Chapter 15
“Okay, I have to go to a meeting now. Tingting, we’ll have dinner together when I return to Li City,” Long Kong said.
Ji Ting snapped back to reality and replied, “Okay.”
In the evening, Ji Ting was called home for dinner by Qiu Dan. Qiu Dan said a batch of crayfish had arrived at the supermarket, which were particularly fresh, and she made thirteen-spice crayfish specially for Ji Ting. Ji Lindong couldn’t leave the supermarket, so only the mother and daughter ate. Mainly, Qiu Dan also liked to eat them. With just the two of them, they set up a small table. Ji Ting, wearing gloves, drank cola and ate until her lips were red.
Qiu Dan handed her a napkin and said, “Wipe it, wipe.”
Ji Ting took it, wiped her mouth, and continued peeling the shrimp, biting them when she couldn’t peel them.
Qiu Dan looked at Ji Ting and said, “Good thing I didn’t ask you to bring Lu Hai home tonight.”
Ji Ting paused in her shrimp-biting.
Qiu Dan peeled a small piece of shrimp meat and placed it in her bowl, saying, “Seeing you eat like this, it’s better for only family to watch.”
Ji Ting spit out the shrimp shell.
Since that day when she felt repelled by Lu Hai, Ji Ting hasn’t been very proactive in reaching out to him for the past couple of days. Lu Hai did send her messages, and she replied, but not so actively.
She took a sip of cola and looked at Qiu Dan.
“Mom.”
“Hmm?”
Qiu Dan put more shrimp meat in her bowl.
Ji Ting met her gaze and said, “Mom, about Lu Hai… Mom, I’ve been thinking, can you introduce me to someone else?”
Qiu Dan paused in her shrimp-peeling and looked up. “What’s wrong?”
Ji Ting tugged at her disposable gloves and said, “It feels like something’s missing. I can’t fully devote myself and still feel a bit resistant to his closeness.”
Qiu Dan was stunned.
“Weren’t things going well before? Did he do something?”
“No, he’s a very good person, very good. It’s just my personal issue, I guess? Mom, I don’t know, I thought I could do it.” Ji Ting picked up another piece of shrimp and put it in her mouth, chewing.
Qiu Dan looked at her daughter.
Ji Ting’s expression and tone were very calm, indicating that nothing significant had happened. It might really be Ji Ting’s personal issue, rejecting closeness. Ji Ting seemed to be resisting Lu Hai’s intimacy, which might also include affection. Qiu Dan frowned, thinking this wouldn’t do.
She asked, “Tingting, tell me, you don’t feel this way towards all boys, do you?”
Ji Ting looked up and shook her head. “No.”
Qiu Dan was about to say that Ji Ting had never had a boyfriend when she suddenly remembered Tan Yucheng. At the beginning of this year, during a family gathering, Ji Ting sprained her ankle, and Tan Yucheng carried her upstairs. When Qiu Dan and Xiao Xi entered the room, Tan Yucheng was holding Ji Ting’s foot, applying medicine. It was quite intimate. Ji Ting, afraid of the pain, kicked him, but Tan Yucheng held her down on the bed.
At that time, Xiao Xi felt it was such a pity.
It was really a pity that these two kids didn’t end up together.
From this incident, it seemed Ji Ting didn’t reject boys’ closeness. Qiu Dan felt a sense of relief; the issue must be with Lu Hai. He couldn’t make Ji Ting feel close to him.
Qiu Dan hoped Ji Ting could find a suitable man, but she also wished Ji Ting would have at least a bit of affection for the person. Affection is necessary to maintain the relationship and eventually lead to marriage.
Qiu Dan picked up a crayfish and continued peeling it, saying, “Alright, I’ll ask them to help look for someone again. You should also clarify things with Lu Hai early, so you don’t waste his time.”
Ji Ting nodded.
Qiu Dan glanced at her. “You know how to tell him, right?”
Ji Ting nodded again.
Since Lu Hai was the nephew of Ji Lindong’s friend, Ji Ting certainly wouldn’t offend him, especially since Lu Hai was indeed a good man.
On Saturday, the store was quite busy. In the afternoon, Lu Hai sent Ji Ting a message inviting her to dinner, and she accepted. The weather had been great these past few days, with strong sunlight and the afternoon glow spreading on the ground.
Lu Hai’s car arrived at the entrance.
Ji Ting, carrying a gift bag, opened the car door and got in, handing the bag to Lu Hai. Lu Hai glanced at her with a smile and took it. “What’s this?”
“A gift,” Ji Ting said as she fastened her seatbelt.
Lu Hai, feeling pleasantly surprised and a bit regretful for not preparing anything, put the bag in the back seat and started the car. “What’s the occasion? I even got a gift.”
Ji Ting smiled and said, “I just felt like giving you one.”
Lu Hai smiled when he heard this. He held the steering wheel as he navigated through the somewhat congested roads, bringing Ji Ting to a rooftop Western restaurant where he had reserved a table in advance. As they sat down, Lu Hai said, “The steak at this restaurant is especially good. I brought you here to try it.”
Ji Ting laughed, “You’ve really eaten your way through all of Li City.”
Lu Hai looked at her, “I’ve been taking you to eat everywhere.”
Ji Ting paused slightly, feeling a bit guilty. She picked up her glass and took a sip of water. From here, they could see the sunset and the sky filled with evening glow. Soon, the sky gradually darkened. The steak arrived, sizzling, and outside the window, the neon lights began to twinkle, offering a panoramic view of the city, which was beautiful. After finishing their meal, they moved on to dessert.
Lu Hai pushed the desert towards Ji Ting, saying, “Try it. I think the ones at your shop taste better.”
Ji Ting glanced at him and smiled, “No comparison. It’s definitely better here.”
“No way. I think the ones at your place are better.”
Ji Ting smiled, picked up her fork, and took a bite.
Lu Hai looked at the Ferris wheel in the distance, hesitated, and then looked at Ji Ting. She also looked up, and their eyes met. Ji Ting put down her spoon and called out, “Lu Hai.”
Lu Hai’s fingers paused, and he looked at the beautiful woman in front of him, smiling as he asked, “What’s the matter?”
Ji Ting sighed quietly, twisted her fingers, and looked at him, “How about we call it off for now?”
The smile on Lu Hai’s face faded, “Why?”
“It’s my problem. I thought I could try with you, but it seems I’m not putting my heart into it.”
“No problem, we can just be friends for now and take it slow…”
“Can we really take it slow?” Ji Ting interrupted.
Lu Hai fell silent instantly.
He did like Ji Ting, but since they had chosen to date with marriage in mind, they couldn’t take it slow. The goal was clearly to move towards marriage. His next step was to solidify his relationship with Ji Ting and then choose a date to get married. Ultimately, his patience had its limits.
Last time at the Japanese restaurant, he was ready to take the next step.
Then Ji Ting had something come up that interrupted it. Later, when he went out with Ji Ting and her close friend, seeing her friend’s relationship with her boyfriend made him anxious about his own situation. He hadn’t asked Ji Ting out for dinner these past few days just to wait for tonight, to find a better environment to clearly express his intentions. He believed they already knew each other well enough.
However, he didn’t expect Ji Ting to say something like this. But perhaps he had sensed it too. At the Thai restaurant, when Ji Ting inadvertently avoided him, he wasn’t completely unaware.
Although it didn’t hurt his pride, he felt quite anxious. He had hoped to get close to Ji Ting naturally.
“Sorry,” Ji Ting said softly.
Lu Hai snapped back to reality and looked at her.
Ji Ting’s eyes were beautiful, with a gentle expression and a hint of guilt.
Lu Hai shook his head and said, “No need to apologize. It’s normal for a date to have any outcome.”
Ji Ting was indeed like fog, like wind.
In the end, he just couldn’t grasp her.
Ji Ting was quiet for a few seconds. “I don’t want to say you’re a great guy because that sounds so cliché, but you really are a good man. This is entirely my personal issue.”
“I understand.”
Lu Hai nodded.
—
The ride back was quite silent. Since things didn’t work out between Lu Hai and Ji Ting, his parents would certainly arrange more dates for him. As for Ji Ting, Qiu Dan would also arrange another match, though she would be more meticulous and take her time. Ji Ting wouldn’t be rushed into another date, but for Lu Hai, it might be as soon as tomorrow.
When they got home…
Ji Ting collapsed onto the sofa, feeling a bit relieved but also somewhat melancholic. It wasn’t regret, but rather awkwardness. Similarly melancholic was Yu Xi, who messaged Ji Ting saying that Zhu Zhan had returned to Nan’an.
[I miss him.]
Ji Ting replied, [Ask him to come see you when he has time.]
Yu Xi: [He definitely has to come see me. I don’t have any days off coming up.]
Ji Ting: [Hmm.]
Yu Xi: [By the way, has Meng Jia caught Tan Yucheng yet?]
Ji Ting: [I don’t know.]
Yu Xi: [She’s wailing in her Moments. Go check it out.]
Ji Ting opened her WeChat Moments and immediately saw a post from Meng Jia. She was leaning against a car with Hong Kong plates, apparently outside Tan Yucheng’s apartment complex.
She said: It’s not about how long it lasts, but about having had it.
Long Kong commented: “Calm down these next couple of days. He’s insanely busy.”
Meng Jia replied: “Really? No wonder he hasn’t been answering my calls or messages.”
Long Kong responded: “So be good.”
Meng Jia: “OK.”
Yu Xi sent a message: [I used to support Meng Jia, but now I feel like, why should she chase after such a wild man and make herself so humble?]
Ji Ting: [You bet she’d succeed.]
Yu Xi: [I think I’m going to lose now. Tan Yucheng is not that easy to chase. If he’s not interested, no amount of effort will work.]
Yu Xi: [What about you? What did you bet on?]
Ji Ting: [I didn’t participate.]
Yu Xi: [Oh.]
Yu Xi sighed, then said she was going to call her boyfriend. Ji Ting clicked on Tan Yucheng’s profile and checked his Moments. It was completely clean, without a hint of emotion, perhaps because he hadn’t even opened his Moments.
When he left yesterday afternoon, he was very tired, unbuttoning his shirt collar as he closed the door. He’s probably still catching up on sleep today.
Ji Ting hesitated for a moment and then typed a message: [Are you at work today?]
Tan: [At the office.]
Seeing this, Ji Ting didn’t send him any more messages. She put down her phone, picked up her pajamas, and went to take a shower.
In the following days, Tan Yucheng seemed to be very busy. Ji Ting didn’t continue her interactions with Lu Hai and spent more time at the shop. Long Kong had promised to treat her to a meal when he got back, but his trip kept getting delayed. He reportedly went to Haicheng and had to stay there for another week.
Ji Ting wasn’t particularly concerned about missing that meal.
On October 3rd, Ji Ting woke up feeling like it was a significant day but couldn’t remember why until a customer walked into the shop wearing a string of prayer beads on their wrist.
The beads looked very similar to small-leaf red sandalwood.
Ji Ting then realized and opened her Moments. Sure enough, Shu Xiao had just posted photos of her birthday party. She was sitting in the middle of a group of people, holding a bouquet of flowers, with her boyfriend beside her, smiling and hugging her. Another photo showed her boyfriend kissing her on the cheek, while her eyes curved with a shy and happy expression.
She wrote: “Happy Birthday to me.”
Many people commented with birthday wishes.
Meng Jia: “Best wishes!”
Zhong Yu: “Wow, a perfect match. Happy Birthday, my Xiao Xiao.”
Feng Yingying: “Happy Birthday! You two look great together.”
Other guys were joking and teasing in the comments.
Long Kong didn’t reply this time.
Ji Ting saw in the photos that Shu Xiao was wearing a beautiful purple bracelet on her wrist. She fell silent for a moment, then clicked on Tan Yucheng’s profile picture, where their chat history remained untouched.
Ji Ting looked at it for a while.
After a long time, she finally put down her phone.
In the afternoon, Ji Ting prepared a coffee for a customer and took it over. The customer pulled her into a conversation for a while. Ji Ting stood by the window, looking at the lingering twilight outside, lost in thought for a moment.
After a while, she returned to the counter, picked up her phone, and composed a message to the black profile picture: [Busy tonight?]
Tan: [Hmm?]
Ji Ting: [Let’s have dinner together. I’ll buy groceries and come to your place.]
Tan: [Okay.]
Tan: [I’ll be there at 8. Password: 003003]
Ji Ting: [Okay.]