Zhao Lifei was confused when the car rolled into a completely darkened area. It was bleak and empty outside, not a single soul or restaurant in sight. Did the chauffeur drive to the wrong location? She thought it was strange when they were driving out of the city and heading to a remote place filled with scenic trees.

Her instincts kicked in a bit, her eyes on high alert about the possibility that this was a setup by the General. She stared intently at the driver, her hand reaching into her purse to pull out the random weapon she chucked in there.

"Madam, you can relax. This is the correct location that the Boss has instructed me to drive you." The chauffeur piped up with a small smile, climbing out of the car and jogged over to the door where he opened it to help her get out of the car.

"And where is the Boss?" Zhao Lifei skeptically said, staring at his hand and refusing to take it. If she left the car, who knew what could jump at her? Like Yang Feng had instructed her, she was beginning to pay more attention to her surroundings, more so than she usually did. Her eyes trailed to the back of the car where she could see the other car with her bodyguards. Surprisingly, they did not ride with her this time, which she found odd, but apparently, it was their boss’ orders.

"He is waiting for you."

Zhao Lifei secured the small taser in her hand that resembled a lipstick. She wrapped her fingers around it and exited the car with the help of the chauffeur. Next, he got back into the car and drove off, leaving her standing on a deserted road. Her nose twitched. There was a gentle scent of floral in the air, but she could not pinpoint exactly what type it was. She was pretty positive it was not the type to grow in the wild like this.

"Yang Feng?" She called out into the darkness, growing more and more wary of the silence. She could hear crickets in the distance, the rustle of the grassy fields, and the sound of approaching footsteps. She bit her bottom lip and turned to face the cars that her bodyguards exited. None of them were in sight.

Her face hardened and she uncapped the "lipstick," preparing her weapon. She clicked on the button and watched electricity crack in the darkness, emitting a small glow. Perfect. The batteries were still working.

"Relax." A voice spoke from the bleak abyss of black.

In the blink of an eye, the entire world lit up before her, a soft gasp leaving her lips. She was blown away by the beauty of this place. There was a path of pink magnolia petals surrounded by beds of gravel with off-white pebbles placed on top of it to form small islands and mountains. The garden was racked so that it resembled the ripple of water. There was greenery sprouting from some places, adding the finishing touch to the beautiful location. There were also candles strategically placed to light up the area and add a warm hue to the scene.

Standing at the end of the pink magnolia path was a tall and scrumptious man. Behind him was a wall made of thin bamboo with wooden lanterns hanging from it. The lanterns resembled the ones she would see in historic dramas of imperial palaces.

"Do you like it?" Yang Feng asked her, his voice deep and mellifluous to her ears. It was rich like finely tempered chocolate being churned in a mill.

"Of course." Zhao Lifei breathed out, her eyes twinkling like a child on Christmas morning.

Her lips were parted while she took in everything. Her head moved around curiously with childlike wonder. "How did you get all of this done?"

"That’s not the important part." Yang Feng mused whilst he walked over to her with a bouquet. She expected to see the traditional flowers, but to her absolute delight, it was actually rice cakes carved and molded into the shape of carnations, gardenias, lilies, and leaves! She laughed delightfully, clapping her hands a bit.

"You know me best!" She was bouncing on her heels in excitement, eagerly accepting the bouquet with both hands.

"It’s from Hedong." He added the final blow, causing her eyes to light up even more. A thousand-watt smile broke out on her face as she launched herself at him, hugging him with all of her might while carefully handling the bouquet of rice cakes. She smiled up at him with so much happiness, it was contagious.

He was starstruck by her, as he always was. When she innocently tilted her head, he felt his heart stop. She was just so damn beautiful, there were not enough words in this world to describe it. He wondered how it was possible for her to capture the universe in those tiny gems of hers. Nothing mattered to him when she smiled, for the world was nothing but a blur, and she was the center of his eyes.

"I love it!" She happily replied, wrapping one arm around his neck, standing on her tippy-toes to press a kiss to his cheek.

Yang Feng finally snapped back to reality, responding by resting his hands on her lower back, tugging her to him. "I love it too." He whispered under his breath, referring to her smile and not the rice cakes.

"Hm, what was that?" She asked, not quite catching what he said.

Did he say he love something? What was it? She wanted to find out so that she, too, can give it to him — the same way he always showered her with love and gifts. A bubble of guilt aroused in her when she thought about all of the times she was the cause of his white hairs, but it was pushed down when he lifted a hand and brushed the hair covering her eyes.

"Nothing, my love." He responded, a dazed expression on his face. His eyes were clouded and captured by something, but she did not realize it, for her face was too engrossed in nibbling on the rice cakes.

Yang Feng guided her down the pink magnolia petal path, adjusting his pace so that he could match hers. Because of his long legs, he always walked faster than her by at least five steps. However, ever since he met her, he has been slowing it down so that she could catch up to him.

"This is only the beginning." He informed her, watching her bite down on a rice cake and pulling her head back a bit, stretching the gluteus pastry. She thoroughly chewed it and swallowed, his eyes flickering to her lips and then her neck. He could give her something else to swallow. He awkwardly coughed a bit at the idea and chided himself for thinking something so dirty when she was barely ready to take their sexual relationship to another level.

"Oh? What else did you prepare?" She asked, watching him stretch his long, firm arms hidden by the crisp and well-tailored suit. He slid the screen-door to the side and took her into another world of wonder.

For the second time tonight, she was left speechless by the view in front of her, and she wasn’t talking about Yang Feng. It was as if she stepped into a completely different world.

Bamboo trees lined the walls, each leaf was a healthy forest-green color, with LED lights installed in the floor to make it glow. Candles dotted the grassy floor, a contrast to the gravel and dirt road outside.

historical

In a secluded area towards the center of the place was a large structure comprised of ropes, forming a pyramid. Because of the evenly spaced out ropes, she could catch a glimpse of everything around them. An interesting and intricate three-layer canopy light hung from the top of the rope structure. There was a table underneath it, with two white-clothed chairs, a light green ribbon wrapped around each. Ranunculus petals littered the floor, surrounding the tables, adding soft tones of white, pastel pink, baby yellow, peachy orange, and sunset red. Surrounding the table was a large heart-shaped arrangement with candle lights outlining the area.

He stood behind her, hugging her stomach. He curved his head and whispered to her, "Do you like it?"

Zhao Lifei glanced at Yang Feng and instantaneously replied, "Yes. I love it." She was referring to both him and the location. It was beyond her wildest dreams, for she had never been to a place as beautiful as this.

When she breathed in, she could smell something savory and delicious. Her hungry stomach made itself known by performing a sound that would put a whale’s mating call to shame. She hesitantly peered at Yang Feng and hoped he did not catch the embarrassing sound. He did, but luckily, he kept his mouth shut.

"You don’t have to hide it, I know you’re trying to not laugh at me." Zhao Lifei grabbed his hand and tried to drag him towards the table. She was eager to sit down and eat, but it seemed he had other plans, for he remained in his position.