You Know My Name?

"Hi, my name is Iki, I'm the host for today. So let's start with the girls first. Introduce yourself." A guy who is quite good looking with a playboy aura around him said with his charming smile.

As one by one introducing themselves, Ning Zhi focus on the menu and her mind still blank like she's forgotten something. Its really bother her.

"Ning Zhi...Ning Zhi." Zhing Li nudges her a little while whispering to her.

"Huh?" She blinks and turns to her friend.

"Your turn."

"Oh!" She just realizes that they in the middle of the introduction. "Sorry. My name is Ning Zhi. Majoring in Litterature."

The guys look at her with a scrunch on their face. "That's all?" The guy named Iki ask.

"Yeah. That's all." She smiles and sips her drink. It is obviously awkward for her. This is her first time joining this kind of event. If not because of Zhing Li, she would rather stay at her apartment and burry herself with books.

A guy in front of her smiling looking at her. He also sipping his drink. Until it was his turn to introduce himself, he taps his finger on the table near Ning Zhi. Making she avert her eyes to him.

He satisfied when she looked straight at him. He did not look at other people when he starts talking. His eyes focusing on the girl in front of him.

"My name is Zi Ye, I'm majoring in Civil Engineering. I'm single and interested in you."

"Whoa.." The other guys look at them both while Ning Zhi still looks indifferent.

"So, what do you say?" He winks at her. Flirting.

Ning Zhi inhales a bit before she exhales. "Well, wanna go somewhere else?" She says. It's not like she doesn't want to stay with them. But because she can't stand when people keep staring at both of them. It's better to find a place where she could eat her dinner with calm and enjoy herself.

"Good idea." He smiles and takes his phone and his car keys before he stands up and looks at his friends.

"Sorry guys...I take her first. Enjoy your night."

"Wha….you lucky brat! Tch!"

"Ning Zhi, text me, will you?" Zhing Li pats her arm.

"Yeah..don't worry."

Looking at the guy, she said. "Shall we go?"

"Lets."

…

A few minutes later, they arrive at the book store. Ning Zhi's face turns bright when she saw a lot of book inside the store. It feels like she's looking at the delicious dessert right now.

"So you wanna date inside a book store?" Zi Ye ask, still following her from behind.

"I didn't say I want to date you. I just thought we should get out of that event. You free to go to your destination." She replies without looking at him.

"Hmm..nope. Let me observe your liking and enjoy your company." He refuses to just let it slide like that. From the first, he already set his eyes on her. And knowing that she might not be like a typical girl, adding more interest to him toward her.

"Suit yourself. I'm a boring person. Not worthy to be a girlfriend." She went to another rack. A romance historical fiction story section.

"I'm also a boring person. And I prefer someone like you. Not too clingy, I guess?"

"Well, whatever. Now, shush.." She hushes him to shut up as she took out one book from the shelf.

The title is 'A mermaid love', written by Chris Taylor. Upon seeing the name, she feels like being electrocuted in her brain.

"Chris Taylor? I've heard about this..but, when? Where?" She mutters slowly and flips the book to the back. Reading the summary of the book.

'It's about a man travel into a different time and met with a beautiful mermaid. They fall in love and for some reason, the man was transported back to his real-world without even saying a proper goodbye to that mermaid. Yes, I've read this when I was still in high school. But that time...Taylor name means nothing to me..but, why now? What is it that I forgot?'

"Are you okay?" Zi Ye lean on the book rack and look at her face. She looks so troubled.

"Hmm? Erm..yeah..I'm okay." She put back the book into the shelf.

"You know, this prof. Taylor…there is an interview about this book years ago. He said that he really experience it himself that he can write this book. What do you think about it? Do you believe in supernatural things?"

Looking at his face, she lifts up her eyebrow. "Such as?"

"Such as..mermaid, fairies, dragon, any myth creature, or so?"

"Hmm..logically, no. It's fictional. What about you?" She moves to the next book rack.

"Me? Well...I believe it. There such thing that can't be explained by science and logic. Like ghost? I once see it with my eyes, so I choose to believe it." He smiles and follows her from behind.

"So, you're someone who easily believed, huh?" She smirks a bit.

"Haha..you could say so.." He looks at the selection where she stops. "Hey..try this book. I've read this one. Quite a good story." He picks one book with a title, 'The Kingdom's tales.'

"What it is about?" She took the book from his hand.

"The fallen kingdom. Come on. I'll treat you this book. Shall we go and find something to eat?" He took the book back from her hand and went to the counter to pay the book.

"Uh...hey.." She follows behind him. She doesn't want to owe him anything, yet he already pays for the book and handed her the paper bag.

"I'll pay you now for the book." She rummages inside her handbag, finding her purse.

Hold her hand, he shakes his head. "No need. Just take it as a present. From a friend?"

"But..we just met and I don't even know you."

"You know my name?"

"Er. Zi Ye? Or so, maybe?" She scratches her chin a bit.

"Yup. So you know my name. Aren't we friend now?"

"Hey.."

"Come on. Let's find something to eat. I'm hungry." He holds her arm gently and leads her to his car.

"Is burger okay with you?" He asks once he started the car.

"Uh…seriously...I feel uncomfortable right now." She sigh.

"Why?"

"Your attitude.."

"I'm not gonna kidnap you. Rest assure. We just gonna go to eat, chatting and I send you home after that. I promise you."

"Is there any way for me to decline it?"

"Nope." He shakes his head.

"Then…let's fill our stomach." She averts her eyes to the outside of the window.

..

Just like as he said before, they went to McDonald and eat peacefully. Apparently, he is easy to talk. Maybe because of he also someone like her. Like to read and knowledgable about a lot of books.

"So, you're saying you almost got demerit just because you reading a book from the restriction area?" He wipes his mouth with a napkin.

"Yup."

"Wow. Why would a lecturer do that to his student?"

"I don't know either. Maybe because the way I get that book is wrong?"

"Hmm..so, have you finish reading it?"

"No. Just half. And I fell asleep last night from reading it."

"Ah...I know how it feels to not be able to finish the book we read. It unsatisfied, isn't it?"

"Yup."

"So why don't you try to sneaking again and read it secretly?"