17 He Could Do It Better

Shen Shu found a vase of flowers on her desk in her office.

"Wow, who sent them?" Ye Huan asked from behind, trying to peek at the arrangement of roses.

"The man from my date the other night," Shen Shu responded.

"How romantic!" Ye Huan responded giddy. She turned and spotted Niko walking past the office.

"Shen Chi!" She called, "Come look."

Niko stopped in his direction and walked into Shen Shu's office. His expression was bored and indifferent. But he looked well put together from his combed hair to his suit, which contrasts his messy hair and casual clothing Shen Shu usually saw him with, especially when they fall asleep together.

"What is it?" Niko asked.

"Someone sent Shen Shu some flowers! Isn't it gorgeous?" Ye Huan told him.

Niko scoffed, nearly laughed. Shen Shu narrowed her eyes at him. "Is there something funny?"

Niko tried to hide his amused smile. "Yes," he said, approaching the arrangement. "First, you don't like red roses as much as you do with assorted kind like yellow and white. But if I were him, I'd get an assortment of peonies, dahlias, lilac, and sweet peas." His gaze then met hers and her heartbeat wildly. "But that is hypothetical."

Shen Shu gritted her teeth. "Why'd you have to come in and ruin a nice gesture?"

His gaze dropped to her mouth, and Shen Shu hoped Ye Huan was witnessing a sibling squabble and nothing more. "Because I think you can do better," Niko said and walked away.

After he had gone, the heat from Shen Shu's body simmered. "God, Shen Chi really likes to get under my skin," she said to Ye Huan.

Ye Huan nodded. "Shen Chi seems to really look out for you."

"Maybe, but he's annoying about it," Shen Shu responded. She did not understand him. Niko supported her decision to go out with this man and then acted like he could do better, even though she knew he did not mean it like that. He was messing with her, which gave Shen Shu more reason to pursue Wu Meng.

She needed a distraction.

She wanted to like Wu Meng.

She wanted Niko out of her head.

Shen Shu took out her phone and sent Wu Meng a message about how much she loved the flowers. But Niko was right. She was unnerved by how well he knew her. But she decided to ignore his words.

Ye Huan looked at her with sympathy. "I know men can be cruel, but maybe Shen Chi is right?"

Shen Shu looked at her friend as if she had been betrayed. "You agree with him?" she pouted.

"No," Ye Huan tried to save herself. "I think you should take it slow. I feel like this man is trying to win you over with nice, pretty things."

Shen Shu sighed. "He's a nice person. But yes, I will look after myself. I promise."

Ye Huan smiled. "Good. But I agree that Shen Chi is acting a bit overprotective."

Shen Shu tried not to grin but failed. "Thank you for agreeing."

Ye Huan chuckled.

…

Later that evening, Shen Shu went on her second date with Wu Meng. The date went better than expected. He took her to a museum, and they spent two hours observing the paintings, unique sculptures, and artifacts. He had been polite with her the entire time and made no forward moves.

"Shen Shu," he called out to her once they walked on a boardwalk.

She turned to face him. His cheeks flushed as he said, "I had a wonderful time with you."

Shen Shu gave him a kind smile. "I did too."

He then grabbed both of her hands in his. "Can I kiss you?"

Shen Shu was taken aback. She didn't know how to say no, but she didn't know how to say yes either. She didn't know what she wanted. But she ended up pointing at her cheek.

Wu Meng kissed her on the cheek beneath the moonlight. Afterward, Wu Meng held her hand and never let go until he brought her home.

Once she arrived back at the apartment, it was dark. Realizing she was alone, she sighed heavily. She liked Wu Meng but there was no spark, no tension. Perhaps she was broken or perhaps she needed to give it more time.

The lights turned on suddenly, and Niko walked down the staircase in nothing but pants that hung low around his waist. He was grinning, and it pissed her off.

"You scared the shit out of me," Shen Shu said, putting her purse down and removing her jacket.

"I was in my room, and then I came downstairs to get water," he explained.

More like he heard her come home and decided to be a pain in her ass.

"How was your date?" he asked as he stalked toward the kitchen to get a glass and fill it with water.

"It went well," she boasted. "I am going to see him again. It seems like after a third date, it's serious, huh?"

"Really?" Niko challenged. "Then why is it that I heard you sigh so loud while I was coming down the stairs?" He was smirking at her now. He thought he was right.

Shen Shu rolled her eyes. "Maybe because I'm tired? And my date happened to be romantic! He gave me flowers in the morning and then took me to a museum in the evening."

Niko scoffed. "If giving you flowers and taking you to a museum would make you happy, then I can do it?"

Shen Shu's heart thundered through her chest. She stared at him unbelievably. Does he even know what he's saying? Niko made it seem like what she was doing with Wu Meng was child's play and that he could do it too.

She gritted her teeth. "You know, Niko. The difference is that he kissed me! That's not something you could do. Is that right?"

Something flickered in Niko's expression, something she couldn't read. His throat bobbed. He then downed the rest of his water. He looked at her, almost as if she shouldn't have given him a challenge. "You're right, Cat. I can't kiss you, but I bet you'd really like it if we did, more than your date."

Shen Shu stared at his mouth, and she gulped, almost as if she wanted to test his word—taste him. She only swallowed. "Stop messing with me!" she finally said and walked away.

Shen Shu went to her room, and she stayed there the entire night even if it was difficult for her to sleep without him.