The current task in hand is a complex one. While the phone vibrated nearby, Cheng Yan didn’t have time to answer. The apprentice who was learning by the side picked up Cheng Yan’s phone and asked, “Lǎoshī?”
“Help me answer it.” Cheng Yan’s voice sounded muffled beneath the mask, while his gaze remained fixed on the needle of the tattoo machine.
Zhu Yu answered the phone and listened to a few sentences from the other end of the line. Holding the phone, he relayed the message to Cheng Yan, saying, “Lǎoshī, it’s Boss Jin. He said that he just received a new batch of wine and wants you to go to his place later.”
“Tell him I have something going on tonight and I’m not available,” Cheng Yan said briefly.
“Okay,” Zhu Yu replied.
The person tattooing the flower arm is a quite young girl, who appears delicate and fragile. She didn’t utter a single sound from beginning to end, nor did she engage in small talk with Cheng Yan. Cheng Yan finds those who try to fill the silence with meaningless conversation particularly annoying. He prefers people who speak less, those who don’t disturb him while he’s working.
The young girl hadn’t said a word for over three hours, and at this point, Cheng Yan couldn’t help but ask in a soft voice, “Hey, handsome, is it almost done?”
Chéng Yan made a sound of agreement, “Almost better.”
The little girl grinned and said, “Finally, it’s getting better. I can barely feel my arm anymore.”
After finishing the work at hand, Cheng Yan entered the rest room. It didn’t take long before his phone rang again. He opened the wardrobe, answered the call, and switched to the hands-free mode.
The incoming call was from the same person as before, the one mentioned by Zhu Yu as “Mr. Jin.”
“What’s happening tonight? I just got off the plane. It’s been a while since we last met.”
Cheng Yan changed his clothes, tidied his hair in front of the mirror, and said, “I actually have something going on. I made plans with someone in advance.”
“You made plans with someone? Who is it? Are you dating someone?”
“No.”
“Then what are you…”
“I’m going on a blind date.”
Jin Haixin was taken aback, “…Is it true or not?” His tone was full of doubt, and after a few seconds of silence, he couldn’t help but laugh, “Why do I find it so hard to believe, Mr. Cheng.”
Cheng Yan took his phone and walked into the bathroom. He placed the phone on the sink and started washing his hands carefully.
As Cheng Yan washed his hands, he said, “I’m thirty-five, is it strange for me to go on a blind date?”
“No, Cheng Yan. When I first met you, there were so many people eager to pursue you. Why didn’t I see you pay attention to anyone? And now, all of a sudden, you’re telling me that you’re going on a blind date?”
Jin Haixin laughed as he continued speaking, teasingly saying, “Blind dates are great, Mr. Cheng. If you don’t find a suitable partner soon, your sexual function will start declining in a few years.”
Cheng Yan didn’t want to engage in idle banter with him. “It was introduced by one of my former teachers, and I didn’t want to turn down her favor.”
“This kind of situation, when it needs to be refuted, it should be refuted. If you don’t like someone, and that person starts relying on you, it could become troublesome.”
“Um…” Cheng Yan thought for a moment and answered honestly, “She said that person is quite handsome, so… I didn’t refute.”
Jin Haixin laughed and said, “How come I didn’t know you were a member of the looks association?”
Cheng Yan took out a note from his pants pocket, on which was written the name and number of the blind date partner:
Jiang Muping
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Jtfcu Tjc rajgfv ja atbrf atgff kbgvr obg j ktlif jcv weaafgfv, “Helaf j mblcmlvfcmf…”
“Qtja?”
“Ktf cjwf bo atlr qfgrbc lr atf rjwf jr ws tlut rmtbbi mijrr wbclabg’r cjwf.”
“Tbe jmaejiis ralii gfwfwyfg atf cjwf bo sbeg tlut rmtbbi mijrr wbclabg? P mjc’a fnfc gfwfwyfg lo ws olgra ibnf kjr j ybs bg j ulgi.”
Cheng Yan put the note back into his pocket and said, “I won’t forget.”
After tidying up a bit, Cheng Yan set off.
Three parts of what he said to Jin Haixin were joking, but most of it was sincere. He genuinely didn’t want to refute the teacher’s intentions, and the fact that he cared about looks wasn’t entirely false either.
He wasn’t that extreme and didn’t believe in the ideology of being single. It’s just that after being alone for a long time, he got used to it and gradually became lazy to break out of this situation.
They arranged to meet at a Western restaurant, without having contacted each other beforehand. Everything was arranged by Li Sizhi.
Cheng Yan arrived relatively early and sat at his seat for a moment when he suddenly received a phone call.
“Hello?”
The person on the other end of the phone spoke in a low voice, with an unusually deep tone, “Mr. Cheng Yan?”
Cheng Yan paused for a moment and instinctively nodded, “Yes.”
“I am Jiang Muping,” the voice on the other end said.
“Hello,” Cheng Yan reflexively responded.
A brief, low laugh came from the phone, and the other person responded earnestly, “Hello. I’m currently in a meeting, and it seems like it will take a bit longer to finish. I’m sorry to inconvenience you, but could you please wait for a while?”
“No problem, I’ll wait for you,” Cheng Yan replied.
“I’ll request an extra ten minutes. If I haven’t arrived after ten minutes, you can go ahead and leave. We can arrange another meeting next time, alright?”
Even over the phone, Cheng Yan could sense the other person’s gentle and refined manner. He was willing to wait a bit longer. “No problem, I can wait for you,” he replied.
“Good. See you later.”
“See you later.”
On this long summer day, even though it was already evening, the sky outside was still bright. The restaurant resonated with the soothing melody of a cello. Cheng Yan sat for a while, feeling a bit idle, and called the waiter over.
“Xiānshēng, would you like to place an order?” the waiter asked.
Pointing towards the entrance, Cheng Yan asked, “I just saw some bottles of wine in the display cabinet over there. Are they available for purchase?”
“Yes, Xiānshēng.”
“I would like to choose a bottle of wine.”
“Sure, please follow me.”
The display cabinet showcased a collection of precious and expensive wines, primarily intended for show and creating an impressive atmosphere. Typically, customers dining at the restaurant wouldn’t choose wines from the display cabinet.
The waiter, wearing white gloves, took out several bottles of wine from the display cabinet and introduced them to Cheng Yan one by one.
Within the additional ten minutes beyond the agreed time, Jiang Muping arrived at the Western restaurant. He found the table designated for their meeting but did not see Cheng Yan there.
Jiang Muping took out his phone and dialed Cheng Yan’s number.
Cheng Yan took a long time to make his selection. Deliberately taking his time while waiting for someone, he intentionally spent a significant amount of time. Eventually, he chose a bottle with a relatively high price, finally bringing a genuine smile to the waiter’s face.
After making his choice, Cheng Yan finally had the opportunity to take hold of the bottle. The waiter handed the wine to him, saying, “Xiānshēng, would you like to have another look?”
Cheng Yan held the neck of the wine bottle with one hand and supported the bottom with the other, absentmindedly shaking his head. His thoughts were entirely focused on the bottle of red wine.
The sound of a ringing phone suddenly filled the air.
The sound came from behind, and Jiang Muping turned his head.
Cheng Yan raised his head and saw the man in a white shirt not far away, walking towards him with a phone in his hand.
The man wore rimless oval glasses and was dressed in a shirt with a tie, looking very formal. It seemed like he had just come from a meeting.
His hair was very black, and the strands in front of his forehead partially covered his eyebrows, giving him a soft appearance.
The jet-black hair complemented his fair complexion, and not only was he tall, but there was also a purity to his appearance.
It had been about twenty years since they last saw each other. Their physique, facial features, and temperament had all undergone drastic changes due to the passage of time. However, the face in front of Cheng Yan still coincided with the image of that face in his memory.
Cheng Yan recognized Jiang Muping at a glance.
However, he wasn’t sure if the other person had recognized him.
Jiang Muping walked up to him, with his phone still ringing incessantly in his pocket.
“Cheng Yan?” Jiang Muping confirmed with him.
Cheng Yan hesitated for a moment, holding the wine bottle, and nodded. He didn’t immediately reveal his own identity.
“Sorry for keeping you waiting,” Jiang Muping apologized. It seemed that he also didn’t recognize Cheng Yan as his former classmate. He glanced at the red wine in Cheng Yan’s hand and asked, “Choosing wine?”
“Yeah,” Cheng Yan replied. For some reason, he felt a bit awkward. He looked away, avoiding direct eye contact with Jiang Muping.
The waiter standing nearby extended his hands in a gesture of offering and asked, “Xiānshēng, would you like me to decant the wine for you?”
Cheng Yan handed the wine to the waiter, and he heard Jiang Muping say, “Let’s take a seat over there.” Cheng Yan followed behind him.
The two of them settled into their seats, and the waiter presented them with the menu. They symbolically ordered a few dishes, and then the surroundings fell quiet. Cheng Yan felt Jiang Muping’s gaze lingering on him, making him uneasy. He took a few sips of water to alleviate the discomfort.
“Cheng Yan.”
Cheng Yan heard Jiang Muping calling him and looked up at him.
“Cheng Yan. ‘Cheng’ as in ‘to become,’ and ‘Yan’ as in ‘rock’?” Jiang Muping asked.
“…Hmm,” Cheng Yan nodded slowly, hesitantly.
“I feel like I’ve seen you before,” Jiang Muping commented. As his phone vibrated on the table, he glanced down at it briefly before returning his gaze to Cheng Yan’s eyes. “Do you find me familiar as well?”
Cheng Yan fell silent for a moment and nodded.
Jiang Muping sat quietly for a long time, his face devoid of surprise or the sentiment one would expect when reuniting with an old classmate after many years. He simply curved his lips into a gentle smile and offered a simple greeting, “Long time no see.”
Cheng Yan pursed his lips and whispered, “Long time no see.”
“Did you recognize me at first sight?” Jiang Muping asked him.
“Hmm.”
“You’re still pretending not to recognize me?” Jiang Muping asked with a hint of amusement.
“Hmm.”
The atmosphere at that moment was extremely awkward and delicate. It was quite absurd to go from being high school classmates to being set up on a blind date.
Although what Li Sizhi said was true—her cousin was indeed very handsome.
After a moment of silence, Cheng Yan said, “I thought you wouldn’t recognize me.”
His voice was low and husky, the kind of smoky voice that carried a magnetic quality, which seemed somewhat contradictory to his handsome appearance.
Jiang Muping calmly gazed at him.
In fact, he had almost forgotten what Cheng Yan looked like back then.
After all, there wasn’t even a single photo left to preserve those memories.
Jiang Muping had changed a lot, but Cheng Yan seemed to be the same as before. The more he looked at him, the memories would inevitably come flooding back.
He was wearing a light-colored short jacket, and his hair was permed, slightly wavy, in a light brown color, and a bit long, with a side part revealing his forehead. He looked like he had put a lot of effort into his appearance, giving the impression that he attached great importance to this blind date.
“I indeed didn’t recognize you at first sight,” Jiang Muping admitted.
Cheng Yan appeared younger, even though he was the same age as Jiang Muping. His facial features made him look much younger than Jiang Muping, giving the impression that he was several years younger.
The waiter brought the prepared wine and was about to pour it into Jiang Muping’s glass, but he raised his hand to stop him and said, “Thank you, I don’t need it.”
“You don’t drink?” Cheng Yan hesitated while holding his glass.
“Well, I’m not very good at drinking,” Jiang Muping replied with a nod.
After the waiter left, the two fell into silence again, and no one mentioned the original purpose of this dinner. It wasn’t until Cheng Yan took a sip of his drink and impulsively asked, “Do you also like men?”
Jiang Muping nodded in response.
Cheng Yan’s mind continued to act up, saying, “What a coincidence.”
Upon seeing the peculiar and faint smile in Jiang Muping’s eyes, Cheng Yan couldn’t help but let out a short and abrupt laugh, his gaze quickly shifting downward.
Nice start looking forward for the next update 😀 thank you for your translation 😊 😀 👍 🙂 🙏 ☺ 😊
Nice start 👌 thanks you for translating actually I just added it on my reading list yesterday and now an update thank you so much translator 🥰😍🤩💖😘
Ah blind dates are so awkward… Thank you for the translation!
Thanks for the chapter
indeed, jiang muping gave off old man vibes lol btw i feel the awkwardness as well duh
Ooh, so they were classmates!
Thank You for the new chapter ♡(ღ˘⌣˘ღ) PS. I fine with the Xiansheng, but I feel that using ‘sir’ in random situations (like in the restaurant) would be more smooth and ‘xiansheng’ in more intimate times like house and nanny speaking in previous chapter ^^
Awkward 😖
Thank you for your translation 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛
OOH HIS VOICE AAAAA
THANSKF ROT HE CHAPTER ♡♡♡♡♡
I really like this kind of setting in novel like its chill and going with the flow vibe, the author really did succeed in making it like this. I never ever read anything like this novel before and im hoping to get more recs like this…
In think there’s a mistake around fhe beginning of the chapter. I don’t understand what’s happening. When it says “Chen yang couldn’t help but ask in a soft voice “Hey handsome is it almost done?”
And then it says that Chén yan replies “it is better”
I’m so lost! who’s talking
but anyway, thx for the tl!
Hello, thank you for pointing out this mistake! I indeed didn’t edit or review it again, it will be fixed immediately. Thank you.
Thanks 😊