"Are you here to pick up Accountant Jiang from work?"
Shen Siyuan was also a little surprised to see Tao Guangxia.
Tao Guangxia nodded without denying it, but immediately added, "Mr.
Shen, are you free tonight? Doudou's mom and I would like to treat you to dinner."
"Again?"
Shen Siyuan realized then that he wasn't here to pick up Jiang Wenxin from work, but was waiting specifically for him.
But not today; he already had plans with Jiang Tingyu.
"We're eating out today. I've booked a table at Cloud Peak Restaurant."
Cloud Peak Restaurant was the highest restaurant in Binhai City.
Dining there, one could not only overlook the sea but also have a panoramic view of the entire Jade Dragon Bay, making it an excellent scenic spot.
Of course, the price was certainly not cheap.
Shen Siyuan had only ever seen it on Douyin and had never eaten there.
To be honest, Shen Siyuan did want to go and see what it was like, but he couldn't break a promise.
So he shook his head directly and said, "Not tonight. I have plans with someone tonight."
"I see…" Tao Guangxia looked disappointed.
Shen Siyuan chuckled lightly, formed a hand seal, and a Yin Wind rose from the ground, circling around Tao Guangxia once like a mischievous little sprite.
"Doudou?"
Tao Guangxia's face showed pleasant surprise as he cast an inquiring look at Shen Siyuan.
Shen Siyuan nodded, then said, "Alright, let's eat together next time we have a chance. I'm leaving now."
With that, he walked into the open elevator.
As the Banner Master of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, even if Doudou were a thousand mountains and rivers away from him, he could summon her to come and go at his will.
And the reason Shen Siyuan let Doudou wander around, completely unworried about her manifesting her form, hurting others, or causing trouble, was also because of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner; his words were, for Doudou, essentially a command to be obeyed.
Even though Doudou was still a child, she would never disobey anything he said.
Shen Siyuan went downstairs, hailed a taxi, and hurried to the place where he was supposed to meet Jiang Tingyu.
As for his electric bike, he could only leave it at the company. Lin Manzhi had driven to work today, so there was no way he could ask her to ride it back for him.
The place where Shen Siyuan and Jiang Tingyu were meeting was a hot pot restaurant called [Old Qiao].
Shen Siyuan had chosen the location.
He had eaten at this hot pot restaurant a few times before and its food was quite good. Since Jiang Tingyu was a Sichuan Girl, hot pot would definitely suit her palate.
Sure enough, Jiang Tingyu did not object to Shen Siyuan's suggestion and agreed directly.
Shen Siyuan got off work at six, but due to the evening rush hour, it was almost seven by the time he arrived at the hot pot restaurant.
Jiang Tingyu had already arrived and was sitting at her seat, quietly looking at her phone while she waited.
"Jiang Tingyu?" Shen Siyuan walked over and asked tentatively.
Hearing his voice, Jiang Tingyu looked up. He saw that her eyes were like clear autumn pools, her brows like distant dark hills, her cheeks rounded, and her nose bridge high.
Her hair was tied up high, giving her a clean and neat appearance.
She broke into a smile, nodded, and said, "Shen Siyuan?"
"Yes, that's me. Sorry to have kept you waiting."
"It's alright, I came early.
It's not our agreed-upon time yet." Jiang Tingyu put her phone aside.
Shen Siyuan sat down opposite her, glanced at the empty tabletop, and asked, "You haven't ordered yet?"
"No, I didn't know if you had any dietary restrictions, so I didn't order."
Hearing this, Shen Siyuan directly scanned the QR code with his phone to open the ordering app, then passed the phone to her and said, "Order what you like to eat.
We can chat while we eat."
Jiang Tingyu didn't stand on ceremony and took the phone, asking at the same time, "Can you eat spicy food?"
"I can."
"Then I won't order a Mandarin Duck Pot, I'll just get the red soup?"
"No problem," Shen Siyuan said.
Then, while she was ordering, he sized her up again.
She was wearing a round-collared, off-the-shoulder blouse, revealing her delicate collarbones and rounded shoulders.
It was beautiful, but she didn't have much flesh on her, appearing a bit slender.
Although she was sitting, judging from her upper body, she was at least 1.
7 meters tall.
Jiang Tingyu handed the phone back to Shen Siyuan, asking with a grin, "Do I look good? Are you satisfied?"
Obviously, she had noticed him sizing her up, which made Shen Siyuan slightly awkward.
So he said, "You are very beautiful."
Then he looked down to see what Jiang Tingyu had ordered.
And Jiang Tingyu, without any hesitation, began to scrutinize Shen Siyuan in return.
Shen Siyuan added a few more plates of meat, then placed the order directly, put away his phone, looked at her, and retorted with her own words, "Do I look good? Are you satisfied?"
Hearing this, Jiang Tingyu smiled and said, "Since this is a blind date, of course we should see each other clearly."
Jiang Tingyu had a very straightforward personality.
When she smiled, she revealed two rows of white teeth, looking cheerful and magnanimous.
"But are you really 26? You don't look like it at all."
Jiang Tingyu stared intently at Shen Siyuan, especially at his eyes, which were as clear as autumn pools and sparkling like stars, making it almost impossible for her to look away.
"Genuine and authentic, how could I lie to you about that?"
"But you look much younger than your actual age. What's your skincare routine?" Jiang Tingyu asked in amazement.
"Skincare? What's a grown man like me doing with skincare? I don't have the time for it. I just have a baby face."
"Your eyes are really beautiful.
They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. With such beautiful eyes, you must be a good person too," Jiang Tingyu said, staring at Shen Siyuan.
"Does this count as a good person card?" Shen Siyuan joked with a smile.
He continued, "You're very beautiful too.
There must be many people pursuing you. Why have you resorted to going on a blind date?"
Jiang Tingyu didn't answer the question, but asked back, "What about you?"
"Because I'm poor, but I wanted to eat hot pot," Shen Siyuan said.
Jiang Tingyu burst out laughing at his words. She understood the meaning behind them: Shen Siyuan was saying that because he was poor, he didn't have a girlfriend, and the reason he came on a blind date was to find someone to eat hot pot with.
"You still haven't answered my question," Shen Siyuan pressed.
"If I said I just haven't met the right person, you'd definitely think I was being perfunctory, but that's actually the case.
Of course, there is another reason…" Jiang Tingyu said.
Shen Siyuan was listening intently, but she suddenly stopped talking.
"Sorry." It was obvious she didn't want to talk about it.
Shen Siyuan shook his head, indicating that he understood.
Seeing Shen Siyuan be so magnanimous, Jiang Tingyu felt a little embarrassed.
"I just…"
She wanted to explain, but didn't know how to start.
"You don't have to explain. Not everything needs a reason, and not everything needs to be explained to outsiders."
"Thank you~" Jiang Tingyu said gratefully upon hearing his words.
Shen Siyuan was taken aback for a moment, but then he laughed to himself.
The person Lin Manzhi introduced was quite reliable after all.
Based on their conversation so far, Jiang Tingyu was truly a very good girl.
Therefore, Shen Siyuan's impression of her improved, but he could also tell that Jiang Tingyu didn't actually have any plans to date at the moment.
The reason she came on this blind date was probably because she couldn't refuse a favor to Lin Manzhi.
Nevertheless, the two of them enjoyed their conversation over hot pot.
Shen Siyuan talked about interesting things at his game company, and she also shared many stories about the people and things she encountered while working at the aquarium.