Song Qingchun was surprised to find Su Zhinian home when she arrived at the bungalow in the late afternoon after work. Through the open door of his bedroom, Song Qingchun could spot several outfits and an open suitcase on the floor.
Song Qingchun looked at the scene with confusion when Su Zhinian walked out of the bathroom with a toiletry bag.
Song Qingchun quickly guessed what was going on. "Mr. Su, you're packing, are you… going on business?"
"Yes," Su Zhinian answered as he tossed the toiletry bag into the suitcase.
Song Qingchun walked into his bedroom and said, "Let me help you."
Su Zhinian did not reject her offer. He merely stood to the side and watched how Song Qingchun put his stuff orderly into the suitcase. When Song Qingchun pulled the zipper of the suitcase shut, she raised her head to ask, "Mr. Su, how long will you be gone for this trip?"
"Two days, three nights." After a pause, Su Zhinian added, "Hong Kong."
Song Qingchun nodded, even though internally she thought, Why would he offer that information if I didn't ask for it?
Su Zhinian picked up the suitcase Song Qingchun had helped him pack. As he walked downstairs, he stopped on one of the steps and looked over his shoulder to address Song Qingchun. "You're going to treat me to a meal, right?"
Song Qingchun nodded hurriedly. "Yes."
"My plane will return to Beijing on Tuesday morning, so let's make it on Tuesday night." Su Zhinian turned back and continued descending the stairs. He only took two steps before adding, "Golden Corner."
"O…" Before Song Qingchun could spit out the "-kay", her eyes widened to their maximum capacity.
Golden Corner? The Golden Corner? The Golden Corner where the simplest of meals costs at least five figures?
Even though she really wanted to dine at the Golden Corner, her wallet did not allow for it…
"What's wrong?" Su Zhinian turned around to look at her, probably from hearing the sudden pause in her sentence.
Song Qingchun tried her hardest to suppress the burgeoning sadness within her and shook her head in quick succession at Su Zhinian. "Nothing, I meant to say: okay, I will see you at the Golden Corner on Tuesday night."
Even though it was she who had invited him to dinner, it had never been his intention to have her pay… Su Zhinian looked at her for a while before turning to walk down the stairs without another word.
Song Qingchun followed behind him to send him out.
Before getting into the car, Su Zhinian caught the girl's pouty face through her reflection on the car window, and he lowered his face to hide the humor in his eyes. After he got in and started the engine, before he left, he rolled down his car window to tell Song Qingchun, who was having a hard time maintaining the smile on her face, in a level tone, "You can go home to rest for the two days I'm not around."
Then, Su Zhinian pulled out of the driveway and sped away.
Song Qingchun, who was standing by the front door, slowly started to laugh as the words Su Zhinian had just said slowly registered. Little did she did know that Su Zhinian had been watching her through the rear-view window.
It was then that Su Zhinian stepped on the gas pedal. Just before he turned a sharp corner, he could still hear Song Qingchun, who was bouncing on her feet, exclaimed happily, "This means that I can go home? In other words, the two days he's not home are also my holiday? Hooray!"
Su Zhinian busied himself until 3 pm of December 24th before he finished everything he set out to do at Hong Kong.
On the way back to the hotel, they passed through Central District 1 , which had many malls. Cheng Qingchong, who sat beside the driver, turned around to ask in a deliberating tone, "CEO Su, now that we have finished all the work. Do you mind dropping me off here? I wish to go for a little shopping."
A famous spot in Hong Kong. Hong Kong's centre of commerce and politics.