Brian was a bit nervous, so he couldn’t help but adjust his tie.
"Clothes make the man, horses need saddles," this saying was absolutely true. Although Brian had aged, put on weight, and his hair was thinning, his presence was still imposing. Dressed in an extremely expensive and superbly effective suit, who would dare say that Brian was unattractive?
Despite this, Brian still lacked confidence in himself. After hesitating for a long time, he finally couldn’t resist whispering to Yang Yi, "Do I really not need to put on makeup?"
Zhang Yong suggested that Brian wear makeup, while Kate advised against it, and after gaining Xiao Ran’s agreement, Brian decided to meet Anna with his real face—at least he no longer needed to wear a wig.
No matter whether Brian put on makeup or not, he wouldn’t feel confident—Yang Yi had seen through that early on.
"There’s no need for makeup, you look very good right now," Yang Yi assured him.
Brian sighed in relief, then glanced at his watch and said in a low voice, "We’ll be landing in half an hour. Can you check my clothes...?"
"They look great, absolutely perfect, without a single wrinkle!"
Brian was wearing a hand-tailored suit, a casual one—if it were too formal, it would be inappropriate. He had hurried to the plane right after trying on and being satisfied with the suit.
Moreover, Brian had even arranged to meet Annastasia immediately after getting off the plane; to maintain the look of his clothes, he refused to lean back in his first-class seat, sitting upright all the way to Moscow. Fortunately, it only took a little over an hour from Kiev to Moscow, so Brian didn’t have to endure too long.
Kate leaned over, curiosity written all over her face, and asked, "Where did you two plan to meet?"
Brian was reluctant to say because he wanted to meet Anna alone. So when he was on the phone, he would do so behind Yang Yi and the others’ backs, even keeping the meeting place a secret. He still wouldn’t tell, even as they were about to arrive.
With a threatening tone, Kate said, "This is your last chance. Think carefully. If you don’t want anything to go wrong on your date, you’d better take us with you."
Xiao Ran also chimed in, "Do you really think you know how to date a woman? Aren’t you worried about running into some kind of emergency situation?"
Yang Yi spoke solemnly, "I think they’re right. Besides, women definitely understand women better. Think it over once more," he urged.
The always confident Brian wavered.
"We planned to meet at the Memorial to the Unknown Soldier in Red Square."
Upon hearing Brian’s answer, Kate covered her forehead with her hand, then spoke weakly, "Oh God, why would you think of meeting there? Is that even an appropriate place for a date?"
With a sympathetic face, Xiao Ran said, "That place is too solemn and too serious. How can it be a dating spot?"
Stammering, Brian said, "It wasn’t my suggestion. She said it; I also feel the place isn’t quite right, but, but I didn’t object."
Xiao Ran nodded, "Well, at least the place is open and broad, convenient for us to observe."
After a moment’s hesitation, Brian then quietly said, "Do you think I should bring a bouquet of flowers? Or maybe just one flower?"
Kate responded with a wry smile, "In front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier? Are you planning to pay tribute with flowers to the Unknown Soldier or to give them to your dream lover? Don’t joke around. Any other place would do, just not there."
Xiao Ran suggested, "Give her flowers after leaving there. Once you meet, hurry to change places. Go anywhere; find a quiet spot, take a walk by the river, sit in a café, or go for a meal—just do anything, anything at all, but don’t do it in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier."
Brian whispered, "Then where would be best for me to go?"
Kate said, "My suggestion is to first take a walk around Red Square, strolling is more conducive to reminiscing about the past, then find a quiet place to sit. You guys might not have the appetite to eat, so just find an outdoor café table to sit down at for now."
After thinking for a moment, Brian whispered, "So what should I do after I see her? Isn’t it too abrupt to hug her right away, but if I have to say something first, I don’t know what to say."
Xiao Ran said helplessly, "My god, Brian, I swear if it wasn’t for Anna having other intentions, you’d never manage to find a girlfriend."
Brian’s complexion turned ugly, and Xiao Ran quickly added with a smile, "When the time comes, it’s up to how you feel. Whatever you want to do is fine, because whatever we say now, you won’t remember when it actually happens."
Yang Yi whispered, "Play it by ear, no, just go with your feelings. Whatever you feel like doing, do that."
Stung by Xiao Ran’s comment, Brian fell silent again, sinking back into his doubts and nervousness. There was no need to concern ourselves with him, Brian would naturally know what to do when the time came.
The plane landed, and then Yang Yi and others left the airport. After exiting the airport, Brian made another phone call.
This time, Brian didn’t deliberately avoid Yang Yi and the others.
Standing a little distance away, Yang Yi pricked up his ears and listened intently to what Brian was saying, then Kate and Xiao Ran did the same, the spirit of gossip knows no gender.
"I’ve arrived, just got out of the airport, and now I’m starting to walk toward Red Square."
Not knowing what Annastasia had said on the phone, Brian quickly hung up and then he exhaled deeply, turning to Yang Yi and the others, "To Red Square, she will be waiting for me there!"
They hailed a taxi and headed straight for Red Square.
Getting out of the taxi, Brian felt a bit scared, of course, but now that he’d established contact with Annastasia, he was filled with more anticipation and excitement.
Brian walked very quickly, forcing himself to suppress the urge to run.
Yang Yi and the others followed behind Brian, about ten meters back, all the way to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Xiao Ran suddenly said, "Is it that woman?"
In front of the Eternal Flame of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, there stood a woman in a white dress, wearing a pair of black flats, holding a ladies’ handbag in front of her, staring motionlessly at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Yang Yi whispered, "If it’s her, she should be facing our direction, right? It’s probably not her. If it really is, suddenly I’m not too optimistic about Brian’s outcome..."
If it was a woman waiting for her lover’s arrival, she definitely wouldn’t stand with her back to the direction from which her lover was coming.
There were other women around the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, but Brian walked straight towards the woman in the white dress. However, his pace slowed more and more, until he was standing behind and to the side of the woman. After a moment of silence, he finally said in a trembling voice, "Hi, Kate, I’m here."
The woman in the dress turned around, looked at Brian, smiled slightly, and said, "You’re here."
Brian sighed, then smiled back and said, "Yeah, I’m here."