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Li Qian was waiting anxiously at the gallery. He had dressed in a sleek black tuxedo, his bow tie meticulously straightened, and his hair swept off his forehead. Of course, the attendees had no idea that Li Qian's heart was slightly flustered as he held a champagne glass in one hand and greeted guests with cold calm.

Mr. Kang interrupted a group of women surrounding Li Qian and said, "Master Li, we need to discuss arrangements for later tonight. Please excuse us, ladies."

Mr. Kang bowed as the women tittered, and they strode towards the bar. The show hadn't officially opened yet, but news leaked that Li Qian would be attending, and Mr. Kang was forced to open the doors early when the droves arrived.

Li Qian tipped his glass. "Well done, Mr. Kang. I'll owe you one for that move."

"Of course, Master Li. It's just what I should do."

Li Qian looked around. "Have you seen Chen Fan?" Mr. Kang was a long-time family friend who had known Li Qian since infancy. Li Qian's father, Li Hong, and Mr. Kang had gone to university together and remained staunch friends until his death three years ago, so Mr. Kang was well familiar with Li Qian and those closest to him.

"Ah," Mr. Kang gestured to the front windows. "I saw him leave a few minutes ago... oh, here he is."

They both turned towards the glass doors. Li Qian listened to the murmurs surging around him at the slender figure who appeared. She was dressed in a silk qipao, the ink blue color as deep and rich as the traditional ink she used in her ceramics.

"Who is she?"

"Jing Mei? The artist that's featured tonight?"

"I've never seen anyone so beautiful!"

"She's a goddess. Have you seen her before?"

"Seriously, I can't stop staring!"

The whispers buzzed in Li Qian's mind, but he was single-minded in his gaze. Finally, finally, a lovely young vision in lavender stepped out from behind Jing Mei.

At this very moment, as the reaction to these newcomers swelled in the crowd, Li Qian wished he could hide his little flower at home forever. He hated every glance that landed on her, every man that drank in her sweet eyes and rosy lips, every woman that envied her slender figure and demure posture.

You'd think the attention would phase Jing Mei, or at the very least, the inexperienced Jiao Jiao, but they both moved deeper into the crowd with perfect manners. Mr. Kang had raised a hand to catch Jing Mei's attention, and as she approached, she called, "Li Qian, you're here as well!"

"Long time no see Auntie." Li Qian tipped his head to Jing Mei, then turned his eyes to the girl trailing behind with a bright smile.

When their gazes met, Jiao Jiao's cheeks flushed, and she lowered her delicate eyelashes. They flickered on her cheeks momentarily before she silently mouthed, "Brother Qian."

He could see her face clearly as a section of hair had been pulled back softly at the crown of her head while the rest cascaded down her back like a river of silk. Pleasure coursed through him at the shape of his name on her pink lips.

'Dear gods,' he thought with his eyes transfixed. 'Her dimple's back.'

Li Qian never thought a simple little dent could enamor him so fervently, but he could not tear his eyes away from the expression on her face. A vision rose in his mind, overlapping with the girl before him. He saw her face in a thousand ways and places until they all merged into a single shining vision of the seventeen year old her in a lavender dress.

Chen Fan ushered over, interrupting the slightly awkward silence. His face entered Li Qian's view, cutting off his thoughts and jolting Li Qian back to the present.

"Auntie Jing, congratulations on your show!" Chen Fan pulled two beautiful bouquets of roses from behind his back and passed the larger of the two to Jing Mei.

"These are from Young Master Li, although the beauty of these roses doesn't come anywhere close to the beauty of your work." Chen Fan leaned closer to Jing Mei and whispered, "The boss told me to say that last part!"

"Ah," Jing Mei winked at Chen Fan. "Thank you, Li Qian, they're lovely."

Jing Mei turned and pulled Jiao Jiao to her side. "Love, I'd like to introduce you to some people. This is Li Qian, the gallery owner, and his secretary, Chen Fan. And you've heard me speaking with the head curator, of course. This is Mr. Kang." She directed Jiao Jiao's attention to each person individually, then said, "Gentlemen, this is my daughter Jing Jiao. Please take care of her, as she's still a young girl."

Chen Fan and Mr. Kang raced to reassure Jing Mei, "Oh, of course, we'll watch her carefully; don't worry about a thing!"

Li Qian still hadn't spoken, but he was very interested in the fact that Jiao Jiao seemed to have kept their first meeting a secret from her mother.

Mr. Kang pulled Jing Mei away to discuss some fine details about the show and to introduce her to some people. Before he left, Chen Fan placed the other bouquet in Li Qian's hands and went with a gentle nudge to his elbow, thinking, 'Don't mess this up, Li Qian!'