Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Fan Qing Yi followed him into the apartment and through to the bedroom, where he might have flushed a little to see the blankets even more twisted than normal. A reminder of the wonderful start to the morning, though not quite the finish either of them had hoped.
As much as he wanted to linger on the more positive side of the memory, Jin shoved it aside and slipped into his normal routine with Fan. He showered and performed his usual ablutions before stepping out to see which suits she’d selected for him, as well as the matching xiaoguan and other accessories.
“If Dianxia doesn’t find it too forward of me, I have selected attire that would most closely complement the suits that we have pulled together for Mr. St. James,” Fan said in a quiet voice.
Jin’s eyes widened, and he turned from the clothes to stare at Fan. She’s been his personal groomer and dresser for at least five years now. She rarely spoke, but she did excellent, efficient work. “You mean, you’ve coordinated our looks?” Jin inquired, not bothering to hide the thrilled excitement from his tone.
She held in her squeal for all of a single second; then she bounced on the balls of her feet like a schoolgirl. “Qin said he’d be appearing in public with you today, but not making a formal announcement of your relationship status yet. We thought some subtle color coordination would be appropriate and give people something to be excited about. Such as, the suit with the thin deep-purple pinstripes and the pocket square is the same shade of purple in Mr. St. James’s vest. We’ve done the same thing with your blue suit and the soft salmon one. We also have matching flower boutonnieres for today.”
Jin grinned at her. “I love this idea. Which color do you think would look best on Mr. St. James?”
“Oh, I don’t know, Dianxia,” she whispered, her eyes snapping to the line of suits. “Mr. St. James is blond, which means many colors are good on him, and he’s so very handsome.” She froze, her face turning bright red before she bowed to him. “Forgive me, Dianxia. I didn’t mean—”
“What? You didn’t mean he’s handsome?” he teased. “Westin St. James is a very handsome man.”
Fan giggled, and Jin sighed as he stared at the suits again. He couldn’t decide.
“Fan, can you find out which suit he likes best? We’ll match with whichever color he prefers.”
With a nod, Fan pulled her phone out of her pocket and shot off a quick text to the ladies in the room across the hall, leaving Jin alone to his thoughts. He would have preferred something with red highlights. West probably looked gorgeous in red, but that would be a little fast. Red was the color of happy marriages and there was no reason to rush things quite like that. That would get the gossip tongues wagging in the wrong direction.
Besides, he and Ming Tao were going to see his father in the hospital, to convince the stubborn man to get the heart transplant surgery when they were lucky enough to get a matching heart. And they would get a heart. He had to believe that. Not just because he didn’t wish to ascend to the throne just yet, but he didn’t want to lose his beloved father.
Fan cleared her throat, pulling Jin’s attention back to her. There was a slight flush to her cheeks. “Dianxia, Mr. St. James caught the ladies whispering and texting. He knows it was you who was inquiring. He said that he will wear whatever color Dianxia thinks is most becoming.”
Jin huffed. Of course, there was no sneaking anything by him. “How about the blue? Do you think blue would suit him?”
“Yes, Dianxia, he would be very handsome in blue,” Fan replied.
Jin left the closet to move to the stool he always sat on while she fixed his hair. “Tell them we are going with the blue today.”
After shooting off a quick text, Fan returned to his side and began working on his hair. Through the course of doing this every day for years, she’d gotten quite fast. Jin spent the time in quiet meditation, his mind wandering, or sometimes he mentally scrolled through his daily to-do list. Today, his thoughts were full of West. Was he upset by these changes that were being made? Did he think Jin didn’t value who he was as an individual? Did he think Jin was only concerned with his outer appearance?
By the time his hair was finished and the xiaoguan pinned into place, he’d worked himself into a nervous frazzle. He grabbed the selected suit and sent Fan to check on West’s progress while he got dressed. He reassured himself that the second he was ready he was marching over to see West and demanding a private moment with the man. Then he would tell him that he didn’t care about appearances or fancy clothes.