POV: LU JINGHAO
Believing in fate? That is something I have never done. My whole life, I have only understood company strategies and contracts. So naturally, the idea of two people being connected together by something invisible sounded absurd.
It sounded like something Jiang Rui might design. Something poetic, beautiful and utterly unrealistic.
But somehow, after our past two experiences, I am not sure anymore. The faint glow that had climbed up my fingers kept playing in my mind like a dream on repeat.
The memory of her eyes widening in shock, her breathing seemingly stopping for a moment, her soft expression afterwards...
Oh, and that one expression she always wore anytime she thought I wasn't looking. I can't lie, it broke my heart because it carried both fear and loneliness.
I haven't told anyone a thing. Not Huang Zeming, not my family, not even my own reflection. She trusted me.
...and whatever that was, it solely belonged to her. I didn't have to know everything. I just have to be satisfied with the fact that she let me tap in.
When I decided to stop by in the evening,the studio was brightly lit.
Through the slightly open door, I saw her moving like a focused painter in the middle of a very important job.
She had her hair tied up loosely, with a sharp pencil between her lips, another one sketching furiously. Her entire body radiated confidence and great charm.
I didn't bother knocking, but just watched her for a moment.
The life like mannequins around the room were draped in half completed masterpieces.
Pieces that switched between silver and gold, each with a delicate lace that seemed to pick light even if light was not there.
I felt like I was watching a Disney princess in real time.
"Is Mr Lu planning on standing there all night?" She suddenly spoke without turning.
I smiled faintly. "Hmm...you noticed."
"Your cologne always does the introduction for you. I can tell from miles away."
I stepped inside with a little smile. "I didn't want to interrupt you, but it seems like my cologne interrupted the genius at work."
Her pencil paused mid air as she gave me a side glance.
"If only your flattery could make me finish faster."
"Well, my hands can."
"Good," she replied, with the corner of her mouth forming a tiny smile.
I have been to many studios but none had such comfort. It felt so weird because her space felt so alive....not sterile or polished. Just alive.
There were sketches overlapping across different tables, different fabric swatches pinned on the board with no specific order but yet...there was a steady rhythm. Somehow, it felt like organized chaos.
My world had control and power, hers had color and power. Let me comfort myself that the color in her life is what makes me keep coming back.
"Coffee?" I asked, handing her the cup I had picked up on my way.
Her gaze lingered on the cup for sometime before she finally took it, her fingertips briefly brushing up against mine. Elecric...
"Thank you," she sweetly murmured and silence took over for a minute or so.
Before the silence got weird, I casually cleared my throat. "So, what are you working on?"
" Hmm...I'm trying to make my fabric feel emotion," she answered smoothly, as if that was a normal sentence.
I raised an eyebrow. "To everyone else, that would sound ambitious. But to you...I know it's a piece of cake."
She shrugged in response, her eyes glinting with creative madness. "You just have to have the right motivation. Besides, everything worth doing deserves ambition."
I didn't think twice before leaning over, and taking a glimpse of the fabric she was currently testing. The ribbon seemed to be glowing silver, and pulsing faintly, as if syncing with her breathing.
"You know, I have never met someone like you. Everything around you is alive...to others it might seem like you are trying to make the impossible real."
She turned her full attention towards me and looked at me. I am not talking about the casual look, but she really looked at me. "Of course, that's the goal. To thread everything into life, and shape or however I want to. Always..."
Silence then pressed between us, sharp and wordless silence. Up to now, she has not questioned me about the little secrets of hers that I have been able to see.
Her silence was like a sword on my kneck, waiting for a single mistake on my side and boom... heaven or hell.
I turned away first, before speaking."How about showing me what you have so far?"
She didn't close me out but fully invited me. And just like that, hours slipped by without either of us noticing.
We argued, talked in both hushed and loud voices, redesigned some patterns and argued again. But somewhere in the heaven knows what round it was, she started laughing. A genuine, unguarded laughter.
For the record, I have never seen her this way and this scene was officially stuck in my mind. She looked so beautiful I could cry.
I had said something silly about how her ethereal designs would easily lead me to bankruptcy with their demands, not expecting that much of a reaction but somehow, her laughter ended up lighting up the studio more than any of her glowing threads could.
"Lu Jinghao, you shouldn't tempt me," she teased. "I might...like seriously take that as a challenge."
"Not that I'd stand a chance, you would instantly win," I admitted, casually shrugging.
And that's when it hit me. She didn't call me Mr Lu or Mr CEO...she called my name, raw and unfiltered...damn!
She grinned, cutting off my imagination. "You really sound confident about losing."
"Not my style but I'm sure because I know who I'm losing to."
Her expression softened, a sweet smile gracing that beautiful face. "Careful, Jinghao. I might just take that as a compliment."
"Might?"
She tilted her head, with a mischievous smile I have never seen before. "Hehe...try harder next time Mr Lu."
I smiled genuinely, because for the first time I felt like the world outside didn't exist. There were no shareholders to bug me, no deadlines, no pursuers or stupid scandals.
It was just the two of us, surrounded by the soft hums of the machines, and the quiet connection of something unnamed between us.
But then, in that serene moment, something strange happened.
She stood up and moved towards a mannequin, but a shimmer rippled across it. It was faint but unmistakable. Right behind it was a silhouette. It looked so feminine, so graceful..and it was watching.
Then it was gone.
I blinked, and swallowed hard. "Jiang Rui…"
She turned holding a needle, eyes questioning. "Yes?"
"Did you just s..." I hesitated, not wanting to dig deep once agin.
She maintained eye contact for a moment, as if she knew what it was that I wanted to ask. She then nodded before replying. "Perhaps."
I didn't question anything anymore as we continued sharing knowledge. She didn't show any signs of resting despite the fact that it was late in the night.
It took me a lot of effort for me to finally convince her to rest, while I asked to stay behind with an excuse of learning gaining more knowledge. Perhaps even make a piece.
Lies. Her studio had a lot of comfort and I just wanted to spend the night here. Just for the record, I didn't intend to stay over when I came earlier, but now...
She didn't argue with me but just wished me a goodnight and she got into a side room, I'm assuming her resting room. She either left me in her precious space because she trusted me, or the security is top notch.
The studio felt different without her. It was a lot colder and quiter, but still, the fabrics strirred faintly.
I watched as one of the pieces I touched brush against me in an alive and warm manner. That didn't scare me but intrigued me instead.
I was just about to say something when the lights dimmed for a second before they became steady, causing the fabric to remain still.
I should have been scared, but instead,I remained calm. I felt like the studio was acknowledging me. That gave me some piece of mind as I lay on her plush sofa.
Huang Zeming dropped by the next morning, finding me still there.
He raised a brow the moment he saw me."Did you just spend the night here?"
"Somehow."
He smirked. "Somehow?"
"Yeah. I was working on something."
"Of course you were...working." He air quoted his responce. "Working with Jiang Rui?"
I glared at him before responding."Dumbass, not like that."
"Right, right. Lu Jinghao is Jiang Rui's supportive CEO who keeps forgetting that he has an entire empire to run."
I sighed. "You should slow down on the romance books you read. You are just reading too much into things."
"Well, am I Jinghao? Am I?" he replied, clearly enjoying this more than he should. "You know, from what I see, you are either falling in love with her, or you are about to start a new religion centered around her."
I tried not to laugh but failed terribly.
"Just shut up," I murmured.
A month later, we attended an event together. It was a small showcase for investors, and Jiang Rui had presented a paradigm collection. I won't be lying when I say I have never seen a crowd so silent.
Every single piece she presented had a unique glow, but no one could tell how the moonlight seemed to be trapped in every piece.
They assumed it was tech but I knew better.
I was standing beside her as she explained her vision. How calm and collected her voice was, and how her eyes shimmered under the lights made me come to a dangerous realization.
I was not just admiring her talent, I was completely drawn to her.
The way she turned to me and gave me rare smile when the applause erupted, made my world stand still again.
I felt the air shimmer around us, and once again, the golden thread connecting us became visible before my eyes. It happened just for a heartbeat before it dissapeared.
That night, I didn't sleep.
Her scent, the scent of her studio, all lingered in my atmosphere. I didn't even want to bother explaining to myself why.
I knew that whatever was binding us was strong and I was loving every single moment of it.