Imperfect Desires

Just because Ying asked him not to say anything, he didn't say a word. But his eyes didn't leave her face. Ying could feel his gaze even if he was wearing those shades, she could tell where he was looking. However, how come she wasn't able to understand the reason behind that silly smile he was passing her?

She even touched her face to check whether there was something on it or not. Because his behavior was certainly odd. Fortunately, her phone's ringtone distracted her. 

"How did the discussion go?" she asked the person on the line. After listening for a minute, she went on, "I don't care about your schedule. The wedding better be perfect or I would be really mad. It's a special day for everyone." She took a pause to hear the other person before saying, "Yes, it's very special to me as well. Okay, bye! I'll see you in a few days." When she hung up, she stood up to leave.

"You're getting married?" Ying was already at the door of the restaurant she came out of when his voice halted her steps and she turned to look at him with a raised brow. "But I just found you."

"What?" 

"Aren't you too young to marry?"

Ying's face twitched. She pointed at her face as she said, "I'm turning thirty."

But his response shocked her, "Exactly. That's too young."

"Your definition of young is appalling," said Ying after she took a moment to speak. "Do you even know how dangerous it is for a single woman to be thirty in our society?"

"Why?" He was staring at her in genuine curiosity now. 

"Because people like to talk in our society," she replied offhandedly.

And he ended up wondering out loud, "Our society is weird. Someone was in a relationship at the age of 22 and was cursed for dating too young. Here you're telling me not dating at 30 is even dangerous because people will still talk. When do the people stop talking exactly?"

"I don't know and I really don't want to know either." With that, Ying was again on her way inside.

But before she could enter she heard her team members' loud chattering as they were leaving the restaurant.

"Oi! Where did our magpie go?" said one of them making Ying's face to scrunch up. He just referred to her as magpie? How outrageous!

"Don't tell me boss ditched us here because she didn't want to pay?"

Ying gaped as she heard them discussing her like that? She was the best they'd find in the whole syndicate and yet, she was being labeled like this? So much for being an heiress!

"Boss already paid the bill." Ying smiled in satisfaction when Gigi spoke up for her. 

"It's good she paid. At least we didn't shed those tears for nothing."

"I presume she is hiding because she knows we want to drag her to the karaoke with us."

Ying wasn't aware of that plan but she was alert when she heard it. As they came closer to the exit, she tried to hide behind a plant.

"Even I can see you there," said Han Bohai who was getting free entertainment seeing her getting so anxious. She looked at him and dragged him to the wall beside the door where she used his body as a shield to hide. Han Bohai was taken aback. Because she even held his jacket and hid her face in his chest.

Precisely this was the scene that made Nora say that they didn't look like friends and even Ah-Si had no way to retort to that. This was more than just shocking for him as well.

But Ying had no clue about any of it. Her goal at the moment was to just hide from her colleagues who wanted to drag her to karaoke. That was a big no-no for her!

"Isn't it odd though? She always finds excuses to avoid going to the karaoke?" 

Ying pulled his closer with his jacket. "Why are you even hiding?"

"Shush!" she indicated with her eyes and he shut up seeing how her face was peaking out of his jacket. 

Not paying attention to him, she again eavesdropped on her colleagues who were having fun discussing her behind her back.

"Why do you think she always runs though? Does she want to avoid paying for us all? Or maybe she is really bad at singing and doesn't want to embarrass herself?"

"Huh? Team leader Yan and scared of embarrassment? That sounds odd."

"Let's have a bet! I'm sure she just doesn't want to pay for us."

"Nah! I'd go with bad singing."

Ying's hands clenched into tight fists and she ended up hitting Han Bohai's chest as she whispered, "Enjoy your bet. I'll make you all pay for it!" Even though he felt the strength in her hit, he didn't voice it out. He was still just staring at her face with a smile. 

Seeing that all her team members walked away, she heaved a sigh of relief. His head leaned close to her face as he asked, "So, which one is it? Bad singer or just a penny-pincher?"

Ying frowned at him, "I don't like singing. Besides, I barely know one or two songs." She shrugged her shoulders as she went on, "But it's also true that I like saving money."

His face leaned even closer. So close that she has to step back but she couldn't. Because there was only a wall behind her. She couldn't step sideways as well since his hands were on both sides.

"Too..." She stuttered before her hand touched his chest and tried to push him back. "Too close."

He laughed at her reaction and was about to step back when she pulled him back taking him off-guard again. Not just by pushing him but also the way her hand was on his abdomen muscles.

"Ooohh... Wow! That's right." He stared wide-eyed at her as her hand. "Let me count." 

"Huh?"