By the time she entered her apartment everything was chaos she thought that today her parents will get to her hometown but they didn't.
She put her bag on the table seeing her father iron her dress.liu xin say to her dad "What are you doing?..and didn't you today going to leave?"
Liu Xin knew something was off the moment her father continues to iron her dress.
He'd never even folded his own shirts properly, and now he stood in the hallway, proudly holding up a sleek navy-blue cocktail dress like it was a prized painting.
Her father says in pride "We are thinking to leave after this gala event you are organizing...now see this colour suits you so much" she raise her eyebrow "It gives you more..sophisticated air." he continues
Her mother peeked from the kitchen. "And wear your hair down. That man from the last meeting will be there, right? The cold one CEO. What was his name again—Wu something?"
Liu Xin squinted at them. "You mean my client? Wu Jian?"
Her mother gave her a casual wave. "Yes, yes. Him. Very capable. Family-oriented. Decent facial structure."
"Have you ever seen his so called facial structure?"
"It just does. Now go. You're late for your planning dinner."
Late. Right. The last-minute charity gala dinner review had been tacked onto her calendar mysteriously, with the location conveniently changed to a five-star rooftop restaurant.
Suspicious? Extremely. But she was too tired to argue.
--
The rooftop was softly lit with lanterns and warm golden chandeliers. Classical music played in the background. A light breeze danced through the hanging ivy along the terrace walls.
Liu Xin arrived ten minutes late—and froze.
Wu Jian was already there. Alone.
He stood by the table, dressed in a sharp black suit with a grey pocket square, gazing out over the city like it owed him something.
He turned the moment she stepped in. For a split second, something flickered in his eyes—surprise? Displeasure? Relief?
"You came," he said, neutral as ever.
"Apparently I'm very punctual for surprise meetings."
A waiter materialized with menus, a candle already flickering between their seats.
She sat, her heart thudding.
"Where's everyone else?" she asked.
"There is no one else," Wu Jian said.
Oh no. Oh no no no.
She looked down at the cutlery. Three forks, two knives, and a wine glass too fancy for her current blood pressure.
Wu Jian cleared his throat. "My grandmother wish. She said this dinner was necessary."
Liu Xin narrowed her eyes. "My mom said the same thing."
They stared at each other.
"They're matchmaking us." She says approved of their plotting
He didn't respond. But the twitch of his jaw said enough.
---
Midway through the meal, things escalated.
Her parents entered first, dressed like they were attending an award show.
"Oh, what a surprise!" her mother gasped, eyes twinkling like she'd won the lottery. "Xin'er! Jian'er! What a coincidence!"
Wu Jian visibly flinched at the nickname.
Before either of them could protest, his grandmother swept in, elegant in a deep plum cheongsam, carrying a jeweled clutch and an expression of smug victory.
"Look at this," she said as she sat beside Wu Jian. "The children already having dinner together. Fate is fast."
Liu Xin was about to object when the waiter returned with a tray. A dome-covered plate. He set it before them, lifted the lid, and revealed—
A heart-shaped dessert.
With the words: "To New Beginnings."
In gold-dusted chocolate.
Liu Xin's spoon clinked against the plate.
"I'm going to kill them," she whispered.
"You'll have to get in line," Wu Jian muttered.
---
After surviving dessert, the three elders declared they were going to take a walk. Together.
"You two talk," Wu Jian's grandmother said, already looping her arm through Liu Xin's mother's.
And just like that, they were left under the lantern-lit terrace.
Liu Xin stared at her heels. "This is ridiculous."
Wu Jian didn't answer. Instead, he walked over to the edge, where the city lights sparkled beneath them.
"They think we're broken," he said quietly.
She looked up.
"Your parents, my grandmother... They think if they force us together long enough, we'll fix something in each other."
Liu Xin walked to his side. The view was stunning—tall buildings glowing in orange and silver, traffic weaving like fireflies.
"They're not entirely wrong," she said. "I mean, you could use some fixing."
He turned to her slowly. "You're one to talk. You almost stabbed your salad when your mother called me 'Jian'er.'"
She snorted. "That was self-defense."
For the first time, his mouth curved slightly. Not quite a smile, but something close. And it made her stomach flip like a badly folded napkin.
"Let's agree on something," she said.
"Hmm?"
"We play along. Just enough to make them think it's working.Anyway, my parents will move to my hometown after the charity gala."
He raised an eyebrow. "So u are telling me to do a fake dating with you?"
She grinned. "Fake cooperation. No public displays. No real feelings. We smile, we nod, we survive."
Wu Jian tilted his head. "And if they bring out another heart-shaped dessert?"
Liu Xin sighed. "We eat it. For diplomacy."
He studied her for a long moment, then nodded.
"Deal."
Just as they turned to head back inside, Liu Xin stopped. Her eyes narrowed.
"Is that... a photographer?"
Wu Jian followed her gaze to a man awkwardly hiding behind a potted palm tree, holding a camera.
"I knew it," she muttered. "They planted a paparazzi."
Wu Jian's expression didn't change, but he did remove his jacket and casually place it over her shoulders.
Liu Xin blinked. "What are you doing?"
He looked straight ahead. "Damage control. If there's going to be headlines tomorrow, we might as well look good."
Her heart thudded harder.
And for the first time that evening, she wasn't sure if the plan was fake anymore.