takes a sip of the wine he has been favoring about. It tastes like a different wine. It's sweet and has ripened taste. It is sweet like a dessert wine but it doesn't taste like it. It's a very smooth taste. Shi Lian takes another sip and agrees with him. It's a very good wine. But it isn't comparable to what Zichen had served her when they had dinner together. She can still remember the taste, the feel of the wine, and the way Zichen's eyes always looked at her like a hungry predator. Her cheeks heat up at the thought of him and she gulps down the whole glass. God, he is fucking her mind so badly.

"You must like it very much?" Mr. Ming teases. For a minute she almost forgot about him. What was he saying? Oh yeah, the wine.

"Yes, it tastes good," she says, faking a smile. She had this urge to go home right now but it will rude to leave him in the middle.

The waiter comes and takes their orders of food. Shi Lian orders a Filet Mignon which came with a side of the mushroom, a side of asparagus, and a generous serving of broccoli. Mr. Ming orders the grilled salmon, a side salad, and bread.

She now thinks that she might have ordered a bit too much.

"Is everything alright?" He asks her as they wait for their food. Shi Lian is taken aback by his questions. He must have noticed her growing.

"Oh....um...yes. I am fine" She lies, knowing that it is not this but something more. Two glasses of wine and still the same feeling.

"Are you sure?" He asks again.

"Yes," She says and nods.

Silence spreads between them. Shi Lian is still thinking about Zichen's text and how it made her feel. She feels like she should be angry but it will meaningless.

The waiter comes shortly and serves their food. The aroma of the food just fills the air. The sight of food suddenly makes her stomach growl and she is hungry now.

The lamb is tender as she cuts it with her knife. It melts in her mouth. It is delicious.

The side dishes are complimenting as well.

After they both finish their dishes, Mr. Ming asks, "Would you like a dessert?" Shi Lian shakes her head. she is full and there's room for anything more.

Shi Lian cannot comprehend why she is suddenly getting chills as if someone is staring at her. she looks in every direction but all she sees are people who are minding their own business. She brushes the thought and focuses on what the man sitting in front of her is saying.

".....the bread was okay but I prefer it should have been soft" he keeps on blabbing anD Shi Lian rolls her eyes, feeling bored.

There's no reason to stay here now so she decides to leave.

She stands up from her seat, "Thank you again, Mr. Ming, for the lovely dinner. It's late I should probably head home" Shi Lian says as she nods.

His face falls and he gets up abruptly. As she is turning to leave, he catches her by her wrist, making her startle. He does not mean to scare her, it was reflex and he couldn't stop himself.

"She turns back, frowning, "Yes? Anything the matter?" "I just wanted to say good night," He says. Shi Lian thinks do not overthinking and accept it but his grip on her remains still. His feel makes her uncomfortable and she wants to break free from his hold.

At that moment, a deep voice speaks, "Lose your hold." It is Zichen. He is standing there, barely with a black suit and black shirt. His black hair is perfectly styled and pulled back. His piercing gaze makes her burn. She instantly backs away from his hold. How in heaven did he come here? Is he a ghost? Shi Lian can never solve the mystery of him popping out of nowhere and coming to her side.