Shen Siyuan stood by the roadside and said to Jiang Tingyu, who was waiting for a car, "Well, I won't see you off then. Be careful on your way home."
"Okay, you can call me next time you want to eat hot pot, my Hot Pot Buddy," Jiang Tingyu said with a smile.
Shen Siyuan was a little stunned by her words. Although they had a pleasant conversation all evening, he knew she didn't want to be in a relationship right now.
So what did she mean by saying this?
Seeing Shen Siyuan's daze, Jiang Tingyu said, "You're a nice person, and I really enjoyed talking with you. Besides romance, can't we just be friends?"
"Another Good Person Card?" Shen Siyuan asked.
Hearing this, Jiang Tingyu broke into a wide grin and laughed out loud.
Shen Siyuan couldn't quite figure out if Jiang Tingyu was trying to string him along or if she genuinely wanted to be friends with him.
However, judging by her forthright personality, she didn't seem like the type to lead someone on.
Just then, the car Jiang Tingyu had called for arrived.
Jiang Tingyu opened the car door, glanced back at Shen Siyuan, and waved.
"See you next time."
"See you next time," Shen Siyuan waved back.
Hearing that, Jiang Tingyu turned and got into the car.
Shen Siyuan watched the vehicle slowly drive away and prepared to call a car himself.
Just then, his Mobile Phone suddenly received a WeChat Message—it was a Money Transfer from Jiang Tingyu.
The total was one hundred and thirty-three yuan, exactly half the cost of tonight's hot pot.
Since the meal was ordered on Shen Siyuan's Mobile Phone, he had naturally been the one to pay. It was only about two hundred yuan, and she was Lin Manzhi's friend, so Shen Siyuan felt it would be awkward to suggest they Go Dutch.
He had assumed it was his treat, and Jiang Tingyu hadn't said anything. He never expected her to just transfer the money over now.
Seeing that Shen Siyuan hadn't accepted the money, Jiang Tingyu quickly sent another Message.
"Please accept it, Hot Pot Buddy. Otherwise, I won't dare to come next time (laughing)."
Since she put it that way, Shen Siyuan didn't stand on ceremony and accepted the payment.
Then he put away his Mobile Phone and didn't continue the chat.
Actually, Shen Siyuan had a very good impression of Jiang Tingyu.
She was pretty and had a great figure. When she was sitting, he had guessed she was at least 170cm tall.
After she stood up, he realized he was right—even in flat shoes, she was 175cm.
She was wearing a pair of denim Shorts today, revealing a pair of long, shapely, and fair legs that could captivate both men and women.
Her personality, of course, was also wonderful. She was frank and magnanimous, not at all pretentious, unlike other girls who were shy and reserved upon first meeting.
Moreover, she loved to laugh—the kind of hearty laugh where she would grin widely, showing a row of Teeth. It was incredibly infectious, seeming to brighten the mood of everyone around her.
Shen Siyuan had been on many Blind Dates, and Jiang Tingyu was by far the one he was most satisfied with. It was a pity she didn't want a relationship at the moment, or else he would have really liked to give it a try with her.
Of course, it was also possible that she just wasn't interested in him. After all, he had no house, no car, and no savings—why would a beauty like her fall for him?
But soon enough, he stopped dwelling on the issue, hailed a car to go Home, and refused to overthink it.
But shortly after he got in the car, the Mobile Phone in his pocket began to vibrate repeatedly.
He took it out and saw there were Messages not only from Jiang Tingyu but also from Lin Manzhi.
Jiang Tingyu: "Come to the Aquarium to see my Performance when you have time."
Jiang Tingyu: "You can use my Employee Benefit Card, so you don't need to buy a ticket.
Admission is free."
An electronic membership card was attached to the Message.
Shen Siyuan was a bit confused. This didn't seem like something someone who didn't want a relationship would do.
Was she really just treating him as a friend?
"Thanks, I'll go watch when I have time," Shen Siyuan replied to her Message.
Then he opened Lin Manzhi's WeChat.
"Xiaoyu has a great impression of you. You should hurry up and make a move. Xiaoyu is a really good girl."
It was obvious that Jiang Tingyu had already contacted Lin Manzhi.
But seeing her say this, Shen Siyuan didn't know how to reply.
Had he misunderstood?
After thinking for a moment, he replied, "Okay, I get it.
But the young lady probably doesn't think much of me."
"Just try getting to know each other first.
It's not like I'm asking you to go get married right now. Feelings need to be nurtured slowly.
At the very least, you both have a good impression of each other right now," Lin Manzhi said.
"Mhm~"
Shen Siyuan was a little confused.
He could understand how Lin Manzhi knew that Jiang Tingyu had a good impression of him.
But how did she know that he also had a good impression of Jiang Tingyu?
So, Shen Siyuan directly asked the question on his mind.
"Because when you say something like 'the young lady probably doesn't think much of me,' it shows that you're very satisfied with her, but you're feeling a bit insecure. You think you're not good enough to attract her.
Let your big sister tell you, you're amazing… "
"Wow, Sis, saying that really moves me," Shen Siyuan said with feigned exaggeration.
Nevertheless, Lin Manzhi's words warmed his heart.
"Jiang Tingyu is my Best Friend. I know her very well, otherwise she wouldn't have told me so much.
(screenshot.jpg"
Lin Manzhi directly sent him a screenshot of their conversation.
"Sister Manzhi, he looks so young, so much younger than me. (laughing)"
"He seems to have such a good appetite.
Watching him eat really makes you hungry. (drooling)"
"His voice is very distinctive.
I asked him if he's a good singer, and he said he's tone-deaf. Is he lying?"
"It's very comfortable talking with him. He feels like a Younger Brother Type, so I don't have to worry too much."
"Since he's so great, don't miss out.
Hold on to him tight," Lin Manzhi said.
"Sigh, forget it, Sister Manzhi.
You know my situation…"
"It's already been several years. You should let it go," Lin Manzhi said.
…
Shen Siyuan read the chat from top to bottom, then sent a WeChat reply to Lin Manzhi.
"It looks like she doesn't want to be in a relationship right now."
"If she didn't want to, she wouldn't have told me all this.
I know her; she doesn't even know what she wants. As long as you're proactive, I guarantee it'll be fine," Lin Manzhi said with confidence.
"Can I ask why she doesn't want to?" Shen Siyuan was a little curious.
Logically, she was already twenty-six this year but seemed resistant to romance.
The most likely reason was that she had encountered a Scumbag Man and had her heart broken.
"She had a Boyfriend in college, and they were very much in love."
"I know, you told me that before."
"Later, her Boyfriend got into a car accident."
Shen Siyuan was startled to hear this.
If that was true, he would completely give up the idea of pursuing Jiang Tingyu. A living person could never compete with the dead.
No matter how well he treated her, there would always be a place in her heart for her ex-boyfriend, and there was no point in that.
Some might feel that since the other person was already dead, there was no need to be so petty, but Shen Siyuan couldn't get over that mental hurdle.
"On the day of the accident, her Boyfriend didn't want to go out, but she insisted. So she's always blamed herself and has never been able to move on…"
"I introduced her to other Blind Date Partners before, but they never spoke again after the first meeting.
You're the only exception, the only one she's said so much about to me. So you need to hurry up and win her over…"
"Sister, and here I was trusting you so much.
You're just using me as Healing Medicine…"
"Haha~, it's not like you're losing out. Tingyu is a great beauty…"
Good grief, Shen Siyuan finally understood why Lin Manzhi was so enthusiastic about setting him up, even though he had no car, no house, and no savings.
But then Shen Siyuan thought of her smile again. Perhaps her smile was actually a disguise, a form of self-protection.