First Official Date? (2)

The theatre from outside appeared to be empty. There was no display for performances, so Song Luli asked, "Are you sure it's not closed?"

Long Jie grinned, taking her hand. "It's not," he answered. 

He led her into the theatre, and it was dark for a moment before he flicked on the lights, revealing a centre stage surrounded by red curtains embroidered with golden patterns. Each seat had red cushions, and the chandeliers looked like white crystals with golden frames. 

There was no one else in the theatre except for the two of them. 

"Why are we here?" Song Luli questioned him. 

Long Jie didn't answer, but he led her down the stairs, onto the lower level seating area. 

"Sit," he told her. 

Song Luli listened and did what he told her to do. She sat on one of the soft cushioned seats, watching Long Jie as he ran up the steps of the stage. He disappeared behind the curtains for a moment before returning, heading towards the centre. 

Song Luli narrowed her eyes, watching him curiously. 

At the centre, he sat on the edge of the stage, in front of the seat she sat on. His legs hung over the edge as he took a violin from the casing. It was a magnificent string instrument, a red-brown colour, varnished over the wood. Long Jie took out a bow, lowering his head on the chin rest. He positioned his fingers at the fingerboard as the bow strummed the strings, playing notes. 

Long Jie looked nervous. And she could imagine why. She had never seen him play before, or heard him. 

He played softly at first, and then he picked up on the notes, and she realized it was the same melody she heard when they both danced together for the first time — A Song For A Summer's Night. 

Song Luli watched in awe, as he closed his eyes, allowing himself to power through the notes, echoing around the room. Song Luli was stunned; he played correctly, the same as the person who composed it. 

Song Luli felt so drawn to it, so she stood up from her seat, approaching him carefully. He poured everything into the sad, yet ethereal sound. Long Jie opened his eyes slowly, absorbing the image of Song Luli in his view. She stared at him resolutely, not dropping her gaze. 

He kept his eyes fixed on her without making a mistake. Her expression held wonder and admiration, astonished by the new side of him he was willing to show. 

Playing the violin was vulnerable to Long Jie. He had only played for his family. There was something like emotions that connected him to music, and displaying it meant people were able to hear it out loud. And he didn't like it, at least to people he did not know. 

Long Jie slowed down, holding the last few notes of the piece.  

When he finished, Song Luli kept staring at him, dazed. Long Jie still held the instrument while looking at her. She looked into his eyes, searching for something. 

He then put the violin away and offered a hand. Song Luli took it, jumping over the stage. It was quiet, except for the sound of their irregular heartbeats and footsteps as he led her towards the backstage. 

There was a narrow staircase that led to a door. Song Luli paused when Long Jie gestured her to keep going with the nod of his head. She followed him to the roof, at the greenhouse ontop. 

Her eyes widened at the neatly arranged table that stood in the middle of a man-made garden. Paper lanterns hung from the glass roof of the greenhouse, capturing her eye. 

Song Luli wondered how Long Jie arranged this. But she was fascinated by the green plants soiled into the pots. Behind Long Jie was the evening sunset, the slow rise of night, the transition between sienna and lilac of the sky. 

Long Jie pulled a seat from the table, gesturing her to sit. Song Luli smiled to herself as she walked over, taking a seat. Long Jie approached a trolly, which had covered dishes. He set the table with food, and he wrapped a blanket around her because the cold air had picked up. 

Song Luli wore it like a shawl. Long Jie then poured some champagne in two glasses, and he lifted the covers of the dishes. There were barbecued short ribs, squid, beef, rice, and vegetables. 

Song Luli began to dig into the food. After chewing a few bites, she said, "You should play more at home." 

"Should I?" Long Jie asked, cutting into some meat. 

"Yes," Song Luli answered. 

Long Jie's lips curled. "All right," he replied. Long Jie turned on the small radio from the table, putting on some light music. 

"You seem to be old fashioned for someone who takes me to a theatre, then a greenhouse, putting on some music from a radio," Song Luli commented. 

"Mhm," Long Jie said. "I prefer it. I went to South America a few times, and they listen to everything from radios, including sports updates and weather reports. In Italy, there are many opera theatres, and the architectures are unmatched by anything I've ever seen."

What Long Jie said sounded as if he had seen and heard everything, but there was underlying loneliness to it. He had seen great things, been to great places, but was there anyone he shared it with aside from his parents? 

Song Luli placed some meat in her mouth. "You should take me," she said. 

Long Jie glanced at her. "I will," he promised. 

"Good," she responded. 

Long Jie refilled her glass before asking, "How are your screenplays coming along?"

Song Luli paused her drinking. She never shared with anyone about anything she wrote. Even when she was younger, her stories were kept in a journal which she ripped apart years later after reading her horrific writing. And what she felt most nervous about was what people thought of it. 

It was a risk, but she said, "I am writing two right now."

"Two?" Long Jie questioned astonishingly. 

"Yes—but they might not even be good; they're still drafts," she rambled. 

"I'm sure they're excellent. Can you share it with me?"

Song Luli began to feel nervous. But she thought it was worth a shot, plus any feedback would be useful to her. 

"Erm...The first one is a crime-mystery drama. It's about a billionaire couple of pharmaceutical company who were murdered in their home, and no one knows why. The suspects are the couple's son—who is also the protagonist of the storyline—some distant relatives, and an employee from work," she said. 

"Oh?" Long Jie answered, "Who killed them?"

Song Luli smiled. "That's something I can't tell. But what I can say is that the only way to keep the story suspenseful is to mislead your audience." 

"How so?"

"Make one of the characters seem like they're the killer. That it's so obvious it's them—but it isn't. Then create another character that seems like they're too good for society, that you have to suspect them due to their likeness, but again, it isn't that person."

"Then, who?" Long Jie asked. 

"A morally grey character stuck between good and evil, difficulty having to make the right choices. Make sure it's the person that they won't suspect, distracting them with some asshole and some community service guy," Song Luli answered. 

"Fascinating," Long Jie replied. 

Song Luli felt warm. She continued, "The second one is a work in progress. It's a romance-focused storyline about a woman's husband who was murdered. She dies in self-inflicted agony, and she is reborn years before with her memories intact. This time, her husband doesn't know who she is yet, and she has the opportunity to solve his murder before it happens. The only condition is, she can't let him fall in love with her." 

"Eh??" Long Jie responded. "Why not?"

"She believes that their lives are tethered, and if she can break it, then he may not suffer the consequences of that future," she said. 

"But wouldn't trying to change fate cause a future that may be worse?" he asked. 

"Not if there's a possibility that one of the paths can determine a long and safe future, but it includes not involving her." 

"That's cruel!" said Long Jie.

"I will take that as a compliment," Song Luli responded. "But it's romance-focused, so of course it won't last. But my MC will definitely have to break a lot of rules, deter fate, and give in to temptation." 

"I'm sold," Long Jie said. "When are these films coming out?"

Song Luli smiled. "I need the support of producers," she said. "It's not that simple."

"You will get that support. I promise," Long Jie assured her. 

Song Luli felt thankful for him. He listened to what she said, almost like hearing out some pitches. This was something she was passionate about, and desparate to bestow amongst others who might like it. He also supported her work, which was something she will forever be grateful for. 

Song Luli finished her meal. "How was work today?" Song Luli asked Long Jie. 

"Interesting as usual," he said but didn't want to go in depth. "I forgot to mention that Miss Mao had sent the reports on time, but I can tell you that she didn't get a wink of rest for 24 hours," he said. 

Song Luli smiled. She knew he couldn't fire her without a good reason. Miss Mao had a particular educational background, and sometimes it was hard to fire people who specialized in certain areas. Miss Mao is a valuable asset to the company; something Song Luli acknowledged well. 

But the difference between Song Luli and Miss Mao was that Long Jie chose Song Luli. Long Jie had known Miss Mao for years; they would have been together by now if he wanted it. 

Song Luli spoke with him for the rest of the evening until it was time to go home. When they arrived, Long Jie put on a movie for them to watch. They didn't do anything that night, but there was something peaceful about it. 

Song Luli realized that she liked Long Jie so much, it hurt. But she kept it to herself. 

On his chest, Song Luli fell asleep before the movie finally ended.