“Selfies!!!” Linlin pushed in behind YuZhi and TangShi on the dancefloor, holding her phone up high to capture while on tiptoes above the three of them as they huddled in then waved frantically at ZhengLi to come over. She was picture happy tonight, more so the drunker she got because she wanted to document TangShi’s first night partying with her. It was a long time dream of hers to have TangShi live a normal life of a twenty odd year old girl in Shanghai and she never for a moment thought a contract marriage would be the key to achieving it.“Stop taking so many.” TangShi giggled but still smiled and posed as YuZhi pulled her in beside him with an arm around her shoulders to ger in on screen, sticking his two-fingers up in a V sign as the three of them were caught for all time on Linlin’s cell. He was an old hand at selfies and having pictures taken and seemed to have no bad angles. ZhengLi wandered over with his tray in hand and a new rou

“Are you sure this is everything? We could check out the new store over there.” Linlin offered but TangShi shook her head without looking to see what the store was and finished putting the shopping bags into the boot of Linlin’s orange car. Glad to have finally finished ticking off her list. “I already have so many supplies and don’t need much. It’s an art school, not a college for scholars, and I’m sure I can pick up anything later I may have forgotten.” TangShi was excited about her starting date in only a few days and was eagerly counting them down. It seemed like it was coming so fast, and she was more than ready to start. To have something to fill her days with. “Clothes?” Linlin offered with a small smile. “I’m sure you need some fashionable and arty overalls or something!” “You

YuZhi drove them to a secluded area on the far end of the bund, where many private buildings had their own parking and navigated through a gated entrance using a keypad. The landscaping for this particular park was slightly raised compared to the road in and they got as close to the waterfront as possible before he parked his car, facing towards the display area in the distance. It was a perfect sightseeing spot for the bund from here and they could still hear the music from the bands.TangShi was regretting eating her candy floss so fast and was sporting a stomachache now, curled up in the passenger seat, being quiet and pale faced but still eager to see the show. They hadn’t driven far but this area was darker than the surroundings and had some trees concealing the private parking lot, so it seemed secluded. It felt like they were out in the woods if it wasn’t for the high-rise buildings peeking all around them and the glow of the city lights all around. There w

TangShi stretched out and rotated her shoulders to ease their stiffness as she put down her mixing bowl and spatula, pleased with the natural paint they had been learning to make all day. She now had several soft colors and some ground dried plants and herbs laid out before her to use in tomorrow’s class. This was the most enjoyable and unexpected lesson she had ever had and bode well for her days here after this. A first success, and she was thrilled to be here under the watchful but also gentle care of Master. Cai.He was exactly how Linlin had imagined him. An old man with soft grey hair that was kept neat and trim around his head, but his beard was long and tapered into a point midway down his chest. He was on the older side in age, but utterly adorable. He was wrinkled and tanned but a smiley fellow who loved to spend his days wearing the traditional Manchu style of clothing that compromised of a long-fitted cotton coat that buttoned high to the neck, over loose pa

Rhea flicked her hair back off her face, trying to control her inner temper and hit redial on her cell for the fifth time. Pacing the empty corridor of the runway hall for the event tonight and aggravated more as seconds ticked by and he still didn’t pick up.She had been trying to call YuZhi for the last two days, after he agreed they would sit down, the three of them, and talk things out. Since she slapped TangShi in the face she had avoided her, raged about the whole situation, cried, hated, and then relented and contacted YuZhi. She knew she had been wrong and even ZhengLi confirmed the whole incident had been innocent and drunken antics and mixed-up phones.She had no idea why now after agreeing, he had gone off the radar again and was blanking her once more. YuZhi was getting too good at doing it. Since this whole stupid arrangement, he had been trying to distance them, keep them apart, and was continuously reminding her the breakup had to be real. She neve