Redeeming The Golden Ticket To Life

[POV Hu Qiang]

I finished my work as fast as I could. It's a date night for me and Bai Chang. I need to woo my wife otherwise the sulking child, staying at home and the two guardians will have my life for sacrifice.

'What should I wear?'

Yesterday she took interest in my shirt.

'Should I try another funky printed t-shirt?'

'Maybe I should try some semi-formals'

'No that would be weird; she already puts a lot of distance between us I need to close that distance among us.'

'Of course, I need to find flowers with good meanings.'

I made a mental note of things that I need to buy and rushed out of the office. On my way home, I stopped by a flower shop.

Looking through the windows, it has all the flowers I need. I went into the shop; the flower girl behind the reception table welcomed me with a bright smile.

"How may I help you Sir?" she asked eagerly.

"I would like a bouquet with my customised flower arrangement."

"We do that here. What type of flowers you want in your bouquet?"

I took my time and contemplated.

"I want four red Roses long-stemmed, two Tulips again long-stemmed and put them together with Violets and blue Hydrangeas and if possible have a slight hint of Lilac fragrance or its essence sprayed on the bouquet surrounding them with greens as you see them appropriate."

I wanted to send her a message through this bouquet maybe it won't amount to much but still my emotions would be there for her to see.

'She is my passionate love as the red Roses she is regal and perfect like Tulips to me, she has my faith and affection like the Violets and like the Hydrangeas, we are a family together, be it rain or shine we will paddle through them together and with the essence of Lilac it is to preserve the innocence and purity of her heart in our relationship.'

I was lost in my thoughts when the flower girl called out -

"Sir, here's your bouquet. How is it?"

She has arranged them beautifully the long stem Roses and Tulips were surrounded by a mix of Violets and blue Hydrangeas and with Lilac essence sprayed on them with decorative leaves holding them together crowning this flowers making it a visual treat.

"Thank you, it's perfect." I smiled with satisfaction.

While paying the bills I gave her a hefty tip to which she was surprised.

I left for home jovially. After reaching I groomed myself had a good shower and then searched through my entire wardrobe to find an appropriate t-shirt.

I was disappointed as I didn't find any couple t-shirt. Before, we never were serious in our relationship. We were intimate only this one time, that too under the influence of alcohol and she got knocked.

'I am still surprised at my success.'

This time I want to properly pursue my wife otherwise she would choose someone else and my son would hate me for being a loser.

(I realise I have to work extra hard to keep my family together otherwise all would be lost.)

There is still one more hour left before we meet. I called Rosalie, my personal designer and asked her specifically to bring couples T-shirt. She rushed and reached within 40 minutes.

I looked through all the designs and chose one with the doodle man saying 'I miss you' while holding a bunch of balloons in his hand.

I did a final check and left for Bai Chang's Villa with a spring in my walk.

I felt nervous until I saw her lounging in her garden.

She looked fragile and tender; she looked relaxed her small hairs around the neck were playing with the wind that was flowing. She wore a long gown it looked mesmerising.

"Aren't you cold?" I asked while approaching her with a bouquet and a shawl that was placed on the armchair.

I wrapped the shawl around your shoulders and finally gave her the bouquet.

She took the flowers and looked at them for some time then she smells them and kept holding on to them. The stone was lifted from my heart.

"Come inside, you will catch cold." She replied and invited me to the main house.

I noticed she was still holding onto the bouquet while she noticed my t-shirt. I swear, I was not imagining it but her neck was reddening as she was blushing furiously.

"We will talk in the study room. Let's go upstairs." She leads the way to her study room. Inside she hunted for a vase, cleared the artificial decoration flowers and kept in it the bouquet of fresh flowers that I gave her.

I guess she saw my satisfied smile as she replied. "Do not get overconfident, this arrangement of the flower is very beautiful and meaningful it suits my taste so the honour is being given to the flowers, not the person."

She realises that I wanted to say something but I was interrupted -

"Listen I know we were married but at that time I was autistic so my emotional attachment to that relationship is not strong. While now I feel I know you at the same time I don't, as is in my own case you have known me as some Bai Chang but at the same time you are not aware of me anymore. I'm not sure that all these gestures are for me exclusively based on your memory or for the present me. It means a lot for your thoughtfulness but sometimes I doubt them, they feel like they do not belong to me but to someone else."

I realised that I have touched upon the thorns of her heart.

"Bai Chang, look at me"

I came close to her but not too close took her hands. Looked her in her eyes. Her eyes hold a lot of questions and doubts, they were not obvious but they were there just trying to hide them.

(I realised I need to clear her doubts as soon as possible, otherwise, we will be forever separated in future.)

"Bai Chang, before we live together and we grew up together. We got married because of my parents as they wanted it and dotted on you. We were friends nothing more. This emotion of love is for you. I admit we are already married and legally you are my wife but that legal paper does not dictate our bond. What attracts me to you is your individuality as you are now. You are aware of my relation to Dr Lee right, when you use to tease him and threatened him while your stay at the hospital it amused me and I became more interested and when you came to my office and I got to know you hacked our company to earn money I became more curious that I thought to myself how about dating you. Because you are my wife I am aware that you are a unique gem. I do not want to see you in other men arms, even thinking about it makes me jealous and when you use to flirt with Dr Lee at the hospital, each day at home he would get disciplined by his parents and elders on my command as I was jealous. I want to court you. Let's fall in love together this time and build a relationship outside the legal pages."

I took a formal stance, got on my knees and asked her-

"Ms Shui Bai Chang I would love to admire you and spoil you and with your due permission would like to date you and fall in love with you. Are you interested?"

I was scared inside my head as I waited on my knees for her answer. It seemed like an eternity passed.