"Ah... tsk!" Yi Chen bends down closer to his motorcycle. He checks its condition. In the naked eyes, everything looks just fine. But, why suddenly it breaks down and stops?
"Everything looks normal. The oil, the chain... where it could be wrong?" That man murmus by himself. In the hot weather, he vigorously wipes his face. Passersby just ignore him; doing their own thing. It's lunch time anyway; everyone's favorite time in the whole day.
"Something's wrong?"
Yi Chen lifts his head upon hearing a voice from behind. There's someone who is standing next to him; the figure is blocking the Sun out of his face. It's a bit darker due to the shadow but eventually, Yi Chen's eyes are adjusting to the resolution.
And that's when he feels like his heart stops beating.
A slim figure; fair, clean skin with a pair of big round eyes is looking at him. Her long ponytail is swipes by the wind; some strands wave across her face. Her lips are perfectly shape—not too thick, not too thin. She's like a blooming morning glory; ethereal and magnificent.
"Hello? Are you okay? Is the bike down?"
Yi Chen snaps from the daydream. He stands up immediately, facing the girl in panic.
"Oh. Yeah. I don't know what's wrong with it..."
"Let me check it for you—"
"There's no way I would let your soft hands touch those grease—"
"Soft hands?" The girl chuckles. "How did you know they are soft? Have you ever touch them?"
A trap question that sells him out! Good grace, Yi Chen! Please calm your tits!
"Looks soft to me..."
The girl replies him with a smile before she bends down to check the motorcycle. Looking at the awkward situation, Yi Chen immediately covers her from behind—just in case if someone peeks under her skirt.
"Ah... I think someone shuts your oil valve. Childish prank..." the girl quickly rises up. However, she is unaware of Yi Chen's position, so these two end up tangled with each other. Too close that makes it dangerous.
"Sorry!" Yi Chen quickly steps aside. The girl shakes her head faintly before she takes out a blue handkerchief from her pocket.
"Your hands are dirty. Here."
Yi Chen feels the tremors in his hands as he grabs the clothes from the girl. She's not only beautiful, but so down to earth and kind.
"I'm Ji An by the way..." a hand sticks out, invites Yi Chen for a handshake. He grabs it softly. That's when he realizes; his theory is right. The hand is so soft, it feels like hugging cottons.
"Yi Chen. My name is Yi Chen."
"Yi Chen. So, the surname is Yi?"
Yi Chen nods and smile. "Yes. The surname is Yi."
They both laugh for no specific reason.
"Sorry, but people always thought I am too formal. I usually call people by their surname. But, to be honest, I am bad with names. I can only remember the first one, then forget the rest of it!"
"And they thought you're courteous..."
"You can say that. But, don't tell anyone about this. It's between us!" Ji An winks.
Beautiful and funny... where Yi Chen could ever meet someone so intriguing like Ji An? He courts a lot of women before; beauty is subjective for him. What matter the most are personalities.
And this girl has the platinum package; a diamond among gems.
"You should be proud when people assumed that. You'll have a great reputation and respects," Yi Chen praises her.
Instead of looking proud, Ji An hangs her head low. Her smile turns bitter.
"It feels more like a heavy responsibility on my small shoulder..." she looks at Yi Chen with a helpless look.
"Why? It's a good thing, why should it becomes a bothersome to you?"
Ji An casually leans against the motorcycle—never really cares about her white blouse whether the dirt will smudges it. She takes a while, staring at the blue sky before her eyes land on Yi Chen.
"I never asked to be crowned as the campus Belle. My beauty seems like a curse to me. My parents put a high hopes in me. They want a perfect daughter, so they did whatever it takes to achieve that. Sometimes, even stomping others on the way," Ji An replies in a soft tone voice.
"Every parents want the best for their kids... some never really care, so you should be grateful to have whatever you have now," Yi Chen tries to justify the unfair situation.
Ji An snickers. "Ah... the same thing they said to me. You're lucky, Ji An! You have a millionaire parents, you got looks, you are so perfect...." she gulps the bitter inside. "But, I live just to please others. I am no more than just a teacup poodle for my parents; only for a show. Whenever I make mistake, they will punish me instead of asking the reason why. My life is far from perfect."
This girl is interesting indeed! Yi Chen thinks.
"Hey, are you free?" Ji An suddenly turns merry. The gloom in her eyes is gone.
"Me? When? Like right now?"
"Yeah! Look. I'm dying to go to this indie show; an art exhibition. But, my friends chose to go for a shopping..."
"You wanna ask me to...?"
"Only if you're free."
There's something in Ji An's eyes that draw Yi Chen closer. Something that he never seen before; even not from those girls who he used to chase. He sees genuineness, sincerity and transparency.
She's just being herself.
"Sure! I don't have afternoon classes!"
Ji An smiles widely. She nods her head while facing Yi Chen. "Let's go then!"
"Wait... You need to tell me the spot if we wanna meet there—"
"We're not riding your bike?"
Yi Chen stunts. "What do you mean riding my bike? Are you sure you wanna hop on? It's hot and stuffed!"
Ji An snickers. She pats the back seat of the motorcycle. "Believe me, I enjoy this ride more than driving a car. Or, are you tired? You want to be a passenger?"
Passenger...
"Let me ride. I don't think I want to be a passenger!" Yi Chen immediately hops on the front. Ji An laughs faintly before hopping at the back.
"Let's goooo!!!"
***
The art exhibition is held at the common area of the Department of Fine Arts. All of these paintings and sculptures are either from the department itself or from some independent artist from across the region.
"You seem to have a lot of knowledge about arts. Are you one of these peeps?" Yi Chen swipes the empty space in front of him.
"You wanna know my major?" Ji An asks. Yi Chen nods plainly.
"Well..." Ji An takes a seat on the bench at the park outside of the building. Yi Chen takes the seat next to her.
"Engineering. That's my major. More specifically, Automotive Engineering."
"Now that explains the motorcycle incident!"
Ji An laughs out loud. "Yeah. And, my brother used to bring me to the racing track. That's when my interest in Engineering peeks."
"You can be his engineer in the future!"
The laugh mutes gradually before Ji An lowers her head. "He died five years ago. Before my university entrance exam. I was depressed, I almost failed."
"Sorry to hear that!"
Ji An vaguely smiles at Yi Chen. "Nope! Don't be! I was wrong back then. I thought my life is over when my brother died. But, when I read his journal, I found out that he had a dream that one day, I will chase my own dream. He wants to me to live the life for him. Achieve what he couldn't have. That's why I am here."
Yi Chen stares deep into Ji An's eyes. This girl is more than just meets the eyes. She's not only strong, but her determination is a no joke!
"Hey..." Yi Chen makes Ji An looked at him. "I bet he must be proud to see you live your life in fullest right now. Don't be sad..."
Ji An locks her gaze with Yi Chen. "Yeah. I guess he must be smiling up there... come to think of it, he kinds look scary when he smiled... nah! Bad idea!"
Yi Chen can't help but feeling amused by Ji An. She's naturally funny. Whatever comes from her mouth feels like a joke and fun!
"Say... there will be a next time... for us?"
Ji An crooks her brow. Then, she lets out a huge grin. "Definitely. Why shouldn't we meet?"
So, that's how Yi Chen finally meets a girl that he doesn't have to work so hard to impress. Life seems to be on his side, now that he has a campus belle who seems to have interest in him.
Life is in a pink bubbles for him.