1: Proposal

The Hotel Meridian. Everyday hundreds of people enter and exit the gigantic glass revolving doors of Shanghai's most famous hotel. Rather than a hotel, it could be considered the hub of luxury shopping, dining, and entertainment. People from the most humble origins to well known celebrities flocked to dine, shop, watch the shows and displays or appreciate the beauty of the indoor oriental gardens and waterfalls.

Liang Qing Jue and Du Yan Ran rode the lift to the 58th level, the top most level available to the public, where The Meridian Experience restaurant was located. Despite it being public, there was still a sense of exclusivity. The wait list for the restaurant was over eight months. Not only was the food impeccable, the menu was a blend of oriental cuisine presented with a Western finesse. The experience of dining next to an indoor aquarium whilst looking down at the city of Shanghai was incomparable. If Michelin stars existed in China, The Meridian Experience would be a well deserved three.

Upon arriving, they were led to their table and seats which resembled small sofas more than chairs. The man was in a custom-made tweed black coat that perfectly fit his broad shoulders, outlining his masculine figure. His chiselled jaw and tall nose bridge made him look a bit exotic, even though he was of pure Chinese heritage. The lady opposite him had light brown hair that framed her face in gentle waves and wore a relatively simple off-the-shoulder chiffon dress, complimenting her soft, light skin and delicate features. Wherever they went, the couple exuded a nobleness which made those around them subconsciously turn and look.

The waitress who came to take their order introduced herself and gave the two a gold menu. Without even looking, Qing Jue told the waitress: "Beluga Imperial Caviar and Loch Fyne Oysters with Cucumber Sauce to start with. For mains, Tandoori Monkfish Steak with Cauliflower Pickle, Cumin & Apple Sauce and, Breaded Cod with Butternut Squash, Burnt Lime & Warm Tartare Sauce. A bottle of Louis Roederer Cristal, 1992. Ask your chef to surprise us for dessert. Thanks."

The waitress was stunned before she quickly nodded and went to place their order.

"You remember my favourite," Yan Ran glanced at him impressed. The last time they had come here was two years ago, before they had become a couple.

Qing Jue chuckled and leaned forward wickedly, "Of course I would remember my woman's likes. I also know you like to bite your lips when you feel nervous, or that you like it when I touch your ears."

"Brother Jue! Stop teasing! We're here to eat," she pouted.

The two weren't ordinary people.

Since the years leading up to 2020, technology had made leaps, discoveries, improvements, and changes being made at an exponential rate. For most Chinese who were digitally literate, they would rather go on their phones than initiate conversations. Even when they were eating, they would still be on their phones. Perhaps the most unordinary aspect about the couple was that they didn't use their phones unless needed. Well, for Qing Jue, it was natural. As a business leader and doctor, interacting with people was part of his daily life, and he preferred face to face rather than talking virtually through WeChat. Yan Ran had to slowly adapt after dating him. At first she was adamant on keeping her phone whenever Qing Jue confiscated it during family meetings or important dinners. Her phone was her number one baby. However after realising how seriously he treated the issue, Yan Ran began to reconsider her phone addiction. Just a few minutes without her phone was nothing compared to making Qing Jue happy. Besides, she still got to play when they went home and Qing Jue took to other means to keep them entertained.

"Did you bring cards or a puzzle Jue Ge?" Yan Ran asked, keen to keep her hands occupied. Initially out of boredom would she only play the puzzles that Qing Jue brought, but after awhile she realised how difficult and fun solving them were. She actually found the challenge of solving a puzzle much more than scrolling through memes and shopping ads on Weibo. Plus, the puzzles that Qing Jue brought weren't ordinary. The first time she had seen Qing Jue playing with one she had thought he had broken a device that had a needle used to pierce ears. Later she learnt what he was trying to solve was the 'Lotus' puzzle, ranked ten in difficulty. Most of the puzzles that Qing Jue had were almost impossible to solve. Yan Ran had spent hours trying to figure out the first few steps to no avail. Qing Jue was adamant on not giving her any hints so she resorted from building her way up from level one, the easiest level. Most recently she had learnt to spin puzzles in anticlockwise directions to unlock hidden mechanisms and managed to complete a three piece black hole burr in under a minute.

Qing Jue brought a rubik's cube out of his inner coat pocket much to Yan Ran's disappointment. "A 3 x 3? Isn't that only level 6? Brother Jue are you playing me, I already know how to solve this!"