That Promise

Part 1

On another part of town, Feng Xin woke up in his small but cosy flat as usual, stretching in bed, then getting up yawning loudly, going to wash his face and brush his teeth. He then put on some sweatpants, a t-shirt and trainers, and went to work out at his local park, just like every day.

"Morning Mrs Lan", he waved at that old lady walking her dog, while starting his warm-up run - he did three laps around the park, greeting a few other people who also dropped by, then went to the monkey bars to do some pull-ups.

He used an app to keep track of bench dips, push-ups, squats - his routine was quite good, as his tall, muscled and well-toned body showed. Of course a gym could offer a wider range of equipment, but Feng Xin quite liked being outdoors, getting some fresh air. And meeting people, that community feel.

"Fuck man, are you still sleeping?", he teased another local, Pei Su, at the push-up benches, "Faster, we need to get those abs nice for summer, right?", he said, pffting a laugh.

"Ah, Feng Xin", Pei Su replied quite breathlessly, "Saturday I got a stall at the food market, why don't you stop by? Japanese street food. Tempura, gyoza..."

"Stop stop stop, you're making me hungry already. Do I get a discount?", he replied with a wink.

After finishing his workout, he walked back home all sweaty, even though the temperatures were dropping these days - but that was good, it showed he had worked hard. He went to the kitchen, taking off his t-shirt and wiping himself, then boiled water to make some black coffee.

He liked a little break to cool down for ten minutes or so before hitting the shower, and as he leaned against the kitchen counter, sipping on his mug slowly, not really thinking of anything -

His phone buzzed, and pinged from his pocket: an Instagram notification.

Feng Xin reached out and grabbed it to have a look, and as he scrolled down, he saw it was -

An invitation for Mu Qing's 30th birthday party. Huh? Mu Qing? The fuck?

•

As Mu Qing walked into that modern-looking and stylish architecture and design office, even who didn't know who he was - an associate partner, leading major projects from Europe and Middle-East to far Asia - still turned their heads at him: he was this good-looking.

Tall and slender, pale with very black hair, middle-length and layered, which he sometimes tied up in a half ponytail. He was handsome, with high cheekbones and a straight nose, deep grey eyes and long, dark eyebrows. Not only that: he was always well-dressed, and the way he walked, his confident and polite manners, his smile, his voice -

He was really too much, nobody dared to approach him, nor even to ask him to join in for a drink.

"Morning Mr Mu", a secretary greeted him nervously, "Huh, we've received those two reports you requested, I left them in your office. And I'm still waiting a confirmation from that supplier - "

He nodded in acknowledgment, and kept walking on, being greeted by other people along the way.

"Mu Qing, sir", a graduate architect, Fu Yao, approached, "Those renderings are ready, whenever you'd like to have a look - "

He smiled politely, thinking these graduates were so keen, and kept walking, finally reaching his own office. He took his blazer off and pushed his long sleeves up, making himself some herbal tea before sitting at his computer to look at his e-mails and agenda for the day ahead. With no meetings scheduled, this was a day to focus on projects only.

I wonder what Feng Xin thought when he got the invite, if he was surprised, he thought, sipping on his tea and leaning on his chair. Mu Qing couldn't help but think again of that dream, that promise.