First Date

The emperor was rumored to be so devoted to his empress, there was no other woman in the imperial harem. He was the first of his kind in the history of the royal families.

There was a story that passed through every single road in the capital city, whether big or small. In his youth, the emperor fell deeply in love with a lowly ranked noble's family. To capture that woman's heart, he chased her for five years. Only when he vowed to only love her that she agreed to be his wife.

The empress's birthday was undoubtedly the fanciest of all holidays. The emperor made that clear.

Lanterns lit up the city and sounds of fireworks filled the streets. Children ran along the trails towards the lotus pond while parents and elders followed happily behind.

Strolling along with the crowd, Shen Mohua naturally looked where everyone suddenly stopped.

By the lake, under a fluttering wisteria tree, was a man dressed in red. While the white blooms around him brought a cheerful, refreshing sight, the man himself was stoic as stone.

The crowd whispered among themselves. "How scary, children hurry along."

"It's really a demon in the flesh..."

"A demon! Run!"

"..." Shen Mohua blinked twice and craned her head for a closer look. Demon? Which demon had ever looked this handsome? Plus, he had clearly been waiting for her.

How sweet, she thought as a small smile found its way onto her face.

Only his eyes were bad, his ears worked perfectly fine. Ou Junsan had long been used to this type of reactions, a normal reaction, unlike the strange woman skipping over. The evening breeze passed over her scent as she came too close. Yet again.

Shen Mohua stood on tiptoes and wrapped her small hands around his eyes, standing as tall as humanly possible without knocking him over. The tips of her fingers still barely grazed his cheeks.

"Guess who?" A sweet voice warmed his ear.

The corner of his lips twitched and he had to stopped himself. "Who else dares...?"

"... That's not how you play it." Her hands fell limply by her side as her lips formed a childish pout. "You're no fun."

Ou Junsan could hear the clear disappointment in her voice. His lips spread into a smile and he grabbed her hand.

Shen Mohua, who was ready to leave, found herself pressed against the trunk. Her large eyes blinked slowly. The usually calm man she'd been used to now emitted a feeling of urgency. Her voice was barely a whisper when she managed to speak, "O-ou Junsan...? What are you doing?"

The man before her all of a sudden really looked like a demon. His dark red curls fluttered freely behind him, the fiery red of his clothes gave him a demonic glow. "Playing with you..."

He raised his thumb to stroke her cheek, the calloused finger grazing against her soft skin. "...Isn't this what you wanted?"

The clash of red and green under the wisteria tree received full attention. The nearby hushed voices grew louder and louder. There was one question burning in the air, which unlucky lady was entangled with the demon in such a promiscuous position?

Shen Mohua's heart was about to burst out of her chest, her cheeks turned redder than his shirt, and her breaths stopped for a moment. "Jun, everyone is watching us..."

"Ah, are they?" He pretended to care, but that didn't even lasted one second. "Why should it matter if I can't see them?"

"..." He couldn't see, but she could see it so clearly! There was smoke fuming out from her father's head! Shen Mohua pressed her back further into the rough texture of the tree barks, as if the trunk could split open and she could hide inside. "Y-you may have to take me as your bride this very night."

Ou Junsan quickly wrapped his cloak over her shoulders. Faster than lighting, the man who seemed like a villain changed into that of an honorable hero. "Make sure to keep warm so you don't catch a cold."

"..." Shen Mohua could only stand still obediently.

Shen Liu's red face of anger changed into embarrassment. What was he doing, rushing over when his good son in law was just taking care of his daughter?

Aiya, the old man really ruined a loving moment. Meng Jia silently scolded her husband.

Shen Liu didn't speak and instead, sent a fierce look towards his daughter. The meaning was clear, don't dare to be naughty. In fact, don't even think of it.

Shen Mohua tactfully grabbed onto Ou Junsan and hid behind him. "My parents are here..."

"Forgive this ignorant one. Greetings, father and mother," His voice was steady and strong, as if they were previously behaving.

"Aiya, no need to stand on formalities. We're all a family here." Meng Jia pulled her husband and signaled to Shen Mohua, then pointed towards the lake. You meet us over there. In fact, do it right now.

Shen Mohua nodded eagerly, readily agreeing to usher them along. She'd be there, just not very soon.

It wasn't hard for Ou Junsan to guess what the family was doing in the awkward silence. He turned towards her, "You have something to tell me--"

"Hurry, hurry or else you'll miss it!" The crowd rushed forward, even pushing the people in front. The urgent commotion caused everyone to focus on something else, already forgetting the scene under the wisteria tree.

Even Shen Mohua forgot the situation she was in, her curiosity taking over. "What's going on?"

The sounds of a zither echoed through the air and with it, came a voice as sweet as honey. The crazy crowd was so amazed their movements paused for a while as they determined the exact location.

Shen Mohua, who had never been in the capital and never seen such performances, was naturally excited. She grabbed his sleeves. "Ou Junsan, let's go watch it!"

Ou Junsan felt the tug on his sleeves and he almost laughed. "I know you have something in that little mind of yours."

Shen Mohua glanced around, finding that most people had really left. She shamelessly asked loudly, "Is this a date?"

"...What do you think?"

Her skin was thick. There was no hesitation as she straightforwardly replied, "Yes."

Ou Junsan directly took her hand and took a step forward. Trailing from behind, Shen Mohua almost didn't dare believe it was real. The lanterns flashed by in fuzzy colors and voices hushed vaguely. There were only two things she could process.

One, the warmth of his hand. And two, his deep, but steady voice responding back.

"Happy first date, my soon to be bride."