Hard to Escape - Chapter 14.2

Candle: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everybody!

Silence briefly settled in the private room. In the darkness, no one could see the others clearly.

I knew that Yin Li sat on my left, close enough that if I turned my side I could reach him. I don’t know what overcame me, but I reached out in the dark and grabbed his hand. Then carefully, without making a sound, I turned and kissed him on the cheek.

The darkness seemed to have some sort of bewitching power which made me lose my senses. Amidst the inky blackness, I suddenly felt a desire to draw closer to him. It was like the emotional tossing and turning earlier also managed to rearrange my behavior.

He froze. I shook my hand, but unexpectedly his hand then tightened around mine, not letting go. Then following the curve of my cheek, he found my lips and kissed me deeply.

Wei Yan apparently felt that sitting in complete silence in the dark was rather awkward, so he broke the silence. “What other plans does Mr. Yin have for tonight? If you have time, we can all go to Shu Yu (舒雨, Leisurely Rain) Pavilion to sit around and chat.” Shu Yu Pavilion was a tea house with a unique architectural design. Wei Yan obviously liked Yin Li’s company.

Yin Li was still kissing me, he apparently wasn’t afraid of arousing Wei Yan’s suspicions. Only after he was satisfied did he finally release me. “No need, I plan to head back immediately. My girlfriend doesn’t like me staying out too long.”

Wei Yan laughed. “Mr. Yin, your girlfriend really is blessed.”

After Yin Li replied to Wei Yan, he cupped his hands around my face again to pull me in for another kiss. My breath was becoming ragged, and the sound was growing more audible. Yet Yin Li didn’t seem to care. He continued to deepen his wet kiss. I could taste the red wine on his tongue, and it made me feel slightly tipsy and lightheaded.

When Wei Yan had made that remark, I could only miserably cry out in my heart, Yup, that’s right. Yin Li’s girlfriend is very blessed. Truly blessed indeed! So blessed I’m about to cry!

Wei Yan and Yin Li carried out a fragmented conversation like this, with Yin Li not letting me go the entire time. Only when the restaurant manager’s voice sounded in the large hall outside did he smoothly release me.

The lights suddenly flickered, then they all turned back on. My face burned bright red. I nervously played with the ends of my hair as I tried to look composed. The room finally returned to its previous brightness.

I glanced at Yin Li but then couldn’t avert my gaze. I could only stare at his right cheek in shock, like I had seen a ghost.

Holy f**k!! Can anyone explain why the hell there’s a lipstick mark on his cheek?!

I thought the darkness was sufficient cover. Yet I didn’t think I would be leaving such an incriminating piece of evidence behind!

Luckily, I’d always been someone who didn’t fear death. In a post-apocalyptic world, I’d definitely be a hero. I immediately started furiously winking at Yin Li and repeatedly touching my right cheek. Yet he thought I was just acting coquettish. He drank a mouthful of wine and then, with the lipstick mark still on his cheek, calmly turned to Wei Yan and said, “Let’s just go along with Mr. DuPont’s suggestion for the last part of the contract. It must have been difficult for you as this is your first time negotiating, and I also want to return early.” His bearing was as elegant as always. It was a pity that the lipstick mark immediately transformed him from a straight-laced individual to a lascivious one. It was an incredibly large demotion. Yet he didn’t seem to notice that his usual refined image now felt like a futile sham.

Wei Yan naturally had instantly noticed the lipstick mark on Yin Li’s face. His eyes bulged in disbelief as he looked back and forth between me and Yin Li. But in the end, he kept silent. His eyes darkened, but when he looked back up, he had already composed himself.

He decided to ignore the lipstick mark. In this setting, if he pointed it out to let Yin Li wipe it off, it would only make things awkward for all of us. Wei Yan could only pretend to be totally unaware, and of course, I conveniently1 followed his lead and didn’t make a peep.

1 顺水推舟: “to push the boat with the current” is an idiom meaning to take advantage of the situation.

Wei Yan turned and smiled at Yin Li. “All right. I’ll edit the contract make the changes to the purchasing rights that we’ve agreed upon. Once I’ve finished drafting it, I’ll mail you the document.”

I suppressed a twitch of my facial muscles. Instead I watched Yin Li, who maintained his dignified and formal bearing, with the flaming-red lipstick mark on his cold, collected face. He gave a formal nod. “Very well. I’ll leave this matter in the hands of my assistant, Lin Qin. If there’s anything else you need to discuss, you can contact her.” Then he looked at his watch. “Thank you for tonight’s dinner. I’ll be taking my leave first.”

Yin Li then rose and took his jacket. He politely inclined his head to all of us, and left. Naturally, Wei Yan and I stayed behind to pay the bill.2

2 In China it’s a common thing for businessmen to take each other out to eat as part of the negotiation process. I think the one who invites you is usually the one with a request, so they’re expected to foot the bill. (Correct me if I’m wrong!)

Ten or so minutes after Yin Li left, Wei Yan finally looked at me. He had a complicated expression and seemed to want to say something, but hesitated. Finally, his multitude of thoughts coalesced into one sentence. “Are you just going to let him go like this?”

It wasn’t until Wei Yan reminded me that I finally came to my senses and chased after Yin Li. Sadly, there was no trace of him in the large hall. I ran out to the entrance and searched around to no avail. Sulking, I could only return to the room.

Wei Yan was smoking a cigarette, his expression inscrutable. When I opened the door he turned his head towards me, but through the smoke, I couldn’t discern his gaze clearly.

He flicked his cigarette. “Yan Xiao, I know you want to help me, but you can’t act like this.” As he spoke, he seemed to very carefully consider his words. “In truth, it’s no big deal if these negotiations fail. Everyone needs to fail a couple times. This afternoon I was a bit puzzled, and felt that Yin Li’s attitude towards you had some hidden undertone. At first, I had admired him. I thought he was untouchable, and was even devoted to his girlfriend. Yet I never thought him to be this sort of person. And you. I know your background is complicated but—”

My throat was parched from running around chasing after Yin Li. After grabbing a cup of tea and downing a large gulp, I finally regained my breath and explained, “Ai, relax. You can continue to admire him. And don’t blame yourself, to be honest I didn’t explain things clearly. I never told you that the girlfriend Yin Li was talking about was me. It’s no big deal. It’s only a kiss on the cheek, he won’t mind.”

As expected, Wei Yan’s expression was a sight to behold. “Shocked” wasn’t enough to portray it anymore, he was practically horrified. Sadly, I didn’t have the energy to appreciate it. I drank some water, and then ran back out and continued to look for Yin Li. In any case, I had already decided on a plan of action. If I found him in a place with fewer people, I would tell him to wipe off the lipstick mark. If he was unfortunate enough to be walking in a crowd, I would pretend to not know him, and just let him be judged by the crowd.

Ai, we really are a match made in heaven.

Chapter end