That Promise

Part 3

Mu Qing never posted anything personal though, let alone selfies, but knowing him, he must be as good-looking and stylish as ever, Feng Xin concluded.

He looked around, wondering what to buy for lunch, then maybe take a nap in the afternoon and later on... Fuck! What about Mu Qing's party? Today –

Feng Xin fished his phone from his pocket and sent Xie Lian a text, asking if he was going – he never had the chance to tell him of Mu Qing inviting him to his birthday. No answer. Feng Xin then remembered: Xie Lian had gone to Thailand with Hua Cheng and had mentioned they would do some island hopping and the internet signal would be a bit patchy...

Right, he frowned, the party would be in a fancy nightclub, what do you wear at these places? Why Mu Qing doesn't have a birthday party in a fucking bar just like everyone else? And, huh, should he get a haircut then?

•

Mu Qing made a proper entrance at XianLe, a state-of-the-art nightclub with amazing light effects and star DJs, huge led screens and premium service – meaning really cool, expensive cocktails. Well, he was the host, the star of the party, and it was his 30th birthday after all, no one who knew him would expect less than a classy, trendy place.

As he walked in confidently and at ease he got a few admiring looks – not that he wasn't used to it.

He always looked good, but that night he positively had idol vibes, wearing a bespoke black suit with a slightly see-through t-shirt, with a metallic shimmer – not ordinary lurex – and Italian black leather shoes. He styled his hair back in a sleek and wet look, highlighting his handsome face with pale and flawless skin, high cheekbones and long eyebrows.

"Ah Mu Qing, you don't look one day older than 21!", some senior colleague commented, and a group of interns started to giggle at him, all flirty, while he smiled politely at the compliment.

Mu Qing then kept being greeted enthusiastically by everyone, given handshakes, even though he wasn't the type people would approach and pat on the back and hug, be physical to. He was immediately served prosecco, then excused himself for a moment to have a word with the club manager about the service – he had ordered only the very best.

"Mu Qing, you look hot", another junior architect said, clearly after having too much to drink – well no one would dare to approach him openly like that while sober, he was sure of it.

He kept walking around and entertaining the guests – everybody who was somebody had come – but after a couple of hours he felt drained. He wasn't a people's person to start with: in professional gatherings he could manage only because he could focus on work. But that night –

He went to the first floor, which was quite empty, and just stood by the glass balustrade looking at the party going on below, while quietly drinking his prosecco. For some reason he thought of Feng Xin: he hadn't come in the end, but that was just to be expected. He really couldn't care less!

Suddenly, somebody behind him said, "It's your birthday party and here you are, bored already?"

That voice. It was Feng Xin! What took him so long, Mu Qing thought, half annoyed, half... happy. Right, time to put him in his place: smiling smugly, he turned around.

•

Feng Xin ended up going to the party kind of late, but it didn't matter: it's not that Mu Qing would be really expecting him. He dressed as he normally would on any birthday party: a white t-shirt, a khaki corduroy shirt, black jeans and brown boots. All very basic, but it suited him, made him feel good.