A Night Out

A fine dining experience in a renowned restaurant was the plan. Leo was glad that Peng Xi had made all the necessary arrangements for dinner tonight. Getting a reservation at the classy Tang Xi's Wine and Dine restaurant took months for people, but it wasn't so difficult for a billionaire like Leo. However, it came at a massive cost of 5K, nothing more than a penny for Leo. He gave a satisfied smile and glanced at his diamond, black, custom-made Apple iPhone; everything was happening on time. Excited, Leo turned to the sound of footsteps. Suddenly, his smiling lips transformed into a tightly shut clam in dismay. Holy shit!

 How could the girl dress in old, ripped jeans and a T-shirt for dinner? And the most sought-after celebrity restaurant at that. She definitely lacked a proper sense of dressing.

  "I am all ready to go," Min said brightly.

  "Yes," nodded Leo with a forced smile. She might get offended and even decline the dinner request if he asked her to change. It was his fault for not asking her to dress up for dinner. He didn't like being rude, so he managed his ultra-fake, polite tone. "Shall we go?" He didn't wait for her reply but instead walked briskly towards the mansion's wide wooden framed glass door.

  As soon as Leo got the Ferrari in motion, he punched the car's computer screen for Peng Xi's phone number. A ring later, Peng Xi answered, "How can I help Mr. Zhang?"

Frowning, Leo ordered, "Have the yacht ready for a private dinner cruise. I'll see you at the ramp in forty minutes." Leo didn't wait for Peng Xi's reply as he disconnected from the line. For the first time in his life, Leo was thankful for Shanghai's evening traffic, which would give his staff ample time to prepare for this unexpected change in dinner plan. He then turned his attention to Min and added, "I just realized that you might not have seen the nightlife of Shanghai, and a river cruise seems like a perfect choice?"

* * *

 Liar!

 The man could change plans in a flick of a second. Had he shown a little frustration, she would have rejoiced. Instead, her plan to annoy him with her poor choice of clothes for dinner had flopped. All she got was a sweep of his gaze on her attire and a little thinning of his lips, which vanished instantly, to her dismay. Was Leo so proficient in taking women out for dinner dates? Min wondered, staring at the road ahead. Then, she remembered Steph's advice on using her naivety as her biggest weapon. Ah well, the playboy Leo Zhang was in for a few more surprises tonight. Min smiled, amused, and quickly turned her face away from Leo in case he saw her.

 The summer evening breeze hit Min's face, and she took a deep breath of the damp smell of Shanghai's famous Huangpu River. Leo put his hand behind her back and gently guided her through the ramp to his yacht. Just a yacht hell, no! It was a shiny mega yacht, possibly with swimming pools, a private Jacuzzi, and whatever a designer could think of installing. Min had no idea what these mega toys cost, but surely, they cost nothing less than a couple hundred million dollars. Only now did she realize what a billionaire rich meant.

 The luxurious yacht picked up speed in no time, and they were cruising. Min noted the lavish interior with mahogany paneling, built-in amenities, and the soft carpet brushing her sandal-clad feet. A man in a suit walked towards them through what looked like a lounge area. Leo introduced him as Peng Xi, his assistant. He bowed at Min and shook her hands, "Welcome aboard, Lady Xing." He followed them towards the main deck area. A hidden nod between Peng Xi and Leo didn't go amiss from Min's eyes. Now, what were they up to, thought Min?

  The main deck floor was polished wood with a pristine white leather sofa, matching coffee table, and armchairs. The view of Shanghai from the deck was exceptional. Lights emitting from the skyscrapers were like numerous shiny pearls in the river. "Breathtaking indeed," murmured Min, unable to take her eyes from the famous glittering landmarks ahead of her. She sensed rather than see Leo's eyes on her, and she turned just in time to find him staring at her. The shameless person didn't even have the manners to hide his audacity. "Didn't anyone tell the Zhang heir that staring is rude?" challenged Min.

  "Not when the favor is returned blatantly," counter-attacked Leo, chuckling.

 Min colored and quickly took her eyes away from his handsome face. She might as well make the best of the incredible scene ahead of her.

  Peng Xi cleared his throat and asked, "Mr. Zhang, would you like to order your menu now to give the chefs enough time to prepare?"

 "Chefs?" asked Leo quizzically.

 "Yes, we have Chinese, Thai, and Indian chefs on board today. These were the ones available on short notice," Peng Xi said, making a face like that of a guilty person.

 "Very well, Asian cuisine is today, then," Leo accepted in a tight voice. If it disappointed him, he hid it very well, thought Min.

  "Don't you like Asian food?" asked Min.

 "I don't mind eating it once in a while. No problem at all," shrugged Leo, giving Peng Xi a tight smile. Poor Peng Xi gave Leo this 'I couldn't help it' face.

 "Oh wow, then we'll taste some Asian spicy flavors today. How's that?" asked Min, clapping a little in excitement. She felt that Leo hated Asian cuisine, which was her opportunity to annoy the billionaire playboy.

  "We shall order now," informed Leo, nodding at Peng Xi. He motioned Min to sit on the sofa and picked up the menu card from the coffee table. Min copied Leo.

  "Yes," said Peng Xi, signaling a waitress. She quickly came forward, bowed, and waited with her notebook.

 Min was so used to Asian food that she didn't have to go through the menu, but for curtsey's sake, she briefly flipped through it. She noticed that Leo furrowed his brows as he went through the menu, his lips curling in a bitter taste. Smiling, Min asked, "Would you care to eat something of my choice today?"

  Leo smiled hesitantly, "Ah, yes, why not? Just not very spicy, thanks."

  "I didn't know Leo Zhang was such a chicken when it came to eating hot and spicy food?" she mused, challenging him with her gaze and felt like patting herself when he took the bait.

  "Chicken, no way." Leo smiled with his head going sideways.

"Nah, I don't believe you," scoffed Min.

"I can eat hot and spicy food. Guess what? Just order whatever you wish, and I'll eat it."

  Gotcha! Min looked at the over-keen waitress and started her order, "I'll go for all the three types of food. So, for starters, I'll go for Chinese chicken noodle soup and tandoori chicken; the main would be Thai green beef curry and sweet chilly pork with Indian Samosa as a side dish. Add naan, too. Desert would be Chai with no sugar. Make everything extra hot and spicy." Min narrowed her eyes at Leo when she said the last part of her order. He coughed, and she couldn't help but smile at him. This will teach him a lesson: not to date women in the name of wager!

  "Challenge accepted, Lady Xing. Add champagne too," ordered Leo, looking at Peng Xi, who nodded and excused himself with the waitress tagging along.

 "Great. Let's make this interesting, Leo. If you can eat spicy food dished out to you tonight, I'll do a dare in return. You know something that we fear or wouldn't normally do," suggested Min with a cheeky grin.

  "Very well, then. Don't complain later, and you asked for it, Min," accepted Leo with a daring smile.

 Half an hour later, Min tried not to laugh at Leo's red, sweaty face. He was an inch close to swearing, guessed Min in amusement when Leo exclaimed, "F..." after taking a bite of a chilly accidentally. Standing next to the waitress, even Peng Xi seemed to hide his giggle. Time and again, Leo picked up a tissue and wiped his mouth and forehead or coughed. He downed most of his champagne, noticed Min. While she silently chewed her food and avoided alcohol as a rule for working the following day.

  Minutes later, the attendants cleared the table while Leo and Min stood on the deck, silently watching the passing view of city buildings. This has been bugging her for some time now, and she couldn't hold it anymore, "Leo, why did you invite me for dinner?" She looked at him, expecting a clear answer.

  "Can't it just be an apology dinner," he counter questioned, avoiding her eyes.

  "Is it?" she probed calmly.

  "All right, Min, I wanted to mention this later, but I'll come clean now. I want to date you, Min..."

  She cut in, "Why? I do not attract you. Anyhow, is it not too early for all this? I mean, we've known each other for less than two weeks."

 "They are all justified reasons. However, there is something Min. I mean between us. Don't ask what? Because I don't know yet," Leo said, throwing his hands in the air. This time, he added in a soft voice, "I care about you, you fascinate me, and above all, you are in my thoughts."

  She folded her arms over her full bosom, "How long will I be in your thoughts? And what is this... this er feeling called?" Min's voice quivered to her dismay.

  Leo laughed, "I am trying to figure it out. That is the reason I want to date you, Min. Things are in the budding stage, and we definitely need to know more about each other. Only time will tell."

 "Absolutely," agreed Min. If he were lying for a silly wager, then she would play along for women's dignity. "But I have a few conditions before I agree to this dating proposal of yours."

 The smile from his disappeared, "Conditions?"

 If Leo was about to smile about getting what he wanted, he was mistaken, "Yes." Min walked about a bit and took her time to answer, "This dating of ours will have some rules."

 "Okay," agreed Leo uncomfortably.

 "Rule number one: Equality. We'll both get to choose what we would like to do for our date nights. How about weekends only?" she asked, almost talking to herself.

  "Weekends only then," agreed Leo, clearing his throat.

  "Rule number two: no touching."

  Leo attacked her verbally with hands on his hips, "What do you mean 'no touching'? Have you ever dated before?" He came closer to towering over her.

 She smiled sweetly, "Meaning no intimacy like kissing, smooching, and..."

 "Sex," Leo finished with pursed lips combined with a nod. Then he chuckled, "I understand that taking these steps means a lot for a maiden like you. Very well then, I get what you want."

 "You do?" she asked, a little taken aback. Min wasn't sure why it hurt that he accepted her rules so readily. Was he not the least bit interested in her to complain about the silly rules of dating?

  "Yes."

 "Hold on. Rule number three: starting today, we will date for a month only. If we get along, then we'll continue and date like normal couples would," Min concluded, taking a short, deep breath at the end.

"That means after a month, if we don't click, we'll stop dating." He waited till Min nodded, then sucked in air audibly, "That's harsh, Min, but I'll accept that too," responded Leo like a gentleman.

"Agreed then. You can take time to think about it, though. It's not as if we are in a rush to officially start dating today," Min smiled a little, avoiding his eyes. She didn't want to look at him anymore. Oh, why did she even agree to date him? She vowed to make Leo Zhang regret every moment of her company and, most of all, his decision to date Xing Min. Suddenly, Min saw bright colored lights emitting close to the riverbank as they were cruising. Night market. Now, wouldn't that be fun?

* * *

 In the city's night lights, this fair maiden's face was enchanting, thought Leo. Her eyes twinkled bright with hope as she smiled at something ahead. A few tendrils of her hair bounced in the slight river breeze and braced the contours of her face. Oh, how he itched to tuck the loose curls behind her ears. He followed her gaze to find out what bewitched her. Did she really want to go to such a down market, filthy, crowded place?

  Nevertheless, something silly in him wanted to forget all rational thinking and give in. "Would you like to go to the night market?"

  "Yes." An instantaneous reply, then she held the rail as if bracing her thoughts, "You don't mind going to the streets at night? I mean, is it all right to go out there?"

  Leo felt like pulling his ears for giving in to such an absurd thought, "Yes, sure, no problem at all." He tried to give a confident smile. He took his phone out and called Peng Xi, "We'll stop at the night market. Make arrangements, please." Leo just hoped that there wouldn't be any paparazzi drama. That instant, he had this weird feeling that someone was watching him. He turned, trying to see around him and across the riverbank. He could not really make out much in the dark, but he still had this sixth sense feeling. Maybe it was Adrian's spy following him, shrugged Leo.

  Twenty minutes later, they were strolling on the busy street with Peng Xi following behind at a safe distance. Leo threw his blazer over his shoulder, blending in with the surrounding people. Loud country music, numerous stalls, amusement equipment for kids, and a fun and relaxed crowd were the atmosphere of the night market. The smell of roasted meat wafted in the air, teasing Leo's nostrils. He had not eaten properly because of the hot and spicy food. He wanted to box Peng Xi's ears for bringing all the Asian chefs. Now, the aroma of meat cooked over an open fire was torturing him. However, eating food prepared on the streets was not something Leo was keen on; in fact, he had never tried it before.

  "Hmm, I love that smell." Min sniffed the air deeply and walked quickly towards the food stall.

  "Min, wait," was all Leo could manage before Min took off. "Silly kid," he murmured as he walked across the crowd to a seafood stall. It seemed popular, given the number of people standing with plates of food or waiting to be served. Definitely not where he would want to be, but the grilling of prawns made his stomach drool. Leo caught up with Min, "Do you really want to eat something from here?" He asked in a hushed tone, looking around him in case anyone recognized him.

 "Hmm," nodded Min enthusiastically. "I love grilled prawn kebab. Would you care to have one, too?" she asked with the big, bright eyes of a kid.

  "No, thanks..."

The stall owner, eyeing them as his prospective customers, gave Leo a stern glare.

  "Oh, don't be a bore. Try it. I am sure you'll love it," she encouraged, tugging his hand. A few people around them started noticing them. Leo rubbed his forehead, trying to hide his face. Yes, I'll have one too." Gosh, this girl would attract attention easily. He must be more careful.

  "Yes." Min cheerily skipped to the counter, asking for two prawn-grilled sticks. As soon as she got it, she quickly took a bite of kebab and motioned for Leo to pay the bill.

  "That would be $12," said the stall owner, winking at Min. She smiled back, her mouth full of food. Had she not eaten as recently as thirty minutes ago?

  Leo took his wallet out and saw that he had only a few hundred-dollar bills. "Here you go," he said, handing over a crisp note.

  "Wait a minute. I'll grab your change, Sir." The stall owner opened a drawer, possibly to get the change. He came back with a handful of crumpled, greasy bills. Hesitant, Leo debated whether to take that money or not. "You can keep the change," he said.

The stall owner beamed in appreciation, but Min cut in, "I'll take it, thanks." She stood on her heels, snatching the scrunched notes in delight. On second thoughts, she returned a few bucks to the stall owner, "Guess we can share." Min smiled broadly at him.

Leo got hold of her upper arm and dragged her from the eyes of onlookers. "Did you really have to take the change? That was his tip," Leo tried to be stern. In response, the girl thrust a brown paper bag at him. Fortunately, he grabbed it on time. It felt warm and smelled yummy. He opened the packet, looked in sardonically, and again looked at her, still deciding whether to eat.

"Go on, try it, or else you'll regret it," she motioned with her chin as she took the last bite of her grilled prawn and capsicum. Min added, "I had to take the change, or else you would have attracted thieves and normal people. Who gives a $88 tip for two pieces of kebab?"

She had a point. Leo ignored her and took a bite of his prawns. He munched, enjoying the flavors. "Hmm, not bad," murmured Leo in appreciation.

Later, Leo discovered that he knew so little about Min. She enjoyed small things like a gleeful kid, whether it was country-look boots or hats, taking selfies with people dressed in silly entertainment outfits, dancing like crazy with the crowd of music lovers, or pouting for oversized rose-shaped ice cream in a cone. This youthful, energetic girl amazed Leo.

Soon, they came towards a giant Ferris wheel. Min's jaw dropped open in amazement. "Would you like to go for a ride?" asked Leo.

"I don't think so," Min replied immediately, taking a few steps away.

Was she afraid? "C'mon, don't be a scaredy-cat," coaxed Leo.

Her eyes were big now as she moved a few paces away from Leo. "I don't like heights."

"Then I dare you to come along for a ride. Don't forget your dare deal," Leo extended his arm to grab her. She did not run but suddenly became stiff-legged. "Now c'mon, Lady Xing, if you can eat spicy hot food without shedding a tear, then this is easy for you," Leo smiled sweetly and dragged her along with him. She would learn today that Zhang Leo never forgot deals or bets that he made, no matter the cost.

In no time, they sat opposite each other on the plastic-clad foam seats of the hanging cabs. It wasn't anything like the classy London Eye or Melbourne Star. It was more like a steel-framed, overworked machine, terribly shaky, and what amused Leo was that Min was horrified before it even started.

"Leo, I don't think it is a good idea," she mumbled, looking about her. A bulky man stepped into their cab. He turned towards Min, intending to squeeze in beside her. Min smiled at him and dived into the space next to Leo. "Now we are balanced, I guess," Min laughed. One worker came and chained in the vertical bars.

The giant wheel slowly started moving and, in no time, reached the top and stopped. Her knuckles whitened as she grabbed the vertical safety bars. Then the Ferris wheel went down, and Leo noticed Min tightly shut her eyes. Stiff as the iron bars next to her, Min braced herself. The next round started much faster this time. "Oh my God," chanted Min, shifting closer until she snuggled beside him. They reached the top again, and Min clung to Leo's arm, burying her face on his upper chest.

Leo chuckled and murmured into her ears, "What about the 'no-touch' rule, my lady?"

"Don't you see this is an exceptional case," she scolded him.

Leo laughed and curled his arm around her, squeezing her much closer to him. "I love exceptions," he said.

Alas, a scream made both of them jump. The pompous man seated opposite them yelled hysterically and swore to his hearts fill in fear, "Holy mother fucker. Oh! Oh, shit. Fuck me dead... Stop the damn wheel fuckers!"

Leo threw his head back, laughing aloud; sure, as hell, he had never had a date like this before.