Chapter 18

“Chief, is that Shen Hongxing?” Gu Qingshan asked Lu Jiaoyang, his question overheard by Shen Hongxing.  She wondered if Lu Jiaoyang liked Shen Jiaojiao. 

She remembered Lu Ping’an saying Lu Jiaoyang had liked a girl since he was eighteen a girl with the last name Shen.  Could it be Shen Jiaojiao?

“Come in,” Lu Jiaoyang replied.  The guard opened the door. “Miss Shen, please.”

Shen Hongxing entered.  A young, muscular man sat at Lu Jiaoyang’s desk; he looked like a martial artist.  Packed parcels lay on the floor. Was Lu Jiaoyang leaving?

“You’re Miss Shen?” Gu Qingshan examined her from head to toe.

“Stop staring, or I’ll gouge your eyes out!” she retorted.

Gu Qingshan, undeterred, stood and offered his hand. “Miss Shen, I’m Gu Qingshan, Chief Lu’s subordinate.  Nice to meet you!”

Shen Hongxing shook his hand.  He held on, grinning. “Miss Shen, how old are you?  Do you have a boyfriend?”

“Uh…” Shen Hongxing replied, “I’m twenty, just graduated high school, and I don’t…”

“She’s engaged,” Lu Jiaoyang interrupted, displeased. Gu Qingshan was clearly trying to steal her.

Shen Hongxing didn’t deny it; it was pointless.

“Qingshan, do what I told you,” Lu Jiaoyang said, dismissing him.

Gu Qingshan feigned ignorance. “What did you tell me, Chief?”

“Get out!” Lu Jiaoyang said sharply.

Gu Qingshan smirked and left.  Turning back, he asked Shen Hongxing, “Miss Shen, I think we’re destined. Give me your address, and I’ll visit…”

“Close the door!” Lu Jiaoyang’s face darkened.  Gu Qingshan waved to Shen Hongxing, closed the door, and left.  The…

Only Shen Hongxing and Lu Jiaoyang remained in the office. The atmosphere was awkward.

Shen Hongxing cleared her throat. “Chief Lu, could I borrow your tape player?”

Lu Jiaoyang frowned. “Why?”

She explained about the down jacket fashion show she was organizing for Sunshine Clothing.  He approved.

“Do it. If you need anything, just ask,” he said.  Knowing he was leaving soon, he added, “I’m leaving in a couple of days. Ask Gu Qingshan if you need anything.” Gu Qingshan was reliable and loyal, despite his casual demeanor.

Hearing he was leaving, Shen Hongxing felt a pang of anxiety. “Where are you going?”  He rarely came home; if he was transferred, they’d rarely see each other.

“Haicheng.”

Relief washed over her.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Jiaoyang noticed her silence.

Shen Hongxing shook her head, smiling. “Nothing. Just surprised.”

Lu Jiaoyang knew she’d liked Lu Ping’an for a long time and wouldn’t get over it quickly. He had time.  He changed the subject. “Where’s the show? Do I need a ticket?”

“At the A Si cold storage. Director Jiang rented it. The show is the day after tomorrow. You don’t need a ticket, Chief.”  She was the ticket.

“How do you know about fashion shows?” he asked, noticing her changes since his last visit. She no longer liked Lu Ping’an and seemed to know everything.

“I read about it in a magazine.  Director Jiang asked me to sell the down jackets, so I’m putting it to use,” she lied. She couldn’t tell him she was from the future.

“Okay. I’ll wait for you outside the Lu house tonight.  I’ll borrow the tape player for two days. I’ll treat you and Grandpa Lu to dinner afterward.”

“Good.”

“I’ll go now,” Shen Hongxing said.

Lu Jiaoyang followed her. “I need to go home and…”

“I’m going home to pack. Let’s go together.”

“Okay.”

Lu Jiaoyang dropped Shen Hongxing off at Sunshine Clothing and returned to the compound with his driver.  His grandfather had already had Qin Xianglan pack his things. Lu Zhonghua, as always, cried when Lu Jiaoyang was leaving.

“Jiaoyang, take care of yourself in Haicheng.  No matter what danger you face, don’t rush in. Your mother and I are waiting for you!”

His grandfather angrily tapped Lu Zhonghua’s leg with his cane. “Stop crying! Cry again, and get out!”  He couldn’t understand why his eldest and second sons were so different.

“Dad, you and Mom were always busy in the army. I raised Jiaoyang. He’s more like my son than Ping’an,” Lu Zhonghua said, wiping his tears.

His grandfather sighed.

“Dad, Big Brother just cares about me,” Lu Jiaoyang said, turning to his grandfather. “Dad, do you still use your tape player?”

“No. Why?”

It wasn’t him; it was his future wife.  He didn’t dare tell his grandfather.

Lu Jiaoyang took the tape player to the car. “Chief, where to?” the driver asked.

Perhaps from spending so much time with Shen Hongxing, or perhaps he was letting himself go, but the thought of separating from her was unsettling. He wanted to see her every day.  He’d suppressed his feelings when she was marrying Lu Ping’an, thinking he could control them by staying in the army.  But now… he couldn’t control this feeling. Was Gu Qingshan right? Had he fallen in love?

“Chief, should I tell you something?” his driver hesitated.

“Tell me.” Lu Jiaoyang sensed it concerned him.

“Chief, when I picked you up the other day, I overheard Grandpa talking to someone on the phone. They’ve arranged several blind dates for you in Haicheng. You can’t avoid this one, Chief.”

“That’s why they’ve been rushing me to Haicheng. They’re waiting for me!” Lu Jiaoyang rubbed his temples. His grandfather wouldn’t rest until his personal life was settled.