Feng Ping

One day, she put on the silver dress and came to the ballroom of the hotel. After several dances with different celebrities, Li Zhi was a little bored. She sat down in the corner, drinking cocktails. In the hall, the guitarist was still playing the sentimental music, which would move people to tears. This couldn’t help but make Li Zhi a little sentimental.

She looked around boredly and absently. Suddenly she noticed that there was a European next to her, carrying a very absentminded look, just like her. He seemed to be bored and nervous at the same time.

The European aroused her interests. He had a clear, clean face. Though it was carrying a very experienced look, with resolute, straight eyes, as if he had suffered a lot, it was still very manly and handsome. Though he was sitting, his back was very straight. Li Zhi could have guessed he was very tall. His clothes were a little out of fashion compared with other Europeans in the ball room, but it was very clean. Suddenly, the European got up and dropped something on the ground. Li Zhi quickly noticed it. She picked it up and stopped the European. She said in English, “Sir, you have left something on the ground.”

The European immediately looked back and looked at Li Zhi with very suspicious eyes. However, his eyesight turned much softer when he saw such an amazing beauty in front of him. Li Zhi was looking at him with a pair of vivacious and talking eyes, as if questioning him of his weird action.

“Oh, thank you, miss.” He quickly took the pen from her hands, with a speed that surprised Li Zhi very much. Nobody could see what had happened between them.

“My name is Radek. I am from Poland.”

“Poland?”

“Yeah, for a moment, Poland didn’t exist. It was suffering partition from three big powers Russia, Prussia, and Austria. But I am working for a Russian company. I came to China to build the Eastern Railway.”

“Oh, I heard about it. Nice to meet you. My name is Li Zhi. My father is a banker.”

“Oh, you are the youngest daughter from Mr Li. I heard about your name long ago. Finally, I meet you.” Radek grinned a little. “Are you engaged? May I have the honor to ask you for a dance?”

“My pleasure,” Li Zhi smiled slightly and nodded her head. Radek gently put his hands on her waist and took her to the stage of the ballroom. He was a very careful man who was afraid to offend and hurt Li Zhi. His blue eyes gazed at Li Zhi’s beautiful face with attentive care and Li Zhi saw the sadness in the eyes.

“How do you like Harbin? And China?”

“It’s an amazing city, with different cultures. I like Chinese food. China is like Poland, which was suffering,” Radek said gently, “Miss, you danced so well.”

“Thank you, but I don’t like this music. He should play with stronger tones. If he changed guitar into a big violin, it would be fitter for the current environment.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean the tragic beauty. In this unsafe world, when people were suffering and the government was weak, the melody of the country was like the music of violin. The sound was deep, huge, and full of tragic beauty. It made people think of the last dinner, or the last day of human being.”

“I don’t expect that a wealthy lady like you can be so sentimental.”

Li Zhi smiled brightly and said, “I always want to do something in this chaotic world, even though I am a woman. Papa always blamed me for being too wild, but I disagreed. Everyone needs to seek the meaning of their life. We don’t know when we would die in this unsafe world.”

Radek was deeply impressed. Her young white face looked so fresh and delicate. Her eyes were smiling when she was talking. Even she was talking lightly in a teasing tone, she sounded very serious. He felt for the first time after the death of Ago five years ago, his heart was hit by this radiating Chinese girl. In the ball room, she was as holy, and bright as moon light.