Chapter 153: The Man Behind the Star (3)

"Well, how do I look?" Joann asked as she took careful steps down the stairs.

Xu Jing was too captivated to say anything but the silly way his head went up and down was answer enough for Joann. That was the kind of reaction she was looking for.

In Joann's line of work, it was not uncommon for her to dress up to the nines, either to attend a social function or it was required by her role. Either way, those were for her job, but that night, she dressed up just for Xu Jing alone and that made all the difference in the world.

"You... you look amazing," Xu Jing finally managed to squeeze out after he found his ability of speech.

Joann smiled at the compliment. "Thank you, you're not so shabby yourself."

Indeed, they looked quite a pair. However, Xu Jing had that natural obsequiousness around his wife, which probably originated out of his devotion and the need to please his wife. As handsome as he was, it gave the impression that he was Joann's personal assistant than her equal partner.

Joann reached the bottom of the stairs, she asked, "Shall we?"

Xu Jing nodded as he glanced at the time. The timing was perfect.

"Wait, aren't you going to take your keys?" Joann asked with a frown when she noticed the car keys that were left on the table. She assumed Xu Jing had forgotten about them so she reminded him with a question.

Xu Jing turned back to her with a mischievous smile. "No, we're not taking the car. We're doing something special tonight." He then extended his one arm towards Joann, like a gentleman asking the woman to dance.

Joann did not know what the man was up to but she decided to humor him. She accepted his hand.

"This way please." Xu Jing led her to the front door.

The city was just starting to rest for the day and the stars and moon were climbing up to the sky. Joann could hear the sound of engine coming down their driveway. She turned to look and a limo slowed to a stop in front of their house.

She had taken many limos in her life before due to her stature as a famous film actress but she was still touched by what her husband had done to make the night as special as possible. "Thank you Xu Jing, this is very thoughtful of you."

Her wife did not react as surprised as he had hoped but thankfully Xu Jing had something else prepared. The surprise did not stop there.

Xu Jing led Joann to the car and he pulled the door open.

The first thing that hit Joann was the smell. As the door open, a heavy perfume of roses drifted out to surround her.

The interior of the limo was filled to the brim with red roses, her favorite flower. It was as if Xu Jing had moved a rose garden into the car. Joann gasped at the surprise before laughing joyfully. "Xu Jing, you shouldn't have..."

But there was an airiness in Joann's voice that told Xu Jing he definitely should have. Xu Jing knew a simple limo would not have been enough so he went one step further. He ordered as many roses as he could from the florists in the city.

He remembered asking Joann what her favorite flower was when they were just going out. Like many girls, Joann's answer was red roses. However, her reason for liking them was definitely not similar to others. She said, she liked roses for their thorns.

The flowers were pretty in their own right but their ability to shield themselves from others added to their allure. She appreciated them for their independence and sense of danger.

Joann's love of roses actually spoke a lot of her character. She was as eye-grabbing as a rose but like the flower, she too had a layer of thorns to protect herself from others. In certain cases, as if with the roses, innocent people got pricked simply because they wandered too close.

Xu Jing helped Joann get into the car and her outfit blended into the background of red roses perfectly. However, instead of being swallowed by them, Joann stood out on her own, if anything, it was as if the roses were there to compliment her beauty, making her the reddest rose that night. She looked like a Rose Goddess.

After Joann settled in her seat and the driver was given the order to move on, Xu Jing turned towards the internal freezer to pull out an ice bucket and a bottle of champagne. "Would you like a glass to accompany the journey?"

Joann nodded with a smile. She took a sip of the bubbly champagne and sighed with satisfaction. She had not been so relaxed in such a long time already. Too many things had happened recently to crowd her mind.

Sitting in the limo, enjoying her husband's company, Joann realized how much she needed a break. She was feeling thankful that she had a husband who was willing to give her one.

Feeling laid back, Joann turned to raise her glass at Xu Jing. "For us."

Xu Jing smiled handsomely as he tipped his glass against hers. "For us."

Their limo soon arrived at their destination. The restaurant that they were supposed to dine at that night was a sky restaurant. It was built at the top of a communication tower. It provided a marvelous view of the city to accompany their five-star cuisine. It was one of the reasons why it fast became a hot-spot among the rich and famous of the city even though it just had its grand opening several weeks ago.

Xu Jing exited the limo first to help Xu Jing get out of the car. He made sure Joann did not step on the edge of her dress as she came out.

They walked to the tower and the elevator took them to the floor where the restaurant was situated.