Water Waltz

Pei Ningxue thought the day would end at the cafe on Wukang Road.

After all, she had guessed several possibilities for the "final gift" Chen Zhi had mentioned—a private dinner on the Bund? Booking out a Michelin-starred restaurant? Or something she couldn't even imagine?

But she never expected Chen Zhi to take her hand and lead her all the way from Wukang Road to Shiliupu Dock.

"What are we doing here?"

Pei Ningxue stood by the dock. The river breeze loosened a few strands of hair from her low bun and lifted a small corner of her qipao.

Chen Zhi casually took off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

Pei Ningxue pulled the collar of the jacket closer and looked up at him.

"Why did we come to the dock?"

"To take a walk."

Chen Zhi made up an excuse on the spot, taking her hand and walking further into the dock area.

Shiliupu Dock was bustling at night, filled with tourists lining up for sightseeing cruises. Pei Ningxue thought Chen Zhi was going to buy tickets, but he led her straight past the long lines toward the exclusive VIP berth at the very end.

A luxurious three-story yacht was quietly moored at the berth.

Pure white all over, the warm yellow ambient lights on its deck were already lit, casting a halo of light upon the dark river water.

A uniformed captain standing by the gangway immediately stepped forward when he saw them approaching.

"Boss Chen, Miss Pei, good evening. The route has been approved, and we are ready to depart whenever you are."

Pei Ningxue stopped and turned to look at Chen Zhi.

"When did you charter a boat?"

"Last night," Chen Zhi said, leading her up the gangway. "While you were snoring in your sleep."

"You're the one who snores!"

Pei Ningxue retorted instinctively, pinching him on the waist, but she could hardly suppress the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

The two stepped onto the yacht's second-floor open-air deck.

With a low roar from the engines, the yacht slowly left the berth and headed toward the center of the Huangpu River.

The river opened up before them.

The neon lights of Lujiazui turned into patches of golden scales on the water. The Oriental Pearl Tower, the Shanghai Tower—those towering skyscrapers looked exceptionally spectacular in the night.

A small round table was set on the deck. A waiter had already decanted the red wine, poured it into two goblets, and then tactfully retreated to the lower cabin.

They were the only two left on the entire second-floor deck.

Chen Zhi picked up the two glasses of red wine and handed one to Pei Ningxue.

Pei Ningxue took the glass, walked to the edge of the deck, and leaned against the white railing. The river breeze tousled her hair, and the silver hairpin holding her low bun shimmered faintly in the night.

She looked down and took a sip of the wine.

"Chen Zhi."

"Hmm?"

"Doesn't this count as extravagance and waste?" Pei Ningxue swirled her glass. "Even though you have money now, the company is burning through cash every day. Instead of spending it on this, you might as well poach a few more talents."

Chen Zhi leaned against the railing next to her and turned his head to look at her.

"President Pei, you're on holiday today. No talking about the company's books."

"Hmph."

Pei Ningxue gave a haughty little snort and took another sip of wine.

Whether it was the aftereffect of the red wine kicking in or the river breeze, a faint blush appeared on her cheeks, and her eyes grew slightly hazy.

She turned around, leaned her back against the railing, and looked at Chen Zhi.

"My feet hurt."

She was wearing a pair of five-centimeter heels today to match her moon-white qipao. After following Chen Zhi around Wukang Road for half the day, her heels were already rubbed red.

Chen Zhi set his glass down, preparing to crouch and check on them.

But Pei Ningxue simply lifted her feet and kicked off both heels.

The shoes rolled a couple of times on the deck and stopped next to the round table.

Barefoot, she stepped on the wooden deck as the river breeze lifted the hem of the suit jacket.

Pei Ningxue took two steps forward, stopping right in front of Chen Zhi.

She reached out and placed both hands on Chen Zhi's shoulders.

"Dance with me."

Chen Zhi froze for a moment.

"There's no music."

"We don't need music."

Brooking no argument, Pei Ningxue took Chen Zhi's right hand and placed it on her waist, then slipped her left hand into his left hand.

Chen Zhi had no idea how to waltz, and Pei Ningxue was clearly an amateur too.

The two of them clumsily shuffled their feet on the deck of the yacht sailing in the middle of the Huangpu River, listening to the sound of the water lapping against the hull.

"You stepped on me," Pei Ningxue complained.

"You clearly bumped into me yourself."

"Chen Zhi, do you have any gentlemanly manners at all?"

"Do gentlemanly manners mean standing still and letting you step on me?"

"Hiss—you stepped on me again!"

Annoyed, Pei Ningxue lifted her bare foot and stomped heavily on Chen Zhi's leather shoe.

Chen Zhi didn't dodge.

After stomping on him, Pei Ningxue leaned forward and buried her face in his chest.

Chen Zhi naturally tightened his grip around her waist.

They stopped spinning and simply held each other, slowly swaying in the night breeze.

The lights of Lujiazui continuously receded behind them.

Suddenly, a muffled bell toll came from the distant Customs House.

"Dong—"

The sound traveled across the river and reached the yacht.

Pei Ningxue's body stiffened slightly.

"Chen Zhi, what time is it?"

Chen Zhi raised his left hand and glanced at the watch on his wrist.

"It's twelve."

Pei Ningxue's voice dropped even lower.

"Once twelve passes, the holiday I borrowed today is over."

She looked up into Chen Zhi's eyes.

The river breeze had turned the rims of her eyes a little red.

"Past twelve, I'm the CFO of Deep Space Technology again. I have to deal with those difficult investors and look at those never-ending financial reports."

She paused, a self-deprecating curve tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"And, I'm going to turn back into the Pei Ningxue who can only see you at night."

Cinderella's magic was about to break.

That eighteen-year-old girl who ate pan-fried buns in the alleyways, rode the carousel at Disneyland, and tried on qipaos in the old mansions was about to put the identity of President Pei back on.

Seeing her trying so hard to hold back her disappointment, Chen Zhi felt a sharp pang in his heart.

He let go of Pei Ningxue's left hand and reached into his pants pocket.

"Pei Ningxue," Chen Zhi called her name.

He pulled a dark blue velvet box out of his pocket.

Chen Zhi didn't get down on one knee; he calmly flipped the lid open with one hand.

Inside was just a clean, simple platinum band, its surface engraved with a few extremely minimalist flowing lines.

He had run to a boutique to pick it out yesterday afternoon at Plaza 66, taking advantage of the time Pei Ningxue went to the restroom.

Chen Zhi took out the ring and held it between his fingertips.

He took Pei Ningxue's right hand.

Pei Ningxue's fingers were trembling slightly. She thought Chen Zhi was going to put the ring on her ring finger or middle finger; after all, that was the standard script for anything concerning love.

But Chen Zhi didn't.

He steadily slid the simple band onto Pei Ningxue's index finger.

The index finger represented independence, career, and self.

Pei Ningxue lowered her head, looking at the extra loop of cool metal on her index finger, frozen in place.

"I don't like all those flashy, superficial things, and neither do you," Chen Zhi said, looking into her eyes.

"This ring isn't meant to chain you to the house as some perfect little housewife."

"Yesterday at Disney, you said you wanted to be the first to meet me in your next life."

"Today, I'm telling you that whether it's this life or the next, whether you're that eighteen-year-old girl terrified of roller coasters, or the eldest daughter of the Pei family."

Chen Zhi tightly held her hand wearing the ring.

"The co-pilot of this aircraft carrier, Deep Space Technologies, will only ever be you."

The bell of the Customs House building struck its final chime at that exact moment.

Pei Ningxue looked at the ring on her index finger, her vision gradually blurring. A scalding tear slipped from the corner of her eye and splashed onto the back of Chen Zhi's hand.

Pei Ningxue raised her hand and hastily wiped her tears away.

Smiling through her tears, she wrapped her arms around Chen Zhi's neck again, stood on her tiptoes, and leaned in to kiss his lips.

It was a kiss filled with endless affection.

The river breeze continued to blow as the yacht carved a long white wake across the water's surface.

After a long moment, Pei Ningxue let go of him and took a half-step back.

She pulled the suit jacket draped over her shoulders tighter, the vulnerability and sentimentality on her face vanishing entirely.

"Boss Chen, we can't be late for our meeting with President Li of NIO tomorrow."