23. Bon nuit

Eric is a strange guy. There is nothing shameful about getting engaged to a rich girl.

Vivian swallowed the word "why" and asked, "Will you show me now?"

He took out his cell phone, scrolled up and down through the photo album, handed the phone to her, and let her look through it herself.

These are the most common overly beautiful photos on social media, with handsome men and beautiful women, endless sea views, and unbeatable filters, making everyone as beautiful as a star.

There weren't many people in the group photo, only about eight or nine in total, and their average age didn't seem to be over 30. It seemed Feng Simiao's intelligence was correct; this was Yang Ziqi's decision, hidden from her parents.

Yang Ziqi's girlfriends were all wearing light purple dresses, with their skirts blown by the sea breeze. They all looked like they were cast from the same mold as her, delicate, soft, and smiling.

It was indeed beautiful, Vivian admitted.

A pang of sourness welled up in her heart. Perhaps they were meant to be together.

"It's beautiful." She couldn't help but sigh, paused, looked at him, and added, "I really mean it."

Eric was slightly surprised; he hadn't expected her to be so open about revealing her true feelings. After all, from the moment they first met, she had always wrapped herself tightly, like a thick cocoon. Her smile seemed to be her shield, and he had never seen her show any jealousy or sadness.

But for no apparent reason, he always felt as if he understood her perfectly. He noticed that even when she smiled, her jaw was always slightly clenched, and she would occasionally bite her lower lip unconsciously. This meant that she was always tense.

Why is she always so unhappy?

Vivian quickly changed the subject: "Is this boy your friend? He's quite handsome."

"Oh no, that's also her childhood friend. I originally invited Lin Yang, but he was too busy and couldn't leave." There was a sense of loneliness in his words.

Vivian scoffed inwardly. It wasn't that Lin Yang couldn't leave; he simply didn't want to wade into this mess. People from families like theirs were always like this. Despite their youth, they knew how to exploit opportunities and avoid risks, leveraging effective resources and minimizing risks.

The richer you are, the more demanding you are. Rich people will not throw their wealth or resources to insignificant people, even if it is just a little gold sand slipping through their fingers.

Vivian's mind raced: Isn't it the same with Feng Simiao? They could eat, drink, and have fun together, gossip about others, even stay close enough to share a room, but in reality, I was always the only one providing emotional value. Even though Feng Simiao was so wealthy, he had never given her any real benefit.

Just a princess's reading companion of a new era.

Eric is probably just such a little gadget to Lin Yang.

The poor are close to the rich, just as Zhang Ailing said, it is like a downpour, some holding umbrellas, some without. Those without umbrellas are close to those with umbrellas, trying to get under the umbrellas to avoid the rain, and there is some shelter, but the water pouring down from the edges of the umbrellas is even more fierce than the rain outside.

"Would you two like to order food?"

The waiter arrived just in time to interrupt her cynical associations.

Only then did she realize that her resentment towards Feng Simiao was actually due to her feeling of injustice for Eric.

She thought: I have really lost my mind.

The meal was just like the others they had shared before. The atmosphere flowed smoothly, unnoticed by outsiders, but each of them had their own thoughts. Halfway through, the beautiful photos seemed to still hover before Vivian's eyes. She felt a pang of pain in her stomach. She put down her chopsticks, folded her arms, and leaned back in her seat.

Seeing this, he hurriedly asked, "Then we pay the bill?"

They left the restaurant, neither of them speaking. He followed her naturally into the shadows of the lush trees along the road. The night sky was like a deep blue velvet, studded with sparkling diamonds. Vivian was so preoccupied that she couldn't even think about the person beside her.

It's so strange. Every time we meet, we might never see each other again, yet we always do. We always see each other, but it seems like there's no excuse to meet again. So, every time we meet, it could be our last.

It was strange, except for that first quick encounter, it seemed like every time we met we would go for a walk at night. Walking together was actually more intimate than eating, drinking, or even going to bed.

People can have dinner and socialize with people they don't like, and even having sex with them is not difficult these days.

But few people are willing to take a walk with someone they don't like.

She was lost in her thoughts, and Eric followed her silently. Before they knew it, they had reached the bottom of the apartment building. She stopped, as if she had made a great decision: "Want to go upstairs for a drink?"

"You live here? I don't think you did last time."

"We just moved a while ago," she said softly, as if if she spoke softly enough, Qiu Fang and all the unpleasant memories would be buried in the dust.

"A drink? Are you okay with that?" He seemed a little scared.

In this kind of situation between a man and a woman, "coming upstairs for a drink" is roughly equivalent to an invitation to have sex.

Vivian shrugged.

Things had been so bad lately that she felt it was okay to be a little selfish. Besides, she didn't really want to do anything, so she trusted him not to force her.

She was just feeling a little rebellious.

The elevator started moving, and the two of them climbed up side by side in silence. It was only 12 floors, but it felt like a century.

Although they knew each other well, they had never been alone in such a small, enclosed space. She felt a kind of oppressive tension, making it difficult for her to breathe and even making her throat tight.

Fortunately, they had arrived. She quickly walked out of the elevator and opened the door.

She didn't draw the curtains when she went out. Outside the floor-to-ceiling window facing the entrance door was a group of skyscrapers against a dark blue background. The glass curtain walls were shining brightly, like a huge photograph.

"It looks great." Eric stood at the window.

She washed the strawberries, cherries, and blueberries. These were fruits she used to love, but strangely, since moving here, she only ate these. She knew it was ridiculous, but it seemed out of place to sit in front of such a beautiful window view and eat ordinary fruits like apples and bananas.

God, she's so shallow.

"Any beer?" he interrupted her reverie.

"I have... a soda machine that can make you ice and lemon."

"Isn't it just one drink? Soda doesn't count."

Weiweian rolled her eyes at him lightly: "Your Excellency is married, and it's not good to be in a melon field with a plum tree."

"Don't worry, a bottle of beer can't do anything to me."

"No beer, really. Vodka, please?"

He blinked.

"Don't be afraid, I'm not going to force you to drink. I'm a good drinker and never act crazy under the influence of alcohol." Vivian brought out two cups from the kitchen.

They really behaved themselves, sitting face to face, drinking wine and eating fruit. Alcohol plus anthocyanins made it both indulgent and healthy.

The two of them were silent.

Often, when silence struck during a conversation, Vivian would be the one to automatically start a conversation. It was only much later that she realized that the power of letting things sink in, rather than trying to find a topic, was something only those in a position of power possessed.

When facing her boss or work partners, Feng Simiao, and of course Qiu Fang, she always couldn't help but find topics to talk about.

It seemed like the only time she didn't need to be so careful was when she was in Eric's presence.

It seemed like only a moment, but it was already nearly midnight. Vivian felt reluctant to leave, but just as she was about to speak, he suddenly said, "Can I borrow the sofa to sleep on for a night?"

Vivian thought: Haha, it's finally here. There are no such things as special men in the world.

Before she could open her mouth to sarcastically reply, he said solemnly, "Just sleeping. Not sleeping with you."

She was too embarrassed to say anything, so she took out a blanket and pillow from the closet and gave them to him.

"I've been suffering from severe insomnia lately. I haven't had a full night's sleep in a long time. I feel like I'm about to die." He rarely showed such a bitter smile.

Vivian said in her heart, don't play tricks, I will only believe your words if everything goes well tonight.

"Good night. Bon nuit."

"What?"

"Did I say something wrong?" He rarely showed a hint of shyness.

Wrong. The noun nuit (night) is feminine, but the adjective is masculine. It's grammatically incorrect. The correct phrase should be Bonne nuit (good night). But she thinks it's fine just like that. It's the grammar that's wrong, it's the French, it's all French speakers around the world.

Bon nuit, good night, world.

///