Blind date
The table was bathed in soft light streaming in from the floor-to-ceiling windows. The waiter pushed open the four-square grid door with its Song Dynasty style, and the last dish, matsutake mushroom and bamboo fungus clear chicken soup, was served.
"All dishes have been served. Enjoy your meal." The waiter crossed his hands in front of his lower abdomen, bowed slightly, and then left.
Just as the door to the private room closed, Li Chengjian's voice rang out. He raised his palm toward the dishes on the table and glanced at Wen Dai. "Eat, don't be shy. Last time, I really owe you and your partner a lot. You not only solved my granddaughter's problem, but also pointed out the issue at the intersection of Yanyang Road and Fudong Road."
Taking the bracelet, ready for consecration, from Grandma Li, Wen Dai carefully placed the small box into a compartment in her bag. She looked up to meet Li Chengjian's gaze. "You're too kind. It was just a small matter. If you don't believe us, it's a waste of our breath to explain."
"As soon as the Spring Festival holiday ended, I found a construction team and a high-ranking priest from the temple. We even performed a ritual. There's a stone tablet with the inscription 'Shi Gandang' embedded at the intersection, and a small temple to the Earth God, built under a tree there. You wouldn't notice it unless you crouched down to look. The road was just opened these past few days, and so far it looks pretty good. We'll see how it fares in the long run." Li Chengjian's eyes were wide open, and his hand unconsciously tapped his bowl with chopsticks. Every time he got excited, he would tap the bowl.
Sitting on the stool next to Grandma Li was Li Qingyu. Unlike when she first met her, the little girl was twisted and ferocious as she struggled on the bed. Her chubby face had a kind of innocent cuteness. Her dark eyes peeked out from beside the woman's arm, secretly watching Wen Dai.
The woman raised her hand and gently stroked Li Qingyu's head. She turned her head and smiled at Wen Dai, saying, "Qingyu likes you very much. After you and your partner finished dealing with things for us that day, Qingyu woke up and asked, 'Where's my sister?' We were completely confused. When we asked her, we found out that the 'sister' she was referring to was you. She said that you helped her drive away the monster that was bullying her."
Two emotions welled up within her: joy and guilt. Wen Dai's instinctive reaction was that if she could gain Li Qingyu's dependence on her, her relationship with the Li family would reach a new level—Li Chengjian was the domain head. She needed someone to provide her with a stepping stone.
"You remember your sister? Do you remember you also have a brother?" Wen Dai put down her chopsticks, bent over, and reached into the bag behind her. The bag was pulled back onto her lap, and she picked out a rag doll wrapped in a sealed film and handed it to him.
She raised her gaze to the face of the woman standing between her and Li Qingyu. "There are talismans in here too. I didn't think of bringing this out before, but now that I think about it... maybe Xiaoyu will like it. Also, the refining process takes a long time, at least a week and a half, and sometimes three to five months; this bracelet is just for protection and boosting yang energy, so it won't take as long. You can pick it up in half a month. In the meantime, let the doll keep Xiaoyu company, and be careful not to get it wet."
Before the woman spoke, it was Li Qingyu who held the doll close to her chest. The child's eyes, with their bright light, were like stars, warm stars. Her small hands wrapped around the rag doll, seemingly an unconscious action. She rubbed her chin against the doll's head, her gaze always meeting Wen Dai's. "Thank you, sister, I like it so much! Brother... I remember brother, but I like sister even more."
As if to emphasize how much she liked it, Li Qingyu added, "More than I like Xiongxiong! I like the doll only a little less than I like my sister, because it's from my sister." She stretched out a small hand and made a "one" gesture earnestly.
Her gaze softened unconsciously, and her guilt deepened. Wen Dai silently knelt and kowtowed in her heart, for heaven had eyes; she hadn't intended to use this little sister as a tool to climb the social ladder, and she had no other choice.
With such a good rope, who among those who have been waiting for the light of day at the bottom of the valley would give it up?
Many people go through their entire lives without ever seeing the rope. She was simply cherishing her rare good fortune.
After eating a simple meal, Wen Dai, whose bladder was already full due to the urgent need for urination, left the private room under the pretext of touching up her makeup, having only applied sunscreen to her face.
Unexpectedly, just as she turned to walk towards the restroom, she bumped into Lai Wenyi, who was coming out of the next private room.
In early spring, after shedding her heavy down jacket, Lai Wenyi's androgynous short coat and trousers gave her a cool and stylish look. What surprised Wen Dai the most was that she had cut her hair below her ears; the irregular, wispy strands framed her face, highlighting her wild beauty against her light tan skin. Like a little leopard.
The little leopard immediately lost his composure, and Lai Wenyi's eyes visibly lit up. She stretched out her arms and hugged Wen Dai's arm. "Wen Dai! You're here too! What a coincidence! It's spring now, and my mom said we should get the family together to celebrate the spring. Actually, it's mainly because my cousin who's been abroad has come back to China—hey, how about I introduce you two?"
Wen Dai stumbled a couple of steps towards Lai Wenyi because Lai Wenyi hugged her arm affectionately. She quickly steadied herself and grinned, showing her dimples. "What a coincidence. I came to eat with my previous client. There's no need to introduce your cousin. He's from overseas, and I'm not well-educated. I wouldn't have anything in common with him."
Just then, the door behind Wen Dai was opened again, and Liu Nan came out.
Liu Nan and Lai Wenyi proved one thing to Wen Dai with their actual experience—families with status are mostly in the same social circle.
"Eh? Sister Liu Nan?" Lai Wenyi's gaze shifted from Wen Dai's face to what was behind Wen Dai.
The woman smiled and nodded to Lai Wenyi, her gaze lingering between Wen Dai and Lai Wenyi. "You two know each other?"
As Lai Wenyi treated Wen Dai like a human doll, she changed angles. Lai Wenyi put her arm around Wen Dai's shoulder, and she ended up in a position where their backs were pressed against each other's chests. Lai Wenyi, with her arm around Wen Dai's shoulder, nodded to Liu Nan and said, "Yes, I know her. Wen Dai helped my family a lot before. Did you ask her for help too? What do you think? Isn't she amazing?"
With her eyebrows raised and eyes shining, Lai Wenyi looked as if she herself was the "exceptionally powerful" one.
The smile on Liu Nan's face deepened. She nodded and said, "Yes, didn't Xiaoyu become a completely different person after her car accident last year? It took so long to figure out what was going on, and after ruling out all medical possibilities, they finally solved the problem by approaching it from a metaphysical perspective. No wonder people say that the end of science is metaphysics... We should be more tolerant; just because we haven't seen something doesn't mean it doesn't exist." The sigh in her tone was obvious.
The conversation abruptly shifted, and Liu Nan looked at Lai Wenyi with a half-smile, saying, "You too, you're so young and haven't even been in a relationship, yet you're already thinking about playing matchmaker for others?"
Lai Wenyi raised her hand and scratched her head shyly, then twirled her short, choppy hair between her fingers. She tilted her head and smiled, "It doesn't conflict at all. I really like Wen Dai, so of course I hope we can become family. Oh, by the way, you probably don't like your partner, right? If you two are in a flirtatious stage, just pretend I didn't say anything."
Caught between the two, Wen Dai endured the torment, forced to ignore her bladder's nagging. When she finally got a chance to speak, she rattled off, "I don't like it. My relationship with him is purely professional. If you're going to bring up feelings, then it's just camaraderie. I'm going to the restroom now, you two talk." Unable to hold back any longer, she spun around and took a step, the hand that had been on her shoulder falling away. Freed from her restraints, her destination clear, she headed straight for the restroom at the end of the corridor.
The brief moment of relieving one of the three urgent needs brought Wen Dai a lot of trouble.
When the two-week deadline arrived, Wen Dai received a message from Liu Nan on the very day they went to collect the bracelet—
[Xiaoyu's grandma has a very good impression of you, you can understand that, right? Older people are always keen to introduce potential partners to younger generations. Last time I overheard you chatting with Wenyi, and from what you said, I guessed you were single, so I casually mentioned it to Xiaoyu's grandma, and I didn't expect her to have this idea...]
If this has made you uncomfortable, then I apologize. It was a kind gesture from the elderly woman, but the person who will be taking the bracelet from your house is her grandmother's sister's grandson—it's a bit complicated, isn't it? Anyway, I apologize for being so forward this time, and I hope you won't mind. If possible, please go out for a meal with him; otherwise, it would be difficult to explain.
Li Chengjian had already transferred the cost of refining the bracelet to Wen Dai earlier, but Liu Nan's message included a transfer fee, presumably hoping that she would agree to go out to dinner with the grandson of that Li family grandmother's sister.
Feeling a bit overwhelmed by these complicated relationships, Wen Dai raised her hand and massaged her temples with her thumb.
Standing in the kitchen, Wen Dai put her phone back in her pocket and put the noodles that she had laid out on the counter back in their original place.
Anyway, she's the one who's freeloading, so she can just politely decline when the time comes. Besides, the "grandson" who got kicked out might be just as unlucky as her, so helping him out isn't a big deal.
Having cleverly justified her main purpose of freeloading, Wen Dai went back to her room, took out the box containing the bracelet, and put it on her person. She then leisurely returned to the living room and waited for that "grandson" to arrive.
Around noon, there was finally a knock on the door. Wen Dai, who was curled up on the sofa and almost asleep, jumped up, ran to the door, quickly changed her shoes, and pushed the door open.
The man who came into view was tall and well-proportioned, with a face under his buzz cut that had a touch of fortitude. His features were not soft within his strong profile, and with his honey-colored skin and well-tailored suit, Wen Dai had the feeling that she was being approached by an investigator.
This righteous spirit—she had already reviewed everything she had done during this period.
"Hello, I am Gu Qi, Gu as in 'looking around with a bright and lively spirit,' and Qi as in 'using something.'" The man, who seemed ready to pull out a gun and press it against Wen Dai's forehead at any moment to stop her from moving, extended a hand to her—a friendly handshake.
Instinctively, Wen Dai didn't shake hands with him. Instead, she reached into her coat pocket, took out the box containing the bracelet, and immediately filled the box with her hand that was waiting to shake hands.
With a slightly bewildered look on her face, Wen Dai looked up at Gu Qi and put on a harmless smile. "Hello, my name is Wen Dai. Wen means 'heard' and Dai means 'the beauty of the six palaces pales in comparison'." Actually, she wanted to be cheeky and call him "Grandma Li's sister's grandson" before introducing him by name.
The truth is... she did do it indirectly.
Completely unaware of Wen Dai's thoughts, Gu Qi lowered his eyes to look at her. His gaze lingered on the delicate features of the person in front of him, and when it landed on those bright, peach-blossom eyes, his hand holding the box tightened its grip, and his voice became somewhat dry: "You probably haven't eaten yet, have you? Shall we have a meal together?"
Unaware of Gu Qi's unease, Wen Dai stepped out the door, closed it behind her, and then tilted her chin up, grinning at him and saying, "You must be Grandma Li's sister's grandson, right? Of course, come on."
Wen Dai felt incredibly pleased to finally say what she had been holding back, and the dimple on her left cheek and her two canine teeth couldn't be hidden from her expression.
However, the person being teased still didn't realize it. He caught his breath for a moment, and after adjusting himself, he barely managed to return to a normal state. He struggled to look away from Wen Dai's face and silently followed her downstairs.
The restaurant was booked in advance and is located on the top floor of a hotel in the city center.
From the sculptural lamps that rival gallery artworks to the dining tables crafted from natural blue granite, everything showcases the restaurant's opulence. Standing by the window, one can enjoy a panoramic view of Lizhou's prosperity; its superior location is a testament to the money invested in it.
Wen Dai and Gu Qi sat down by the window. When ordering, she was a little more polite and didn't specifically choose dishes with shockingly high prices. Gu Qi, on the other hand, specifically chose expensive dishes, ordering five dishes that cost five figures each.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, Wen Dai completely forgot her promise. Her main focus was "waiting for food," and she paid no attention to the awkward silence between her and Gu Qi, tilting her head to look out the window. It wasn't that she ignored Gu Qi's embarrassing situation; she simply didn't even "look" at him.
Gu Qi, his fingers tracing the fork handle on the table, stared intently at the person across from him who was facing away from him. "...I wonder what type of man Miss Wen is interested in? And what are your requirements for a partner?"
"Hmm?" Gu Qi was met with a bewildered look from Wen Dai. Her dark eyelashes fluttered twice, her pupils were blank. After a moment of reaction, she suddenly exclaimed and pointed to herself with one finger, saying, "I'm interested in people like me."
She put her hands back on her thighs for support, met his gaze, and said matter-of-factly, "I love myself very much. I love what I love, and by extension, the type of person I like has nothing to do with gender. In short, it's definitely my type."
"Of course, my requirements for a partner are also very high. He must share my values, be absolutely obedient to me, and be tolerant and accepting. But as long as he's compatible with me, these requirements are definitely not requirements for him. Also, I'm a bit materialistic. I'm not short of money, but I'm not very willing to spend it. My partner definitely needs to make up for this. Of course, he can't be a spendthrift either; he just needs to spend money on me..."
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