【05】She always puts a sign saying “half price sale”, but she secretly feels sad when people are attracted by the discount.
The living room was dark, lights off. It looked like Ye Xin's Friday date wasn't over yet. Liang Zhiyao put down her backpack and accepted the friend request from the message "Hello, I'm Tan Xu" on her phone. She pulled a few ingredients from the refrigerator and quickly prepared meals for the next few days using simple cooking methods. The dishwasher had just started up when the security door unlocked again. It was Ye Xin returning. She slipped off her 7cm stilettos and half-threw them into the shoe cabinet, not caring about the wrinkles on her dress as she slumped down on the soft sofa. "I'm so tired!" she said wearily. To be fair, Ye Xin was an above-average roommate. Because Liang Zhiyao had moved into the living room this semester, she kept her door shut and her footsteps quiet when she occasionally came home late. She never brought her boyfriend over, and she didn't have any of the usual bad habits you see in "North American international student complaints" about roommates. The two of them were the kind of friends with different interests but compatible personalities, so from freshman to junior year, although they changed apartments once, they always lived together. Even when Liang Zhiyao could no longer afford the rent for a separate bedroom, they did not part ways, but found a third roommate in the WeChat group of international students. The new roommate was Qin Lu, a senior student studying for a PhD in the School of Engineering. Because she often had to stay in the laboratory all day, there was a generation gap between her and the two undergraduates. They did not communicate much in normal times, but their relationship was still harmonious. The living rooms of two-bedroom apartments in the United States are very spacious. At this time, Ye Xin fell on the sofa in the shared area outside the screen and did not get up for a long time. She knew that Ye Xin had extremely high energy in love and would never feel tired after a few hours of dating. The so-called "exhausted" was mostly mental exhaustion. Friday nights are the most relaxing times of the week. Just after ten o'clock, there's still time for some casual gossip. She was in the mood, too. She pulled ice and lemon from the refrigerator, filled two glasses, and sat down on the sofa, all ears. "How was your date?" "Not really. There won't be a next time," Ye Xin said, taking the homemade lemonade from her and gulping down half a glass. She burped, a burp that didn't fit the stereotype of a beautiful woman. "He's such a straight man, so disrespectful to women. He's already showing his true colors after just one meal." "What did he do?" After just a few hours of contact, she was genuinely curious about what he'd said to deserve such a stern accusation. "I asked him what his ideal life was, and he described coming home from work to find his wife ready for dinner, a son, and...
The living room was dark and unlit; it looked like Ye Xin's Friday date wasn't over yet. Liang Zhiyao put down his backpack and accepted the friend request from the message "Hello, I'm Tan Xu" on his phone.
She took out a few ingredients from the refrigerator and quickly prepared meals for the next few days using the simplest cooking methods. As soon as the dishwasher started running, the security door made another unlocking sound. It was Ye Xin who had returned.
She took off her 7cm stilettos and half-threw them into the shoe cabinet, not caring about the wrinkles on her dress. She slumped down on the soft sofa and said tiredly, "I'm so tired."
To be fair, Ye Xin was an above-average roommate. Because Liang Zhiyao had moved into the living room this semester, she'd slam the door and walk quietly when she came home late, and she never brought her boyfriend home. She didn't exhibit any of the common bad habits you'd see in "North American international student complaints" about roommates.
The two of them were friends with different interests but compatible personalities. Therefore, from freshman to junior year, although they changed apartments once, they always lived together. Even when Liang Zhiyao could no longer afford the rent for a separate bedroom, they did not go their separate ways. Instead, they found a third roommate in the international student WeChat group.
My new roommate is Qin Lu, a PhD student in the School of Engineering. Because she often has to spend the whole day in the lab, there is a generation gap between her and the two undergraduates, so we don’t communicate much, but our relationship is still harmonious.
The living rooms of two-bedroom apartments in the United States are very spacious. Ye Xin was lying on the sofa in the shared area outside the screen at this time and did not get up for a long time.
She knew that Ye Xin had great energy when it came to love, and would never feel tired after a few hours of dating. The so-called "being exhausted" was probably mental exhaustion.
Friday night is the most relaxing time of the week. Just after ten o'clock, there is still time for chatting and gossip. She also became interested. She took ice cubes and lemon from the refrigerator and filled two glasses. She took them to the sofa and sat down, listening attentively:
"How was the date?"
"Not so good, there won't be a next time." Ye Xin took the homemade lemonade from her hand, gulped down half a cup, and burped, which was not in line with the stereotype of a beautiful woman. She continued, "Straight male cancer, too disrespectful to women, after just one meal, the fox tail is exposed."
"What did he do?" After just a few hours of contact, I was really curious about what the other party had said that was so outrageous that he was accused of such a serious crime.
"I asked him about his ideal life in the future, and he described to me that he would come home from get off work, his wife would have just prepared dinner, and his two children, a son and a daughter, and a German Shepherd would be waiting at the door to greet him, and then the family would eat and chat."
Ye Xin rolled her eyes. Her eyes were big and clearly black and white, so when she rolled her eyes, they were particularly lethal.
"Anyway, it seems like he completely assumes his wife is a housewife and will definitely agree to have two children—come on, this is only our first date, don't even try to pretend."
Such an imaginary thought was indeed full of self-righteous offense. It was not unfair for him to be dumped by such a beautiful woman. Liang Zhiyao nodded objectively and clinked glasses with her: "Being stupid and bad is better than being cunning. Congratulations on getting rid of straight male cancer so quickly."
"Thank you," Ye Xin said weakly, her tone still gloomy: "Why do I always meet men like this? I'm speechless."
She didn't expect to get an answer to this question, it was more of a complaint than a question, but Liang Zhiyao's thoughts began to drift away, and he began to seriously worry about his beautiful roommate's views on choosing a partner.
For a beautiful woman from a wealthy family, if she wants to add a good temper to her personality, it is likely to form an "impossible triangle".
However, the reality is that compared to girls with similar conditions, Ye Xin does appear to be overly gentle and good at reading people's expressions in the first impression.
Her smile always maintains a sincere look in her eyes, and she never loses her temper with her suitors for no apparent reason. At first glance, she even seems to have a people-pleasing personality. Coupled with her long straight black hair and sweet, marriageable outfit, she gives people a sense of incompatibility as if her social experience has completely failed.
Before she is sure that the other person has become a partner whom she can boss around, all her princess syndrome and even reasonable dissatisfaction will only erupt secretly and she will not express it in public. For example, after today's unpleasant dinner, she will not agree to the next invitation, but she will never block or delete the friend, and she is unwilling to reveal any real reason why the other person is out. She will only use gradually cold responses to make the man give up and form a decent rejection.
This is not because the beautiful woman is attached to the backup, but because she has an inexplicable aversion to "expressing dissatisfaction" and therefore habitually keeps all negative emotions secret.
Liang Zhiyao sometimes felt that this veneered good temper concealed a subtle cunning. Just like some people who are usually accustomed to tolerance and forbearance, believing they can handle everything, only to suddenly explode in silence when resentment reaches a certain threshold, bringing up all the past at once.
Ye Xin's gentleness and sweetness are disguised as a trap. She clearly has a set of strict criteria for judging, but she deliberately simplifies and ambiguously formulates the questions, so as to reveal the true colors of men when they let their guard down. This can be said to be clever, but sometimes it seems superfluous.
She always marked her items as "half-price sale", but she was secretly saddened by the fact that people who came were attracted by the discounts.
"Why don't you change your circle? Many of the rich second-generations who come to study in the United States have this tone." She suggested tactfully.
Ye Xin misunderstood her meaning and leaned back on the sofa, begging for mercy: "Foreigners are even worse to me. I always feel like there's a reproductive isolation between us."
She was amused by her roommate's straightforward declaration of her sexual orientation and thought to herself that it was a good thing there were no classmates of other ethnicities around her, otherwise she would definitely be labeled a racist.
"Hmm—change your usual haunts? Didn't this guy hit on you at Starbucks? Why don't you go to a bar instead?"
This was a joke, but Ye Xin took it seriously. She excitedly picked up her phone to check the time, only to find that it was already past ten o'clock, so she had to give up in disappointment.
However, she perked up again the next second and said something shocking: "You're right, we'll go to the bar tomorrow night."
"Where did we come from?"
"The one who proposes it has the obligation to accompany," she winked slyly, and changed her tone to begging: "It's my treat, Zhiyao, please accompany me."
The coquettishness of a beautiful woman not only attracts men, but sometimes also women. In addition, the weight of the word "treat" is too heavy, so Liang Zhiyao unfortunately could not resist.
Saturday was the only day she didn't have to attend classes or work part-time jobs, and she feared divine retribution if she didn't study. She spent the entire day doing homework, her head still groggy. That evening, her roommate finally dragged her to a bar near the school.
Having just upgraded from a cafe to a bar, Ye Xin decided to take it one step at a time and not try the chaotic disco scene just yet. She researched Google Maps for a long time and chose a bar that was within a convenient distance and had a good rating.
The drinking age in the United States is a bit high. Ye Xin had just turned 21, but Liang Zhiyao hadn't. She was worried she wouldn't be allowed in, but fortunately, the place also sold snacks, treats, and drinks, so the door was open to all customers. The only requirement was to show ID when ordering alcohol.
The roommate volunteered and went to the bar alone to order two cocktails. The bartender didn't take it too seriously and only looked at her passport without making things difficult for Liang Zhiyao who was sitting far away.
A few minutes later, Ye Xin brought a tray with two glasses of wine, one light green and one dark brown, and sat back at the table in the corner.
She took a sip of the light green one. The mint leaves were very recognizable, probably a mojito. Liang Zhiyao looked at the color of the other glass of wine and the lemon garnish, but suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Beauty, could you please order a Long Island Iced Tea for me?"
"How did you know?" Ye Xin was surprised. "It's my first time drinking out. I thought it wouldn't be too strong given its name."
There is nothing wrong with this idea, and it is not easy to tell the person who treated you that you accidentally ordered a strong liquor.
Liang Zhiyao decided not to spoil the fun, so he picked up his Long Island iced tea and clinked glasses with the other person happily: "Cheers to my wealthy roommate."
Ye Xin giggled at her, her long eyelashes trembling slightly from the excessive movement, a vivid demonstration of the meaning of "flowers fluttering". Liang Zhiyao admired her and sighed, saying that getting a dinner date with such a beautiful woman during her free period was like winning the lottery, but there were still people who were so ignorant as to talk about straight men's cancer. They deserved to be eliminated.
They chatted and drank, and before they knew it, twenty minutes had passed. The bar wasn't crowded, and most of them were in pairs, so it didn't look like they were going to have a romantic encounter.
Liang Zhiyao asked her, "Do you want to sit at the bar? That way you can increase your chances of getting approached."
Ye Xin suddenly stopped drinking, hid his head behind the green plants by the windowsill, and said mysteriously: "Look at the door, there's someone I know."
She followed the other party's hint and looked towards the door, and it was indeed an "acquaintance".
Tan Xu, who they had just met by chance in the billiard hall last night, walked into the bar and was directed by the waiter to walk in another direction away from them.
But he didn't come alone. A girl with brown curly hair who looked familiar walked beside him. The two chatted while being led to the window and both sat down.
When she was alone with her bestie, the good-tempered little princess became snarky for once and commented unceremoniously, "Tsk tsk, the male and female Aquaman are a perfect match."
Liang Zhiyao was curious: "Do you know that girl?"
"Yes, she's also a sophomore in their finance department. Her English name is Thea, but I can't quite remember her Chinese name, but I think her last name is Liu."
Dark brown curly hair, Thea Liu on a coffee cup. It was like just learning about a new brand, suddenly noticing their overwhelming advertising everywhere, as if awakening from a dream. The little secret she'd discovered yesterday in Tan Xu's passenger seat was confirmed with unexpected speed, giving her a sense of déjà vu.
So, all the clues belong to the same girl, and it seems that he cannot be simply and crudely defined as a "scumbag".
The beautiful couple were chatting happily in the corner, completely unaware of the fact that they were already being criticized as the male and female Aquaman.
Ye Xin continued to explain. It was not as if these two people had done anything harmful. They just deeply identified with the dating culture that Americans advocated. They changed dates one after another, and they said that formal relationships required longer confirmation. In fact, it was more like they were using the name of being generous and graceful to pretend to be fickle. It was hard to tell whether they were driven by love or desire.
Now that the two rival sea kings have finally come together, maybe we can see a good show.
"I think it's okay?" Thinking about how the other party had given him a ride home yesterday, Liang Zhiyao decided to say something good on their behalf: "If it's not suitable, just find someone else. It's better than cheating."
"Then you're too naive," Ye Xin sighed. "Girls might be okay, but that Tan Xu clearly has a face that looks like he's bound to cheat."
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