upstairs.
Sheng Muxi stared thoughtfully at the screen.
Even now, the other person keeps saying they like her, this "old auntie." But they haven't asked for her WeChat or any other contact information, and they haven't even mentioned the usual scam tactic of asking to borrow money from her.
She remembered what Chai Shuqing had told her in the office before, about how busy her parents were usually.
I wondered if Chai Qianning was severely lacking in love?
Sheng Muxi clicked on the other person's post and immediately saw the comment from the netizen who said "I know I'm awesome"—because Chai Qianning only replied to this comment.
Chai Qianning replied: Really?
This is obviously fishing, right?
Then the person who said "I know I'm awesome" replied below, "Sister, I'm messaging you privately."
Seriously, how could Chai Qianning believe that!
It's unclear what the netizen and Chai Qianning discussed.
In any case, in Sheng Muxi's mind, Chai Qianning had already been listed as a high-risk group for being deceived in online dating because she was "severely lacking in love and easily fooled".
Out of consideration for her being the older sister of one of his students, Sheng Muxi decided to exercise his professional ethics.
She decided to teach Chai Qianning a lesson.
Chapter 18 A Painstaking Effort
Instead of looking at her phone, Chai Qianning took out a face mask from the drawer and put it on.
After she had smoothed out the face mask, she checked her phone and a message came through, almost causing the mask to crack.
49 years old: [How about we meet in private?]
Chai Qian stared at the screen for a long time, not understanding what kind of operation this was.
Asking her to meet him would be like revealing his identity, wouldn't it? What is Sheng Muxi trying to do?
Da Mengyi: [Why did you suddenly want to meet up?]
Forty-nine years old: [Didn't you say you liked me? If you like someone, of course you should be brave enough to pursue them.]
Da Mengyi: [But we don't live in the same neighborhood? Should we meet in the neighborhood?]
49 years old: [How about we meet at a bubble tea shop? Let me suggest a location.]
Chai Qianning, disregarding the face mask still on her face, smiled and her eyes crinkled.
Unexpectedly, things have become so interesting.
She replied: 【Of course.】
She wanted to see what Sheng Muxi was really up to.
The meeting is scheduled for this weekend.
Before leaving home that afternoon, Chai Qianning sent the other person a message: "[I'm about to leave, have you left yet?]"
She posted this message because she wanted to see if the two of them would run into each other in the neighborhood if they set off at the same time.
Forty-nine years old: [I'm putting on makeup, almost done. You go ahead and wait for me there.]
Chai Qianning stood on the balcony, glanced at the top of the window, and didn't rush to go out.
She sat leisurely in the hanging chair, and from her angle, she could see people coming and going downstairs through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
If Sheng Muxi goes out, then she can see her.
However, almost ten minutes passed, and Sheng Muxi still hadn't come out of the first-floor hall.
Chai Qianning knew perfectly well that this person was playing mind games with her.
She decided to follow the plot set by the other party first, because only in this way could she see the outcome.
She changed into casual clothes and drove to the bubble tea shop.
Seeing that the timing was just right, Chai Qianning entered the milk tea shop at the agreed time.
Her gaze swept across the crowd.
The area is crowded on weekends, with many couples having dates here, and there are no empty seats on the first floor.
She did not see Sheng Muxi among the crowd.
Immediately afterwards, she ordered a milk tea and went upstairs.
She didn't order the other person's drink because she wasn't sure if they would actually come.
Normally, no one would willingly reveal their identity like this, and besides, it's definitely the other party who will feel embarrassed by it.
If they actually meet, Sheng Muxi will have to explain to her why he lied to her on social media, saying he was 49 years old one minute and 69 the next.
She didn't believe Sheng Muxi could do something so stupid.
The stairs are made of wood, and they make a dull sound when you step on them.
Chai Qianning went up to the second floor and found a seat by the window.
Her calm gaze swept across the area, but she still couldn't see Sheng Muxi.
Now, the time they agreed upon has passed.
However, Chai Qianning was not bothered at all by being tricked.
On the contrary, I feel very happy and have an anticipation of playing a game with someone.
She opened the app and told the other party that she had arrived.
One minute later, the message showed as unread, but the other party did not reply.
The waiter brought over the milk carton, and she said thank you.
Unaffected by the other party's absence, Chai Qianning put the straw in her mouth and bit it, lightly tapping the table with her fingertips, turning her head to look at the bustling traffic and tall buildings under the blue sky outside.
The phone screen remained lit on the table, but the other party still hadn't replied to her message.
Chai Qianning patiently sent another message: 【You're late.】
Like a stone thrown into a stagnant pool, it cannot stir up the slightest ripple.
The chat window is acting up; the other party has read all the messages, but just won't reply.
I got stood up.
Most people would feel uncomfortable, annoyed, or unhappy at some point.
However, Chai Qianning showed no reaction whatsoever, remaining completely calm as if she were simply out drinking milk tea on her own, rather than having been invited out by someone.
Sheng Muxi did not appear, which was within her expectations.
She had always felt that Sheng Muxi had no intention of going out at all and was probably still at home.
She knew the other person wouldn't come, but she still went to the appointment, not out of any particular honesty or trustworthiness, but simply because she wanted to see what would happen next.
When the other party didn't reply to her message, Chai Qianning ignored it and exited the app. She sipped her milk tea, lost in thought, and scrolled through her phone, wasting her time.
After finishing her milk tea to her heart's content, Chai Qianning was about to leave when she received a message from Su Ye calling her out.
At the same time, Sheng Muxi also sent her a message on WeChat.
It was a repost with a striking title: "Be Cautious When Dating Online, Scams Are Emerging One After Another."
Immediately after, another message popped up in Sheng Muxi's chat window: "Next Friday, our school will have a lecture on fraud prevention. Students can bring their parents. If you're interested, you can go with your sister; it's always good to be more aware of fraud prevention."
Chai Qianning blinked.
Connecting this with her words, she instantly understood everything.
Sheng Muxi probably felt that she was easily deceived in online dating, so she deliberately staged a "stand-up" incident to make her understand that she shouldn't easily believe what others say in online dating.
Verbal persuasion is too theoretical and leaves a shallow impression on people's minds. Actual actions, on the other hand, leave a deeper mark on people's minds and make them remember more.
Teacher Sheng truly lives up to his reputation as a teacher; he goes to great lengths to educate people.
A gentle breeze ruffled her hair and brought a smile to her eyes. Surprisingly, she found the other person's behavior, though earnest, to be somewhat endearing.
In a good mood, after replying to Sheng Muxi with "I'll go when I have time," she agreed on WeChat to let Su Ye invite her out for drinks.
Bar at No. 12, East West Street.
After Chai Qianning went inside, she went up to the second floor. Her friends were already drinking, and there was one seat left, which was for her.
When everyone saw her arrive, they exclaimed, "Hey, the veteran cadre is here!"
Chai Qianning was already used to them calling her that. She leisurely walked to the empty seat and slumped down without any decorum.
As Su Ye poured wine for the person, she said, "What kind of wind is blowing today that could blow you here?"
"Hey, Su Ye, didn't you call me here?"
“I asked you to come, but I didn’t expect you to actually come. I thought you would say something like last time, that it’s enough that my heart is there, it doesn’t matter whether I actually come or not.”
Chai Qianning leaned back on the sofa: "Why do you act like you've never seen the world before when you see me?"
Ah Chu said, "To be honest, Ye Zi comes to Bar No. 12 more often than you do. If we didn't know you, we would all think that Ye Zi is the owner of this bar."
"Haha, Yezi has potential," Jelly laughed.
Su Ye paused, her hand holding the wine glass still: "What potential?"
A group of people joked, "She has the potential to become a boss's wife."
Su Ye took a sip of her drink: "What kind of ridiculous joke is this?"
Achu: "I'm not saying this to be mean, but I always thought you and Aning were the kind of couple who loved and hated each other. How come you still haven't settled things after graduating from university for so long?"
Chai Qianning scoffed: "It's more like killing each other, not loving each other."
Su Ye: "Don't even think about it. If I were with her, we'd probably end up fighting, the kind where we really wrestle each other."
Chai Qianning: "I guess every day it's either me missing an arm or Ye Zi missing a leg."
Jelly laughed until her stomach hurt: "Speaking of which, when I first met A Ning in my freshman year, I thought she was the kind of quiet, gentle, and weak girl. Who would have thought?"