Friday arrived faster than Meilin's heartbeat could stabilize.
She spent the whole day pretending to work while secretly panicking inside.
Her brain repeated one line on loop:
"Something personal…
Something personal…
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!"
By 6 PM, she had already changed her hairstyle three times, applied lip balm six times, and checked her reflection in the elevator at least ten times.
---
The Car Ride of Doom
Li Wei stood at the company entrance, hands in his pockets, dressed in a simple white shirt and black coat.
Simple. Elegant. Unfairly attractive.
"Ready?" he asked.
Meilin nodded, though she felt more like a jellyfish than a woman.
In the car, silence filled the space.
Not awkward, but… expectant.
Like something big was coming.
Halfway through the drive, he finally spoke.
"Ms. Lin… there's something I've been meaning to tell you."
Meilin's breath hitched.
This was it.
The moment her entire crush-life had been leading up to.
Her palms were sweating.
Her heart was pounding.
He continued slowly,
"I've been noticing you more lately."
Dead. She was dead.
"And I think—"
The car suddenly jerked.
Something thumped loudly.
Li Wei hit the brakes.
Both of them screamed.
Well… Meilin screamed.
Li Wei looked shocked but dignified.
"What—what happened?!" Meilin gasped.
Li Wei opened his door, looked outside, and returned with a completely straight face.
"We ran over a cardboard box."
"A… box?"
"Yes. A box."
Meilin buried her face in her hands.
Great.
He was about to confess and they nearly died because of a cardboard box.
A BOX.
She was ready to accept that the universe personally hated her.
---
The Restaurant Mix-Up
He drove again and they reached a small rooftop restaurant.
Soft lights.
Warm breeze.
Romantic atmosphere.
Perfect for a confession.
Except—
When the waiter approached, he asked,
"Reservation name?"
Li Wei replied, "Li Wei."
The waiter checked the list.
And frowned.
"Sir… you booked the 'Couple Romantic Dinner Package.'"
Meilin choked on her saliva.
Li Wei coughed.
"That—was a mistake. Please change it to a normal table."
"Ah, understood," the waiter said… loudly.
"Couple dinner cancelled."
The diners around them turned to look.
Someone giggled.
Meilin covered her burning face.
Li Wei looked like he wanted to disappear.
Perfect.
Just perfect.
---
Finally, the 'Personal' Talk
Once they were seated, Li Wei took a slow breath.
"Meilin… the reason I wanted to talk to you today is because—"
Her heart thudded.
"—I've heard a rumor."
Rumor??
Not romance???
Not feelings???
"About… the office ghost."
Meilin blinked.
"…What?"
Li Wei looked serious.
"Apparently a ghost appears on the 7th floor at 9 p.m. I thought you should know, since you often stay late."
Meilin stared at him with an expression that said IS THIS A JOKE?!
He continued,
"I'm worried about your safety."
She wanted to slap the table.
Her eyes were wide.
Her soul was defeated.
"All this time… you wanted to warn me about… a ghost rumor?"
He nodded sincerely.
She sat back in her chair, torn between laughter and heartbreak.
A confession??
No.
A ghost awareness meeting.
Her love life was a comedy show.
But then—
He looked at her with soft eyes and added quietly,
"But that's not the only reason."
Meilin froze.
"I also… like spending time with you."
Her heart restarted.
He looked away shyly—Director Li Wei, the calm businessman—
actually shy.
It was the smallest confession in the world,
but enough to light fireworks inside her chest.
The night was not ruined after all.
Not even the ghost rumor could kill the warmth blooming between them.