Gently Swaying Chandeliers

Note: Wen's POV

"Dad, do I really have to do this?" she grumpily asked her father, who was busy preparing dinner.

"Will you quit asking me that for the hundredth time?" her dad sighed and grabbed the knife.

She backed away.

"All right. All right. No need to kill me," she joked, earning a groan from her dad.

"Wen, I worked really hard to set this blind date for you," her dad began to explain.

He was chopping the chives on the chopping board with the knife he had been given by his late wife as a gift.

It was a kitchen set since she knew he loved cooking.

"He is the son of a good friend of mine. He is a fine young gentleman. I think you will like him."

He put the chives into the pot of boiling water.

"Besides," he continued, turning his attention to her, "I can't leave you to find someone - look what happened the last time with Shou-"

"He was an asshole-"

She cut him off. Her father cleared his throat, and she sighed.

"Sorry. Excuse my language," she tucked her hair behind her ear and mumbled, "I just get angry whenever I'm reminded of him."

She had dyed her hair dark purple. She looked absolutely breathtaking. Her father placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Just talk to this guy," he told her with a smile, "If you don't like him after the blind date then that's fine. But at least give him a chance to - as you kids say - 'Shoot his shot'. Okay?"

She stared at her father, whose once black hair was turning grey. Reminding her of how old he was getting. She placed her hand on his and nodded obediently.

"Okay, fine," she resigned, "But I'm not promising great results."

Her father nodded in understanding as if expecting her to say that.

"Now get going," he told her, gently pushing her towards the door, "Yiren will be back soon, and I want dinner to be ready by then. I'll put yours in the microwave so you can just heat it later when you get hungry."

She nodded and grabbed her fancy handbag. The chauffeur was already standing outside when she walked out of the house.

"Mr. Neeraj," Wen smiled at the chauffeur.

"Miss Wen," he smiled back at her, "Your father has told me to drive you to the restaurant."

"There's no need," she waved her hand dismissively, "I will drive myself."

"B-but I was given direct orders-"

"I know, I know," she nodded in understanding, "But I want to drive myself. Just tell me the name of the restaurant. If my dad asks about this, you can tell him to phone me."

Mr. Neeraj was hesitant, and she could see it.

"Please," she begged him, batting her eyelashes and pouting.

He then sighed in defeat.

"Fine," he resigned, "but please be careful and phone your father so that he knows."

"I promise to do that," she nodded vigorously, "Now, the restaurant name?"

"Oh, right," Mr. Neeraj nodded, "It's already in the GPS. It's called Vers le Ciel."

"Ah, so it's a Bagruacia-inspired restaurant?" she asked him, to which he nodded.

(Note: Bagruacia is a French-inspired country in my novel)

He opened the driver's side of the car for her, and she sat inside.

"Please be careful on your way and phone your father," Mr. Neeraj emphasized.

She nodded and drove off. Already dreading what was to come, she sighed.

"Might as well enjoy the food at this restaurant," she smiled, "since I've never been there. I should invite my girlfriend Lai to go with me there next time...If the food turns out to be good."

She drove for around ten minutes. When she arrived, she stepped out of the car, locking it.

She clutched her handbag and sighed.

"Get ahold of yourself and smile," she mumbled, "Try not to be rude to him."

Sighing again, she walked toward the restaurant. From the outside, the restaurant looked elegant and screamed 'expensive.'

The sound of light classical music from within could be felt outside. When she walked in, she was welcomed by a waitress.

"Good afternoon. My name is Yazhu Wen," she informed the waitress, "I am looking for..."

She paused and widened her eyes in realization.

'That man didn't tell me the guy's name!' she internally screamed, 'How the heck am I supposed to find my blind date?'

The waitress looked at her with a smile.

"Excuse me," the waitress cleared her throat, causing Wen to snap out of her panic, "Did you say your name was Yazhu Wen?"

She nodded at the waitress, who continued to smile at her.

"Right this way, ma'am," the waitress told her and began to walk.

Wen followed behind her while scanning the restaurant. It had an elegant ambiance. It was supported by marble pillars with rows of small candles that emitted a calming flowery scent.

It was packed with a variety of individuals - tourists and businessmen. Chandeliers were decorating the white-colored ceiling.

"Here you are," a male voice cooed, "I was afraid you wouldn't show up and ditched me."

The waitress bowed to the man and then to Wen, leaving them to decide on their menu.

"Sorry about that," Wen said as she watched him stand up and pull out her chair to sit, "Thanks."

When she sat down, she grabbed the menu.

"My name is Yazhu Wen," she smiled at the man across her, "I couldn't find you because my father didn't tell me your name."

She pressed her lips together when she thought about that. How could her dad forget to tell her his name?

He must have been too excited about making dinner that he failed to mention it. She sighed and shook her head.

"My name is Tang Zhelan," he told her, "But you can just call me Zhelan."

She nodded and looked at the menu.

'Something meaty would be good,' she thought.

She had been busy the whole day with her university assignment and didn't have anything to eat the entire day.

So she was absolutely starving.

"Your father told me a lot about you," Zhelan began, "You're even more beautiful in person than in the pictures he showed me."

She smiled politely.

"Thank you for the compliment," she glanced up from her menu, "You're handsome too."

The blind date was going well. That is until he excused himself and forgot to take his phone.

A phone call from his girlfriend popped up on the screen.

"So 'Lovely Ru' with a heart, huh?" she sighed and put his phone back on the table, "And here I thought the blind date was going well."

When he returned, he saw that he had forgotten his phone and paled.

"Your phone ra-"

Before she could finish her sentence, her phone rang.

"Sorry," she apologized, standing up, "I have to take this."

He nodded and watched as she walked across from where they were sitting.

There were empty seats there with large windows overlooking the outside.

"Hello dad?" she answered.

'Argh,' she realized, 'This must be because I forgot to let him know I drove myself instead of Mr. Neeraj. He must have gotten an earful from my dad. I'm so sorry, Mr. Neeraj. I'll make it up to you, I swear!'

"Wen," she heard her dad sob, "It's horrible. It's... It's your sister. Y-yiren is in hospital."

"What!?" she stood up abruptly, her eyes widened from shock.

She apologized to Zhelan and grabbed her bag, running out of the restaurant and to her car. She drove to Golden Valley Private Hospital where her sister was.

'Fell down the stairs at school? Has multiple scars on her body? What kind of bullshit is that? What happened to my sister? Did someone do this to her?'

Multiple questions ran through her head. When she got to the hospital, she ran up the stairs, not having the patience to wait for the elevator.

She opened her sister's private room and there, in a sad state, found her sister's frail body. Her father was standing next to Yiren's semi-conscious body.

She fell to the floor in a flood of despair and covered her eyes. Tears ran down her face, and she cried like the day her mother died.

"Yiren, whoever did this to you will pay."