Chapter 145 - A Date Interrupted

Mei huffily ran to the sushi restaurant near where she lived. She was running late even though she lived only a couple minutes away. Shu was already seated at the counter at the front. 

As she walked in a watched him from a distance, her heart melted a little. They had been taking things slow and she was enjoying getting to know him. 

He looked tired though, his head was hanging low and his hair was slightly messy. He was wearing office-looking clothes, a white shirt and light grey pants that fir very well. His broad shoulders and trim figure looked extremely appealing.

Mei blushed at her own thoughts. She shook her head quickly as if to wish the thoughts away and walked towards him. 

"Sorry I'm late!" she exclaimed as she waved at him, smiling from ear to ear. 

Shu looked up at the sound of her voice, as his tired face broke into a huge grin! 

"What took you so long!" he joked with her. 

Mei blushed. The truth was, she had been lounging in her home clothes, a big old t-shirt and fluffy slippers, her hair in a messy bun on top of her head and a bare face. 

She had tried to pick out a cute outfit as quickly as she could, and put on some basic make-up. Eventually she ended up picking a soft, cotton blue blouse and well-fitted jeans. 

She didn't have time to tame her curls so she had just given up, fluffed it with her fingers and decided to look 'messy', hoping she wouldn't end up seeming untidy. 

A brush of crimson on her cheeks, basic eye-liner and moisturising lip-balm later she looked lively and pretty like a figurine. Mei usually wore office clothes since she was always at work or just out of work when Shu met her. 

It was only the one date they had where she had dressed up with Lina's help. He was taken aback at Mei's 'natural' beauty. She was a cool summer breeze to him, warm, easy and refreshing. 

"You look very pretty" he complimented her softly, leaving her speechless. 

She laughed nervously. 

"Thank you, but ahh, no I'm not. I didn't have much time to prepare!" 

"Is that why you're late?" Shu teased her relentlessly. 

She punched him playfully on the arm, more fl.u.s.tered than ever. 

"Stop it! You're such a bully!" 

All of a sudden, Shu had forgotten about his stressful home and lost himself in Mei's warm eyes. 

He felt light, carried on the summer breeze she had brought with her.

As they ordered plates and plates of food to satisfy their appetites attributing to the energy they needed to replenish after long days of work. 

Shu called for some sake as well. 

But Mei panicked. She couldn't drink! She had work the next morning. And even if she didn't she would probably be hanging out with her boss working on all the projects they had embarked on lately. 

"I can't, I can't! Please don't order alcohol!�� Mei protested. 

But Shu wasn't having any of it. 

"You have to let lose sometimes! Have a few drinks at least, you don't have to get drunk" 

"But I really can't!" Mei continued to resist. 

Shu scrunched his face. Why did this girl always have to wind herself up so tightly? 

"You can't? Who told you that you 'can't'?" he probed. 

"Well…uh…I have a lot to do tomorrow!" Mei defended her decisions. 

"So it's your great boss who puts up so many restrictions?" Shu shifted the blame delicately to Lina. 

It was Mei's turn to scrunch up her face. How could he so blatantly blame her perfect boss? 

"What restrictions? My amazing boss never restricted anyone or anything!" Mei gallantly came to Lina's rescue even in her absence. 

To prove herself, Mei quickly chugged down a cup of sake. 

Shu stifled laughter at her eagerness to prove that her boss was the best. 

'One day I'll make her drink for me instead of Madam Moshi' he thought to himself, still amused at the cute girl in front of him sipping her second drink. 

"Ok, ok slow down Meimei, I'm going to have to catch up with you now!" he chuckled, chugging down a cup a well. 

Just then, the door to the restaurant jingled as it opened. 

A tall, beautiful woman stumbled in. She had light brown hair that fell over her shoulders in soft waves and enchanting green eyes. 

Mei's eyes widened. She knew this woman! 

She immediately stood up as the woman sat down at the counter in the front where drinks were being served. 

She ran over to the woman and gently touched her shoulder. 

"Ayu?"

Ayu jumped, startled at being touched and turned around impulsively. 

Her green eyes looked drowsy. 

"Huh?" she looked at blankly, questioning her presence before slowly realising who it was. 

She sat down slowly and looked ahead again, turning away from Mei. 

"Go way, little Meimei" she brushed Mei away. 

Shu observed the two women at the bar area. 

Wasn't that Shen's right hand woman, his capable assistant? 

Shu panicked. Ayu knew who he was. She knew him very well. He turned back around quickly so his back was facing them, thinking how to escape the situation. 

A couple of feet away, Mei looked at Ayu in confusion. She had never seen Ayu like this. She always considered Ayu very stony, stiff and a little cold. 

She seemed…broken. She seemed soft and sad. Her green eyes were slightly red and watery and she smelled of wine. 

In front of her, on the bar was another bottle of wine. 

"Ayu, what are you doing here? It's very late" 

Ayu snorted. Why was this annoying kid here? 

"None of your business. Do you have nothing better to do than nose around my business in your free time?" she snapped back. 

Mei frowned. So much for caring about this cold-hearted woman. 

"Well, for your information, I do have a date!" Mei retorted, turning around to glance at where Shu's back was turned. 

Date? Even Mei had someone she was seeing? And here she was, no time to find friends, let alone a date! Not to mention, she had always been in love with her boss' wife. 

She laughed at internally as she looked at the firm, upright back of Shu Yi. 

"The guy in the white shirt?" Ayu asked, one eyebrow raised. She was drunk and slightly slow. But there was something about the back of the man that seemed oddly familiar. 

His posture, his clothes…an aura? Maybe she was dreaming. 

"Ha! Meimei, you're dating a chaebol heir?" she scoffed. "Have fun with that, wherever you met him." 

Mei almost laughed. 

"Chaebol heir? Ayu, you're drunk. That man is no heir, he's a simple, intelligent lab tech who spends his life serving people and looking after them at a hospital. Perhaps you're too used to being around young masters of big families, but I assure you my life isn't that complicated" 

Ayu just shrugged. 

"I've been around enough of boss' friends to know when I see one. You're such a silly kid." 

With that, Ayu downed another glass of wine. 

As Mei began to walk back to her table, annoyed and fl.u.s.tered at Ayu's presumptuousness, Ayu continued to drink and stare straight ahead. 

"I'm sorry about that, Shu. I saw someone I knew, she didn't look to good. But I'm sure she's fine by herself." Mei said angrily as she continued drinking her sake. 

Shu nodded and flashed her a agreeable smile. But he knew he had to make quick exit. 

Mei noticed he had already called for the bill. 

"Oh, are you busy? Do you have to leave?" she asked, her eyes wide. Just a few moments ago, he had been so eager to get her to drink with him. 

Shu looked at his phone pitifully, upset their date had been ruined and that he would have to make an excuse to leave. 

"Unfortunately there's an emergency at the hospital for which they need me! But Meimei, I will call you later tomorrow and we can make another date!" he smiled at her quickly and got up from the table.

"Oh..ok, well, I hope everything goes smoothly at the hospital!" Mei had barely enough time to finish her sentence before which he had already rushed out of the restaurant. 

She frowned. Shu seemed so jittery and skittish right now. She hoped he was ok, but had a slight inkling that maybe there something he wasn't able to tell her in that moment. 

She sighed, picked up the leftover bottle of sake and walked over to the bar and sat down next to Ayu. 

"Well, as much as you'd have liked to be alone, you've earned yourself a drinking buddy"