Under the moonlight

Chang looked away and took a deep breath. He realized that the air was really chilly and noticed Xia Biming didn't have much on. 'Oh crap, I shouldn't have looked at her again.' Thanks to the cold air, her twin sisters' peaks hardened for him to see. 'Is this girl not wearing anything underneath?! Oh please, little Chang, go away!'

Not wanting to make the situation ambiguous, he decided to be a gentleman and took his coat off. He wrapped it around her shoulders without hesitation.

Xia Biming quietly stopped laughing and embraced the warmth of the man's coat. She didn't realize how cold she had gotten until his coat was on her. She smelled his fragrance of camphor and bergamot and was immediately calmed. A warm feeling crept its way into her stomach as her face slightly flushed.

"At this point, will you continue collecting favors from me?" Xia Biming joked with Chang. She was really appreciative of how this man always caught her when she needed to be caught most.

"Hehe, no. I don't consider this a favor. It was only right for me to do. It is your night after all. I couldn't ask the birthday girl for a favor, could I?" Chang gave her a genuine smile and found her beauty under the moonlight left him speechless.

Xia Biming noticed his stare, and blushed. 'Why is this man's smile so captivating? He smells so good too.' She coughed to get his attention, "So… tell me, were you on the regular guest list tonight or my mom's special list?"

"Wow, you're really perceptive. Can you guess?"

Biming thought about it for a second, "Hmm… the regular list. Since you and my brother seem like such close friends. But how come we haven't ever met? That Wang Xuan is always lingering around."

Chang smiled at her innocent thoughts. "Well, we never met because I was out of the country from the year 20XX-20XX. And then the past two years, I've been busy running Xue Investments. As for Wang Xuan, he'll go anywhere there's food or pretty girls." He snickered, thinking about the devious little Wang Xuan.

"Hahaha, you're right about Wang Xuan. It must be tough to run Xue Investments. I know brother Ting is always tired from running Xia Textiles." Xia Biming replied honestly. She remembered that he didn't answer one of her questions, "So, did I guess right about which list you were on?" She flashed him a shy smile.

"No. You guessed wrong. Your mom sent us the invitation for the party along with your education, talents, accomplishments, and even a portrait picture of you."

Astonished, Biming really was clueless about her mother's tricks. "What?! She did all that? She's crazy! It's not even like I'm turning 30!"

Chang couldn't help but enjoy listening to Biming even though she was complaining, her voice brought a sense of euphoria to him and he let out a small laugh.

"What are you laughing at? I feel like a cow at a cattle auction!"

"Pfffttt! Hahahaha! How could you compare yourself to a cow? Hahaha!"

"Why not? I feel like one tonight!"

"Well you're not. You are way too attractive to be compared to a cow."

Xia Biming's head shot up and stared straight into Chang's eyes. 'Did he just say I'm attractive?' Biming didn't know how to respond to his statement. She felt her ears getting as hot as her face.

"Umm… maybe we should head back in now…" She attempted to stand up only for her heel to get stuck in the crack of the pavement. This caused her tumble to the side.

Chang's quick reactions came into play. He stood up with her and caught her before she could fall. Both arms around her waist and his face only inches away from her alluring one. They could hear each other's breaths.

Not wanting to leave quite yet, Chang spoke up. "Are you sure you want to head back in right now? You're still sniffling, and your hiccups aren't gone yet." He said the truth. "How about one more dance with me since we didn't get to finish it earlier?"

He stood up straight and brought her along with him. She agreed and placed her arms around his neck as he placed his hands on her dainty waist. They swayed to the beats of their heart since there was no music. They would periodically look into each other's eyes. The two bodies swayed together under the moonlight.

Xia Biming finally found the courage to speak up, "Can I ask you something, Chang?"

"What would you like to ask? I can't pull out a slice of cake from thin air, though." Chang teased her again.

"Hehehe, hush. I'm not always thinking about sweets, you know." Suddenly embarrassed, she looked down and her face found its way to his chest. "This might sound weird, but… did you happen to be at Club X on Saturday night two weeks ago?" She decided to just be blunt about it.

He was a little shocked from how straight forward she was. "Why would you like to know? What if I was?" He thought to himself, 'Oh no, have I been found out?'

"I was just curious, because my cousin was with me that night at the club and said she saw someone look like you there. And that that man had his attention on me the whole night. And I almost believe her too."

'I've been busted. Dang, this pair of cousins work together too well.' Chang liked how aware she was. "Okay, since I've been figured out, I'll own up to it. Yeah, I was there that night and I saw you from afar."

"Aha!" She looked up at him, "I had a feeling you were there!"

"How did you know?"

"Because I…" she was going to say how she was super drunk but didn't want to say that she was a light weight in front of him. "I didn't feel that great that night and my memories are a little fuzzy, but I remember throwing up and someone helping me. I only remember because your coat smells the same as that night. I just remembered the fragrance."

"So you were drunk? I'm amazed you remember something as little as that. You couldn't even open your eyes that night." He laughed again. He was beginning to really enjoy conversing with her.

"It's not a little thing, I like the smell. So that's why I remembered." Xia Biming answered sincerely in a soft voice.

Now it was Chang's turn to blush. He didn't expect that to be the reason she would remember the way he smelled.