Chapter 185 - Say It First

After the photoshoots, the cousins' day was not yet finished. They ate lunch and afterwards proceeded inside the hotel and set up a backdrop in one of the function rooms. The first half of the outfits were shot and they finally wrapped up. 

"This so tiring," Feng Xuan sighed as they exited the room. "Want to have dinner?"

"Let's have it in the room," answered Wang Yimin, sounding equally tired.

She had convinced her cousin to stay with her for the night as she didn't want to come home to an empty house with Qing Chen gone. Wang Yimin easily agreed as they still have a lot to plan for the launch in three days.

"We should have a spa day after that." Wang Yimin skipped her salad and attacked the whole chicken on the metal food cart. 

Feng Xuan and her were sitting at the foot of the bed with the television on the fashion channel. Both of their hairs were wrapped in towels and they were wearing the soft robes. "I'll take you somewhere really nice and we'll get pampered."

"You'll pay for everything." Wang Yimin said, gathering a handful of potatoes to her plate. "You owe me big time."

Feng Xuan laughed. "Isn't this the best impulsive decision?"

"To be honest, I was really nervous about this. But even though we are doing things in a rush, things are falling into their rightful places."

"I hope we'll be successful, cousin. We both know arrogant children like us usually fail in ventures like this."

Wang Yimin smiled at her. "Oh come on, we'll be together. We'll be a force to be reckoned with."

Feng Xuan was just about to finish her plate when her phone started ringing. She immediately jumped to grabbed it. Feng Xuan went out to the balcony before she answered it, her heart beating too loud in her chest. "Hello, husband."

"Hello, wife," he greeted. Then the sound of the door closing. "I just landed."

"Oh alright, that's great then. Are you off the hotel?"

"No," he answered. "It's actually morning here. So that's a breakfast meeting."

"Did you sleep well in the plane?"

"I tried my best," he answered with a chuckle. "How are you? You sound excited."

"Do I?" she pulled the towel from her head and fingered her hair.

"I take it everything's going well in your end?"

"Yes, we'll be receiving the final edited pictures for the catalogue and then they will print that batch overnight."

"Send me your pictures. You probably got some solo shots."

"Why are you so obsessed with my face?" she laughed.

"I'm your husband. That's my job." From where he was, Qing Chen looked out the window. "And you know, because I just really like looking at your face."

Feng Xuan felt her smile turned into a genuine one. "Aw, you must miss me so much."

"If you just know," he said quietly. "I'll be home as soon as I can."

"Of course, because I'll cut you up if you're not here in time for the launch."

Qing Chen cackled. "Yes, wife. Let me know if you're going to sleep already, okay? I might be able to give you a call."

"Okay, I'll message you."

"Alright," Qing Chen said like he was about to say more. The silence hung in the air and Feng Xuan's heartbeat slowed down. She didn't realize she was waiting to hear something also. She heard Qing Chen's intake of a sharp breath. "I'll talk to you later."

"Okay. Bye."

Feng Xuan went back inside the room, feeling like she had been carved out from the inside.

"Why the long face?" asked Wang Yimin who was cleaning up their food cart. "Are you okay?"

She dropped down on the bed. "Why do I feel disappointed? Is it because I am waiting for him to say it?"

"What?"

"That he loves me."

"Oh," Wang Yimin sat down next to her body. "This is some juicy news," her cousin poked her shoulder. "Do you think he's already in love with you?"

"I don't know either. I guess?"

"Well, he clearly cares about you a lot," said Wang Yimin. "And it's pretty clear that you two have romantic feelings for each other. You'll just have to wait and let it grow on its own."

Feng Xuan's lips jutted out.

"Do you even know how you feel about him?" asked Wang Yimin.

"I don't want to say that I love him yet…" she said unsurely.

"Why not?"

"Because he has to say it first!"

Wang Yimin tilted her head back, laughing. "Oh, cousin. Don't worry. The time will come that you'll just say it. We never know maybe you'd be too happy that it would just slip out or maybe it would go the other way."

"Other way?"

"You know," she said. "Something tragic?"

"What, you mean when we're in the brink of death?"

Wang Yimin shrugged. "That's where some other people's regret come from. Not saying it early."

Feng Xuan was mortified. "No! I'm not going to let that happen. Gee, Yimin. You could get dark sometimes. You'll give me nightmares."

Wang Yimin crawled to the telephone. "Want some ice cream?"

**

Later that night, they received the soft copy on how the brochure would look like. Feng Xuan felt like she could cry. She could not say the same for Wang Yimin because she was sobbing. She was on the phone with Zhou Shan immediately, tears and all. 

Feng Xuan was there, looking at the huge tablet and scrolled through it for about the hundredth time. Wang Yimin was too amazing for this world. Who would've thought she would be able to conjure this much outfits in just a week?

The photos did not really scream "LOOK HERE!". It somehow said "you should be paying just by looking at me". 

The only thing that was a stealing-thunder moment in this happy moment, was the reminder that this would-be beautiful legacy, started with ending Da Xia.