In Ai Wei's eyes, Wen Ran was the most diligent worker, practically an anomaly.
At closing time on Friday, Li Wan walked over and whispered to Ai Wei, "Why is she still so busy?"
Ai Wei packed her things while shaking her head. "Not sure."
Li Wan called out, "Ran Ran."
Wen Ran looked up from her sketches, her expression slightly dazed. "Hmm?"
Li Wan reminded her about the next day's blind date arrangement. "Tomorrow at 2 PM, the coffee shop on the Bund. Don't forget."
"Okay." Wen Ran nodded before burying her head in her drawings again.
Seeing her like this, Ai Wei and Li Wan exchanged helpless glances.
As Ai Wei finished packing up to leave, she reminded Wen Ran, "Work hours are over."
Wen Ran replied, "I know."
She simply wanted to finish translating all the ideas in her head onto paper.
The next afternoon, Wen Ran arrived early at the coffee shop.
Li Wan had mentioned in their group chat that her blind date had reserved a table with an excellent view.
Wen Ran ordered a glass of water and sat down.
The view truly was impressive.
From her seat, she could see massive ships traversing the river and the eclectic cluster of skyscrapers rising from the opposite bank.
Three young men entered through the door.
Wen Ran glanced at them, instinctively sensing these were the three men Li Wan had mentioned.
Sure enough, after one of them spoke briefly to a server, they were guided toward Wen Ran's direction.
Setting down her water glass, Wen Ran stood up to greet them. "Hello, I'm Wen Ran, Xiao Wan's friend."
The three men smiled awkwardly, lining up in a row that looked somewhat comical.
The man in the center introduced himself, "Hello, I'm Jiang Yubo, also... Xiao Wan's friend."
After his own introduction, he hastily presented the other two. "These are my buddies, Shao Qian and Xu Xiaoming."
The four sat down.
Jiang Yubo handed Wen Ran the menu on the table. "Order some snacks and drinks."
"You choose," Wen Ran pushed it back. "I'm fine with anything."
Jiang Yubo didn't insist.
With the female lead absent, the atmosphere grew awkward.
Wen Ran pulled out her phone and messaged their group chat: [How much longer? They're here already.]
Li Wan replied quickly: [At the subway exit waiting for Wei Wei. We'll come together.]
Ai Wei also responded: [Almost there. Just exiting the turnstile.]
She added a running emoji.
As Wen Ran was about to put her phone away, another message popped up.
Ai Wei: [How do they look?]
Wen Ran glanced over.
Jiang Yubo was currently bent over the menu. Of average build with clean-cut features, he seemed compatible with Li Wan.
Wen Ran typed: [I think he's decent.]
Xu Xiaoming, seated across from Wen Ran, initiated conversation. "I heard you're a jewelry designer?"
Wen Ran set down her phone and nodded. "Yes."
"No wonder..."
"Hmm?"
"Creative industry people always dress so stylishly. You look great."
Caught off guard by the direct compliment, Wen Ran smiled faintly. "Thank you."
Xu Xiaoming suddenly volunteered, "I'm a programmer."
"Oh..." Wen Ran nodded. "That's impressive."
Xu Xiaoming: "..."
Wen Ran sipped her water, smiling: "..."
Xu Xiaoming also took a drink. "Our industry involves lots of overtime and tedious work."
"We work overtime too," Wen Ran responded.
Xu Xiaoming: "Same... same."
...
Wen Ran now fully understood the meaning of "awkward small talk."
About ten minutes later, Li Wan and Ai Wei arrived.
Since Li Wan and Jiang Yubo seemed to make a good first impression, Ai Wei subtly steered conversations toward them.
Clearly, the gathering needed Ai Wei's presence—the atmosphere immediately livened up.
Wen Ran stayed mostly quiet.
Still, she found this young adults' blind date setup pleasant, focused on discussing daily life, hometowns, and hobbies.
It differed completely from her previous experiences where two families would sit together discussing stock rises and market value growth post-marriage alliance.
Jiang Yubo had ordered numerous appetizers served on delicate plates with artistic arrangements.
One celadon plate particularly caught attention, holding a white glutinous rice ball drizzled with osmanthus syrup.
Wen Ran scooped a small portion with her spoon to taste.
Not overly sweet, the chewy texture blended seamlessly with the floral fragrance.
She took a few more bites.
Xu Xiaoming asked, "Is it good?"
"Quite delicious."
Xu Xiaoming called the waiter over and ordered another portion.
The waiter brought the order and cleared the empty plates from the table.
Xu Xiaoming pushed the plate slightly toward Wen Ran. "All yours."
The people chatting nearby noticed the commotion.
Avi teased, "What do you mean, 'all hers'? Can't I have some too?"
Xu Xiaoming explained, "I just noticed she only eats this, so I wanted to help her..."
He abruptly changed the subject, gesturing to call the waiter again. "We'll order another portion. Two or three, whatever."
Avi quickly stopped him. "I was joking. I'll stick with what's here."
Wen Ran suddenly felt uncomfortable with the setup—it almost seemed like she had become one of the main participants in this blind date.
After chatting for over two hours, the conversation had dried up. Since the vibe was good and there was potential for further interaction, they decided not to head home yet and instead discussed where to go for dinner.
They settled on a Jiang-Zhe cuisine restaurant nearby.
Once the dinner location was decided, Jiang Yubo called the waiter to settle the bill.
The waiter approached with the check, bowing slightly. "Sir, this table's bill has already been paid."
Jiang Yubo glanced around the group. Everyone looked equally confused, shaking their heads in denial.
Jiang Yubo asked, "Are you sure? None of us paid."
The waiter tilted his head slightly. "Our boss said it's complimentary for Miss Wen."
Wen Ran and the others followed the waiter's gaze toward the back.
Shi Ze, dressed in all black, lounged casually on a white wooden chair. He raised a hand to greet Wen Ran.
Avi was the first to react. "Ranran, your friend?"
Wen Ran paused for two seconds before nodding.
The group gathered their belongings and walked from the inner hall to the entrance.
Avi waved cheerfully at Shi Ze. "Thanks for the treat, boss!"
Shi Ze chuckled. "No problem!"
Wen Ran tugged Li Wan's sleeve. "Wait for me outside. I'll go say thanks."
Li Wan nodded understandingly. "Of course."
Wen Ran pulled out her phone and approached Shi Ze. "Thank you, but I can't accept this without paying."
"What? Don't recognize me?" Shi Ze teased.
"I do," Wen Ran replied. "Last time at the airport... thanks to your car."
"Since we're acquainted, treating you and your friends to afternoon tea is normal, right?"
Wen Ran hesitated before stating bluntly, "We're not that close."
Shi Ze shot her a mock-disapproving look. "First meeting strangers, second meeting friends. This is our second time—so we're friends now!"
"..."
"You're young, but why so uptight?" Shi Ze shook his head and pointed at the scaffolding next door. "See that?"
Wen Ran glanced over and nodded.
"My bar's opening soon. Bring your friends to support, got it?"
Wen Ran: "..."
"That's called reciprocity."
Wen Ran said quietly, "I don't have many friends."
So, she couldn't reciprocate.
Shi Ze clicked his tongue. It was his first time encountering such a hassle over a simple treat. He had no patience for such fussy women. He impatiently jabbed a finger toward the glass door. "Those people outside—just bring them along when the time comes."
Wen Ran glanced back and replied honestly, "It's a blind date group. We just met today. They're not friends. I can't bring them."
Shi Ze felt his head might explode. He'd never realized someone could infuriate him this way.
He turned and stalked toward the counter. "Suit yourself!"
Wen Ran: "..." Why is he angry?
Wen Ran scanned the room, spotted the QR code on the service counter, and transferred 500 yuan.
Shi Ze sprawled in the back room, playing a game with a cigarette dangling from his lips, surrounded by smoke.
A uniformed waiter walked in, holding his breath. "Boss, your friend paid 500 yuan."
Shi Ze mumbled around the cigarette, "I told you not to charge her."
"She scanned the code herself."
"Fine. Got it."
After finishing the game, Shi Ze sat up and switched his phone to the chat window with Yan Wangshu.
An hour earlier, he'd sent a ten-second video clip of Wen Ran and the group chatting inside the shop.
Shi Ze tucked his phone away and strode out, his tone gleeful. "Still no reply?"
Yan Wangshu didn't have weekends—especially after taking over Yan Xihe's responsibilities.
He'd just resolved lingering issues with the F国 branch when his father called.
Yan Wangshu closed his eyes for a few seconds before answering. "Dad."
"You know why I'm calling."
"Yes." Yan Wangshu asked, "Did Jiejie tell you?"
"..."
Yan Wangshu had anticipated everything. "So you're here to persuade me?"
His father sighed deeply. "Wangshu, you must understand—there's a vast difference between boldness and recklessness. A very thin line."
"I know."
Elderly people loved lecturing from experience.
His father was no exception.
Yan Wangshu put the phone on speaker and set it aside.
He listened respectfully, occasionally responding with a neutral "Mm," while opening his laptop to email research data to his father.
After his father finished, Yan Wangshu said, "I've taken your advice to heart. I just sent some materials to your inbox. Review them when you have time."
Knowing further words were pointless, his father hung up.
Yan Wangshu leisurely picked up his phone and opened WeChat.
Shi Ze had sent a message earlier, which he'd ignored.
Yan Wangshu opened the chat—a video. Assuming it was trivial, he almost closed the window.
Suddenly, he paused and reopened the video.
In the clip, a young man and woman sat across from each other, surrounded by delicate pastries.
Wen Ran, wearing a pale pink off-shoulder top that blended innocence with allure, sat innermost. She held a tiny silver spoon, eating daintily.
The man opposite her—back to the camera—used a fork to place a bread-like item on her plate. Wen Ran smiled softly, blooming like a flower.
The video ended there.
His laptop chimed—a reply from his father.
The email contained one word: Risk.
Old people always hesitated.
Yan Wangshu's pupils narrowed. He pressed the voice message button. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
Shi Ze replied quickly, also via voice note. "So angry you slipped into Northern dialect?"
Yan Wangshu ignored him.
He remembered the night he brought Wen Ran home.
She'd knocked over the red wine, flustered, and fled to the bathroom.
Adorable.
He'd smiled, turning to place the wineglass on the huanghuali wood table.
A phone in a matte case lay there, unlocked.
It vibrated, displaying a message:
Zhai: Want it? Tomorrow, 4 PM, Xunfeng International Hotel. Room 808.
Shi Ze sent another voice message, dragging Yan Wangshu back to the present.
He drawled, deliberately provoking, "She was on a blind date today."
Yan Wangshu scoffed.
A blind date?
Another blind date?
She really kept herself busy.
Stringing one along, sweet-talking another—wasn't that enough fun for her?