The restaurant was small, with only five or six tables. When they went in, it was full, and everyone was eating. There was only one small table left in the corner, just big enough for two people to sit down.
Zhang Qian always comes here without even looking at the menu. He sits down and orders in a loud voice, "Boss lady, cumin lamb, stir-fried potatoes, green peppers, and eggplant, chicken stew with mushrooms, and two more bottles of beer."
The proprietress was busily running between the kitchen counters when she heard his voice. She ran to the table with a smile and said in perfect Northeastern dialect, "Oh, it's you! You came with friends today? Where's your daughter?"
"Boss lady, can you please take a good look at who's back before you speak?" Zhang Qian was also from the north and was very familiar with this place. He stood up, took two cups from the glass cabinet, and sat down as he spoke.
Without him saying anything, the proprietress was already staring intently at Xu Fei. After looking at him, she rubbed her eyes, her tone full of disbelief, "Oh my, isn't this the little flying man from back then? I haven't seen him for so many years, where have you been? You've become so shiny now."
Xu Fei chuckled. He and Zhang Qian were good friends when they were in school. They got tired of the school cafeteria food, and this place served authentic Northeastern cuisine, which Zhang Qian and a few friends especially liked, so they often came here. They were also quite familiar with the proprietress. But today he came straight here after get off work, dressed very formally in a sharp suit. Everyone here dressed casually, which felt a bit awkward, so he simply took off his suit jacket and put it on the back of the chair, loosened the buttons, and then spoke, "I've been working away from home for a few years and just got back. I missed this place."
The proprietress beamed, "You must be craving our chicken stew with mushrooms, right? We'll urge them to make it for you right away, don't worry."
As soon as the proprietress turned around, Zhang Qian sighed, "You're really something, kid. She recognized me at a glance. She even remembered that you're called Little Flying Man. When I came back, I had to prompt her to remember for a long time before she remembered who I was."
Returning to the same place, surrounded by tables full of younger students who clearly came from the nearby university for a get-together, Xu Fei couldn't help but feel a sense of time travel. He reached out and filled two glasses with beer, then clinked glasses with Zhang Qian. "Little Flying Man? I've even forgotten what that nickname is."
"Come on, back when you ran together on the playground, so many girls were either dizzy or screaming. I'll never forget it." Zhang Qian chuckled. Xu Fei was good at sports, especially running. His posture was graceful and fluid, which was indeed exciting and refreshing to watch.
"Really? Don't joke around." The beer was ice-cold. It had been a long time since he had chatted so freely with old friends in such a relaxed environment. For the first two years after starting work, he was constantly flying from one country to another, living up to his nickname "Little Frequent Flyer." It was just that he would walk from one conference room to another, stay in one hotel after another. UVL preferred Hyatts, so he always booked the same hotels—luxurious suites, identical decor—making him feel as if the whole world was exactly the same.
Later, when he arrived in Japan, his apartment was right next to the company, in the heart of Tokyo, a bustling city that was vibrant all night long. Japanese people were used to working late into the night and then drinking with friends until the wee hours. He was very busy with work, but sometimes he would go out with his colleagues and friends to restaurants of all sizes, serving different cuisines from around the world, and to pubs and bars. But he never found a small restaurant like this again.
It's been over four years. Shanghai has changed drastically since I came back. I didn't expect this familiar little hideout to still be there. Even Zhang Qian is pretty much the same as before, his tone of voice hasn't changed much either. He took another sip of beer and felt refreshed. Xu Fei couldn't help but put down his glass just like back then, turn around and stand up to urge the kitchen to serve the food, "Boss lady, when are you going to serve the food? We've starved to death several times already."
The table was right next to the kitchen. Just as he was speaking, the proprietress's daughter came out with plates. She saw him, smiled, and said, "It's you! My mom was just talking about you inside." She then piled the dishes onto the table one by one.
After she finished and turned around, Zhang Qian stared at the table in confusion, grabbed her and asked, "This plate of candied sweet potatoes must have been the wrong one, we didn't order this."
She added with a smile, "My mom said it's been a long time since she's seen you all come together, so this is a gift."
Xu Fei hadn't had these dishes in ages. After the proprietress's daughter left, he picked up his chopsticks and headed for the candied sweet potatoes. But Zhang Qian intercepted him mid-air. When he looked up, he saw Zhang Qian's eyes wide open.
What?
"I feel like I shouldn't go out with you so often. Every time someone sees you, I feel like I'm invisible. You even give me an extra dish. I've been here so many times, and I've never received this kind of treatment before."
"What are you saying? Didn't you hear her say that she sent it because she hadn't seen the two of us together in a long time?" Xu Fei ignored him and continued picking up the candied sweet potato. The candied sweet potato was golden brown and shiny, and when she picked it up, the sugar strands were thin. She dipped it in the small bowl of water next to her, and instantly a thin layer of crispy coating formed on the outside.
“That’s true,” Zhang Qian also picked up his chopsticks. He was thin, and his face was even thinner. Over the years, he had eaten well and been well-fed, so he had gained weight. When he smiled, he looked like a well-fed mouse in a granary. “The landlady’s daughter blushed when she saw us, just like she did back then.”
"She's got her eye on you. No wonder you didn't bring Xiao Shang. Are you afraid that once she gets here, she won't ask for anything else but vinegar?"
"You can really keep talking, kid." Zhang Qian slapped his chopsticks and picked up his wine glass. "The landlady's daughter used to get dizzy whenever she saw you, and she always served double portions of food. Otherwise, why would we keep dragging you here to eat?" "So you guys invited me here just for those extra dishes? What kind of brother are you?"
"Admit it," Zhang Qian patted him on the shoulder. "Stop thinking about it, it's over now. The landlady said her daughter got married last year. Look at your fans from back then, they've gone from teenage girls to young women in the blink of an eye. What about you? When are you going to settle down?"
"What's there to solve?" Feeling bored with the topic, Xu Fei put down his chopsticks and drank his wine.
Unaware that his tone was off, Zhang Qian suddenly had a flash of inspiration and slammed his hand on the table, "Qian Duoduo!"
Just as Xu Fei was recalling Qian Duoduo's fake smile, those three words snapped him back to reality. He looked up and asked, "What?"
"Isn't she also at UVL? I heard she went to Singapore, have you seen her?"
Zhang Qian looked expectant, suddenly recalling how helpless he had been in front of Qian Duoduo back then. Xu Fei's sentence became simpler: "I've met him, he's in the marketing department."
"Really! Then she's right under your nose." Zhang Qian was excited. "How is she now?"
"Why are you so excited?" "She was a big name back in the day, just like you."
Xu Fei gave him a suspicious look. "Old Zhang, you're still thinking about inviting her to dinner, aren't you?"
"Hehe." Speaking of his crush from back then, Zhang Qian chuckled while wiping his nose. "No, I have Xiao Shang now, so I don't have those feelings anymore."
"I remember you immediately offered to treat her to a farewell dinner. Is that how you talk to a woman?" Xu Fei laughed, then sighed.
"I fainted when I saw her. Hey, I'm talking about my embarrassing secrets, why are you sighing?"
The small restaurant was familiar and the atmosphere was relaxed. The person he was chatting with was a longtime friend. As they drank, Xu Fei unknowingly talked too much. "Old Zhang, to tell you the truth, I actually went up to her that day and invited her to dinner."
"Really?" Zhang Qian's eyes widened. "You little rascal, you played dumb without saying a word, and look what happened!"
Xu Fei continued drinking, then chuckled self-deprecatingly, "You really want to know?" "Of course, how about I force you to drink two more bottles?" Zhang Qian even raised the bottle.
"Okay, okay, I'll tell you." Xu Fei smiled and raised his hand to beg for mercy, "She refused outright and didn't give me any face at all."
Zhang Qian laughed loudly, put an arm around his shoulder and raised his glass, "Brother, you really made us brothers proud. Back then, we were both rejected by the same woman on the same day. Now, the tables have turned, and you're her boss. She has to watch your face every day. It's great! For that reason alone, come on, bottoms up!"
Indeed, Xu Fei laughed, raised his glass, and toasted him.
They ate to their hearts' content, and after leaving the restaurant, they were still not satisfied, so they found a roadside food stall to continue their meal. Later, they both got a little drunk and patted each other on the shoulder, telling each other their true feelings.
Zhang Qian recalled the past, "Back then, I really liked Qian Duoduo, but unfortunately, I didn't have the chance." "What did you like about her?"
"I don't know either. I bumped into her one day when I was going to the student council. My glasses fell off, and she picked them up for me without me even realizing it. When I put them on, I saw her smile at me, with a pink arc on her teeth. From then on, I started to stutter whenever I saw her."
Xu Fei had been listening with a smile, but for some reason, he became a little annoyed after hearing Zhang Qian's words. He put down his wine glass and said, "Alright, let's talk about something else."
"What's so hard to say? After I met Xiao Shang, I realized there's nothing wrong with those things. I couldn't say them before, but now that I think about it, your brother was really a naive young man. I liked her for over a year and never said a complete sentence. But if I had the chance, I would really like to see her again. Her smile is so bright, don't you think?"
Bright and shiny? Xu Fei shook his head. He had drunk too much beer and didn't feel relaxed at all. He felt like there was a caterpillar in his heart, slowly gnawing at the edges. Even speaking made him feel uncomfortable. "Don't worry about it. Her smile is different now."
"How is she different?" Zhang Qian asked, puzzled. "Is she married? Qian Duoduo is a year older than me, almost 30, right?"
"Can't we talk about something else? Aren't you tired of talking about her all the time?" Xu Fei frowned.
Zhang Qian paused for a moment, then suddenly feigned realization, "Brother, I know, you're still thinking about Qian Duoduo."
"What a joke, who's been talking about her all day?"
"It's me, but when I had a crush on her before, I would tremble whenever I saw her and I couldn't even speak properly. Have you ever seen me talk about her with anyone?"
"So let's not even talk about drinking now." After saying that, Xu Fei opened another bottle of beer and shut Zhang Qian up.
Hai: Happy National Day! (Fei: Happy National Day! yduoduo: Happy National Day! 4qianbaba: Happy National Day! eqianmama: Are you guys ever going to stop...?)
Chapter Thirty-Six
No matter how much psychological barriers she has, she still has to continue doing her work. Not only does she have to continue, but Qian Duoduo has also put even more effort into the projects she has in charge of.
As the work week was drawing to a close, she drove alone to the factory to check on the samples. Recently, the infatuation had been spreading throughout the company, radiating from the marketing department to other departments. Eventually, even people in the suburban factory started to get infected. The young quality control assistant grabbed her and asked her all sorts of questions and gossiped.
"I heard the new marketing director looks a lot like Takeshi Kaneshiro, is that true? Manager Qian, is it true? Do you have a photo?"
Takeshi Kaneshiro? Qian Duoduo was speechless. "How could that be? It's nowhere near that."
The assistant gave her a "you're kidding me" look. "Everyone says so, Manager Qian, you didn't do it on purpose, did you? Don't worry, we live in this rural area all year round, we won't compete with you for handsome guys."
Upon hearing this, Qian Duoduo's lips twitched.
A national idol suddenly appeared, captivating both men and women. She was the only one who remained sober while everyone else was intoxicated, and was therefore regarded as an outcast, which was truly unfair.
After being relentlessly questioned at the factory, Qian Duoduo returned home in a huff. Before she could even take off her coat, the phone rang. She answered it in front of her parents, untying the scarf around her neck as she listened.
Ye Mingshen's voice was punctual and reliable. He was a steady and methodical person, even in his love life. After having dinner alone with her last weekend, he would call her briefly every day at the same time.
"Duoduo, are you home yet?" "Just got home, how about you?"
"I have class tonight and I'm still on my way. I was thinking of asking you to go to Qingpu tomorrow. Do you have time?"
"Where are you going?" Qian Duoduo blurted out. Qian's mother, who was paying close attention to her movements, coughed and looked at her with bright eyes.
Qian Duoduo immediately felt the pressure, covered the phone and walked towards her room. A soft laugh came from the other end, "A date, huh? We haven't seen each other for a week. You think you don't want to see me anymore?"
Yes! Of course she wanted to. After that passionate dream, Qian Duoduo began to wonder if her subconscious sexual hunger stemmed from not having a stable romantic partner for so long, which further solidified her determination and ruthlessness in needing a husband. Therefore, when she thought of Ye Mingshen, she would silently chant in her mind, "Perfect candidate, perfect candidate—"
She smiled and answered his question, "Okay, around what time? I'll wait for you at home."
After hanging up the phone, she turned around and saw her mother's smile. "Duoduo, was that the university professor? He calls you every day. Are you going on a date tomorrow?"
Qian Duoduo always felt powerless when it came to her mother, saying, "Yes."
Mrs. Qian beamed with joy, and before turning away, she gave Duo Duo a classic "I'm rooting for you" look, which made Duo Duo freeze on the spot.
I didn't sleep well again last night, and I kept getting distracted during my date with Qian Duoduo the next day.
"Duoduo, what are you thinking about?" A gentle question came from the other end of the line. Only then did Qian Duoduo realize that she had been lost in thought while sipping tea, which was really unbecoming of her. She immediately tried her best to save her image and looked up at Ye Mingshen with a smile.
Ye Mingshen across from her reached out to pour her tea. Qian Duoduo, holding the cup, despised herself. How could she be daydreaming in front of him? She quickly made conversation, "The environment here is really nice. Do you come here often?"
"It's alright. I like the quiet here, and I come here occasionally with friends." Ye Mingshen's answer was as impeccable as ever.
Although Ye Mingshen wasn't exactly a master of flirting or dating, he was quite adept at choosing date locations. Qian Duoduo, despite having only met him formally twice, was already completely impressed by him.
This is a typical Jiangnan water town, located on the outskirts of Shanghai, and it's not crowded on weekends.
The cobblestone streets, the quaint houses, and the exquisite stone bridges connecting the two sides of the winding waterways—the two of them were currently enjoying tea by the window in a teahouse by the water. To Qian Duoduo's surprise, Ye Mingshen actually knew about tea ceremony and seemed to be quite familiar with the teahouse owner. He didn't even look at the menu before ordering the owner's privately held ginseng oolong tea. His tea-making skills were proficient and smooth, giving her quite an eye-opening experience.
The winter sun was warm, the aroma of tea filled the air, and the man in front of her smiled politely. Occasionally, a wooden boat would drift by leisurely outside the window. Qian Duoduo was used to being busy seven days a week, and suddenly being in such a paradise was truly enjoyable.
He was indeed the perfect choice, and the perfect date went perfectly.
"I really like it. I feel so relaxed. Thank you for bringing me to such a wonderful place." Unable to let her mind wander any longer, Qian Duoduo smiled back at him.
"If you like it, you can come often in the future." "Okay, as long as I'm not rushing to finish a project. I'm always busy and don't have time. When I have free time, I must make the most of it and enjoy it to the fullest."
"So busy? You don't even have time for a date?" "A date? Aren't we right now?"
Ye Mingshen laughed, "Hearing you say that, it is truly my greatest honor."
Sitting in the sun for a long time, Qian Duoduo felt herself slowly relaxing like a cat whose fur had become fluffy and soft from the sun. After hearing his joke, she once again forgot her original intention of trying to act like a lady and blurted out in plain language, "What's so honorable about it? I'm the one who's honored that someone has taken a liking to me, this long-lost woman."
"A major problem?" Ye Mingshen chuckled. "Duoduo, you're smart and capable, how could you be a major problem? You just didn't want to before."
Ran Duoduo's face was half in the sunlight as she was being praised. The winter sun wasn't glaring, and she didn't hide from it. She grinned in the sunlight, her eyes full of self-mockery.
What are you thinking? The hardest thing in the world is wanting someone to be by your side and having them want that too. Qian Duoduo had thought about it before but never did it, and it's probably impossible for her to do it again.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
That evening, Qian Duoduo and Ye Mingshen returned to the city center to watch a movie. It was the weekend, and everywhere was packed with people. Qian Duoduo spotted someone backing up to find a parking spot in the distance and pointed over, saying, "There are seats over there."
Ye Mingshen turned the steering wheel as instructed, and when he was still a little short of the distance, a car suddenly turned around from another corner. It did not slow down in the winding garage. He watched as the car in front of him swerved into the parking space, following the car that had just driven away. The movement was clean and neat. In the blink of an eye, the last space was gone.
"Ah, I saw the parking space!" Qian Duoduo exclaimed, her anger rising.
A young man jumped out of the car after it came to a stop. He was dressed casually in sportswear, with a hat and sneakers, typical of the streets of Shibuya.
Qian Duoduo's face, which was full of anger, turned blank. Then, she decisively turned her head away from the front, as if there were some kind of monster there.
"What's wrong?" Ye Mingshen asked, puzzled.
"It's nothing, let's go down to the next floor." Shanghai is so big, it's rare to come out to watch a movie and still run into so many people, Qian Duoduo had nothing to say.