Chapter 6
277 Words
Raindrops tapped against Shiqiao’s mossy stones as Luo Qi raced downstairs, barefoot and breathless. Pei Shixiao stood beneath an oil-paper umbrella at the bridge’s crest, his tailored suit darkened at the shoulders by mist.
“Surprise,” he murmured, catching her mid-leap.
She clung to his damp collar. “Project crisis resolved itself?”
“Had to.” His lips grazed her temple. “Couldn’t miss choosing your wedding dress.”
Earlier, in the cramped apartment still smelling of mildew and maternal worry:
“We’ll host the bridal procession here,” Luo Qi insisted, stirring cooling congee.
Her mother wrung a dishrag. “But the Peis’ Rolls-Royces won’t fit in the alley—”
“Let them park at the flower shop. I’m leaving from home.”
The unspoken hung heavier than Sucheng’s humidity—her uncle’s opportunistic villa offer, the transactional “kindness” that curdled childhood memories.
When Qian Granny arrived with cherry-studded yogurt, Luo Qi seized the diversion. “Remember how you said Shiqiao blesses brides?”
The old woman’s eyes crinkled. “Walk it barefoot! My granddaughter did—twins within a year!”
Pei Shixiao’s call sliced through the tension. Now, pressed against him on the bridge their future children might cross, Luo Qi tasted salt—rain or tears, she couldn’t tell.
His thumb swiped her cheek. “Found your venue. Conrad’s seaside ballroom.”
She stiffened. “But we agreed on—”
“Father insisted.” His grip tightened. “Compromise, Qi. For our families.”
The umbrella tilted, shielding them from watchful windows. Jiang Shenghe’s black SUV idled unseen downstream, wipers sweeping time’s fingerprints from the windshield.
- Writer
