For just a moment Fang Cheng Ran was blindsided, then he recovered and smiled at Yang Wei. "Of course."

"It may take awhile."

"It is the duty of every man to wait for a lady, and it is my honour to wait for you."

Yang Wei could not help but chuckle. "My mother drilled into me from an early age that men with silver tongues can't be trusted."

"Then I'll use my actions to change her mind."

He took Yang Wei to a famous downtown hair salon, and looking at the front of the shop, Yang Wei raised her eyebrows a little. "Isn't this salon for members only?"

A smug smile on his lips, Fang Cheng Ran reassured her, "Don’t worry, my sister is a senior member here."

At this very moment, his sister, far away abroad, received a confirmation email from her hair salon. She huffed a breath from one corner of her mouth and verified it, her heart sure that it must be from Fang Cheng Ran, that brat, leading some poor girl astray again.

Under the guidance of a stylist, Yang Wei sat down in front of a mirror. The stylist's elegant hands gently stroked her hair. "Did you have a particular hairstyle in mind? A short cut?"

Thinking for a moment, Yang Wei told them, "Please cut it short, then dye it black and straighten it. Thank you."

"Sounds good."

While Yang Wei was getting her hair done, Fang Cheng Ran sat on the sofa, reading magazines. Outside the glass windows of the shop, the sky slowly darkened, yet there was no sign of impatience on his face. .

As Yang Wei watched him in the mirror, she felt her nose suddenly become a little sour. Qi Xiao Yan had never even had the patience to be her model, yet this man was willing to sit here, waiting for her for hours.

And hungry, at that.

The stylist finished up Yang Wei’s hair by blowing it dry. “What do you think?”

“Well...” Yang Wei looked at herself in the mirror, feeling uneasy at the drastic change. “It’s quite pretty."

Her straight, black hair brushed her shoulders. The fall of her hair was excellently done, and the parting had been changed. It was a classically lovely style.

And no one would ever say again that she looked like Song Jin.

Using a cylinder brush to add a few finishing touches, the stylist smiled. "It's pretty because you are."

Yang Wei looked up at him. "Even if you flatter me like that, I won't tip you extra."

"Of course you don't have to. It's the duty of men to praise women." At some point, Fang Cheng Ran had come over, and he smiled at Yang Wei in the mirror. Bending down, he handed her a teal blue card. "This membership card has been filled with money so that you can come back at any time. Just tell them your phone number to use it."

Yang Wei was a little taken aback. "I can't accept this.”

Fang Cheng Ran looked at her in amusement. “It’s hardly a credit card. Don't be afraid to accept it.”

“Um... how much money is inside? I'll pay you back.”

Fang Cheng Ran said, quite deliberately, "Must you treat me so distantly?"

Yang Wei hesitated. The hairdresser next to her smiled at her and said, "It's also a man's duty to pay for a lady."

Yang Wei glanced at them with a smile, and finally accepted the card in Fang Cheng Ran’s hand.

Upon returning to the car, Fang Cheng Ran tapped his long index finger on the steering wheel. "It's getting late and eating something too greasy right now wouldn't be the best idea. I know a fresh mushroom shop. Why don't we go have some soup?”

Her brow furrowed, Yang Wei suddenly turned to look at him. "Fang Cheng Ran, I am divorced."

Fang Cheng Ran's movements suddenly stilled, and even the air around them seemed to stagnate briefly. He was silent awhile before replying, "I know. I heard Hao Hao mention it."

Liang Ming Hao? Yang Wei frowned, doubtful. How had he known that she was divorced? Had he heard it from another teacher?

She wet her lips. "And do you mind?"

Fang Cheng Ran squinted at her, then chuckled. "I don't mind having put off coming back here last year."

Yang Wei again wet her lips and lowered her head, saying nothing.

After a while, Fang Cheng Ran’s low voice could be heard from beside her. “He's a university professor?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Why did you divorce?”

“It was nothing much. I was too naive before marriage, and after getting married, we fought all the time."

Fang Cheng Ran fell silent, then turned his head to look at her. "Actually, I've had a girlfriend before."

Yang Wei shot him a look. She knew it! "How many girlfriends have you had?"

"...... about three five seven."

Yang Wei smiled and smacked him on the shoulder. "Not bad at all!"

He conveniently caught her hand, placing it on his heart. "But I promise that if you wish it, you'll be my last girlfriend, and in the future, my only wife."

The words that fell from his lips were the sweet nothings of every girl's dream, words that Qi Xiao Yan had never once uttered.

Yang Wei couldn't help but admit that she was tempted for a moment. Looking up at Fang Cheng Ran, she slowly pulled back her hand. "Fang Cheng Ran, I'm still..."

"I get it. No need to answer me just yet," Fang Cheng Ran smiled back, starting the car. "Now, let's first have dinner."

Dinner was fresh mushroom soup, and afterward Fang Cheng Ran sent Yang Wei back home. Regret in his voice, he told her, "I can't take you out to see a movie today, but next time I'll buy our tickets in advance."

Yang Wei blinked, then told him, "I have night classes on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays."

Fang Cheng Ran smiled, his head lowered. "I'll remember that. Good night, Teacher Yang."

"Good night."

As she exited the car, Fang Cheng Ran leaned toward the window. "Oh, and before I forget, your new hairstyle is lovely."

Yang Wei laughed, waved at him, and ran into the apartment.

Upon arriving home, Yang Wei changed into slippers and padded into the living room. The photo frame next to the TV cabinet jumped out at her immediately. Throwing her handbag on the sofa, she walked over to stare at it.

She had to admit that Qi Xiao Yan was incredibly good-looking. He could make even a simple shirt look sexy. From the curve of his brows, the tilt of his eyes, the high bridge of his nose, the line of his lips... it seemed as though everything had been precisely calculated and carefully placed, the type of beauty Yang Wei liked the most. His resting expression was so spare that his occasional smiles were even more charming for their rarity.

Smack!

Yang Wei slapped the photo frame face down on the table. Still trying to seduce me? No way!

After turning every single photo in the living room facedown, she walked into the bedroom. The large wedding photo there contained an enlarged version of Qi Xiao Yan's smiling face. Yang Wei flattened her mouth, found a black marker from the drawer, and moved a stool closer so she could stand on it.

Here, a moustache! And black stripes on your eyes, haha, and then a few sesame seeds... By the time she finished her art work, she was in stitches at her own graffiti.

Grabbing her pajamas, she went to the bathroom for a shower. Finding that Yang Hao had sent her a text message while she was showering, she flopped down on the bed and opened it--

"Elder sister, it really worked! That girl hasn't appeared for the past two days!"

Yang Wei stared at the text message for a while before replying. "Is a first love really so important to a man?"

Her brother replied, "First love for a man is like a dream from which we never want to wake up. :)"

The corners of Yang Wei's mouth flattened. A dream? Throwing the phone aside, she got up and turned her computer on. On the Cape Forum, she added a post to the emotions section.

"What does first love mean to a man? I'll be waiting online, it's urgent."

After refreshing the page several times, a few responses finally popped up.

"A first love is beautified in a man's memory. No one can surpass it."

"Like an apple blossom, at the age of seventeen or eighteen, I met you, the most beautiful, at the most beautiful time."

"My first love is now my wife, and my life is complete ~"

"First love is the cinnabar mole that can never be wiped from a man's heart." ¹From the ever so slightly cynical novella Red Roses and White Roses, by Zhang Ailing. I don't have access to an actual translation, so here is mine: "Maybe every man has had two such women, at least two. If one marries the red rose, over time her red becomes a spot of blood on the wall, while the white remains like moonlight in front of the bed; if the white rose, she becomes a grain of sticky rice on one's clothes, while the red is as a cinnabar mole above the heart."

...

It seems like first love was very important to men.

Yang Wei turned off her computer and huddled under the covers.

Alas, her first love was Qi Xiao Yan.

She suppressed a sigh and forced away the tears that sprang to her eyes.

frostcrystal

Although Fang Cheng Ran is almost a little too smooth for me, I feel like he's what Yang Wei really needs at this point in time, after a year of neglect in her own marriage. Anyway, being treated like a queen every once in a while sounds nice, doesn't it? (I say this as my boyfriend blearily stumbles up to bed after 5 straight hours of Warhammer.)

In other news, hello all! I'm Crystal and I'm picking up this series. Thank you for reading! I enjoy reading comments, so please leave me a few. :) I look forward to riding through this story with you.