The Heartbeat at the Tip of the Tongue

Lin Ke Song carried the large pile of packed food home.

On the way back, her emotions are complicated.

She no longer remembers how she started hanging out and becoming close to a person like Song Yi Ran. According to logic, she and Song Yi Ran are of two different worlds, on two totally different sides.

It seems like it really was from that time when she rode her tricycle to send that chap to the hospital onwards, he would bring her along whenever there was any good food to eat or drinks to drink.

Of course, at the same time, he also intensified her ‘enslavement’, for example obviously disliking the cafeteria food but still making her queue up for and pack it; for example obviously having pockets, but always stuffing the paper napkins into her pockets; for example obviously only knowing how to use night study period to lie on the table to message beauties, but still wanting her to use her water bottle to reserve a seat for him, making other students who actually want to study not have any place to sit.

All these years have gone by, yet Lin Ke Song realises that her crush for this chap has never stopped before.

“Ai… … gosh… … you mean ive always been such a persistant person ah?”

Lin Ke Song could not help praising herself.

From junior high to high school, Lin Ke Song has studied in the city’s elite schools. There was much study stress and high amounts of tension. It has to be said the appearance of Song Yi Ran was not only good for the eyes, it also gave Lin Ke Song’s spirits a boost. At least he let Lin Ke Song’s school life have that little bit of colour.

But, majority of the crushes probably die a natural death right?… … well at least she herself is one of the majority.

When she thinks like that, Lin Ke Song doesn’t feel that depressed.

When Lin Ke Song reached home, she suddenly realised that her parents were sitting in the sofa, without the television switched on, like they were specially waiting for her.

“Dad? Mom? What’s happened?”

Lin Ke Song’s heart strangely started to feel uneasy.

Can it be that after telling her mom about resigning from her third job yesterday, they have decided to hold a family meeting to criticise her?

“Ke Song ah…… father has an important matter to discuss with you.”

“Oh…… what’s the matter?” Lin Ke Song lifted everything to the table top, while constantly thinking of a plan, if dad talks about her resignation, how she should guarantee him about surely finding a job within a month.

“Your uncle is a chef in New York, you know that.”

“En.” Lin Ke Song nodded her head.

Her Dad’s younger brother, Lin Feng (remark: not the Lin Feng on TV), and a friend partnered up and opened a small Chinese restaurant in New York. Apparently, the business isn’t too bad, and every year the uncle comes back, he seems very proud.

“Your uncle’s restaurant is getting busier and he wants us to help him. Didn’t you just resign from your job? He wants you to go over to help him.”

“Help with what?” Lin Ke Song could not wrap her head around the situation.

“There are many dishwashers and waiters, but none of them are family. Your uncle is a chef in the kitchen, so he can’t keep an eye on them at all. Your aunt passed away early, your cousin is still studying and is unable to offer any help. You go over and be a supervisor, keep an eye on the employees and make sure they do their work properly. It’s that simple, the salary your uncle is giving is pretty thick, and includes food and lodging.” From the way her father speaks, it’s obvious he hopes she goes.

“That’s right, Ke Song, didn’t you study hotel management? It’s just nice, you can go to your uncle’s and gain experience. You can even go sightseeing in America, open your eyes to the world. Your dad and I think that it’s a pretty good idea. Furthermore, your dad and I feel that, if you can get used to that place, you can try to find a suitable institution and get your master’s degree there. That way, when you come back to look for a job, maybe you’d stop hitting pillars.”

New York……it’s actually New York?

Even though being a ‘supervisor’ in her uncle’s small restaurant and the connection to whatever hotel management is a little farfetched, but she will be able to draw a salary and study, and to Lin Ke Song that has an allure. It’s not that she doesn’t understand her parents’ expectations. Their real intention isn’t for her to work at her uncle’s but to use this opportunity to get a degree.

Their family has just finished paying up the mortgage loans and are marginally living comfortably, they can pay for her tuition fees but the stress of doing so may become too much. Her parents’ intention is to pay for a portion and have the remaining be paid for by the salary that she earns from working at her uncle’s.

New York…… that is the city that Song Yi Ran is going to.

Song Yi Ran didn’t say how long he was going to be there, it may a year or two, maybe he’ll end up staying there permanently.

Lin Ke Song had already mentally prepared herself to withdraw from Song Yi Ran’s life, but now there’s such an opportunity?

Is this the lottery from heaven or do the heavens want her to continue this kind of “worrying but happy” life with Song Yi Ran?

“Ke Song, there is no need to rush into making a decision, think carefully. If you are okay, your uncle will be your guarantor, and your visa issues should be fine.”

“Okay, I’ll think about it.”

She is unable to sleep, tossing and turning about on her bed all night. All that is in her mind are thoughts of hers and Song Yi Ran’s life in New York.

In her dreams, Song Yi Ran wears an ordinary pair of jeans and a t-shirt, walking with her, shoulder to shoulder through Broadway Street, walking slowly through Times Square, overlooking the statue of liberty, everything was so perfect to the point of …… unrealism.

Her stomach was bloated to death, Lin Ke Song who had eaten too much had to get up to the bathroom to puke. As expected, sweet dreams are like eating too much, you can force it down, but there won’t be a good ending.

The second day, while Lin Ke Song was researching everything related to New York in front of the computer, her phone rang.

Looking at the name on the screen, her steady heartbeat missed a beat.

“Hello? What’s up?”

“It’s so early and the unemployed young lady is already awake?”

Song Yi Ran’s lazy and contended voice is like warm sunshine to Lin Ke Song’s ears, her brain’s reactions start becoming half a second slower.

“Knowing that I’m unemployed and would want to sleep in, why are you calling to harass me so early in the morning?”

“I’m just worried that you’d eat too much for breakfast and not leave any space for lunch. See you at 12 at Lang Hua Hotel, I’m treating you to lunch oh.”

It seems like Song Yi Ran wants to keep to the plan of feeding her.

If she told him about her possibly going to New York too, wonder what kind of facial expression he’d have?

“Okay ah, see you then. If you’re late, I’ll kick your brain to pieces.”

“I’ve always been punctual.”

“Hehe.” Lin Ke Song hangs up the phone.

Song Yi Ran is in fact a very punctual person. Apparently, there has never been a time when he was late for a date with his girlfriends.

But, not for Lin Ke Song. Once, during the period when Avatar was the hottest movie, Lin Ke Song managed to grab two tickets, and made an appointment to watch the movie with Song Yi Ran. This rascal was full of promises, and in the end reached only when the crowd was dispersing. If not for his messy head of hair that made it obvious he rushed here the moment he woke, Lin Ke Song would have stamped a punch into his handsome face.

It was probably from that time onwards, but no matter what they made an appointment to do, eat, sleep, play games, wait…… it’s eat, study, play games, Lin Ke Song would mention to him to not be late.

As she was worried about traffic jams, Lin Ke Song left the house one and a half hours earlier.

When she reached Lang Hua hotel, she let out a breath as she saw the tall and big entrance.

This hotel’s décor was traditional and luxuriously elegant, hearsay accounts praised the dishes as first class, many magazine reviews also praise it as worthy of 3 Michelin stars. Those who visit this hotel are naturally people who are important and have face.

Before Lin Ke Song could get to the steps of the hotel, a pristine shiny black Bentley drives up to the front of the hotel.

The revolving door starts moving and a few middle aged men in suits walk out with welcoming stances, their smiles so deep till their faces were creased up.

The hotel’s lobby manager and other staff came out to greet too, all with looks of fear and trepidation.

“Ai ya! Mr. Jiang! Welcome welcome!”

“Our Lang Hua Hotel’s chairman, Chairman Zhao has been waiting for you since this morning to grace us with your presence!”

Lin Ke Song could not help looking towards their direction, wondering what kind of figure would warrant such a big welcoming parade.

The bald Chairman Zhao personally went up front to open the car door, stucked his butt out while using his hands as protection against the edge of the car roof, as if he’s afraid that the person inside would bump himself against the roof.

But that stance…… there is seriously nothing that is more seductive than a doorman in a red starched uniform……

First, a dark suit pants clothed long leg slid out of the car.

Just by looking at that one leg, Lin Ke Song stroked her chin: not bad ah, a quality specimen of the male species! Wonder what his face looks like!

That so called Mr Jiang bowed his head slightly and got out of the car, stood up and immediately was a head taller than that bald head Chairman Zhao, based on visuals, his height is an estimated 1.85m ah! He slightly straightened his collar, his actions not flamboyant like in a drama, but filled with restrained rigor.

His back was pencil straight, his stature elegant.

Impossible to not praise.

What Lin Ke Song could see was only the profile of the other party, but that sharp as knives chiselled outline of his profile and deep, profound eyes still managed to give Lin Ke Song visual impact.

But the other party had no facial expressions whatsoever, and gave off a look of indifference.

With a gentle toss, whatever he had in his hands, flashed like broken silver light connecting together.

“Thank you.”

His voice was icy cold. To Lin Ke Song, listening to it made all the blood flow in her body seem like it slowed down.

That sentence “Thank you.”, was out of courtesy, not out of sincerity.

When the long thin pole in his hands started tapping the ground rhythmically, Lin Ke Song then realised the other party was blind.

When that Chairman Zhao wanted to hold on to the other party, a young man who alighted from the same car stopped him.

“Chairman Zhao, Mr Jiang can take care of himself.”

What it meant was that Chairman Zhao did not have to take on the stance of helping the Empress Dowager Cixi to help Mr Jiang.

Mr Jiang did not say anything, but in a moment, the welcoming parade had retreated to both sides. After tapping his cane on the revolving door, he quietly waited for two seconds, and when the walking compartment revolved to him, he confidently stepped inside and went in.