Chapter 85: Chapter 62: First Date with Jiangg Ning (Part 3)

The restaurant was very private. Other than the server bringing in their food, no one would intentionally lift the curtain to disturb them.

Jiangg Ning had eaten here several times and the food was delicious, so she had made a special note of the place.

Having learned her lesson from last time, she was much smarter now. She avoided all the restaurants near Landa University and specifically chose this one by the river. Even if she did run into someone she knew, it wouldn’t matter; no one could see what was happening behind the curtain.

“All of your dishes have been served.”

“Alright, thank you.”

“Please enjoy your meal.”

Compared to northern cuisine, Chen Yuan found the portions in Lanjing to be quite small. The two of them had ordered four or five dishes, most of which were tiny servings on exquisite, fist-sized round plates. He felt he could easily finish all the dishes and still have room for a bowl of rice.

He didn’t act reserved, either, just held his glass and carefully savored the restaurant’s specialty cold tea.

It was slightly bitter at first sip, but incredibly thirst-quenching.

In the soft light of the restaurant, Jiangg Ning studied him intently.

She found it all so incredible.

’She had never imagined that one day, she would actually be sitting face-to-face with the guy she’d met online—a guy who was eight years her junior.’

Jiangg Ning couldn’t help but think back on the past six months, on every phone call that had sent her emotions on a rollercoaster.

’The mortifyingly embarrassing words, the nicknames so intimate they bordered on childish, the way she’d deliberately put on a high-pitched, girly voice…’

’That really had been her. With all her masks removed, it was as if she’d returned to the endless fantasies of her childhood. It was only then that she realized she, too, longed to be unabashedly cute and doted on.’

Love truly is a strange and wonderful thing.

Sometimes, she would wake up in the morning and not dare to even think about the things she’d said to her online boyfriend, Chen Yuan, the night before.

Back then, when she and Chen Yuan had fantasized about what would happen “if we ever met in real life,” she had gotten happier and happier the more they talked, thinking it was all impossibly sweet. They would find a place together, go traveling, and build a home in the future.

They’d set aside a little nook of a few square meters behind the walk-in closet, lay down soft blankets and quilts, and watch movies or just cuddle and roll around together.

And now, here was Chen Yuan, sitting right across from her, close enough to touch.

Jiangg Ning watched him, truly studying him for the first time without looking away.

’His eyes, his nose, his chin… she had to admit, Chen Yuan’s looks lived up to his reputation as the top-rated guy among the girls at Lanjing University. You certainly wouldn’t find anyone better-looking in the freshman class.’

Jiangg Ning took a sip of water. ’He’s actually pretty cute,’ she thought.

“This is delicious. You should try it.”

“And this one, too… You’re eighteen, you need to eat up.”

“But be careful when you eat it. The molten center can burn your tongue.”

A faint smile on her face, she kept placing food onto Chen Yuan’s plate as if she were afraid he’d go hungry. Only after a moment did she pick up her own chopsticks.

She even reminded him to be careful not to get burned. She was so considerate.

Chen Yuan was a little surprised. He’d never noticed “Jiangg Ning” being so meticulous before. The feeling was completely different from last weekend.

“You should eat too.”

“Mhm!”

Jiangg Ning nodded. She lifted her small plate and took tiny bites of the crisp, tender bamboo shoots. The sight of her dewy lips parting and closing as she ate quietly was surprisingly beautiful.

The atmosphere was quiet, and the two of them found it surprisingly romantic.

Outside the window, the river’s surface shimmered with silver light, wrinkled by the cold wind. The reflection of the round moon looked like a ruffled potato chip. Seizing the last bit of warmth before the dead of night, countless Golden Sand Perch leaped from the water before diving back down, their tails wagging merrily.

Her hair must have been getting in the way, because Jiangg Ning took the hair tie from her wrist and deftly gathered her hair into a high ponytail.

’That’s much better.’

But as Chen Yuan watched her, this new side of her he’d never seen before left him momentarily stunned.

With her hair in a high ponytail, Jiangg Ning was like a lotus rising from clear water—impossibly pure and elegant. That, combined with the gentle smile on her face and the way she had just put food on his plate while reminding him to be careful…

He suddenly felt a powerful throb in his heart.

Before. A long time ago.

There used to be a girl who lived next door to Chen Yuan, a few years older than him. Back in his clueless, adolescent days, he hadn’t thought much of it, only that she was very gentle. Being with her seemed to make all his troubles disappear.

He’d been happy even just playing a simple game of badminton with her.

She could even soothe the awful mood he’d be in after a stern scolding from his mom.

“What’s wrong?”

Seeing him staring blankly, Jiangg Ning asked in a soft voice.

“It’s nothing. I just suddenly thought… your hair looks really good like that, too.”

“Really?”

Jiangg Ning smiled, her cheeks quickly flushing red. She’d received plenty of compliments before and was often told she was pretty by other guys, but hearing it from Chen Yuan felt completely different.

His words seemed to linger in her ear.

’Too bad words spoken in real life can’t be replayed over and over like chat messages.’

Jiangg Ning was used to listening to Chen Yuan’s voice messages multiple times. Right now, she found herself really wanting him to say it again.

She was a bit of a sucker for a nice voice, just like Jiangg Yao.

The difference was, if it were Yaoyao sitting here right now, she would definitely be looking at him with sparkling eyes, shaking his arm, and saying coyly, “Say it again.”

Speaking of Jiangg Yao…

…

「Meanwhile, at Fengting District.」

On the sofa, Jiangg Yao, dressed in baggy pajamas, chugged a fruit-flavored beer—GLUG, GLUG, GLUG—as two streams of tears slowly trickled from the corners of her eyes.

“My life… SOB SOB SOB…”

After finishing the beer, she flopped onto her side, gazing at the ceiling through blurry, tear-filled eyes.

’Actually, she’d known all along. She had just been running from it…’

’Compared to her, Chen Yuan clearly preferred her sister. It was obvious from his reactions whenever they were together.’

’The reason she hadn’t come clean was that she was afraid of losing him.’

’She was afraid Chen Yuan would reject her, only to declare that the one he truly liked was Jiangg Ning.’

’Not Jiangg Yao.’

’If that happened, she wouldn’t have the slightest chance. Love, after all, has always been a selfish thing.’

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