Chapter 61: Cosmic Latte (13) What are all the blind daters thinking?
Lin Xia only took two days of annual leave. On the 25th, she went to work, and Song Ci went to the museum by himself.
Lin Xia was hungover last night and had a severe migraine today. Even after drinking two cups of coffee, she was still drowsy. Fortunately, Christmas was already half over and there was nothing particularly important to do. She could just slack off during the day. However, the department would go out for dinner together to celebrate the holiday in the evening. During lunch break, she took the opportunity to catch up on some sleep. If nothing unexpected happened, she should be able to make it to the end and go home.
The dinner venue is a rooftop restaurant in a nearby building. It has a great atmosphere and the food is delicious. This restaurant is very famous online and young people who are interested in art and music often go there to gather. I heard that there will be a Christmas party there tonight, and it will be very lively.
Lin Xia only found out when she was about to leave that this dinner was another get-together between two departments, with people from the design center and the technical department together.
The two departments frequently socialized, partly because their respective bosses had a close relationship, and partly because of an unspoken understanding. The Design Center was mostly composed of young women, while the Technical Department was mostly composed of single, homely men, with the goal of creating a bridge. However, while everyone seemed to have a lot of fun hanging out, outwardly, no couples emerged. A closer look revealed that the science-based men and the artsy women, with their mutual disdain for each other, made this a fundamentally impossible pairing.
Lin Xia wasn't opposed to having dinner with the tech department, but Chen Yan, the new deputy director of the tech department, seemed to be a bit interested in her. Ever since the May Day dinner, Chen Yan had been frequently contacting Lin Xia on WeChat, even asking her out for dinner several times, but Lin Xia always declined. Over time, nothing happened.
Seeing that she was a little hesitant, Meijia told her not to worry. She heard that Chen Yan already had a girlfriend. Only then did Lin Xia feel relieved and followed everyone out.
When we arrived at the rooftop restaurant, it was indeed very lively, with Christmas decorations everywhere and a strong festive atmosphere. Tonight's party was by reservation, and if we hadn't reserved a table in advance, we probably wouldn't have been able to get in.
They were already regulars here, and the owner, Amy, saw them and greeted them, personally ushering them into the reserved area. Amy, a young, beautiful, and uniquely Chinese-American, was known for her artistic and musical talents and wide social connections. The restaurant's success hinged on her personal charm.
After nightfall, colorful lights lit up everywhere on the rooftop, and there were resident singing and dancing shows on the central stage. Occasionally, Amy would come on stage to organize some Christmas-related games. The atmosphere of the party was very relaxed and happy.
When Lin Xia went to the bar to refill her drink, she unexpectedly met an acquaintance, Tan Zhizhou.
Tan Zhizhou was sitting at the bar drinking and was also surprised by this. The two looked at each other for a moment, not knowing whether they should say hello.
Finally, it was Tan Zhizhou who spoke:
"What a coincidence! MT is here for dinner again?"
"Well, yes..."
At this point, Lin Xia finally remembered why she had a friend named Tan Zhizhou. She had met Tan Zhizhou two years ago when their company came here for a dinner. Although it was a little awkward, after all, they met an old friend in a foreign land, so they still chatted for a while. At that time, he was Amy's boyfriend.
"Come to see Amy?"
Tan Zhizhou waved his hand: "We broke up a long time ago, but we are still friends. That's my current girlfriend Liya."
As he said this, he pointed to a girl in a red dress who was dancing happily with her friends on the dance floor.
"oh......"
Bringing his current girlfriend to eat at a restaurant opened by his ex-girlfriend was something that Lin Xia couldn't understand.
Seeing Lin Xia's face full of shock and confusion, he hesitated to speak, Tan Zhizhou was amused and asked casually:
"How are you and He Chuan now?"
Lin Xia's expression froze: "What do you mean?"
"Have you gotten back together? Not yet, right? What's going on between you two?"
After asking, he himself found it funny: "I feel like I've asked this question more than once. Look at me over the years, I've done nothing but match you two up. What does this have to do with me?"
Lin Xia couldn't help but laugh.
"Let me make it clear first. I'm He Chuan's old classmate and friend. I'm definitely on his side. I can't be neutral. In my opinion, he's in deeper trouble than you."
Tan Zhizhou didn't look at Lin Xia, but only fixed his gaze on the stage not far away. His expression was calm, and he seemed very serious, yet also seemed very casual. He said:
"People are different. Some people are just open-minded and can take it all, breaking up and getting back together. If one doesn't work out, they'll find the next. But he's not that kind of person. He looks easygoing and easy to talk to, but he's actually stubborn and has been stubborn since he was a kid. If you think you're just dating him and breaking up, you're wrong. You almost took his life back then."
Lin Xia's eyelids twitched: "What do you know?"
"I don't know anything. If you want to know, just ask him!"
Tan Zhizhou's tone was provocative, but Lin Xia could only smile wryly. "But you also said that people are different. Some people are outspoken and can show their emotions clearly on their faces, while others are just the opposite. The more important the emotion, the deeper they bury it."
He Chuan is such a person, and now Lin Xia is also such a person.
Tan Zhizhou fell silent after hearing this. He drank the wine in his glass and said irritably:
"Alright, alright, I don't care about your business anymore, do whatever you want! You should go back quickly too, don't you see my girlfriend's murderous gaze coming at me?"
.
When Lin Xia returned, she found that most of her colleagues were gone. Only a few people were left at their original seats. She didn't even know where Meijia and Youyou had gone. As she looked around, she heard someone explain to her:
"There are interactive games over there. They all went over to play and won't be back for a while."
Lin Xia turned around and saw that the person who spoke was Chen Yan.
"Oh, so why didn't you go?"
"I'm waiting for you." Chen Yan smiled. "Would you mind coming over for a moment? I have something to talk to you about privately."
So the two of them went to the other side of the restaurant and sat down under an empty seat next to a beautifully decorated Christmas tree. Lin Xia asked him what he wanted to say.
Chen Yan didn't beat around the bush and asked directly:
"Lin Xia, I really like you. Will you be my girlfriend?"
Lin Xia frowned: "Don't you already have a girlfriend?"
"Oh, you mean XX who went with me during the team building? We broke up last month." Chen Yan paused and added, "It was a peaceful breakup. We just didn't get along."
Everything in Shenzhen is fast-paced. Even falling in love and breaking up are done in a swift and decisive manner. Where does the time saved by everyone go?
"I don't really care about that." Lin Xia shook her head. "Sorry, I don't have any plans to fall in love right now."
"No plans for a relationship?" Chen Yan sighed. "I understand. It's just an excuse. Stop trying to fool me. Tell me the truth. What's wrong? Are you dissatisfied with my conditions? Or do you just not have any feelings for me?"
Frankly speaking, Chen Yan has good conditions. He is an elite overseas returnee and has a good appearance. In addition, he holds the position of deputy technical director of a large company. He is definitely a hot candidate in the current marriage market. But Lin Xia really doesn't care. She has met suitors with better conditions than him. It's not that she doesn't like him or have no feelings for him, but she really has no desire to fall in love.
But Chen Yan didn't believe it, and Lin Xia had no choice but to ask, "Then what do you like about me? We haven't even spoken a few times!"
After so many years, she is no longer the little girl who would be frightened and helpless when someone confessed their love to her, and the person who confessed his love to her is no longer the shy and blushing boy classmate. Although Chen Yan was surprised, he still answered her:
"Because you have a good education. Although you studied fine arts, you have a master's degree from Tsinghua University. You have fair skin, a good figure, are gentle and kind, well-behaved and sensible. You are my type."
He spoke crisply and clearly, without any hesitation or thought.
When people feel something is extremely absurd, they will just want to laugh, so Lin Xia actually laughed.
What are all those blind daters thinking? What are all those people who start dating just because they think their conditions are similar? People aren't people; they're just pieces of meat at a market stall, mules and horses traded at the bazaar. They have no personality, no preferences, no ideals, no thoughts. They're just a collection of worldly conditions, judged by appearance and teeth, by origin and suitability for grinding mills, plowing fields, cooking, and stir-frying.
Sometimes when I am misunderstood, I will subconsciously have the urge to refute. But when I am misunderstood beyond recognition by someone for no apparent reason, I really don’t want to waste even a word.
"Thank you for your kindness, but I'm sorry, I'm single and really have no plans to fall in love. Please don't ask me out again in the future. We can just be colleagues."
Lin Xia copied Song Ci's reason in reply, and didn't want to dwell on it any further, so she got up and left.
Unexpectedly, Chen Yan also stood up and grabbed her arm:
"Don't go!"
"What are you doing?"
"Lin Xia, there should be a limit to how much you can tease people. If you really want to refuse, at least find a better excuse." Chen Yan said with a dark face, "Singleist? Who are you kidding? Do you really want to be single, or do you just want to keep suitors around and flatter you? I saw you and the man at the bar chatting and laughing just now. He must have been fooled by you, too, right?"
After a pause, he sneered, "My buddy advised me before that girls who study art have messy private lives, but I didn't believe it. I didn't expect that you only look pure, but are actually so rotten!"
At this moment, Lin Xia felt her brain congested and she was shaking with anger. Without even thinking, she picked up a glass of lemonade on the table and poured it on Chen Yan's face.
Chen Yan was stunned by the water for a moment. When he reacted, he was immediately furious and raised his hand to hit someone. Lin Xia had never fought or been beaten since she was a child. She had no idea how to react. She just reflexively shrank her neck and closed her eyes.
The expected pain did not come. She felt herself being pulled back suddenly. When she opened her eyes again, she saw a familiar figure standing in front of her, blocking Chen Yan's hand. His voice was colder than ever before:
"You'd better stop now, or I'll make you pay."
It’s He Chuan. This person can only be He Chuan.
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