The sun dipped low in the horizon, casting long shadows on the houses in the cul-de-sac. The sky was pink with orange hue behind the trees that separated the homes. It was the start of summer. Lu Wan Wan was home from school and she was put straight to work. Summers usually meant that she was out with her friends, sitting by the pool and having the best time of her life. However, this summer, she was helping her father and stepmother out. If her mother was still alive, her mother would have wanted her to have fun.  

            Her father and stepmother were having one of their parties where they invite their rich friends over for dinner to talk about nothing but to brag about how rich they are. Her father was a well-known doctor at Xincheng General Hospital, and she was interning at his hospital. Her family came from a long line of doctors on both sides. Her great-grandfather founded Xincheng General Hospital, at the time, it was just a small hospital that eventually grew to be one of the biggest hospitals in Xincheng. Her grandfather is currently the Chairman of Xincheng General Hospital, while her dad is the current President. Since she’s home from college, she is interning as his assistant.

            Lu Wan Wan was directing one of her stepmother’s friend, Jin Yu, who was irate over the red wine stain on her shirt to the bathroom—apparently one of the catering staff had bumped into her, splashing her wine all over her. She sighed and sneaked out of the house. She went down the front walk, cutting around the caterer’s van in their driveway. There was a corner bookstore down the street from her house and she wanted to go there to read and to get away from her parents’ stupid party. She was passing by some garbage cans when someone jumped out at her from the bushes between her house and her neighbor’s.

            “Boo!”

            She shrieked and fell backwards. She was gasping for her breath as her heart was pounding in her chest. She was not prepared for the surprise attack. Silence filled the air for a moment as a car drove by.

            “Ren Yu?” A voice can be heard coming from the catering van. “What happened?”

          The bush beside her rustled. She stared at the bush blankly. “I’m...um...I’m...” a voice said hesitantly from somewhere inside the bush. “I scared you, right?”

            She heard footsteps, and a few seconds later she could make out a guy in a white button up shirt and black slacks walking towards them. He was holding a serving tray under his arm. He squinted his eyes as he got closer, making her out in the semi-dark.

            “Nope. Not me. It was someone else,” he said. He was standing in front of her. She can tell that he was tall and slender. His dark hair was layered at the top that was styled into a texture quiff. He was very handsome, his jawline was a masterpiece of geometry, tracing a refined and elongated contour that framed their face with precision that you couldn’t help but noticed, even if you have a boyfriend. “Are you okay?” he said, helping her up off the cold floor.

            She nodded as she cleaned her clothes. Her heart was still racing from the fright. “Thank you,” she murmured, her voice soft but sincere.

            She thought that he was going to leave after helping her, but he stood there, observing the bush. He stuck his left hand into the center of the bush and a few seconds later, pulling out another guy, this one was shorter with dark shaggy hair, wearing identical clothes. He looked younger than the man standing next to him. He looked away from her and his face was bright red.

            “Ren Yu,” he said, sighing. “Seriously.”

            “You have to understand. I didn’t mean to scare you,” Ren Yu said, embarrassed.

            “Just apologize to her,” he said.

            “I’m so very sorry,” he said, as he pulled out a pine needle out of his hair. “Um, I thought that you were my ge (brother).” He put his hands in his pockets as he continued to look away from her.

            “That’s okay,” Lu Wan Wan said, with a smile.

Ren Yu’s ge nudged him, then nodded towards the house. “Oh, right,” he said, running up the driveway, disappearing into the house. They stood out there together for a few seconds longer, silence filling the air. She stole a few glances at him before getting caught by him.  The light outside the kitchen door , brightening the garage. They turned towards the light and watched the door swung open. A short, petite woman wearing a black apron stood at the top of the stairs, looking around. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun on top of her head. She was squinting out to them with a curious, but impatient expression. “Where is that serving tray that I asked for twenty minutes ago?” she shouted out to them. He flashed her the serving tray as his que to go.

            “Right here,” he said, walking up the driveway. She watched as he handed the lady the serving tray and they both disappeared into the house as the door shut behind them. She shook her head and made her way to the corner bookstore.

            As the soft chime of the door's bell announced her arrival, Lu Wan Wan stepped into the serene realm of the bookstore. The cozy ambiance welcomed her like an old friend, and the faint scent of aged paper and polished wood embraced her senses. The mellow lighting cast a warm glow on the rows of bookshelves that stretched like sentinels, guarding treasures of imagination and knowledge. With a purposeful but unhurried stride, Lu Wan Wan traversed the narrow aisles, her fingers gently grazing the spines of books as if seeking a connection with the stories within. Her eyes, bright with anticipation, scanned the titles and covers, each promising a journey to a different realm.  Her gaze settled on a book that seemed to beckon her—a novel whose cover art held the promise of an adventure yet untold. She plucked it from its resting place, feeling the textured paper beneath her fingertips. The weight of the book felt reassuring in her hand, a tangible connection to the world of words and wonder.

            Carrying the book Lu Wan Wan continued through the store until she reached her cherished destination—the bay window. The nook was adorned with a cushioned seat that invited her to linger. She settled in, the book cradled in her lap, its pages waiting to unfold their secrets. The bay window offered a panoramic view of the bustling street outside—a tableau of life and stories unfolding beyond the pages. With a contented sigh, Lu Wan Wan opened the book, immersing herself in the first lines that transported her to a different reality. As the outside world faded into the background, she lost herself in the written words, each sentence a steppingstone into a realm of imagination.

            Minutes turned into hours without her notice, as she immersed herself in her book. Her phone was buzzing in her pocket. She fished out her phone and saw four text messages from her father.

Where are you?

 Where did you go?

Come back once you see this message.

Lu Wan Wan, where are you? Call me once you see this message.

She responded to her father telling him that she was the corner bookstore and will be back shortly. She put the book back in its place and walked out of the store. She made the short walk home and saw that the caterer’s van was still sitting on her driveway. She walked past the van and up the driveway to the front door. Once she was back inside, her father was deep in conversation with Professor Chen Jing about his latest archeological dig last semester. I stood there, waiting for a chance to interrupt them so she can talk to her father.  

“Excuse me,” her father said, once he noticed her standing there. Professor Chen Jing excused them and stepped aside while he talked to her. “Wan Wan, where did you disappear to?”

“I text you where I went,” she responded.

“I don’t have my phone with me right now,” he said, his voice stern.

“I went to the corner bookstore,” she said. She saw her father’s expression changed when he noticed what she was wearing.

“Why are you dressed like that?” he asked. She looked down at what she was wearing. She had a pair of washed-out distressed jeans that is folded right above her ankles with a white, stripped print drop shoulder T-shirt and a pair of white classic Converse. She was about to answer her father when there was a loud crash coming from the kitchen. Everything in the front of the house stopped—conversations, movement, people. Silence was replaced by a women’s voice. “It’s fine! Everything is fine back here!” she called out to them. “As you were.”

            A second later, everyone was back to their conversations as if nothing had happened. Laughter. Glass clinking. Talking. The room was filled with chatter. Her father returned his attention on her and stared at her with a stern expression.

            “I’ll go change,” she said.

            “Actually,” he said, “There’s been spills on our guests, not enough appetizers, and now a crash. I am not happy with them at the moment. Could you go and convey that?” And with that, he walked away from her and joined her friends in conversation. She sighed and walked towards the kitchen. When she came in through the kitchen door, and the first thing that she did was stepped on was something mushy under her foot. Then she noticed that all over the floor was some sweet and sour meatballs—some at a standstill and some that were slowly rolling away to the corners. She followed one of the rolling meatballs and saw a little girl, about two or three, sitting by the fridge using her tablet. She was unfazed by the crash and the meatballs that rolled past her.

            “I guess this is it for the sweet and sour meatballs.” She turned to the right and saw the lady from earlier standing by the oven with an empty tray in her hands. She sighed and put the tray down on the counter. She was rubbing her temples as she leaned against the counter. Lu Wan Wan stepped to the side just in time from getting get by the door as it swung open. Ren Yu walked in carrying a tray with empty bottle glasses.

            “Xiaoyi (younger maternal aunt),” he shouted, “we need more crispy wontons!”

            “I heard you. Don’t need to shout,” she said with a tired voice. “Okay. Here’s what we’re going to do. Yu’er, grab the har gow (steamed shrimp dumplings) and tell them that the crispy wontons will be out in a minute.”

            “Are they?” he asked, walking over to the counter. He plopped the har gow on his empty tray and some soy sauce along with some napkins, before making his way back towards the door.

            “Not at the moment, but we need to do what we can, right?” she said. “I just lost the sweet and sour meatballs, so I need to come up with a different plan. Yu’er, while you are out then, can you asked Chu’er to come back here?”

            “Okay,” he said, before the door shut behind him. As the door closes, she was able to see Ren Chu at the bar, pouring some liquor into a glass and handing it to Professor Zhang Qiang. Once the door was fully shut and he was longer in her sight, she turned back to the mess in the kitchen. The lady still didn’t notice her as she walked over the utility closet and grabbed the broom and dustpan. She started sweeping up the meatballs when she came upon a pair of white Converse that she did not recognize. She looked up and saw Lu Wan Wan standing by the door. Lu Wan Wan flashed her a small smile as she hung her head low.

            “I bet. your parents are pissed,” she said, as she placed her left hand on her hips.

“I wouldn’t say that they are pissed, per se,” Lu Wan Wan replied. Just as the universe would have it, there was another crash coming from the next room, followed by silence. She turned her attention to the door and sighed.

“What about now?”

“Now, they are,” Lu Wan Wan said, softly.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “This is a total disaster.” Lu Wan Wan stood there watching as she took a few deep breaths. After a moment, she opened her eyes and accepted the disaster. “Well, know I know where we stand and now things can only get better, right?” Lu Wan Wan didn’t answer her, which did not help with the situation. She sighed an exasperated sigh. Just then the oven timer went off with a ding. She looked at Lu Wan Wan with a tired expression. “Do you mind helping?”

“Um...” Lu Wan Wan said. “No.”

“Okay, great,” she said. “Come here.”  After ten minutes, Lu Wan Wan figured out a rhythm. It was similar to baking but double the speed: lay out the wontons on the cookie sheet in neat rows, put in oven, remove the ones in the oven, pile onto a try, send them out. And repeat. “Wonderful job,” she said, watching me as she laid down the har gow at twice my speed. “You are doing a wonderful job as a first timer.”

I smiled at this when a short, petite girl walked through the door. She was carrying a tray of with empty glasses and wrinkled napkins. She was the girl who caused the second crash earlier. She was the one who was serving the wine to people. Lu Wan Wan watched as she placed the tray on the counter and stormed off. She turned to the woman standing next to her and she just shook her head. “I’ll go and talk to her,” she said.

Lu Wan Wan nodded her head and watched as the lady followed the girl out of the kitchen, leaving the little girl with her. She turned to the right and noticed at the little girl had dozed off and fallen asleep on the floor. She smiled at the little girl and walked over, picking her up, and moving her into her car seat in the corner.

She returned with the girl and the girl grabbed the tray and walked out the door with a fake smile. “She’s okay. That’s Xu Xin Ru. She is usually preppy and happy, but she’s self-conscious and when makes a mistake, like spilling wine on people, she tends to be hard on herself,” she explained. “Oh, my name is Zhu Yi Ran,” she said.

“Lu Wan Wan.”

“Nice to meet you. We are not usually like this. We are usually professional, but my babysitter flaked on me, and my servers got food poisoning last night from their night out. So, I’m stuck with only these three servers,” she said.

“There you are,” a voice can be heard behind them. They turned around and Lu Wan Wan’s stepmother was poking through the door. “Your father was looking for you.”

“Okay,” she said, wiping her hands on the apron that she was wearing.

“Oh, and the food is amazing, and everyone loved it,” she said, with a stern voice that made it clear there was abut to follow, “but...”

“Mrs. Lu,” she said, taking a deep breath, “I would like to apologize for the disastrous start to the evening. We are understaffed today, which is no excuse for this mess. I would like to forgo your remaining balance and I hope that you will use us again for your next event.” Mrs. Lu stared at her with a small smile.

“Well,” she said, “I appreciate your apology and it is a fair compensation. Your food is amazing, and everyone is having a good time.” She sidestepped as Ren Yu walked in with an empty tray.

“We need more har gow!” he shouted. Zhu Yi Ran forced out a smile and placed her hand on the counter.

“Yu’er. You don’t have to shout. I’m right here. The tray of har gow is ready for you,” she said, pointing to the tray of har gow that she had just filled while talking to Mrs. Lu. Ren Yu dropped his empty tray on the counter and grabbed the tray full of har gow and gave them all a warm smile before heading out the door. Mrs. Lu turned her attention back to Lu Wan Wan.

“Your father,” she said.

“Oh, right,” Lu Wan Wan said. She turned to Zhu Yi Ran and smiled, “um, thank you for teaching me the way of catering.”

“Oh, no. Thank you for helping,” she said. “She’s a natural. I would love to have her help me again if she’s not too bushy.”

“Thank you for the consideration, but I’m afraid that she won’t be of any use. She’s actually interning at Xincheng General Hospital this summer,” Mrs. Lu said.

“Ah, a smart girl,” Zhu Yi Ran said.

“That’s our Wan Wan,” she said. Lu Wan Wan kept to herself as she listened to their conversation. Her father rarely praised, and her stepmother tries her best, but she knows that her stepmother is just as weak as she is when it comes to defying her father. They only who can go against her father was her mother. “Your father is waiting,” she said to Lu Wan Wan.

Lu Wan Wan nodded her head and excused herself. She walked out the door and disappeared into the sea of people. Mrs. Lu took one look around the kitchen, before following behind Wan Wan. Zhu Yi Ran sighed a breath of relief and continued on with her har gow.

The last person to leave was Doctor Xu Yu, who was laughing as he walked out of the house with his wife. Mr. Lu locked the door behind him and made his way up the stairs and into his office. Lu Wan Wan was already in her room, reading as she sat in her favorite swing macrame chair hammock by her bay window. The moonlight shone brightly into her room as she read under the moonlight. Her phone dinged and she got up from her swing and walked over to her desk. She picked up her phone and it was a text from An Jia Xin, her boyfriend. He was in Nanyuan interning at one of his family’s hotels. His father wanted him to learn the business by sending him to Nanyuan to learn.  

            He was telling her about his day and how hard it was working in the hotel. His father did not let him use his identity as the son of Rixiang Hotel while working as an intern, so he was being “bossed” around by his superiors. Lu Wan Wan sighed and responded to his text with some comforting words. She put her phone down and walked over to her window. She opened the window and stepped out onto her balcony. She was staring at the stars for a moment when she heard voices coming from down below. She peered over the railing and saw a few people moving around the catering van as they packed up the last of their things.

            “...I was able to pin him to the ground, not giving him a chance to attack at all. He was bigger than me, but I was able to beat him at his own game. He had no chance at all.” She heard Ren Yu saying. He was standing by the back of the van, talking to someone who was moving about inside the van.

            “Really?” the person inside the van said.

            “Yes! He didn’t get a chance to beat me at all. That’s how I won the medal,” he continued.

            “Give it a rest,” another voice said. She recognized the second voice. It was Ren Chu. His voice was low and soothing. She can listen to him talk all day with a voice like that.

            “She didn’t believe that I beat Qiao Yi Fan, who was twice my size, but I did!” Ren Yu protested. “Ge, you were there. You saw me beat him!”

            “Are we ready to go?” Zhu Yi Ran said as she down the driveway from the garage. She was holding her sleeping daughter, with the car seat on her other hand. Ren Chu walked up to her and took the car seat from her. From where she was standing, she can make out his figure. As if sensing that someone was watching him, he learned his head back, glancing up at her. She stepped back into the shadows, hiding from him. He smiled as she catches a glimpse of her.

            “Yes, we’re all packed,” the girl, Xu Xin Ru said, as she stepped out of the van. She closed the trunk of the van and patted the door. “All set.”

            “Who has the keys?” Zhu Yi Ran said, searching her pockets.

            “I do,” Ren Yu said. “I’ll drive.”

            Silence filled the air as everyone stood still staring at him. She peered over the railing and noticed that Ren Chu and Zhu Yi Ran was glancing at each other, as if they were talking telepathically.

            “I don’t think so,” she finally said.

            “What? I have my license for a year now and none of you would let me drive!” Ren Yu protested.

            “Maybe another time,” Zhu Yi Ran said, extending her arm for the keys. Lu Wan Wan watched as Ren Yu reluctantly hands over the key. Zhu Yi Ran said something indiscernible to him and took the keys. She hands the keys to Ren Chu and patted the younger man on the shoulder. Lu Wan Wan watched as the women climbed into the van, leaving the two men behind the van. Ren Yu was sulking, and his older brother placed his hand on his shoulder.

            “Don’t take it personal. It’s not a big deal. Xiaoyi will let you drive one of these days,” he said, reassuring his younger brother. Lu Wan Wan watched as Ren Yu walked over to the side and heard the door slam shut. Ren Chu took last look around and walk over to the driver side. He looked up and caught sight of her. Their eyes met, and she quickly rushed inside, her heart beating as she closed the window. He smiled and got into the car, driving out of the driveway.