Chapter 202 - Beautiful And Shallow

Qing Lok was not a minor celebrity. Hell, he was not even that popular. His name just gets dragged at times along with Qing Chen's and his father's. That was why this was a surprise. "What rumor?"

"Well…" Liu Meilien turned and faced the dance floor below where a mass of sweating people was dancing. Qing Lok had his back on it. "Rumor has it that you're a real sweet talker."

He could tell that she was downplaying it. He groaned. "Damn," he whispered under his breath. "I have to tell you something about that." He didn't know why he was explaining, but he was. "I'm not going to say I didn't date a few girls because I did. But in defense, they were not serious relationsh.i.p.s."

"A friend of a friend actually told me that," she said. "We were in a bigger group. I think you're dating her that time."

His face twisted.

"She was so happy," Liu Meilien lightly laughed. "Said you always sent her gifts. But then a week later she was crying because you two were over."

He turned and leaned on the railing with his elbows. "I bet she was sad the gifts had stopped coming."

Liu Meilien cracked a smile. "Yeah, I guess that was the thing she was most frustrated about. She was very materialistic."

He nodded. He didn't know which girl she was talking about, but it sounded like one of his girls—because they were all just the same. Beautiful and shallow.

"I actually saw you when you came in," Liu Meilien said and sipped on her drink. "This is really good."

"You saw me kissed that girl on the cheek then?"

She nodded and her face scrunched up as the alcohol slowly followed in her mouth. "Bad aftertaste though."

He looked at her accusingly. "Do you think I sleep with all the women I date?"

"No!" Liu Meilien defended. "I am just thinking about it. I have never dated a man in my life. I wonder what it would be like."

"It's not that amazing to be honest. It can get tiring after quite a while."

"Easy for you to say, Casanova. You should try being single for twenty-one years. Let's see if you won't get tired of that," she joked. She looked at him, changing the subject. "You haven't told me why you're here yet."

Qing Lok suddenly remembered the fight at home. The screaming earlier that filled his ears were almost deafening. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just something back home," was what he planned to answer. But what came out of his mouth was, "Do you want to get out of here?"

Liu Meilien almost choked on her drink. "Where are we going?"

"I haven't had dinner yet. So we're going to get food." Qing Lok downed the rest of his drink. "You coming with me?"

Liu Meilien finished her drink in a gulp and nodded her head. "Let's go."

**

Of all the fancy places that Qing Lok could've taken her, they went near the local park and into one of the eateries at the side of the road.

He ordered grilled squid and skewers along with a bowl of soup. Liu Meilien sanitized her hands and began tearing through the seafood. "So what are you running away from?"

Qing Lok told her even he knew they were not that close. He just needed someone to listen. "My brother was fighting with my dad." He almost caught himself using the words 'brothers'. "They were having some problem with the business."

"Is is something big?"

He shook his head. "Funny thing was, they were making it bigger than it really was." If only their father would step aside, then maybe they would be in harmony. But no one was actually backing down. He knew they were not going to kill each other, which also irked him. A very small part of him just wanted it all over. "They would make amends soon enough. Nothing to worry about. What about you? Don't you have a midnight curfew?" he joked to lighten up the mood.

Liu Meilien smiled sadly with a sigh. "My mother is still furious with me for working with your sister-in-law and her cousin. My mother and I never really fought. But this was the first time I followed my own heart. It was the first time I actually did something for myself." She started laughing. "And I am loving it."

Qing Lok realized this must be how his brothers feel when they don't follow their father. It was freeing, the smile on Liu Meilien's face said so.

"I think our culture just really instilled in us that we should always concede to what our parents want. But it doesn't have to be that way always, right?"

"Right." Qing Lok felt like a hypocrite. He was this person who did everything his father bid him to do. He surprised himself by sharing something he never told his friends. "I'm going back to school."

Liu Meilien looked surprised. "I didn't know you dropped out."

"My father had a way with keeping things quiet."

"Good for you that you're going back then." Liu Meilien's teeth were really white, he thought. It matched the glow of her face. "I hope you have fun with it."

"I hope so too," he meant it. "How come you never had a boyfriend? You seem like a decent person."

"Greatest mystery of my life," she said as she picked the strands of meat from the stick. "Is this what people do on dates? It's not much, no?"

He leaned on the table. "I can take you out on a date if you're curious."

"A date?!"

He nodded.

"Like a friendly date?"

A fire was put out in his chest. "Yeah, I guess you can say that."

Liu Meilien felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. "Oh alright. When would that be?"

Qing Lok slid his phone on the table. "Give me your number."