Chapter 7 （Heat Beneath the Ice）
1690 Words
Su Wan took a number.
Thirty minutes to wait.
Right at lunch hour—being able to get a table at all already counted as luck.
Two neat rows of cheap plastic stools lined the corridor outside the restaurant.
She stole a glance at Lu Feng.
Would those things survive if he sat down?
He didn’t try.
Instead, he leaned casually against the fourth-floor railing, long arms folded, sharp eyes sweeping the third floor before settling on a small novelty shop below. Plush toys crowded its doorway—soft, colorful, obviously designed to lure young girls inside.
“Want to take a look down there?” he asked.
“…Sure.”
They rode the escalator down and stepped inside.
Su Wan walked ahead, Lu Feng following close behind.
He was too tall.
Standing there, he practically swallowed her in shadow.
The air grew strangely stuffy.
She racked her brain for something—anything—to say.
“Do you… want to buy something?”
His gaze passed over shelves of pink trinkets and glittering accessories.
“Doesn’t look like there’s anything for me.”
Fair.
Su Wan drifted toward a display of sparkling hair clips, then stopped in front of a rack filled entirely with lucky-cat charms.
She examined them one by one and picked up a small car pendant printed with the words Safe Travels.
She couldn’t let him just trail after her doing nothing.
Holding it up, she asked tentatively,
“How about this?”
The moment the little cat rested in her palm, Lu Feng’s eyes shifted to her hand.
White porcelain fur against red backing—setting off the pale softness of her skin. Her fingers were slender, nails trimmed neatly, tinted with healthy pink.
“You’re giving it to me?”
His voice dropped low, brushing past the top of her head.
Flat in tone.
Yet somehow it made her chest tighten.
She hadn’t prepared for that.
On blind dates, men usually tried to find excuses to give her things.
No one had ever directly asked for a gift.
It wasn’t expensive. Refusing would make her seem petty.
Her ears warmed.
She forced a smile at the cat.
“…Sure.”
Lu Feng handed her the shopping basket.
She dropped the charm inside, emotions in complete disarray.
That’s it. I’m not recommending anything else.
She grabbed a pretty notebook for herself. Passing the dishware aisle, she picked out two small bowls printed with cartoon animals.
When she reached for the second—
Lu Feng’s voice drifted down again, carrying something unreadable.
“For me?”
Her hand jerked.
“No—! One for me and one for my grandma.”
“Mmm.”
But just as she placed them back—
Lu Feng calmly picked up another bowl of the same design.
Heat rushed straight to her face.
They’d added each other on WeChat almost a week ago. Aside from arranging today’s meeting, he hadn’t initiated a single conversation.
For a blind-date partner, that kind of coldness usually meant zero interest.
She’d been relieved.
Even planning how to turn him down politely.
So what was this?
Asking for the charm might have been testing the waters.
But buying the same bowl?
That was… obvious.
Her thoughts spiraled—
Then he spoke, casual as if discussing the weather.
“For my cousin. The head nurse’s daughter. She’s in tenth grade.”
“…Oh.”
“She’ll probably like it.”
Su Wan: …Right. Of course.
He added,
“Has Ms. Wang mentioned her daughter to you before?”
Su Wan shook her head.
“She’s always busy. We mostly talk about work.”
“Bring her out sometime. With her around, you won’t get bored.”
I can live without that opportunity, Su Wan replied silently.
At checkout, Lu Feng stepped in front of her without hesitation, payment code already pulled up.
She reached for the basket.
“I’ll pay.”
“I’m not being polite when it comes to ordering meat later.”
“….”
Afterward, he asked the clerk for two bags—one for her things, one for his.
Back upstairs, only two groups were left ahead of them.
This time, Lu Feng actually sat on one of the plastic stools.
It held.
Barely.
Su Wan sat beside him, both facing outward.
His knees extended far past hers.
This is unbearable.
She pretended to be busy, fiddling with her purchases.
The mall’s heating blasted warmth everywhere. She still wore her down jacket; her cheeks burned, though she wasn’t sure if it was heat or embarrassment.
To avoid looking at him, she pulled out the bowls, snapped a photo, and posted it to Moments.
Likes appeared instantly.
The first comment:
Lin Fei: Boss Lu bought those for you??
Her fingers slipped.
She almost dropped her phone.
Boss Lu?? Since when??
And worst of all—
He was sitting right next to her.
She shut the app at light speed and peeked sideways.
Thankfully, Lu Feng was also looking at his phone. His arms were long, held high—she couldn’t see the screen.
Finally, their number was called.
Lu Feng ordered six plates of meat.
Su Wan added vegetables purely for balance.
When the server left, he asked,
“Mind if I eat a lot?”
She smiled politely.
“Not at all. Guys usually do. Especially when you’re… tall.”
And built.
She rarely encountered gym-type men in real life. The closest reference in her mind was Captain America.
Lu Feng looked fit in clothes; when he rolled up his sleeves, the lines of muscle were clean and controlled—not overly veined.
Too much would’ve given her goosebumps.
“Genetics,” he said.
“My grandpa and dad are both over six feet. Mom’s five-three. Grandma was even shorter.”
She remembered that family photo.
Though she’d never met them, she was already impressed with the women in his family.
That height difference took courage.
Lu Feng scrolled on his phone and turned it toward her.
An old black-and-white photo.
The man in it looked eerily similar to him—stern features, sharp profile.
Beside him leaned a petite woman, smiling brightly.
The kind of smile that pierced time.
Su Wan said sincerely,
“Your grandmother was beautiful.”
“Yeah.”
He took the phone back.
“After she passed, Grandpa kept every photo he had. Still looks through them every day.”
She froze.
“…I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“It was over ten years ago.”
Still, that picture lingered in her mind.
She had the strange feeling those two had shared something extraordinary.
But she didn’t know Lu Feng well enough to ask.
Somehow, they ended up eating for over an hour.
Sunlight flooded the windows when they left.
Lu Feng asked,
“Want to walk around Jade Lake?”
It was Tong City’s most famous scenic spot—locals loved it on weekends.
Su Wan’s blind dates always followed the same pattern:
Eat. Walk. Movie.
Even if she wasn’t interested, she usually stayed through the whole routine out of courtesy, then declined afterward.
This time was no different.
She agreed.
Jade Lake bustled—couples, families, sketch artists, photographers.
Treating it as digestion time, she walked beside him along the lakeside path.
To ease the awkwardness, she kept eating.
Lu Feng bought her candied strawberries on a stick, then fruit tea.
Suddenly, he stopped.
“You’ve got sugar here.”
He pointed to the corner of her mouth.
“….”
She had one hand holding the skewer, the other the drink.
No free hands.
She opened her mouth to pass him the cup—
Warmth brushed her lips.
Not tissue.
His finger.
Roughened slightly by calluses.
Gone in an instant.
She froze.
“All clean.”
His voice was calm—like nothing had happened.
Her ears burned crimson.
She thanked him stiffly.
When he stepped back to walk behind her again, she stared at the candy in regret.
Why did I pick this…
They wandered for another hour before he drove her home.
Afternoon sunlight warmed half her face.
She buckled her seatbelt and squinted.
“So cozy… I might fall asleep.”
Lu Feng glanced at her.
“Sleep. I’ll wake you.”
Then—
He leaned over.
Clean, cool masculine scent enveloped her.
Shadow swallowed her.
She held her breath.
Click.
The seat reclined.
He pulled back.
She exhaled in tiny sips.
She wasn’t really sleepy—just socially exhausted.
Soft music filled the car.
The drive was steady.
Before she realized it—
She truly fell asleep.
Half an hour later, the black Jeep stopped outside Peace Gardens.
The music faded.
Su Wan woke.
She turned—
And met his sharp profile.
Instantly alert.
Lu Feng leaned in again, adjusting her seat upright.
She looked out the window, embarrassed.
“I slept way too long…”
“Nice weather today,” he said.
“Supposed to warm up next week.”
“Yeah. Heating should stop soon.”
He handed her the jacket from the back seat and waited while she put it on.
“Heading to the hospital tomorrow morning,” he added.
“Want me to pick you up on the way?”
She hesitated while pulling her sleeves on.
“Why the hospital?”
“My grandfather’s checkup report came in. A few things to ask the doctor.”
She nodded.
“What time’s your appointment?”
“Eight. When do you leave?”
“Seven usually… pretty early. Don’t trouble yourself.”
“It’s fine.”
He looked at her.
“Unless you mind.”
At that point, she couldn’t refuse.
“…I just didn’t want to impose.”
“So tomorrow morning?”
“…Okay.”
She stepped out of the car, waved through the lowered window, smile stiff.
“See you tomorrow.”
He nodded and drove off.
In the rearview mirror—
The little nurse still stood there, shopping bags in hand, expression tangled with conflict.
A little pitiful.
A little amusing.
Lu Feng’s lips curved upward.
Just slightly.
- Writer
