[Suggested song for this chapter: Those Eyes by New West]
Meili wore a pure white cloak trimmed with white fur at the collar and cuffs to protect her against the late-winter chill as she stood on a bridge waiting for Bai Li.
She gazed in amazement down the beautiful canal that was lit with colourful lanterns as far as the eye could see, a happy smile gracing her face.
Decorative boats were being pushed up and down the waterway by boatmen with long poles who ducked under the arched bridges.
Bai Li stood watching her from the shadows, his heart thudding at her innocent beauty and her sweet delight at the festival sights.
The feelings he had for her now were fixed and irrecoverable. He knew if he failed to marry her, and she became another man's wife, that he would have very little to live for. There would be no one else for him in this lifetime; just a life of yearning, for however long his life may be.
