At around 8 p.m., the elevator descended gracefully into the hotel lobby and a couple walked out, hand in hand. The woman had zipped her coat all the way to the top, put her hood up, and pulled the drawstrings tight. No one would be able to recognize who she was.
"Mr. Huo, are you going out? Do you need a car?" the lobby manager asked with the utmost respect.
"No," Carlos answered shortly.
"Yes, Mr. Huo. Do you need any other services?"
"No."
"Sure, Mr. Huo. Goodbye." The manager always made a fuss whenever Carlos was around.
On their way out, Carlos and Debbie had to bear the greetings from several hotel staff passing by. When they finally left the hotel, she heaved a long sigh of relief.
Somehow, Carlos was not happy with her reaction. He cast a sideways glance at her and asked, "You feel ashamed of being with me, don't you?"
'Not again! I've told him a dozen times.' Debbie was exasperated at the stupid thought but decided not to act it out. She grabbed his arm and told him with a sweet smile, "Honey, could you please wait until I graduate first? I'm not mentally prepared to live under limelight just yet."
Then she added playfully, "You know who you are—the great Carlos Huo. It's quite a big thing to be your wife and sometimes, stressful too."
Carlos' heart went soft at her words, but he managed to maintain a straight face. "Behave yourself. Don't hang onto my arm like that," he demanded frivolously.
"It's all your fault! My legs are killing me. I am not the one to blame," she snapped back playfully. If it weren't for her rumbling stomach, she would still be tormented by this old goat.
Carlos couldn't maintain his long face any longer, and his eyes reduced themselves to slits in his affection. "What do you want to eat?" he asked in a soft voice.
"I don't know. I've never been to this city before. Let's look around and find something good to eat." She suddenly remembered that one of her cousins was a freshman in some university in this city, but she didn't know the exact address.
She took out her phone from her pocket and asked Carlos casually, "Hey, do you know T City Film Academy?"
"Yes," he responded cautiously.
"Do you know where it is?"
"About a couple of miles from here. Why?"
Debbie was elated at the news. She dialed a number and told Carlos, "I'd like you to meet someone, okay?"
"You know someone here?" he remarked in surprise.
"Uh-huh. A cousin of mine."
The call went through, and a girl's voice came from the other end. "Deb, you finally remember me, huh?"
Debbie was thrilled to hear Sasha's voice again. "Sasha, I'm in T City. Are you available right now? How about we have dinner together?"
Sasha, 19 years old, was Gail's sister and Debbie's cousin.
Debbie had a much better relationship with her than with Gail.
"Really?! I'm so glad. Send me your address and I'll come over to you right now." Sasha's screaming was so loud that even Carlos could hear her on the phone.
Disdain was written all over his face. He felt lucky that Debbie wasn't as noisy as that girl.
Poor Sasha! Little did she know that she had managed to land a disgraceful impression on Carlos even before they could meet.
Debbie and Sasha decided to meet at a Japanese restaurant located inside a shopping mall nearby.
Carlos had planned to take Debbie out to eat some local food, but she was afraid that Sasha might not be able to find the place. Eventually, she chose a famous chain restaurant so that Sasha could reach there effortlessly.
Debbie was waiting for Sasha at the gates of the mall. Soon, she saw the girl getting out of a taxi.
Thin and small, Sasha was complementing her figure with a white long down jacket today. She had fair skin, round eyes, a high nose and a small mouth—people often said that she looked like a doll. Her long hair was adorned with a brown hair band.
"Deb!" Sasha exclaimed upon seeing her cousin. Her voice was so piercing people from a dozen meters away could hear her. "Wow! What did you do? Drink some magic water? You look so much more beautiful than ever before. And look at your skin, even smoother than mine. I am jealous!"
Her exaggerated reaction made Debbie giggle. "Magic water? I only drink pure water. Why did you not go back home? I thought the winter vacations had already started."
"Exactly! I guess I'm in a fake college or something. Everyone in other colleges is enjoying their winter vacations, while we are still taking classes. Deb, I've missed you so much. Did you come here alone?"
The two girls hadn't seen each other for months, but they were still very close. Without answering Sasha's question, Debbie led her into a private booth of the restaurant.
Sasha noticed that the booth was occupied by a handsome man on a phone call. Upon noticing the girls, he ended the call.
Before Debbie could introduce Carlos, Sasha yelled at the top of her lungs, "Wow! He is so handsome! Deb, is he the man whose picture you posted in Moments?" Debbie had posted Carlos' figure wrapped by a towel in Moments on WeChat. Sasha had seen the post, and wanted to know who he was. But Debbie had kept it quiet. She didn't want anyone to find it out just yet.
Sasha had such a big mouth that Debbie's face instantly blushed. She stole a glance at Carlos, only to see him chuckle. Covering Sasha's mouth, she snapped, "No! I did no such thing. Just shut up. Let me introduce you to each other."
Nodding repeatedly, Sasha was dying to know who the man was. "Let me guess. Is he your boyfriend or something?"
Sasha's bluntness would have been quite funny to some boys, but it made Debbie feel shy. She was getting the feeling that maybe, it hadn't been a fine idea to invite Sasha to have dinner. At that moment, Carlos cut in, "Hi, I'm Carlos Huo, Debbie's husband."
"Husband? Carlos Huo? Aaaaaaaaargh!" Her voice rose to a scream. So penetrating was her pitch that everyone in the restaurant heard her.
Not until a waitress entered the room to check on what was happening did Sasha realize that she was overreacting. She gave the waitress an embarrassed smile and mouthed an "I am sorry" at her.
After the waitress had left the room, Sasha held Debbie's hand and asked, "Deb, he's Carlos Huo! I was just about to tell you he looked like Carlos Huo, and he IS him!"
Debbie covered her ears and complained, "Would you please lower your voice? If you keep yelling like this, Carlos and I are going to leave."
Carlos, who preferred quietness to noise, was a little unhappy, but as a cultured man, he didn't show it. Afraid that Carlos would get angry, Sasha flashed a wry smile. Clearing her throat, she apologized to him in a lowered voice, "I'm sorry. Actually, I'm not that noisy by nature. I just got too excited."
On the inside, she still believed that any girl who had met Carlos Huo in person and known he was her cousin's husband would act like this. After all, he was super handsome, super rich, and super mysterious. He was the dream lover of countless girls, and what wouldn't they give for one moment with him?
Carlos decided to let it slide with a kind smile. "Never mind. Have a seat, please."
Sasha sat opposite Carlos. Debbie wanted to sit next to her, but Carlos grabbed her hand and pulled her into a chair beside him.
Upon seeing the two of them acting coy, Sasha covered her mouth with both hands and giggled naughtily.
Debbie knew Sasha's favorite food and had already told Carlos about it. He had ordered the dishes while Debbie was waiting for Sasha. This way, they didn't have to wait long and the food was served soon.
Debbie put Sasha's favorite caviar roll onto her plate and asked casually, "Your sister is in the city as well. We just came from Southon Village together. Did she contact you?"
Despite the fact that Gail hated Debbie, she was fond of her sister, Sasha. After all, blood was thicker than water.