The night wind brushed her hair lightly across her forehead. Her makeup was no longer as flawless as usual; the lip gloss had faded slightly, and there was a tiny trace of salmon sauce at the corner of her lips. Rather than being unsightly, it gave her a touch of childlike innocence.
He seemed to hear himself murmuring something under his breath.
“Mr. Wang?” she asked politely, unable to catch his words. Her professional instincts prompted her to clarify—she had learned never to miss anything he said since he never repeated himself.
Before she could process what was happening, he leaned down and kissed her gently, with great tenderness.
* * *
By the time it was 3 a.m. in Brussels, it was already 10 a.m. in China. Leslie had just started her workday and hid in the restroom to take Bao Yong’s call, whispering reassurances. “Well, you did choose such a romantic restaurant to dine alone with him. Maybe he thought you were hinting at something.”
Bao Yong felt a headache coming on, as if she hadn’t adjusted to the time difference. She didn’t want to lose a boss who paid her such a high salary. He didn’t even employ male secretaries and was known to despise office romances.
Bao Yong treated the unexpected kiss as a professional crisis. Thankfully, Wang Li’s attitude made it easy to move forward. By the time they were on the flight back to China, she was back to her usual composed self, as though the kiss under the starlit Belgian sky had never happened.
That same evening, Miss Zhou had reserved a restaurant to welcome Wang Li back, saying it was a gesture to celebrate his return. Bao Yong suspected this would be the perfect opportunity for a proposal, so she reminded him, “Mr. Wang, should we order some flowers?”
“Roses,” he replied, “champagne-colored ones.”
Bao Yong breathed a quiet sigh of relief and went to the office to instruct her assistant to contact the florist. Not long after, the assistant returned looking troubled.
“Miss Fang, the florist says there are no champagne-colored roses available today because of a flight delay.”
“Try other shops.”
“None of them have any.” The assistant, trained meticulously by Bao Yong, quickly suggested, “Should I call the flower suppliers we know in Shanghai? Maybe they have some.”
“It’s too late. Even if they have them, it won’t work.” Bao Yong felt deeply frustrated. She had always taken pride in completing every task flawlessly, which was why Wang Li trusted her to manage his entire household. Yet at such a crucial moment, things were falling apart.
She went upstairs to the study, where the door was ajar, and saw Wang Li standing on the terrace smoking.
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