The Bride

Qing Chen flipped the box open, scattering a shimmer of lights reflected by the diamonds with the afternoon light. He flipped the box close. He flipped the box open and the shimmer of lights came back. He pulled the lid close again and the pink-tinge lights disappeared.

He was outside Chengshi University Graduate Studies Building. It was located at the far right corner of the campus and only a few people were there. It was enrollment day and he was there to see his supposed future wife.

He did not really want to see her because for him it did not really matter how she looked like.

Qing Chen had to marry her whether he liked it or not.

Marry? he thought. That was not something he thought he would be doing this year. He knew he had to take a wife some time in the future, but not this soon. He had just found out about this entire arrangement about a couple of weeks ago.

"That is a beautiful ring," said the man beside him. It was Feng Lizhao, the father of his bride, the other mafia lord aside from his father. He was a graying old man with tiny eyes and a huge body. He smelled of mint and cigars.

Qing Chen's lips almost turned upwards. "Thank you," he replied. Inside the box was an emerald-cut pink diamond. There had been a time he thought he was going to give a ring to someone else. But she was long gone.

Being the son of a kingpin surely was troublesome, but it sure did have its own perks. He had managed to buy this ring from The Underground. The Underground had stolen the real pink diamond and replaced it with a replica, it was now placed in the centre of a first-world country's museum, guarded 24/7. The original, had been cut up to several pieces and sold to the mafia's colleagues.

"My Xuan loves big shiny things," Feng Lizhao added.

Another man laughed, Qing Zihao, Qing Chen's father. He was seated in front of the two of them inside the limousine, a slim wine glass in between his fingers."I have seen your daughter's pictures," he said to the other father. "That ring would match her beauty."

Qing Chen thought that it was unfair that his father had already seen a picture of his bride. Well... he should've, right? Qing Chen doubted that his father would agree to this marriage if he did not like how the girl looks.

There were only a number of things that he knew about his potential bride. One, she came from overseas. She had just came back after seven years. Two, she planned to finish her graduate studies. Three, she was two years younger than he was. Four, they were going to get married. And five, they were going to live under the same roof for the rest of their lives.

The last two shouldn't have counted but it reassured Qing Chen that there were two more things that he knew about his future wife. He did not really find this event neccesary. In fact, he would prefer if he just saw her on their wedding day. That way, it would have been fair.

But he got curious, earlier Feng Lizhao told them that Feng Xuan refused to know who she was getting married to. It meant she would be diving into this marriage headfirst while blindfolded.

Qing Chen opened the ring box once more, the huge diamond captured some of the setting sun's light pouring from the window that made it burst into different colors.

It would match her beauty? he thought about what his father said.

The diamond was precisely cut and rare. Qing Chen saw this as a very delicate and expensive thing.

She must be really slim then, he thought. If not, it wouldn't be a problem with getting the ring adjusted. But in his head, Qing Chen was just starting to visualize a silhouette with a white question mark on its face when suddenly, Feng Lizhao leaned over and pointed at the window.

"That's her."

Qing Chen's head moved slowly and sideways.

"That's her in the pink sweater and checkered skirt."

Qing Chen immediately spotted the girl with a tall lanky guy by her side. She was just exiting the wide entrance of the graduate school, her pink blouse fits her upper body perfectly and her skirt securely tied to her waist. A black bag hangs from her shoulder. Her hair almost reached her waist, curling at the tips and her forehead was covered with bangs. Her face, thin and white.

There was a slight spark of something that Qing Chen couldn't quite place. Was it joy? He didn't know the girl but all he could think about was "That's my bride."

"Isn't she beautiful?" Feng Lizhao asked, the sound of his voice lacing with a smile.

Qing Zihao gave a hearty laugh. "She really is a beauty. What do you think, son?"

Qing Chen pulled his gaze away from the woman and to his father. "Likewise," he answered. "Can we go now?"

"Do you accept the proposal?" Feng Lizhao asked him.

"I was going to accept the proposal regardless of how your daughter looked like, sir," he said politely.

"Thank you," Feng Lizhao said with a sigh. "But remember, Qing Chen, our deal. She cannot know what she did."

Qing Chen looked at the ring in his hands and breathed out. He closed the box with a snap. "I understand." He leaned and pressed a button and the screen rolled down a little. He told the driver, "Let's go."

He did not even take another glance at the woman walking. He was not even worried about her walking with a man, knowing full well just how capable she was.