When Gao Yang and his father returned to the hotel, both of them were completely drenched, which, of course, got them a good scolding from Gao Yang’s mother.
The father and son took turns taking showers. When Gao Yang reemerged from the bathroom, the rain had stopped.
Outside the window walls, the setting sun at the horizon seemed especially gentle and refreshed after the cleansing rain. Cool breeze swept into the villa from the sea, clinking the wind chimes.
A server of the hotel brought them their provided dinner on a small cart. The family sat around the table and enjoyed it together. Gao Xinxin proudly boasted that Wang Zikai had invited her to scuba dive this afternoon, and they had taken pictures underwater.
She showed the photos in her album to Gao Yang and his father. Then his father showed everyone the pictures of Gao Yang surfing.
All the excitement in the afternoon left Gao Yang starving. No sooner had he gotten two spoonfuls of curry with rice into his mouth, though, his phone began to vibrate.
He looked down to see that it was from Wu Dahai.
He shot to his feet and lied, “Um, it’s Wang Zikai.”
He walked to the balcony and closed the window.
“Hello?”
“Gao Yang.” Wu Dahai greeted him by his real name. “I have a request. You will say yes if you’re a real man!”
This couldn’t be anything good.
“You...tell me what it’s about first.”
“No, you must agree first.” Wu Dahai sounded worked up. “If you don’t, I’ll jump into the sea.”
Then do it!
Gao Yang swallowed his retort and said patiently, “Calm down. Tell me what it is. I’ll agree if it’s something I can do.”
...
Half an hour before.
Donning a formal white shirt, suit pants, and black bow tie, Wu Dahai fancied himself a proper gentleman. To others, however, he looked more like a waiter working at a western restaurant than anything.
Qing Ling, on the other hand, changed into casual clothes after the mission—loose, light-gray t-shirt, denim shorts, and flip flops. Her hair was tied into a high ponytail because of the heat, and she looked as at home as the locals.
The contrast between their attires drew the eyes.
In his excitement, Wu Dahai made a reservation with the most high-class service, their seat located on a quiet private beach.
When they arrived, the last ray of the setting sun was almost disappearing under the horizon.
An extravagant red carpet was laid down on the sandy beach, above which were roughly a dozen plastic arches, adorned with countless small flickering light bulbs, painting quite the dreamy scene.
On the other side of the last arch was a dining table and a set of chairs in the western style. On the table was...an enormous, three-tiered hot pot, surrounded by small plates of fine seafood.
And rose petals had been scattered all around the table.
Not far away, a graceful, blonde middle-aged man played the violin with full devotion, dressed in a tailcoat. The inaugural upload of this chapter took place via n(0)vel(b)(j)(n).
Gentle waves accompanied the elegant melody. One would be hard-pressed to describe the scene as anything but romantic.
Wu Dahai led Qing Ling through the arches to the table.
“Here, have a seat.” Wu Dahai was a little nervous, his forehead covered in beads of sweat.
Rather than sitting down, Qing Ling looked over at the violinist.
“What’s wrong? If you don’t like the song, I’ll have him play a different one.”
Qing Ling said coolly, “He’s noisy. I want to eat in peace.”
Wu Dahai immediately snapped his fingers and waved at the man. The man bowed before politely taking his leave.
Qing Ling sat down and glanced at the hot pot. The broth was hot enough.
She picked up a bowl of minced shrimp balls and poured them into the pot.
Sizzle.
Qing Ling leaned toward the steaming pot, staring at the shrimp balls rolling in the broth with an awe-struck look on her face.
Wu Dahai paused. None of the lines he had rehearsed would work now.
Then he thought back to the advice Teacher War Tiger had repeated to him: stay calm and act naturally without trying too hard!
Wu Dahai hurriedly picked up the slotted serving spoon. “It’ll be done in a little more than ten seconds. Here, I’ll pick them up for you.”
He picked up a few shrimp balls and put them in Qing Ling’s bowl.
Qing Ling accepted the offer easily. Then, realizing that she hadn’t made dipping sauce, she poured seasoning straight into her bowl. She was especially generous with the vinegar, practically adding half of the small bottle.
Qing Ling looked at the steaming-hot, tender-looking white shrimp balls being dyed into the brown of the sauce with content, her usually cold expression relaxing.
Wu Dahai wasn’t an observant man by nature, but he noticed the change.
His heart ached.
He had given up on Qing Ling before.
Outside of his impressive wealth, Wu Dahai’s greatest strength was his accurate evaluation of himself.
He knew that he wasn’t handsome, nor was he talented, and he was far from emotionally intelligent. He didn’t understand women, and no women liked him.
However, he really wanted a relationship, one that fate refused to give him.
At some point, Wu Dahai’s mentality became twisted. And he started to think that if he couldn’t win a girl’s heart, he would make do with having her body!
That was how Wu Dahai became a shameless pervert.
Which, however, made him even less attractive to girls, and women ended up avoiding him like the plague.
War Tiger once told Wu Dahai that Little Qing Ling would never let him have his way with Qing Ling; at the time, Wu Dahai wasn’t too heartbroken.
He decided to give up on Qing Ling and sought out his next target. That was how he had done in the past.
White Rabbit was the first he went for. After getting rejected by her, he shifted target to Songstress. Then after yet another rejection, he started eyeing Qing Ling.
He should’ve given up on Qing Ling for another girl this time, too.
However, he found himself disinterested.
He found himself thinking about Qing Ling all the time still.
He thought about her aloof expression, the awesome way she moved as she swung her Tang Dao with blood on her, the way she held herself unconcernedly, like she didn’t know she was beautiful, and even...the way she looked at him with distaste. Everything about her was lovely to him.
During those few days, Wu Dahai had trouble sleeping and eating.
He felt ill, so he sought out his only mentor in life again, War Tiger.
After hearing him out, War Tiger sighed heavily. “You’re doomed, Haizi. You’ve fallen in love.”
It took some time for Wu Dahai to accept that he had fallen for Qing Ling for real. However, it was a fact that Qing Ling would never return his feelings.
What should he do then?
War Tiger gave him a simple piece of advice. “Stop wallowing in self-pity and indecision. Man up and tell her your feelings.”
“I told her many times, but she always ignored me!” Wu Dahai said petulantly.
“And did you feel for her genuinely before? You just wanted to sleep with her!” War Tiger scoffed. “Do it right this time. Confess to her. Get it?”
“What if she rejects me?” Wu Dahai asked, down.
“At least you will have tried your best!” War Tiger patted him on the shoulder. “No one can get everything they want. There is always something that doesn’t go our way. Still, we should at least make sure that we have no regrets.”
When Gao Yang and his father returned to the hotel, both of them were completely drenched, which, of course, got them a good scolding from Gao Yang’s mother.
The father and son took turns taking showers. When Gao Yang reemerged from the bathroom, the rain had stopped.
Outside the window walls, the setting sun at the horizon seemed especially gentle and refreshed after the cleansing rain. Cool breeze swept into the villa from the sea, clinking the wind chimes.
A server of the hotel brought them their provided dinner on a small cart. The family sat around the table and enjoyed it together. Gao Xinxin proudly boasted that Wang Zikai had invited her to scuba dive this afternoon, and they had taken pictures underwater.
She showed the photos in her album to Gao Yang and his father. Then his father showed everyone the pictures of Gao Yang surfing.
All the excitement in the afternoon left Gao Yang starving. No sooner had he gotten two spoonfuls of curry with rice into his mouth, though, his phone began to vibrate.
He looked down to see that it was from Wu Dahai.
He shot to his feet and lied, “Um, it’s Wang Zikai.”
He walked to the balcony and closed the window.
“Hello?”
“Gao Yang.” Wu Dahai greeted him by his real name. “I have a request. You will say yes if you’re a real man!”
This couldn’t be anything good.
“You...tell me what it’s about first.”
“No, you must agree first.” Wu Dahai sounded worked up. “If you don’t, I’ll jump into the sea.”
Then do it!
Gao Yang swallowed his retort and said patiently, “Calm down. Tell me what it is. I’ll agree if it’s something I can do.”
...
Half an hour before.
Donning a formal white shirt, suit pants, and black bow tie, Wu Dahai fancied himself a proper gentleman. To others, however, he looked more like a waiter working at a western restaurant than anything.
Qing Ling, on the other hand, changed into casual clothes after the mission—loose, light-gray t-shirt, denim shorts, and flip flops. Her hair was tied into a high ponytail because of the heat, and she looked as at home as the locals.
The contrast between their attires drew the eyes.
In his excitement, Wu Dahai made a reservation with the most high-class service, their seat located on a quiet private beach.
When they arrived, the last ray of the setting sun was almost disappearing under the horizon.
An extravagant red carpet was laid down on the sandy beach, above which were roughly a dozen plastic arches, adorned with countless small flickering light bulbs, painting quite the dreamy scene.
On the other side of the last arch was a dining table and a set of chairs in the western style. On the table was...an enormous, three-tiered hot pot, surrounded by small plates of fine seafood.
And rose petals had been scattered all around the table.
Not far away, a graceful, blonde middle-aged man played the violin with full devotion, dressed in a tailcoat. The inaugural upload of this chapter took place via n(0)vel(b)(j)(n).
Gentle waves accompanied the elegant melody. One would be hard-pressed to describe the scene as anything but romantic.
Wu Dahai led Qing Ling through the arches to the table.
“Here, have a seat.” Wu Dahai was a little nervous, his forehead covered in beads of sweat.
Rather than sitting down, Qing Ling looked over at the violinist.
“What’s wrong? If you don’t like the song, I’ll have him play a different one.”
Qing Ling said coolly, “He’s noisy. I want to eat in peace.”
Wu Dahai immediately snapped his fingers and waved at the man. The man bowed before politely taking his leave.
Qing Ling sat down and glanced at the hot pot. The broth was hot enough.
She picked up a bowl of minced shrimp balls and poured them into the pot.
Sizzle.
Qing Ling leaned toward the steaming pot, staring at the shrimp balls rolling in the broth with an awe-struck look on her face.
Wu Dahai paused. None of the lines he had rehearsed would work now.
Then he thought back to the advice Teacher War Tiger had repeated to him: stay calm and act naturally without trying too hard!
Wu Dahai hurriedly picked up the slotted serving spoon. “It’ll be done in a little more than ten seconds. Here, I’ll pick them up for you.”
He picked up a few shrimp balls and put them in Qing Ling’s bowl.
Qing Ling accepted the offer easily. Then, realizing that she hadn’t made dipping sauce, she poured seasoning straight into her bowl. She was especially generous with the vinegar, practically adding half of the small bottle.
Qing Ling looked at the steaming-hot, tender-looking white shrimp balls being dyed into the brown of the sauce with content, her usually cold expression relaxing.
Wu Dahai wasn’t an observant man by nature, but he noticed the change.
His heart ached.
He had given up on Qing Ling before.
Outside of his impressive wealth, Wu Dahai’s greatest strength was his accurate evaluation of himself.
He knew that he wasn’t handsome, nor was he talented, and he was far from emotionally intelligent. He didn’t understand women, and no women liked him.
However, he really wanted a relationship, one that fate refused to give him.
At some point, Wu Dahai’s mentality became twisted. And he started to think that if he couldn’t win a girl’s heart, he would make do with having her body!
That was how Wu Dahai became a shameless pervert.
Which, however, made him even less attractive to girls, and women ended up avoiding him like the plague.
War Tiger once told Wu Dahai that Little Qing Ling would never let him have his way with Qing Ling; at the time, Wu Dahai wasn’t too heartbroken.
He decided to give up on Qing Ling and sought out his next target. That was how he had done in the past.
White Rabbit was the first he went for. After getting rejected by her, he shifted target to Songstress. Then after yet another rejection, he started eyeing Qing Ling.
He should’ve given up on Qing Ling for another girl this time, too.
However, he found himself disinterested.
He found himself thinking about Qing Ling all the time still.
He thought about her aloof expression, the awesome way she moved as she swung her Tang Dao with blood on her, the way she held herself unconcernedly, like she didn’t know she was beautiful, and even...the way she looked at him with distaste. Everything about her was lovely to him.
During those few days, Wu Dahai had trouble sleeping and eating.
He felt ill, so he sought out his only mentor in life again, War Tiger.
After hearing him out, War Tiger sighed heavily. “You’re doomed, Haizi. You’ve fallen in love.”
It took some time for Wu Dahai to accept that he had fallen for Qing Ling for real. However, it was a fact that Qing Ling would never return his feelings.
What should he do then?
War Tiger gave him a simple piece of advice. “Stop wallowing in self-pity and indecision. Man up and tell her your feelings.”
“I told her many times, but she always ignored me!” Wu Dahai said petulantly.
“And did you feel for her genuinely before? You just wanted to sleep with her!” War Tiger scoffed. “Do it right this time. Confess to her. Get it?”
“What if she rejects me?” Wu Dahai asked, down.
“At least you will have tried your best!” War Tiger patted him on the shoulder. “No one can get everything they want. There is always something that doesn’t go our way. Still, we should at least make sure that we have no regrets.”
