963 Countdown: 3 Nights, 2 Days Left Part I

She climbed into the waiting car and quickly closed the door, not allowing anyone to see him. The security guard and one of the building's night cleaners were stretching their necks, hoping to see what their CFO's mysterious boyfriend looked like. She sighed in relief after seeing their faces filled with disappointment. 

Then suddenly a huge bouquet of red roses blocked her view.

"For you," Lu Zihao said.

"Oh! T-thank you." 

Her heart skipped a beat before starting to race inside her chest as she received the heavy bouquet. This one looked more elegant than the bouquet he bought for her last night but she loved both because it came from him, the man she loved. 

He cleared his throat. "You're welcome." Then he added. "You look beautiful, by the way."

"Thank you, Nikolai. You look handsome, too."

His response was a short grunt as he started to drive.

She smiled and felt all warm inside even though she knew that he was just going through the motions of a date. 

"Is this place alright with you?" he asked.

"Yes, of course."

Dinner was pleasant and felt romantic because of the restaurant's ambience. Although Long Jinjing preferred home-cooked meals over fine dining, she was truly enjoying this dinner date with Lu Zihao. She was certain that even if he brought her to a simple roadside street food stall, she would still enjoy herself as long as it was with him. 

Her only complaint during dinner was the way other women were looking at Lu Zihao with obvious lust in their eyes. Granted, their first reaction upon seeing him was fear because he was so big and covered in scars. But as soon as they got a closer look at him and realized how attractive he was, their fear quickly transformed into desire to the irritation of their own dates.

The restaurant had no private rooms so the diners could see each other if their tables were in the same area. Fortunately, Long Jinjing didn't recognize anyone familiar. She didn't want to waste her time making small talk with any acquaintances tonight. 

Only three nights and two days left.

And then everything would be over forever.

She pushed all negative thoughts to the very back of her mind and focused only on making good memories with the man she loved for the limited time that they had left. It seemed that Lu Zihao also had the same idea because he was also warmer and talked more than usual, obviously trying to make the date pleasant for her. 

After dinner, they left the restaurant. She thought that they were heading straight to her condo but he parked nearby an upscale shopping district instead.

"Why are we here? Do you want to go shopping?"

"No," he said.

"Then why—"

"There's a nice park walkway by the river here. Let's take a walk and digest our dinner first before going home."

"Oh." A bright smile burst out of her face, lighting up her entire expression.

He paused and then grabbed her before kissing her on the mouth. It was a quick kiss, no more than two seconds, but certainly very possessive. 

She could feel a tingle in her lips and somewhere else. She was also now struggling to keep her IQ from falling to amoeba level like it usually did whenever he overwhelmed all of her senses. 

He reached to the backseat and handed her a thick coat, scarf, socks and ankle boots. "Wear these first. It's cold outside and what you're wearing isn't enough."

She blinked at the items. "You planned this?"

"Hurry up and wear them," he said instead of answering her.

It was a struggle to put on everything inside the car but she managed to do so with a lot of assistance from Lu Zihao. His hands would linger on her body for too long, leading them to some short but hot intermittent make out sessions. What should have taken a maximum of three minutes to put on the coat and other items took her almost fifteen minutes because of the giant distraction called Lu Zihao or Nikolai as he preferred to be called. 

Finally, when both of them were ready, they climbed out of the car and headed towards the river. There were other couples walking on the park walkway framing the river. A large, brightly lit bridge in the distance added a more romantic atmosphere in the place. 

"I forgot to bring you gloves," Lu Zihao murmured.

She looked and saw that he had no gloves either. The coat he was wearing was also light. Despite this, he didn't look cold at all. 

"I'm fine," she said. "Don't worry about it." She looked around and watched the other couples. "Uhm, Nikolai?"

"Hm?"

"May I…uhm, may I hold your h-hand?" She was glad that the illumination from the lampposts weren't too bright so he couldn't clearly see her blushing face.

His answer was to grab her hand and hold it. She blushed even harder.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"No need for thanks. You're my girlfriend."

She felt a twinge in her heart because they both knew that her title as his girlfriend would end in two days. Fortunately, she managed to shake off the depressing thought and enjoy her walk with Lu Zihao. The wind blowing from the river felt chilly so Lu Zihao pulled her in a side hug to share his body heat with her as they continued their late-night riverside stroll.

"Nikolai."

"Hm?"

She stopped and looked at his eyes. "I love you."

He stiffened. Again.

Her eyes watered because it hurt. Yet she accepted it.