Bonjour Shanghai by Isabelle Laflèche

Author:Isabelle Laflèche
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dundurn
Published: 2019-11-01T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

“JULIA AND TING are so cool! Thanks for taking me to their shop. That was awesome. They’re going to be key members of my local tribe.”

“I think so, too. I could tell they really liked you.”

“Shanghai and I are getting along famously,” I say confidently, a huge grin on my face. There’s a reason this city is called the Paris of the East.

It’s a bright, sunny day that matches my mood. I stare through the window of the taxi as we drive to school, and my senses go into overdrive, taking in the sight of the modern skyscrapers, the people, more skyscrapers and more people. It’s like Manhattan on steroids.

We drive through the financial district, one of the most happening neighbourhoods, where many of the city’s attractions and landmarks are. Henry points out the Oriental Pearl Tower, the Cruise Port, the History Museum, the Jin Mao Tower, the Natural Wild Insect Kingdom, and the Ocean Aquarium.

“An insect kingdom? No thanks!”

“Oh, come on, insects are some of the oldest animals on earth. How could you not be interested?”

“I just prefer not to get too close to them, that’s all.”

“Don’t you like butterflies? Didn’t I see a butterfly print on one of your skirts at your place yesterday? A Japanese butterfly expert once sent thirty boxes of rare butterfly specimens to this museum.”

“Okay, I do love butterflies. They’re one of my favourite creatures. Not just for their beauty, but also because of the incredible transformation they undergo. I think they’re a great metaphor for life.”

“Shedding the old skin to become what you’re truly meant to be?”

“Yes! And I love seeing them fly, especially the rare kinds. They’re mesmerizing.”

“Just like you.”

My heartbeat accelerates and my face turns a dark shade of pink. “Yeah, I’m just like an insect. The pesky kind!” I say awkwardly. I’m not accustomed to this kind of flirting.

Henry just laughs and looks out the car window. It’s pretty obvious he knows what kind of effect he has on me, and he’s just lapping it up. “I’ll take you there. You’ll love it.”

I say nothing and just blush some more. What else is new?

A song comes on the radio. The lyrics are about driving in the sun, sharing a special moment with someone you care deeply about. It’s a very romantic song. I catch Henry peeking at me out of the corner of his eye. I wonder if he’s picking up on the lyrics, too.

Fifteen minutes later, we reach our destination.

“We’re here!” Henry announces, pulling out his phone to pay the driver.

“No, it’s my turn,” I say. “This is school related, and I have an allowance for it.”

“If you insist …”

Henry is just really relaxed about money. He has a quiet, refined elegance, too, like the members of old-money families I’ve crossed paths with on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

We enter the modern Condé Nast building and my heart nearly stops. For real. The facility is truly impressive. I get the same gigantic rush of adrenalin I felt when I first walked into the main Parsons building in New York.

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