[34] This map of Yan State is too long.
The waiter greeted them with exceptional warmth, asking if it was their first time and thanking them for choosing to dine there on this special day. After introducing the seasonal specials, he handed them two menus and a wine list, saying, "Take your time," and then vanished. Tan Xu looked bewildered, watching the show unfold. Liang Zhiyao, however, sensed something and pulled out her phone to check her reservation. Sure enough, she noticed something odd—after confirming the number of people and the date and time, the restaurant had included several special checkboxes, like "anniversary," "vegetarian," and "children." Her reservation clearly indicated that she had checked the "anniversary" checkbox, making her doubt her eyes. "Uh, I guess I accidentally checked it," she explained, showing Tan Xu the reservation page with some hesitation. "...I guess I slipped." Their attire wasn't particularly casual, making the idea of an anniversary dinner seem perfectly appropriate. No wonder the restaurant staff didn't notice anything unusual, instead taking it for granted. Tan Xu looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "I don't really have a problem with pretending to be a couple with a beautiful woman—but, I really just accidentally chose the wrong one." "What do you mean?" "After all, you seemed to have said I was 'tall, handsome, and highly intelligent,' so it's normal for you to want to date me." This was the first time they'd mentioned their conversation on the night of the total lunar eclipse, and he'd once again spoken with a slightly frivolous air. Liang Zhiyao was already feeling both embarrassed and annoyed. But she was gradually realizing that dealing with Tan Xu's increasingly brazen teasing was probably the same as dealing with a little boy who bullied her as a child—the more aggressive you are, the more excited they become. So, this time, she took a deep breath and lashed out bluntly, "Anyway, by asking you out for dinner, I've already been labeled 'interested in you.' It's like saying there's no need to worry about too much debt, right? It's easy to find a pretext for someone to accuse you of, right?" The waiter came over, first introducing the special menu, then, as a matter of course, asking what they wanted to order. While Liang Zhiyao was still debating whether to explain the anniversary blunder, Tan Xu had already ordered a glass of non-alcoholic champagne and asked her what she wanted. She reluctantly said, "I want champagne too—with alcohol." The price of the dinner suddenly skyrocketed after ordering the drinks. Furthermore, since anniversary dinners typically come with extra service and a 20% tip is generally expected, Liang Zhiyao felt the pain in her wallet, her heart aching...
The waiter greeted them warmly, asking if it was their first time and thanking them for choosing to dine here on this special day. After introducing the seasonal specials, he handed them two menus and a wine list, said "Take your time," and then left like the wind.
Tan Xu looked puzzled and looked forward to the show, but Liang Zhiyao realized something and took out his phone to find the reservation information. Sure enough, he found something strange - after confirming the number of people and the date and time, the restaurant also gave several special items that could be checked, such as "anniversary", "vegetarian", "having children" and so on.
Her appointment record clearly showed that she had checked the "anniversary" option, which made people doubt their eyes.
"Uh, it's probably because I accidentally chose this." She showed Tan Xu the reservation page with some hesitation and explained, "...maybe my finger slipped."
Their clothes were not very casual, so it didn't seem out of place to say they were having an anniversary dinner. No wonder the people in the restaurant didn't feel anything was wrong, but instead felt it was natural.
Tan Xu looked at her and raised an eyebrow: "I don't have any big objection to playing a couple with a beautiful woman - but, was it really an accident that I made the wrong choice?"
"What's the meaning?"
"After all, you seemed to have said that I was 'tall, handsome, and highly intelligent,' so it's normal for you to want to date me."
This was the first time they mentioned the conversation on the night of the total lunar eclipse, and he once again spoke in a somewhat frivolous manner, which made Liang Zhiyao feel embarrassed and annoyed.
But she gradually discovered that dealing with Tan Xu's increasingly unscrupulous teasing might be the same as dealing with the little boy who bullied her when she was a child - the bigger your reaction, the more excited the other party will be.
So this time, she took a deep breath and lashed out, not too politely: "Anyway, just because I asked you out for dinner, I've already been labeled as 'interested in you'. Isn't that what they call 'a debt is never too much?' It's easy to find a pretext to accuse someone, right?"
The waiter came over and first introduced today's special menu, and then naturally asked them what they wanted to drink.
Liang Zhiyao was still struggling with whether it was necessary to explain the "anniversary" misunderstanding to the other party, but Tan Xu had already ordered a glass of non-alcoholic champagne and asked her what she would like to drink.
She had no choice but to say: "I want champagne too - with alcohol."
After ordering the wine, the price of the dinner skyrocketed. Plus, since it was an anniversary, the service was usually extra attentive, and tips were generally expected to be over 20%. Liang Zhiyao felt a pang of pain in his wallet, a pang of heartache, as if he'd been inexplicably ripped off. He instantly lost all interest in the "hero" sitting across from him.
The latter even said confidently after the waiter left: "Since it's an 'anniversary', it's normal to have some drinks, right?"
She rolled her eyes at him and said, "You're really into the role."
When their respective appetizers and wine were served, Tan Xu finally came out of his shell and clinked his champagne glass with hers. "Let's get back to business. Congratulations again on finding the internship."
Once he regained his composure, Liang Zhiyao also returned to his sincere and friendly state: "Thank you, the mock interview is really useful."
"It all depends on your own hard work." He took a sip of his wine, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the rim of the glass. "Alicia—oh, that's the senior who posted the job posting. She said the team is quite short on people lately, and she didn't expect they could hire such a well-suited intern despite the tight deadline. And from what her boss said, he gave you a very high evaluation of your interview."
"Did you contact each other later?" Liang Zhiyao asked.
During the entire interview, she only met the HR, her direct boss, and another senior engineer through video. She did not have the chance to speak with the direct senior who posted the position on LinkedIn. However, she will have to go to the office every day after joining the company, so she will probably meet the other party soon.
"Yeah, I described to her how, during this special period when everyone is busy with mid-term, I was working across different colleges and majors to help them find someone in the computer science department," he chuckled. "So, in addition to you, I also tricked a meal out of a senior."
"...Then you're pretty shameless. He's not the boss, so how can you do him a favor and kill two birds with one stone?"
He smiled and didn't refute, pushing one of the appetizers on the table in front of her: "Do you want to try this?"
Liang Zhiyao was slightly taken aback. When they ordered, they each chose an appetizer and a main course. The restaurant's signature appetizer was "Crispy Mozzarella," which she had initially been interested in. But then, remembering her last road trip experience with low-quality cheese, she opted for the relatively safer fried squid.
However, because Tan Xu ordered this dish, it finally appeared on the table.
Seeing her stunned, he laughed: "Am I wrong? Seeing you staring at the description of this dish for a long time, but in the end didn't order it, I thought you really wanted to try it."
Liang Zhiyao thought this was Tan Xu's usual pattern—if his keen insight revealed something, he felt compelled to announce it to the world, as if to prevent others from unaware of his cleverness and intentions. Like when he first met her at Fortune and guessed she might play snooker, or asked her on that rainstorm if she was "in a bad mood," or now.
To put it bluntly, this behavior is actually a slightly more advanced form of pretense. She used to sneer at it, but now, for some reason, she actually found it a bit cute - from another perspective, it seemed no different from the proud look of a child holding a perfect report card and asking for praise.
"Hmm... I was really struggling with whether to order this for a long time," she said, "so I won't hesitate."
The cheese ball was dipped in a thin layer of tomato sauce, which was not too greasy when eaten. Instead, it was very fragrant with the flavors of garlic powder and onion.
"It's really delicious. It seems there's a reason why a signature dish becomes a signature dish," she praised.
Tan Xu also picked up a fork and tasted one, and asked her: "So is it equivalent to the 'Hell Spicy Ramen' you have in this restaurant?"
The words were a bit convoluted, and there was a previous story, but Liang Zhiyao understood: "I guess so. I admit that this dish is really amazing. It would be a pity to miss it."
He added, "Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to be a teacher or to criticize you. It's your freedom to decide what to eat and what to order. Whether to take the risk of trying something different or to get the certainty of satisfaction is just a personal choice. There's no better way. I just want to say that maybe there's another way—"
"What method?"
"...That's transferring the risk," he winked. "For example, if you were to have dinner with me, you could be a little bolder and throw the food to me if it doesn't taste good, and then go back to eating fried squid."
“…”
Finally, the true intention of the map was revealed. She couldn't help but complain that the map of Yan State was too long.
His temptations always come in rather tempting packaging, and if you don't look carefully, it's easy to interpret them as some kind of moving promise.
While the words were alluring, the metaphors tinged with unexpected romance, the premise didn't bear scrutiny—what right did he have to be the one to "pass on the risk" to her? Friends wouldn't be so blind to boundaries, and even the closest of friendships shouldn't be so reckless. After that attempted kiss, thwarted by the sudden alarm clock, he lifted her up, then gently lowered her, and uttered such ambiguous words. His motives were unclear.
In other words, Tan Xu clearly knew that in her eyes, he was the biggest "uncertainty", but he cleverly described himself as someone who could share other uncertainties.
Perhaps ambiguity itself is a wonderful experience, free of any psychological burden. But while mass-produced, unspoken romance is certainly romantic, it always makes one wonder whether enjoying rights without assuming responsibilities can truly be considered a good thing.
Call her too serious or boring, but from the moment she realized she was truly wavering, it became difficult for her to enjoy the game as a pure player. Furthermore, Tan Xu's romantic rhetoric was more about testing the other person than committing to himself.
Liang Zhiyao couldn't help but think impulsively, what if she asked him that question now?
Skip all the back-and-forth hints and probing and just ask him directly, "Were you going to kiss me that day?" and see how he reacts.
She had never done anything so bold, and the moment the thought came to her, her heartbeat quickly accelerated. The waiter brought the main course just in time, giving her a dozen extra seconds to prepare.
A generous portion of seafood pasta and Parmesan cheese fell from the sky, like an iron wall between the two of them, as if to give her a greater sense of security in asking such an impulsive question.
"Actually, I..."
“This one is delicious too.”
The words she had just spoken were immediately interrupted. Tan Xu seemed not to notice that she had something to say. He pointed at the fried squid nonchalantly and said with a smile, "Why don't we just not divide the order and eat the appetizer together."
But Liang Zhiyao knew he heard it.
She was still debating whether to start again when Tan Xu, in a pretentiously casual tone, remarked on the taste of the main course. Neither of them seemed to care about the delicate conversation they had just had, and they returned to other, less important topics.
Liang Zhiyao found himself unhappy at being able to brush it off so easily—his sense of slackness seemed to be the same as always, and any actions that slightly crossed the line were actually a casual, half-hearted attempt. Give it a try, and if it doesn't work, forget it.
It was his casual attitude that made her want to retreat into her shell every time she hesitated and wanted to take a step forward.
The meal then fell silent. Her period had somewhat affected her appetite, and she wasn't in the mood for food. But Liang Zhiyao didn't want to waste this expensive dinner, so she ate slowly. By the end, she felt a faint pain rising in her lower abdomen, a different kind of discomfort than usual.
Fortunately, the meal was almost over, and she planned to lie down in bed as soon as she got home and drink something hot.
When it came time to pay the bill, a new situation arose.
Seeing that they had almost finished their meal and had no intention of ordering dessert, the waiter politely placed the wallet containing the bill on the table and said there was no need to rush and it would not be too late to pay after they had chatted to their heart's content.
As she reached into her coat pocket to feel for her wallet, Tan Xu had already taken out her bank card and put it into the bill folder very naturally.
The waiter, in a very sexist manner, assumed that the man would pay for the "anniversary" dinner. Without even looking at her, he immediately took the bill folder and disappeared without a trace before Liang Zhiyao could say anything to him.
She was stunned: "What's going on here? Isn't it my treat?"
He joked seriously, "You don't understand, right? We financial guys who like to show off are generally chauvinistic and straight. It's standard practice for us to rush to pay the bill when we eat with girls."
"...It doesn't really matter who pays," she said, picking up her phone. "I'll transfer the money to you online."
"That's even more absurd," he laughed. "Don't you know that the vanity and satisfaction that comes from paying the bill itself is a kind of emotional value? If I shamelessly enjoy the pleasure of treating you and then let you pay, then I'm taking both sides. Isn't that too much?"
"But we agreed on this before we came here."
"Then wait until you get your first paycheck after you start working and then cash it out," Tan Xu suggested, seemingly prepared for the alternative, a roguish grin on his face. "Maybe you'll find that occasionally owing someone something can be an interesting experience."
Author's Note
Reversible light path
author
08-03
Two people with different thoughts -w-
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