Song Jin had already asked her assistant to order in advance, so after they sat down, it didn't take long for waiters in cheongsams to come in and serve the food. The bright red cold dishes made Song Jin frown slightly; she had forgotten to tell her assistant not to order anything too spicy, as she remembered that Qi Xiaoyan didn't like spicy food.
After the waiter left, Song Jin looked apologetically at Qi Xiaoyan across from her and said, "I'm sorry, I had my assistant order the dishes for me. She didn't know you can't handle spicy food."
Qi Xiaoyan glanced at the cold dish in front of her and said, "It's okay. Actually, I've even eaten cold chili pepper salad before."
Song Jin's eyes widened in surprise: "Cold millet pepper salad?" What kind of dish is that?
Qi Xiaoyan slightly curled the corners of her mouth, but did not speak.
He remembered that day as sunny and cloudless. He had just finished writing a paper and was in a good mood, so he went to find Yang Wei and chatted with her for a while about Goldbach, this young master. After their chat, Yang Wei served him a plate of cold millet pepper salad for dinner that evening.
Qi Xiaoyan looked at the plate of bright red chili peppers and pursed her lips: "What is this?"
Yang Wei said in a serious tone, "Cold-dressed millet peppers? You've never had them before?"
Qi Xiaoyan was silent for three seconds before looking up at her: "What do you usually use for cold dishes?"
"Bird's eye chili."
"What is that cold-dressed millet pepper...?"
“Use twice as many small red chilies as usual,” Yang Wei replied matter-of-factly.
Qi Xiaoyan: "..."
He found himself unable to refute it.
Seeing him staring intently at the whole plate of millet peppers, Yang Wei finally took pity on him and handed him a carrot: "Here, take this. Chop it up and add it in."
Qi Xiaoyan took the carrot and stood up from his chair. After walking a few steps toward the kitchen, he turned back and asked Yang Wei, "Do you want an odd number or an even number?"
Yang Wei: "..."
She gripped her chopsticks tightly and said, word by word, "I want an unlimited, non-cyclical, small number."
Qi Xiaoyan turned and went into the kitchen. When she came out, the diced carrots on the plate were arranged in the shape of a π.
He remembered that not long after that incident, Yang Wei filed for divorce. Was it because his π calculation didn't showcase the beauty of pi?
Qi Xiaoyan thought about it and felt that it made some sense. After all, Yang Wei was an art student and always had a high aesthetic sense, otherwise she wouldn't have taken a liking to him.
"What are you thinking about?" Seeing Qi Xiaoyan staring blankly at the cold dishes on the table with a faint smile on her lips, Song Jin finally couldn't help but ask.
Qi Xiaoyan snapped out of her daze, shook her head, and said, "It's nothing."
Song Jin looked at him for a while, then smiled and said, "Next time I'll invite you to my house for dinner. My cooking is just as good as any restaurant chef's."
Qi Xiaoyan looked up at her, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Yang Wei stayed at her parents' house that night. Although she had moved out a year ago, her room was still kept for her.
Lying in bed, looking at the photos of herself from her university days displayed in the room, she suddenly felt a sense of unreality, as if she were in another world. Her roommate, Ahua, had dated her boyfriend for four years, only to break up on graduation day, while Ahua, who had remained single, had married Qi Xiaoyan.
This became the biggest miracle in dormitory 603, and she was even called a "single dog who made a comeback" by her roommates. But so what? This marriage only lasted a year before coming to an end.
There was a knock on the door twice. Yang Wei put down the photo frame and sat up cross-legged: "Come in."
Mrs. Yang opened the door and came in carrying a fruit platter. Yang Wei picked up a segment of orange, popped it into her mouth, and looked at her, saying, "Mom, what's up?"
Mrs. Yang put down the fruit plate and sat down next to her: "It's nothing, it's just that your dad is worried about you and asked me to come and talk to you."
Yang Wei swallowed the orange, the slightly cool juice making her shiver slightly: "I'm fine."
"Baby..."
"Mom, I told you not to call me 'baby' anymore!" Yang Wei's eyebrows twitched slightly at the way she was called. Because she was born in the Year of the Sheep and her surname was Yang, her mother gave her the nickname "Sheep Baby," but even now that she's so old, her mother still likes to call her that. Even "Sheep Meimei" would be easier for her to accept!
Mrs. Yang rolled her eyes at her: "I see you're quite happy when Qi Xiaoyan calls you 'baby'."
Yang Wei's mouth twitched. "Mom, how can you be the same as Qi Xiaoyan? When he's in love, he calls me 'my darling wife' in turns!"
"Fine, fine, I won't call you that then. Why are you blushing?"
Yang Wei: "..."
Mrs. Yang held her hand and sighed, "Young people these days are just too impetuous. Whether it's marriage or divorce, these are major events in life, but to me, they seem like child's play."
Yang Wei kept her head down and didn't answer. Her mother continued, "It's not that I'm forcing you, but I'm really worried about you living alone. These days, the news reports every day about female college students having accidents, and there are also burglars who specifically target single women. I don't want to see my daughter on the news one day."
Yang Wei said, "I understand. I'll go on the blind date tomorrow."
"Mom didn't say I had to find one of them to be my boyfriend. It's just another opportunity to meet boys. What if I like one of them? Didn't you and Qi Xiaoyan meet through a blind date?"
"Okay, I understand."
"Okay, okay, I won't bother you anymore. Get some rest." After saying that, Yang's mother closed the door and left. Yang Wei lay back down on the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling.
She couldn't remember what time she fell asleep the night before, but early the next morning, Yang's mother knocked on her door: "Baby, are you awake? There's still a lot to do today!"
Yang Wei rubbed her eyes and opened the door, her face full of weariness: "Mom, it's a rare weekend, and you won't even let me sleep in? How can you do this to the weekend?"
Mrs. Yang's lips twitched: "Still sleeping! I've arranged four blind dates for you today. Go wash up now!"
Yang Wei: "..."
Four shows? Mom, you're really going all out to get me married off...
After washing up, Yang Wei went to the living room to eat breakfast. Her mother, carrying a stack of documents, sat down next to her with great enthusiasm: "Let me tell you about your blind date today. The first one is an archaeologist—he's very cultured!"
Yang Wei's eye twitched: "An archaeologist?"
"Yes, you like scholars, so I picked one out especially for you."
Yang Wei's eye twitched even more violently: "When did I ever like scholars?"
Mrs. Yang said, "Isn't Qi Xiaoyan a scholar? A university professor, very cultured."
Yang Wei: "..."
It's not that she likes professors, it's just that Qi Xiaoyan happens to be a professor! If she had a choice, she would never choose a math professor as her husband!
"Hehe, what about the second one?"
"The second one! The second one is even more impressive; he's a CEO! Isn't that what young girls like these days!"
Yang Wei: "..."
She didn't want to hear the remaining two anymore.
"Hey, don't just focus on eating! There are two more I haven't introduced yet. This one is rumored to be the son of the richest man in City A, and this one is incredibly handsome. I heard he's the most handsome guy at the film academy, and some big production is currently in talks with him about signing a contract..."
Yang Wei: "..."
Is this kind of cheesy character setting really okay? Besides, isn't Ye Zhenzhen the richest person in City A? She even donated money recently!
"To keep you from running around, I deliberately arranged to meet at the same place, just at different times. Oh, and I even numbered them for you so you won't get them mixed up."
Yang Wei: "..."
Mom is definitely a professional.
She finished her milk in one gulp, then forked the last piece of ham from the plate and fed it to her lips. Breakfast was finally finished under the torment of her mother's nagging. Before Yang Wei could even catch her breath, her mother dragged her to get dressed.
Because there weren't many clothes for Yang Wei at home, her mother specially went downstairs to buy her a fuchsia short-sleeved dress. Looking at the layers of lace on the skirt, Yang Wei felt a slight pain in her temples.
After helping Yang Wei change her clothes and tidy her hair, Yang's mother was very satisfied with her daughter: "You're so beautiful. Qi Xiaoyan must have been blind to divorce you."
Yang Wei pouted and didn't reply. Her mother circled around her, then took out a necklace and put it on her. According to Yang's mother's plan, the blind date was scheduled to start at 1 p.m., with each person allotted an hour, and she even remembered to leave Yang Wei a 20-minute break.
When Yang Wei was dragged to the coffee shop, she felt like a soldier heading to battle.
"Weiwei, I'm sitting in that corner over there. Don't be nervous, just chat with them slowly."
Yang Wei was speechless and simply nodded.
At one o'clock, a bespectacled man in a suit pushed open the door of the coffee shop and walked in. In that instant, Yang Wei felt that the door to a new world was about to open.
Blind date
According to the number my mother gave me, this is number one, the archaeology professor.
The professor looked considerably older than Qi Xiaoyan; Yang Wei estimated he was almost forty. After introducing himself to her with refined manners, the professor began to inquire about her background: "I heard you teach art. In my opinion, art and archaeology are both arts. Are you interested in archaeology?"
Yang Wei said, "When I was in high school, I read a novel called 'Grave Digging Notes'. I was deeply attracted by the scenes described in it, and I almost applied to the archaeology department in college."
The professor asked, "Why wasn't it reported?"
"Because my mom said that archaeologists just pick up what's left over from people digging up graves."
professor:"……"
He pondered for a moment, then asked, "Is the author of that novel you mentioned called Uncle Nanpai?"
Yang Wei looked at him in surprise: "You've read this novel too?"
The professor said, "That author was originally one of my students, but he failed his exams and couldn't graduate, so he switched to writing novels."
Yang Wei: "..."
Professor, don't you think this is an overstatement...?
She looked at the professor and asked with a smile, "Nanpai Dashu is his pen name. He's your student, so you must know his real name, right?"
The professor covered his mouth and coughed softly: "Archaeology is a subject of great significance to mankind. Our team has excavated several ancient tombs, and several of the mummies displayed in the Louvre were unearthed by us."
"Was it dug with an excavator?" Yang Wei looked at the professor and said with a smile, "I heard that Pharaohs curse people. How are your team members?"
The professor said, "The curse is pure nonsense. Egypt and France are both very attractive countries. Have you been to either of them?"
Yang Wei shook her head: "No."
The professor said regretfully, "That's a real pity, but I go there often. Feel free to ask me anything you want to know."
Yang Wei thought for a moment and asked, "Does the water of the Seine taste the same as that of the Nile?"
professor:"……"
The professor said he had to go back to study the water quality of the Seine and the Nile, and then left in a hurry.
Half an hour later, the coffee shop door opened again, and the CEO, dressed in a sharp suit, walked in. His shoes were polished to a shine, and even his hair was styled with hair wax. He carried a pure black briefcase, exuding a strong aura of elite status.
He sat down opposite Yang Wei, raised his left hand to check the time: "Ms. Yang, you are very punctual. I like to work with punctual people."
Yang Wei: "..."