Chapter 67: Fate or No Fate |
This was no telepathy, of course.
What to eat is forever one of the greatest problems plaguing humanity.
So when Grandma Su suggested Listening to the Sea Tide, he didn't think twice and blurted it out.
And so, they were now on their way to Listening to the Sea Tide.
Listening to the Sea Tide was actually a restaurant that had localized Sichuan Hot Pot.
It retained the characteristics of Sichuan Hot Pot while incorporating some local flavors.
So it was very popular with the locals; in fact, there weren't many Tourists.
Although Ruan Hongzhuang wasn't a local, she loved spicy food, so she was very fond of this restaurant.
Whenever she had free time, she would bring Jiang Taozhi along to eat.
Sometimes, Jiang Taozhi couldn't help but complain, wondering if their parents had given birth to the wrong child.
Ruan Hongzhuang was clearly from Siming, and people from Siming were supposed to prefer sweets, so why did she like spicy food?
And she was clearly from Binhai, where the locals' favorites were Yellow Lantern Chili and Bird's Eye Chili, yet she just had to love sweets.
Seeing Ruan Hongzhuang's stubborn refusal to admit it, Jiang Taozhi said, a little annoyed, "Tonight is my Blind Date. Since you don't like him, don't you dare fight me for him."
"Oh, you like him a lot?"
Ruan Hongzhuang glanced at her, asking in a seemingly casual tone.
"It's not about liking him, we did just meet for the first time. But I feel comfortable around him, so we can try getting to know each other first," Jiang Taozhi said after a moment of thought.
She was speaking her mind, not deliberately trying to provoke Ruan Hongzhuang.
Ruan Hongzhuang's eyes flickered, and she nodded lightly.
"Getting to know him is fine, but don't get yourself too invested. You can know a person's face, but not their heart. Best to avoid getting hurt and regretting it later."
Hearing this, Jiang Taozhi said with a grin, "Are you concerned about me? Or…"
But Ruan Hongzhuang didn't answer the question, instead striding forward.
"Let's go, don't keep others waiting."
It turned out Shen Siyuan had noticed the two of them talking behind and had stopped to wait.
"Beef Tripe, Shrimp Paste, Beef Balls, and Fish Slices…"
Shen Siyuan listened to Grandma Su's suggestions as he ordered the dishes.
He didn't notice that Jiang Taozhi, sitting opposite him, was staring at Ruan Hongzhuang in shock.
And Ruan Hongzhuang's beautiful eyes were sparkling, seemingly just as surprised.
Because everything Shen Siyuan had ordered was what she loved to eat.
Then, Ruan Hongzhuang was even more astonished to find that even the Dipping Sauce Shen Siyuan mixed was exactly the same as hers.
"Is it really good this way?"
While the two women were away, Shen Siyuan quietly asked Grandma Su.
"Of course! You have to trust me. Grandma here was quite the culinary expert when I was alive," Grandma Su said with utmost confidence.
So Shen Siyuan believed her. After trying it, he found that it was indeed delicious and accepted it.
He didn't notice at all that Ruan Hongzhuang was stealing glances at him from across the table.
After finishing the hot pot, the three of them added each other on WeChat and then parted ways without any other activities.
They had just met today; having a meal together was already the limit. Besides, there were three of them, which was a bit inconvenient.
So Shen Siyuan took the initiative to say his goodbyes and leave.
Once he was gone, Jiang Taozhi finally felt bold enough to question Ruan Hongzhuang.
"Fess up. Do you like him?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Ruan Hongzhuang said, walking ahead on her own.
"You two knew each other before, didn't you?"
"Do you know how annoying you are?"
"I don't. But since you don't like him, I'm going to pursue him, and you can't fight me for him," Jiang Taozhi said.
At these words, Ruan Hongzhuang stopped and turned to look at her.
Jiang Taozhi felt a little flustered under her gaze.
"Wh-what are you looking at me like that for?"
"You like him?"
"No, didn't I say so before? It's just a slightly good impression."
"Then why are you going to pursue him?"
"Because then you'll come and fight me for him."
Ruan Hongzhuang frowned, glaring coldly at Jiang Taozhi.
As Jiang Taozhi shrank her neck back, she continued walking forward.
"I never fight with my Best Friend over a Boyfriend."
"Tsk~"
Jiang Taozhi's whole deal was being a scaredy-cat who loved to stir up trouble.
——
Grandma Su didn't continue following Ruan Hongzhuang.
Instead, she followed behind Shen Siyuan.
"I'm telling you, you and my Ruan Ruan are a really good match…"
"You're a very special person, and my Ruan Ruan is very capable too…"
"Her personality might be a bit strong, but towards you, she's very gentle, always considering your feelings…"
…
Grandma Su chattered in Shen Siyuan's ear the entire way, trying her best to set the two of them up.
Shen Siyuan understood her good intentions.
Ruan Hongzhuang was already twenty-eight this year, not young anymore. It was understandable that Grandma Su was anxious about her marriage prospects.
Still, he refused, "I don't think she's bad. In fact, she's too good, which is why she's not suitable for me."
"Why do you say that? Is being too good a bad thing?"
"With her personality, do you think she would Support Husband and Raise Children, and deal with Daily Necessities?" Shen Siyuan retorted.
Grandma Su fell silent at his words.
But in the end, she still said, "If she truly likes you, she can learn these things."
"But would she still be her?"
Grandma Su fell silent again.
She was a worldly person, so she naturally understood this logic.
"When a person changes for someone else, they've already lost themselves. A person is most charming when they are being themselves."
"Miss Ruan is beautiful, but her most attractive quality is that aura about her.
If you made her stay home to Support Husband and Raise Children, would she still have that stunning aura?" Shen Siyuan continued to ask.
Hearing this, Grandma Su fell silent again, this time for a long while.
After a good moment, she finally spoke again, "She's a young woman; she has to get married eventually."
Her words were filled with helplessness and worry for Ruan Hongzhuang's future.
Ruan Hongzhuang's personality was indeed a bit too strong, which made finding a partner even more difficult.
"Let's let nature take its course.
Let's not talk about this. Grandma Su, do you have some Unfinished Wish that keeps you by Miss Ruan's side?" Shen Siyuan changed the subject.
"Naturally, it's her marriage," Grandma Su brought the topic right back."This conversation is going nowhere."
Grandma Su burst out laughing.
It was clear that she must have been a very cheerful person when she was alive.
"If you need anything in the future, you can come find me."
Only after Shen Siyuan returned to his Residential Complex did he say this to Grandma Su.
Grandma Su smiled and nodded, glanced around the complex, and then turned and left without looking back.
"Could her Unfinished Wish really just be Ruan Hongzhuang's marriage? If so, I can't really help."
Shen Siyuan took out his Mobile Phone and sent a Message to Jiang Taozhi.
"Are you home?"
His current impression of this girl was very good. She was simple, without any scheming thoughts.
A girl like this was actually very suitable to be a Girlfriend.
She wouldn't play mind games with you, all her emotions were on her face, and she was a foodie, so she would be easy to appease even when angry.
Therefore, Shen Siyuan's initial impression of her was good, so he wanted to try getting to know her.
That being the case, he had to show his intentions, which led to this Message.
However, in the two days since he had returned from his Hometown, he hadn't received any more messages from Jiang Tingyu; it was as if she had simply vanished.
But even so, Shen Siyuan had no intention of messaging her first.
Since he had decided to pursue Jiang Taozhi, he shouldn't keep dragging things out with Jiang Tingyu and wasting her time.