Chapter 308 - Pretending

The following morning, everyone was pretending that everything's normal. They all showed up for breakfast.

"You're up," Qing Lok commented when he saw Wuming at the dining table. "And you already took a bath."

Wuming was busy spooning pancakes in his mouth. "What do you mean? I'm always up at this hour. YOU'RE the one who was not supposed to be up yet. Where are you going?" he asked, taking in his brother's nice clothes.

"I'm going to school." Qing Lok was not the person who regularly attended his classes. That was his sickness. But the professors were that easy to bribe. He already knew what they were talking about. He bet, he could even do a better job than his teachers. They agreed that he would only need to come to school once a week and submit the weekly requirements on that day. "And where are YOU going?"

Even Feng Xuan and Qing Chen turned to look at Wuming, waiting for an answer.

"What?" Wuming asked nonchalantly. "I always wear these clothes."

Qing Lok leaned over and sniffed. "You're wearing perfume!!!" he laughed. "Where are you going? Are you going to have a brunch date or something?"

"Oh, piss off," said Wuming with a frown. He didn't want to get in a bad mood but his brother was making it a little difficult for him.

Qing Lok leaned closer and whispered. "Are you going to meet your lady friend? The one that you told me about?"

Wuming opened his hand and palmed his brother's face away from him. "Go brush your teeth before you see your girlfriend."

Qing Lok only chuckled and started humming a romantic song. Wuming could no longer take it so he pushed his seat away from the table. "I'll be out today," he informed everyone.

"Did you take a contract?" Qing Chen asked.

"Yes… and no. It's complicated." He cleared his throat. "Someone offered me a joint project," he shrugged a shoulder. "Pretty insistent I should check it out—yeah, yeah, I know, nothing that would get me in trouble," he said to Qing Chen's worried face. He already knew what was going to come out of his brother's mouth. "What are you two up to in the office?"

"It involves a lot of folders and signatures," smiled Feng Xuan. She was not looking forward to today. She just wanted to disappear from this world than to face those folders with the gazillion numbers on them.

"Sounds s.e.xy," said Wuming and the couple at least cracked a smile at his joke. "Oh come on, cheer up the two of you. You can rattle a few drawers, you know? Take things up a notch? I heard it could get really exciting in an office setting."

Qing Chen crumbled his napkin and threw it at Wuming's face. "Get the hell out of here."

Wuming grinned and pulled his coat from the back of the chair.

"Good luck with your date!" Qing Chen followed.

The smile disappeared from his face.

**

"What do you know?" Qing Chen asked Qing Lok who was pouring more than enough syrup on his pancakes.

Qing Chen shook his head. "I am not telling you! But I think you already guessed what's going on."

Feng Xuan butted in, "Did he make amends with the other girl? I have someone I could set him up with!"

"I think he's going on a date today," said Qing Lok. "But I don't know the girl. He didn't give me any ideas."

Feng Xuan looked at Qing Chen. "I think I would make a good matchmaker. That's a thing, right? Like, pairing people up and they would pay you for it?"

Qing Chen barked laughter at it. "I'm sure you would."

She turned to Qing Lok. "If this doesn't go well, tell me. I'll set him up with someone good."

Qing Lok nodded. "I'm just really hoping that he would be successful this time. We could go on… you know… triple dates."

The married couple laughed at that.

Here they were, pretending that their lives still went on like nothing was happening, when they all knew that in the coming days, something would change their lives forever.

They all thought that it was nice that they could pretend… while they still can.

**

Wuming was nervous as hell. He could feel his heart beating too loud in his chest as he made his way to the airport.

"I'll be fine," he told himself in the rearview mirror. "I don't even know what on earth am I nervous about. It's just Mistress. It was not like she can kill me."

But then he felt for his waist and felt an odd sense of calm when he felt the dagger there. It was his favorite one. It was made out of ceramic, honed by one of the greatest smiths on the world that finally let assassins get into airports not weaponless.

He took a deep breath. "Qing Wei," he told himself on the mirror. "You're not nervous. You're just FEELING nervous. Which is ridiculous because you're at the prospect of dating someone."

His mouth went into a thin line. That was not good. The Mistress did not even know that he was planning on dating her. Just imagine her shock! He could already hear her laughter echoing in his mind if he told her this.

Besides, how could he even think of Mistress as someone dateable? She was an assassin for goodness' sake! It was not like she was going settle down. She still had a few good years ahead of her in this business. That was too much money to pass up on.

IF they would get into a relationship, they would always be apart. He would be wondering where in the world she was and that if she was still alive.

Wuming almost took the next u-turn, wanting to back out. But then his phone rang and he saw the number.

"I'm already on my way."

He missed the u-turn.