“How much did it cost?” She couldn’t help but ask. She was sure that preparing a firework show like this would cost a man’s fortune!

“You don’t have to worry about that. It’s just a small expense for me.”

Lu Mengjie giggled as she said, “Oh yeah. I almost forgot that you’re actually a walking wallet.”

They stayed at the park for a while until the firework show had ended.

On their way back to their place, both Lu Mengjie and her son fell fast asleep while Yong Liwei drove them home.

Arriving back at home, Lu Mengjie took her sleeping son to his crib before she went and changed her clothes after a shower.

She crawled to the bed and waited for her husband.

Yong Liwei received a call about work when they arrived so it was probably going to take time.

Not being able to tolerate the sleepiness in her eyes, she slowly allowed it to consume her. Soon enough, her dream began.

…

A 7-year-old Mengmeng was sitting on a swing, her head down as if she was in deep thought. She had purposely missed her class that day that was why she was alone in the playground.

It was her birthday that day and she was in no mood to celebrate it with her classmates especially when it was also her father’s death anniversary. Even if she was a young child, her mind had matured faster than others.

“Hey little girl, what are you doing here alone by yourself?” A man approached her.

She slowly lifted her head to level her eyes at the man before her. The man looked so friendly as he flashed her a gentle smile. 

Her parents had always warned her not to talk to strangers so she remained quiet.

“Oh! Let me introduce myself to you, my name is Bambang. I’m one of your dad’s friends. He told me to check on you since he found out that you didn’t go to school.” The man sat on the other swing, beside hers.

Mengmeng knew that her father had assigned men to guard her and her brother from the shadows. She knew who those men were especially when they have always been a part of the school staff. 

Her school was full of her father’s spies, from teacher Qiang Wei to janitor Tumi. She was close to them after all and they had always been good friends with her. This man was not one of their group, she didn’t recognize him at all.

She finally opened her mouth to ask him, “if you are my daddy’s friend, what is my name?”

Bambang chuckled. He didn’t look bothered by her question at all. “Your name is Lu Mengjie.”

Mengmeng puckered her lips. She quickly covered the name card on her uniform with her hand since she noticed how he eyed her chest for a second. “You’re cheating mister! You saw my name!”

“If you don’t believe me, you can ask your dad.” He stood up from his seat. “But for now, I should bring you back to school, little miss.”

Mengmeng’s eyes narrowed as she eyed him suspiciously until the man took out candy from his pocket.

“How about this? I’ll also buy you an ice cream on our way?”

Just like any other child, Mengmeng’s weakness had always been treats. “Really?”

“Of course! I’ll even buy you a teddy bear.” He grinned at her. “So let’s go?” He offered his hand to her.

Just before Mengmeng could take the man’s hand, someone threw a stone against his hand, shoving it away from the little girl’s reach.

“What are you doing with my meimei (little sister)?”

Both Bambang and little Mengmeng turned towards the owner of the voice.

The man who walked towards them had pale golden hair and brilliant dark eyes. The features of the young man were so beautifully sculptured that he almost looked so angelic. This man’s overall appearance was so beautiful in its majesty, it was disarming.

Mengmeng’s eyes lit up the moment she saw such a man. In her eyes, he was an angel that descended from heaven! At that moment, little Mengmeng instantly fell in love at first sight at the heavenly being that appeared before them.

“Is he your brother?” Bambang asked in confusion.

The little girl ran towards the stunning young man and in an instant, she grabbed his hand as she declared, “he is not my brother! He is Mengmeng’s husband!”

When she looked at the man again, this time, her brows met. Huh? Why couldn’t she see the man’s face? Why was it blurry? How could she find him so handsome when she couldn’t even see his face?

As she continued to make out for his features, her surroundings became dark. The young man before her kept still. Lu Mengjie could tell that he was staring right back at her.

“Who are you?” Lu Mengjie asked as her child figure turned to an adult. She tried to pull back her hand away from his hold but the man’s grip only tightened, refusing to let go.

“Release me! Now!” She demanded. Even with his tight grip, for some reason, she couldn’t feel any pain from it. His hold around her hand was gentle but that didn’t calm her at all. 

In her eyes, the blond man before her was a stranger from her past. She couldn’t even remember the way he looked unlike the other man, Bambang.

“Let go of my hand!” 

Finally, the man released her hand. When she looked at him once again, his figure began fading in front of her.

At first, Lu Mengjie didn’t care much about it, especially when he was just a stranger… that should be the case but why did she feel like he was someone she knew?

“Wait! Tell me your name before you leave!” She would probably remember who he was if he told her who he was. She reached out to him but before she could even touch him, he disappeared.

Huh? 

A glowing red string wrapped around her wrist caught her attention. From her wrist, the thread went on until the darkest part of the place she was in. 

Was this supposed to be the so-called red string of fate? If so, could the person at the end of the thread be the man that was meant for her?

With that thought in mind, she began running, following the glowing red string.