Chapter 22

Cheng Shi took Candy to a high-end Western restaurant in Sanlitun as planned. He had hosted a media luncheon there before, so he knew the food was good, the ambiance was nice, and they wouldn't be seen by his colleagues.

However, Candy seemed to have rarely been to a restaurant of this caliber, so she followed Narumi in without saying a word, looking completely flustered as she held the menu, utterly unsure of what to order. Seeing Candy's naive and unsuspecting demeanor, Narumi smiled slightly, then helped her choose a full meal and ordered a bottle of house wine.

“I feel a little stomachache,” Candy said weakly to Chengshi, “...It’s nothing, I’m not sick, I’m just a little...hungry.”

After a glass of wine, Candy seemed to relax, and then she not only started talking but also became unstoppable. The girl told Narumi in almost one breath everything about her experiences over the past 22 years, in great detail.

Cheng Shi only interrupted Candy once during her incessant chatter, because he remembered that he had to get Candy's boss, Wendy, the head of the secretarial team on the 15th floor, to arrange for someone else to take over Candy's work at the front desk today. Otherwise, it would be a big problem if the head of the department found out that the front desk had been vacant.

So Chengshi picked up his phone and called Wendy, his voice filled with sincere friendliness: "Sister Wendy, I'm so sorry, I was in such a hurry at noon that I didn't have time to say hello and just called Candy away from the front desk. I need to borrow Candy again this afternoon because I need her to help me organize some things that my teacher urgently needs in the imaging center. Judging from the current progress, she may have to stay here all afternoon."

There wasn't a department or place called "Image Center" in the Haoskai Building, but Chengshi was quite certain that Wendy had no idea what an "Image Center" was and wouldn't bother to verify it; even if she wanted to, her underlings wouldn't know whether an "Image Center" existed or not; as for verifying with the old teacher? Wendy didn't have the guts. Besides, Wendy liked Chengshi very much and wouldn't cause him any trouble.

However, when he hung up the phone, Cheng Shi realized that he had drunk a bit too fast and was feeling a little dizzy. So for the rest of the time, he had to control his drinking pace with complicated emotions and continue listening to Candy's unrestrained and illogical self-introduction.

From this lengthy self-introduction, Chengshi gleaned the following information: Candy is 22 years old and comes from a not-so-wealthy rural area in Hebei. Her family has five children, and her parents only gave up their "endless" baby-making plan after their fifth child, a son, was born. She doesn't like her Chinese name, "Wu Dongmei," but she thinks the English name Candy sounds nice and suits her image and temperament. She had a boyfriend when she was in college, but they broke up after graduation when he went to work in the south…

During this time, Narumi was delighted to find that Candy had started calling him "Frankie" shyly instead of "Sir Narumi." What made Narumi even happier was that Candy was now sharing an apartment with one of her senior classmates, and that apartment was near the restaurant.

After a while, Chengshi began to feel annoyed. Candy talked too much, and her words contained the kind of superficiality and naiveté typical of girls who had never seen much of the world, completely different from Huang Ruoyu's "drama." After a while, Chengshi finally realized the problem: Candy's emptiness and boredom were due to her senior and roommate, a girl named Apple, whom Candy idolized to the extreme. Apple told Chengshi that Apple was a year older than her, had a whirlwind marriage and divorce right after graduation, and now worked at a film company, knowing many big stars.

Chengshi could tell from Candy's expression and tone how much she longed for Apple's experience.

The more Candy talked, the more Narumi realized with growing disgust that the relationship between Candy and Apple was an unequal one of "idol" and "fan," and that they could actually enjoy this strange dynamic. Narumi simply couldn't understand it. After all, Narumi had always been an "idol" in his social circle, but he had always looked down on "fans." He couldn't understand how Apple, if she was truly that outstanding, could tolerate the uninteresting Candy. But… thinking about the English name "Apple," Narumi smiled wryly.

As for Apple's influence on Candy, it was almost entirely reflected in Candy's overly heavy makeup, her affected "elegant" demeanor, and her exaggerated tone of voice—although she had only drunk a glass of red wine, Candy seemed to have transformed into a naive and innocent character in a domineering CEO drama, as if there were romantic storylines unfolding around her every day in the China World Trade Center. In short, her actions, expressions, and tone of voice had become extremely affected and pretentious.

To stop Candy from talking like an idiot, Chengshi kept refilling her and Candy's drinks until Candy said weakly to Chengshi again, "My stomach seems to hurt a little again," before Chengshi stopped.

At this moment, Candy finally took off Apple's mask, transforming into Wu Dongmei, a weak, pitiful, and helpless country girl, huddled in a velvet chair with empty eyes. Chengshi then called the waiter and, just as he had for Cheng Yushan, ordered another dessert for Candy. Once Candy finally ate her dessert and looked up to indicate she felt much better, Chengshi knew it was his turn to speak.

Chengshi fully capitalized on this opportunity. Maxims and famous quotes flowed from his lips, and he transformed back into the brilliant young man he was back in school—handsome, academically gifted, and knowledgeable in everything from astronomy to geography, the object of girls' adoration and relentless pursuit. No, no, Chengshi felt that the feeling now was different from back in school. He enjoyed this feeling more, because the girl staring at him with those adoring, innocent eyes might just transform into a beautiful butterfly in the next moment. Who knows? In the Guomao area, maybe a sparrow really can rise to the top and become a phoenix. Thinking this, Chengshi felt inexplicably excited.

So, Cheng Shi first dissected Haosikai's operating model and corporate culture in just a few words, making Candy laugh out loud. Then, Cheng Shi confidently extended his sarcasm to a broader social level. However, when he criticized the sham nature of business freedom, he suddenly realized that Candy had little interest in such economic and social issues. So, he led her into his most skillful philosophical maze, played some jokes, and then threw her back into the mundane world.

Chengshi's performance was impeccable. He brought out the best he had ever given, including those sharp comments that would make his senior sister Beth exclaim, "Yes! You're right, Frankie!" and even his earlier witty remarks, such as those that made Huang Ruoyu consider him "the most interesting person she's ever met." Of course, Chengshi also subtly revealed some of the hardships he had endured as a child to Candy in an attempt to bridge the gap between them.

Cheng used his own language to create a persona for himself, sketching out a self-portrait specially made for Candy: he is a relatively young but unappreciated, disillusioned married man who is sadly and bravely fighting against the environment around him.

When the coffee was served, Narumi knew his words had had a significant effect on Candy. He could see that he could manipulate Candy's expressions and emotions with just a few words; he could make her laugh heartily or frown deeply; he could get her to nod solemnly in agreement or revel in romantic daydreams. Narumi knew very well that if he wanted, he could even make her burst into tears effortlessly…

At this moment, Cheng Shi could already foresee how Candy would describe him to Apple tonight: "Cheng Sir, oh no, Frankie is such a charming man, and incredibly talented, just like in a novel..."

When Narumi draped the trench coat over Candy's shoulders, he felt her body go limp. As they walked out of the restaurant and side by side down the sunlit street, Narumi felt Candy leaning against him again and again. At that moment, Narumi's last shred of doubt vanished—he knew he had successfully won her over.

Now only one question remains: where should they go now?

While somewhat better than the CBD, Sanlitun was still too dangerous. Cheng Shi was very worried about running into acquaintances there, because many of Huang Ruoyu's classmates, friends, and close confidantes were wealthy and had plenty of free time—celebrities, internet celebrities, and socialites. They were likely shopping, having afternoon tea, or doing street photography somewhere in Sanlitun right now. Cheng Shi didn't want to run into those people, because they would definitely recognize him immediately, and soon the news would be spreading like wildfire: "I saw Xiao Huangyu's husband in Sanlitun this afternoon. It was definitely him, no doubt about it, but he was with a really ugly woman..."

Cheng Shi was at his wit's end, but there's always a way out.

“I live in that neighborhood over there,” Candy said shyly as they strolled south from Tongying Center, passing a cluster of low red brick buildings. “Would you like to come up for a bit?”