Pull You Closer Into Me

"That doesn't matter. Look, I just arrived. I'll wait for you. I'll be sitting next to the window, so you can see me when you are here." Once she hung up the phone, Elsa Xia looked at her watch. Half an hour had already passed from her appointed time.

Mark Le had already told her that his car was stuck in a traffic jam. It was rush hour and there were traffic jams all over the place. If she hadn't gone out early, Elsa Xia might've been stuck there too. That would've been even more of a hassle. She finished her last piece of bread and drank half a cup of her coffee before going to the restroom.

As she saw herself from the mirror, Elsa Xia was not looking well. The dark bags under her eyes were a result of dozens of sleepless nights. She looked so gaunt that they could place her in any horror movie and she'd fit right in. She sighed, washing her face with cold water. She'd worked overtime last night to finish the press release. It needed to possess absolutely no errors, and it took a lot of work. Once she was finished, it was already past five in the morning. Without rest, she quickly went to her meeting place with Mark Le.

Elsa Xia worked as a journalist on the society pages. On her spare time, she had agreed to sign a novel with Mark Le. It took her a long time to finish it and when she'd submitted it up to the publishers, she wasn't expecting that Mark would send her a publishing contract so soon. They'd only chatted on the Internet for a while so they hadn't seen each other yet. This was why Mark decided to meet up with her.

As she came out of the restroom, she noticed that there was a man occupying her seat. Mark had always said how he looked really feminine and how he was sometimes recognized as a women. Thinking of it, a smile generated at the corners of Elsa's mouth. However, as she moved closer, the man in front of her didn't look like a woman in the slightest. With black bushy eyebrows, hard facial features, and thin lips, no one would connect him with being a 'feminine beauty'.

However, thinking that it was probably just a misunderstanding, Elsa still approached him. "You're here."

The man was surprised by her words, looking at her up and down. Being a reporter, Elsa was accustomed to dealing with all types of people on various occasions. However, being in front of him, she couldn't help but blush. "Well," she started. "Just as we talked before, I don't think I can do that."

The man raised his eyebrows. He had no idea who this woman was. She looked so uninteresting as she was dressed in nothing but a business suit with a well tied-up ponytail. Her eyes weren't small, but the black spectacles emphasized the bags under her eyes.

He wasn't about to reply. However, as the blush grazed her cheekbones, he couldn't help but be a bit more curious. "Really?" he said in disbelief.

The voice was different from what she'd heard on the phone. However, as she was dizzy, she didn't hear much of a difference.

"Yes. I've thought it over. Besides, it's a pure love story. Don't you think adding those racy scenes would ruin the beauty?" Realizing that she'd been talking to Mark for quite a long time, she decided to come straight. "Besides, I don't have much experience on that area."

"Ah." The man nodded and rubbed his nose, as if reeling it in.

Elsa nodded. "So can I stop?"

"But you can learn it. It really won't take much time," he suggested.

Elsa couldn't help but blush at the implications. "The references that you've sent me... Although I've read them all, I still don't know how to do it."

Although she added some passionate plays, she couldn't help but be uncomfortable writing it due to her lack of experience. The man suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. 'She didn't look stupid, yet why does she seem so silly?'

"So, can I refuse?" Elsa asked again.

"I think you should just give up on the editor." The man crossed his arms. "If you're asking my opinion, of course."

"What?" She adjusted her thick-rimmed glasses, gazing up at him. "What did you say?"

"Give up on your editor. My friend is here. If you'll excuse me."

Soren Wang stood up. He gave Elsa one last once-over before dragging his stare away.

"What? What just happened?" It was then did she realize that she had mistaken somebody else for Mark.

She'd thought he was Mark! Given how crowded this place was, he must've sat in front of her because there weren't any seats available. Her face flushed. She couldn't believe that she'd say everything in front of a man who didn't even know her. Before she could apologize, the man already moved to another table and sat down, leaving her for a tall figure.

Another man seated right in front of him. That must've been his friend.

Even though his back was turned, she still felt uncomfortable. She turned her chair to make sure that her back was turned on him. She took a long breath, settling in her seat.

She took one last look and found that Mark was on his way here. Elsa was thinking whether she'd make a phone call to hurry him up. After all, she might be very busy these days and didn't have much time.

While she was thinking, her cellphone rang. In a somewhat weak voice, Mark said, "I'm sorry, Elsa. I had a car accident just now, and I was injured. Can we postpone the appointment today?"

"Are you okay? Where are you now? Should I come and see you?" Elsa shot up from her seat worriedly, her eyes narrowing.

"It's just a minor wound. I'm really sorry about this, Elsa."

She decided not to press this issue further as she waved her hand in dismissal. "It doesn't matter. We can talk later. Take care of yourself."

"We can set an appointment on another day," he apologized.

Good things never really came easy. After hanging up, she packed her bags and went to the hotel.

Tomorrow, she was going to step into the wedding hall. A simple ceremony was all she ever wanted. Elsa's hometown was far away from Linchuan City of S Country. It took about seven to eight hours to get there from her hometown. It wasn't very convenient, so there weren't many relatives and friends who'd go. It would be a very closed-off wedding.

As for Greenwood Li, since he was a native, he would have more guests. Since they were all for living a more frugal life, the wedding was scheduled for only six tables and they didn't even call in a wedding service company to manage the occasion. Elsa reserved a small and comfortable hall, which was her preference.

Although it was simple, she still had other things to deal with. Her family members wouldn't arrive till tomorrow. Since they were a stickler for tradition, she would go to the wedding site herself.

As soon as she came out, her phone started to ring. "Hi Dad," she answered.

"Zaza! Your mother, aunt and I will take the early bus tomorrow morning and will arrive in the afternoon. Perfect for attending your wedding banquet tomorrow evening." Johnson Xia's voice was filled with guilt. "We shouldn't have let you prepare the ceremony alone. If it wasn't for my health... All I've done just caused you more trouble, sweetheart." She could tell that he had been kicking himself because of that little ordeal.

"Dad." Tears welled up in her eyes. "Don't say that. You're weak, but your daughter can't even stay with you. I'm..."

"Hey, why do you mention that again? Let me speak." Without leaving him time to reply, Blanche Yang grabbed the phone from the other end of the line. "Zaza, don't listen to your father! When you're married, we won't lose anything. In fact, we'll gain a son. That's nice, isn't it? We'll be happy."

"Yes." Elsa choked. "Remember to bring some medicine, please. Have a safe trip. Call me once you've arrived. I'll pick you up."

She had booked airplane tickets for her parents, but since they considered it to be several times more expensive than a bus, they decided to refund the plane tickets. Unable to persuade them, she had no choice but to agree.

After some more chatter, her mother hang up the phone.

Having worked in a steel plant, Johnson Xia's legs were injured due to a work accident. He was the first one to be laid-off. He had to do hundreds of part-time jobs to support them. Although it took a toll on him, he was able to support for his family. Now just when they could enjoy their lives, his health was already declining.

In fact, he just had an operation last year. That was one of the reasons why Elsa agreed to marry Greenwood Li, just after three months of settling down with him. She was already twenty-seven, and she would not allow herself to see her father wait endlessly for her to walk down the aisle.

Greenwood Li was her classmate in high school. As he was not admitted by the university, he joined the army through family relationship. Now he left the army and worked in a suburban high school as a P.E. teacher.

Elsa's parents had always had a very good impression of Greenwood, and they were very satisfied with his current job. Besides, the two were classmates in high school, so parents of both sides acquiesced the marriage before they could meet with each other because of Johnson's relapse.

Elsa had already met Greenwood's parents before. His father was very serious while his mother was a chatterbox. She couldn't tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but they had been well-acquainted before the wedding.

As Elsa was thinking, she turned around to the small hall. There were only six tables present, and a waiter who was assigned to take the people inside for dinner. After all, since the hall was only booked tomorrow, the business could still run today.

"Excuse me, can I cancel a room reservation?" Elsa asked once she walked over to the reception table.

"What's the date?" the receptionist asked politely.

"The one for tonight," she answered apologetically. Her parents were supposed to be here tonight. She lived in the staff dormitory of her company, which wasn't convenient for them so she booked a place here. However, since they said that they'd come a day late, the room would just be a waste of resources.

"I'm sorry, Miss. It's almost noon now, so the hundred percent refund isn't available." There was a pause. "If you really want the refund, I could get you 50% only."

Elsa took a deep breath. Well, there was no point in canceling it now. Plus, she also heard how there was a free breakfast buffet aligned with the room. There were also unlimited supplies of American mashed potatoes and waffles, a favorite of Jane Liang and Little Bun.

She smiled at the thought as she dialed the number. "Jane, are you on duty tonight?"

"No. The flu a few days ago was just rampant, so I got a few days off for my work during the week, just in time for your wedding. Why? Got some plans for your bachelorette party?" Her teasing voice went in the line.

"That's exactly what I'm here for."

Jane Liang burst out laughing. "I know you so well. So, which restaurant?"

"Actually, since my parents are coming tomorrow and the hotel room I booked for them are available now, I was wondering you and Little Bun would want to stay the night? Plus, they serve waffles!"

"You know just what we want!" Jane Liang waved her hands up in the air. She and Little Bun had always loved waffles. "Is Uncle Johnson alright?"

"He's okay, but he still needs to take the traditional medicine every day. Since my Mom thinks it's unlucky to take medicine before the wedding, she postponed their arrival till tomorrow."

Once she got everything settled, Elsa decided to buy some more clothes for the wedding tomorrow. Given that she was a journalist for the society pages, she needed clothes that were convenient and comfortable to walk around as well as formal enough just in case an interview were to pop up on her schedule. Therefore she only had business suits, pajamas, and a few more evening gowns.

She had bought an improved edition of the traditional cheongsam for the wedding ceremony tomorrow night, a mix of the traditional one and a long dress. It was knitted intricately with all the high-class embroideries, which looked extremely beautiful. However, she had nothing to wear for the holiday tomorrow night.

Greenwood had thought that it was too troublesome to go to a honeymoon and she agreed. However, even if she were at home, she still needed to wear something else.

The money for the new clothes was given to her by her parents. No matter how much she had rejected, they directly transferred twenty thousand to her account, requiring her to buy some new outfits for Greenwood and herself. It was customary for the bride's parents to pay for the wedding outfits of the new couple. When Greenwood heard about it, he laughed out loud and picked his tuxedo, waiting for her to pay.

To cover the 10,000, she used her own card, not her parent's cash.

The cheongsam she had chosen for herself was cheaper – costing 800, but it still looked really nice.

As she walked out of the gates of the hotel, two tall men passed by her. Due to their height, it was difficult to look up and see who they were, so she just simply ignored them. As they left, she saw a lone card lying on the ground. When she picked it up to take a closer look, she realized that it was a room card.

"What?" She looked around, only to see that the two were gone.

On second thought, it would be safer to hand it over to the front desk. She was about to turn back when somebody called her.

"Elsa, you're here!" Greenwood approached her. "I didn't expect that you'd arrive so early."

"I wanted to buy a few more clothes. Since you were in a meeting, I didn't tell you." She noticed that Greenwood seemed a little unhappy when he heard about her little shopping escapade. He was a frugal man, a trait that she knew when she dated him. "Only for the wedding," she added.

"No, I didn't mean that. If you dress up beautifully, it's for me to enjoy, right?" Greenwood quickly responded, beaming at her.

Elsa smiled. He placed a hand on her shoulders. "Let's go inside and have a drink. I have something to tell you."

She froze when his fingers slid down her arms. Elsa was still unaccustomed to being held by him. A part of her wanted to push him away, but it'd be too impolite. Plus, it would seem weird.

Ron Qin burst into laughter at the sight as he slung an arm around Soren Wang's shoulders. "Look at that awkward couple. They look terribly mismatched. I think it's time we find you a perfect match. Isn't that a great idea?"

Soren Wang followed his gaze only to see the woman who he had met just this morning. She ordered a cup of coffee while the man in front of her ordered a glass of water. Her hand was being held by the man in front of her, and Soren could sense the uncomfortableness on her stance.

He then turned away.

"Hey, Soren, don't be like that. Let's go to the Food and Beverages Department and you can write me up a report, what do you say? I don't want anything to happen with my wedding with Coco in three months, so I was hoping you'd come with me to inspect."

"Let's go to the F&B Department." Soren took the lead.

Once they went out of the F&B Department, Ron Qin finally remembered to reward Soren with a cup of coffee. While he was ordering, he got a call from Chloe Xu, his fiancee, so he excused himself.

Unintentionally, they were sitting at a table right in front of Greenwood and Elsa, so Soren could get a better look at them. The cafe was very quiet, with only the sound of the piano echoing throughout the room. However, Soren could hear their voices, even if they were talking in low whispers.

"Get married", "the wedding ceremony of tomorrow night", "my parents can't arrive until tomorrow", "ask for a leave for the wedding", "can't cancel the hotel room"...

These were the words Soren started to piece together as they continued to speak.

He couldn't help but feel a little annoyed at their conversation so he walked over to the balcony to gather from fresh air.

He didn't notice that Greenwood had also followed him out. Greenwood paid no attention to the man with him on the balcony as his eyes were only focused on Elsa's movements.

"Yes, Mom, I'm talking to her. It's a pretty large issue, okay? Can I just break it to her gradually? How do you think she'll bear it?" There was pure reluctance in Greenwood's voice.

Soren raised an eyebrow, suddenly interested in what he had to say.

"Plus, you secretly took her health report. She has difficulty in getting pregnant. It's not that she can't. She already told me of this, so I don't think it's appropriate that I'll call it off just for a simple matter."

The other line was literally screaming into Greenwood's ear. Even Soren could hear the lecture coming off the other end of the line. It seemed that it was an issue that they continually talked about. Greenwood took the phone far away from his ear, scrunching his eyebrows. "Fine. I'll tell her, okay? I'll ask the headmaster's daughter tomorrow."

After he hung up, Greenwood hesitated. Elsa was a suitable wife. She had a high degree and a good-paying job. Plus, her family were of good background. His mother, however, just had to discover of her health report. He had waited for several days to break the news with her, but he was afraid that if he did, he would not find another suitable woman. Plus, he was planning on bedding her just before the marriage.

With the wedding date fast approaching, it was getting harder and harder to break the news when she already prepared so much. He paced around the balcony before walking in.

However, even then, he still hadn't broken the news. They continued to lounge around and laugh.

Seeing the scene, Soren couldn't help but frown.

Greenwood still couldn't muster up the courage. "Let's go get some lunch. I heard that there's a new restaurant with good beef rice noodles."

Elsa nodded. There were lunch menus in the cafe but they were just too expensive. She stood up. "I'll go to the restroom first."

"Go ahead. I'll wait for you here." He smiled placidly.

Elsa took her bag and walked into the restroom. The room card she had picked up was now on the table. At the same time, Greenwood couldn't help but place it in the pocket of his shirt.

'I can just tell her tonight in bed?' He shrugged. Women were always much easier to coax at night,

plus maybe then, he'd be able to take advantage of it. Besides, Elsa was already twenty-seven. He didn't believe that she never had any experience beforehand. However, even then, it was incredibly difficult for him to ask her to be physical with him.

With that, the man sat back, having a plan of his own.

Elsa followed Greenwood to the restaurant and ordered a bowl of millet noodles. When he asked her to take a walk with him, she followed him out to the streets. They were high school classmates, so they talked a lot of what happened with each other and their classmates, except Elsa's uncomfortableness with physical contact, of course. They weren't familiar with each other that time, but they had plenty of classmates and teachers, which reminded them of their schooltime. Ever since then, they got to know more about each other.

She had suggested hundreds of times that she needed to buy clothes, but Greenwood had only avoided that suggestion even further. Seeing that she wasn't going to say anything anymore, Greenwood suggested, "How about we go to the cinema? I've already bought tickets as well as popcorn and coke. It's a pretty good deal."

She blinked in surprise, not knowing that he had already made plans to hang out with the headmaster's daughter tomorrow. Since this was his last day with Elsa, Greenwood might as well start spending all his money.

"Maybe another day. I stayed up all night, and I don't want others to worry about me," she said apologetically, motioning to the bags beneath her eyes.

Although a little disappointed, he maintained his poise with an easy smile. "Well, you can go have a good sleep. I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Drive carefully."

Because of work, she had a second-hand car for her to drive home. Elsa nodded.

She didn't know whether she was relieved or not that Greenwood finally left. It was as if another burden was lifted from her shoulders. However, she kept herself together. Her father was already sick, and she didn't want to worry him any further. Plus, she was already old.

From what she could remember two years ago, a woman she knew next to their house had greeted Elsa and her mother with a question on whether she was married yet.

When Blanche Yang shook her head, the woman widened her eyes in surprise. "What? Isn't she old enough already?"

In Elsa's hometown, not getting married in their mid-twenties was already a talk of the entire neighborhood. Elsa couldn't help but be insulted by the reaction.

After putting her car away in the garage, she dragged her tired body up to the group dormitory building with a bag in hand. The dormitory contained three single rooms, one room per person. It didn't have any living room, so people just usually went to their own respective quarters. Since all the basic requirements were met, she was fine with living in the place.

Only people like her would be fine to live in this place. Generally speaking, local people or those who had families wouldn't live in such a place with absolutely no privacy. As soon as she entered, she noticed how her colleagues were stewing trotters.

She scrunched her nose and took a shower. One of the reasons why she chose Greenwood was that he couldn't give up his stable teaching love in the suburbs while she couldn't give up her favorite job in the city. As they were only separated with a three hour bus trip, it was fine for both of them to see each other at weekends.

It kind of made her feel guilty that she wasn't staying with him, but she couldn't help but appreciate his considerateness in that matter.

Lying on the bed with a quilt in her hands, she slowly fell asleep with the background music playing from the next room.

Suddenly, her mobile phone rang, which woke her up. Elsa glanced at her watch to see that it was 4:10 AM. She frowned. Her marriage leave had begun yesterday, so it wouldn't be her boss. Plus, she was the bride, she should look forward to her wedding day.

She buried her phone under the covers till the ringing finally went to a halt. Elsa turned over on her bed but was now more awake because of the ringing. Her eyes were heavy as the sleepiness slowly faded away.

When she looked at her phone, her eyebrows furrowed at the sight of Greenwood's name.

'Why would he call me at this time?'

Just as she was about to call back, Greenwood called yet again, his voice tentative. "Do you mind coming to the hotel?"

"Can we discuss it tomorrow?" She scowled. Although she wasn't able to fall asleep now, she wasn't planning on driving all the way there in the middle of the night.

"It's really important!" He didn't give her another second to say anything before he hung up the phone.

"Hello? Hello?" Elsa hung up with a scowl.

She stood up and got dressed. Seeing as from the alertness of the man's voice, Elsa could tell he must've been in trouble to call her at a night like this. As she was driving, she could feel a dull ache on her temples from the anxiety and lack of sleep.

When she finally arrived at the hotel, a man in a suit arrived to greet her. "Are you Miss Xia? I'm the manager of the hotel. You can call me Mr. Wu. I have something to ask you on your fiance, Mr. Li."

She furrowed her eyebrows, following him to the main office. She didn't know what happened, but from the looks of it, Elsa was in for a sight. However, she just didn't know what to expect. She chewed her bottom lip.

Elsa thought it over in her mind. She had left her phone number and money when she booked the room so that her parents could check in with their ID cards. Her parents still hadn't come to the hotel. Jane and Little Bun, however, came to stay in the hotel, so did something happen to them?

Her palms turned sweaty at the thought.

"Miss Xia? Miss Xia?" Mr. Wu had already pushed the door open, waiting for her to come in.

The man sitting opposite to her looked extremely familiar. After thinking about it, her eyes widened. This was the man she'd met earlier in the day! She turned, a blush forming on her cheeks.

Elsa saw that Greenwood was sitting on the other side, his face covered with bruises. "Elsa, you're here!" He was relieved at the sight of her.

"Greenwood, what's wrong?" She rushed towards him. There was a scar at the corner of his lips. When he opened his mouth, one of his front teeth had fallen out. "What happened?" The clothes he was sporting were already torn and dirty as if he'd just gotten out of the woods.

He wanted to say everything that had happened, but he started finding it difficult to do so. Having no choice, he decided to bite the bullet. "Well, we're going to get married tomorrow, right? I mean, the banquet and ceremony are held tomorrow, right?"

She nodded.

Being a reporter for years, she knew when it was time to listen and when it was time to speak out. As she faced Greenwood, she didn't face him as her fiance. He seemed to be just any other client she had faced. She nodded again, encouraging him to say more.

Encouraged, he continued, "I know that you'll stay in the hotel tonight, so I thought, as your fiance, I had the right to enter your room."

"Um..." She raised her eyebrows, but she let him continue.

"But this man beat me up and now he's taking me to the police station for stealing. Manager Wu intervened to mediate the matter, so he asked you to come to prove my identity."

Ella furrowed her eyebrows. "But I didn't give you my room card."

She had given it to Jane.

"Well, I got it from your side when we went out. We'll be a legal couple anyway, so our marriage is in accordance to the law." Greenwood turned to look at Soren and Mr. Wu. "See? There's no problem here."

He pointed at Soren. "And you! I haven't asked you why you're in her room. I can send you to the police."

Elsa suddenly felt annoyed as she stomped over to Greenwood, lowering her voice down to a whisper. "Why are you here? Why didn't you call me? I just picked the room card because someone dropped it. I was supposed to give it to the reception area, but you distracted me. My friends lived in the room that I booked,"

she snapped. Elsa hurriedly glance at the two men. "I'm really, really sorry. It's all a misunderstanding."

Mr. Wu heaved a sigh of relief. He honestly didn't want anything bad to happen to the hotel. This could affect his business and his reputation at the same time. "Mr. Wang, it's just a misunderstanding after all. Miss Xia has already explained it clearly."

"In that case, I thought too much. It's just with the regulations, I thought they were attracting burglars and rapists." Although his voice wasn't loud, it still echoed throughout the room, turning everyone's attention to him.

It was only then did she notice that he was wearing a military green camouflage shirt.

"Well, this shows that we should invest in security further in the future. We are really sorry for what has happened. We will refund what you've paid for the room to your card, Mr. Wang."

"That's unnecessary. I'm also responsible for that. I thought I left the room card at home, so I didn't tell the staff on time. I just asked the waiter to use the spare card to open the door for me." Soren shrugged, waving his hand in dismissal.

"It's my fault too. If you have suffered any loss, I can pay for it too," Elsa insisted. What Greenwood had done made her all the more uncomfortable, but she should still be responsible for the misunderstanding that she had caused. She would bear the consequences for her own carelessness.