We had lunch in a well-reputed brunch shop on the first floor.
I really liked this place’s avocado eggs benedict and raspberry ice-cream waffles. Lu Chengze who was sitting across from me was still flipping through the menu, looking like he didn’t know where to start.
Forgive me for watching him all this time, he was good looking even when his head was lowered. He had an excellent nose bridge, his thick eyebrows emphasized his eyes, and his fingers were slim and refined.
After a while, he raised his head. Those who saw his appearance in the light would inevitably think he was the epitome of the words “bright and handsome,” come to life.
He looked at me and smiled. He seemed to be asking for help.
I saw through his expression to his meaning beneath, took a sip of lemonade to moisten my throat: “You don’t know what to pick?”
“Mm,” The space between his brows wrinkled slightly: “Recommend something to me, I don’t come here often.”
I raised myself up. He noticed my movement and oriented the menu towards me. He had it open to the main courses.
Did boys all have a deep obsession with main courses?
I looked at it: “The truffle mushroom cream risotto on this page isn’t bad.”
Lu Chengze responded: “Then I’ll have that.”
We each ordered a cup of coffee and an appetizer, then quietly waited. I had the ends of my lips curved moderately the entire time. There were several reasons why I did this: out of courtesy, out of the fact that I looked very decent with the degree of curvature on my lips, out of the joy which welled from the bottom of my heart, and out of desire to cover up the subtle awkwardness.
The third time we unintentionally looked at each other, we laughed. I couldn’t help but ask him: “Do you not usually come out to eat at noon?”
Lu Chengze answered: “I just about always eat at the industrial park.”
I let out an “oh”: “I’ve heard Guangniu’s dining hall is pretty good.”
Lu Chengze replied: “It’s all right.”
I said: “I have an in-house[1] colleague who came back and told me that.”
He was momentarily taken aback: “What are you doing now? Is it okay for you to tell me?
I answered: “I’m at Yichuang.”
“Oh,” It finally sank in: “I think last year’s Li Fu Lunar New Year[2] Event was a collaboration with you.”
I raised my eyebrows, feeling slightly surprised: “You know about it?”
He answered: “I was part of Li Fu.”
I didn’t want to reveal too much of how flustered I was feeling, but this was just too much of a coincidence: “You made Lifu?”
He smiled because of my foolish reaction: “It wasn’t made by me. I can only be considered to be a part of Li Fu.”
I told him: “A part constitutes the whole and no matter whether you round up or down it was made by you.”
Score, he was amused by my words. I gave myself three points in my mind.
Lu Chengze’s eyes were very beautiful. The distance between them was just right, the double eyelid fold which would appear when he raised his eyes slightly, although they were narrow, they were deep, and small bags would appear beneath his eyes when he smiled, which made him look very friendly.[3]
He asked: “In other words, you visited our company at the end of last year?”
I shook my head: “I didn’t, although I followed the social, I was not involved in the Lunar New Year project.”
He nodded.
I sighed and mimicked Little S in wiping the corner of my eye in sadness: “Heavens, are we still talking about work while coming out to eat?”[4]
Lu Chengzi laughed lowly, and as he was about to speak, the waiter suddenly brought our coffee over. They left behind the words, “I hope you enjoy your drinks,” before leaving.
I closed my eyes, not knowing which cup to take. Based on the outer appearance, our coffees looked almost exactly the same. Even the latte art didn’t differ by much.
Lu Cheng didn’t move an inch.
I asked him: “What did you order?”
Lu Cheng replied: “A latte, caramel latte. What about you?”
Me: “A vanilla latte.”
“No wonder——” I leaned back against the sofa and felt a little helpless: “What do we do?”
Lu Chengze casually said something surprising: “You can take a sip of both to differentiate.”
I blinked.
His face was calm.
I pressed my lips together and tilted my head unnaturally: “Wouldn’t I be benefiting at your expense?”
Lu Chengze looked back at me: “I think I’d be benefitting more than you.”[5]
I laughed in spite of myself and looked away. Round two of looking directly at each other, I lost so we were even now. I leaned back against the table edge and dragged the two cups of coffee over to my side and told him in a lively voice: “Then I’ll do as you say.”
Why did I have to use this kind of voice which makes me want to punch myself?
The scariest thing was, in the past, I would pick up my cup with one hand and drink but today I actually went through the trouble of cupping it between both hands. Why did it feel like I was being so artificial——
Wasn’t it all the fault of the person across, the main culprit of my problems, who was steadily gazing at me.
You couldn’t blame me, no woman would be able to act casually under that kind of gaze.
Especially since his lips were raised. The smile on his face seemed to be more than a smile, more of a silent and warm language. As long as you looked at him, you could hear it.
I prayed the first cup would be vanilla, but no. The recognizable taste of caramel spread in my mouth. So I didn’t try the second cup and resignedly handed over the one in my hands.
Lu Chengze raised a hand to receive it. In a serious tone, he said: “Thank you.”
I covered my lips and smiled: “You’re welcome.”
I took a sip of my own drink and decided to start talking about some personal topics: “Lu…”
And the outcome of this was that I got stuck while trying to say his name. For now, this ability to smoothly call out his full name was not within my grasp.
He raised his eyebrows: “ Chengze.”
I smiled as I finished it: “Mm, Lu Chengze.”
Him: “Mm.”
I continued: “Yesterday, I saw the group photo in your Moments but I didn’t think you were in it. Even so, I took another look at all the faces in the photo before coming here.”
He asked: “Why?”
I replied: “Because I was thinking, what if you really were one of the people in there. I had to mentally prepare myself first.”
I took a shallow breath: “The facts have proven, a woman’s sixth sense is still reliable.”
“I was the one taking the picture,” Lu Chengze smiled and asked: “Am I as you imagined?”
I was caught off guard by his directness. I thought for a little: “You’re a little bit… different.”
He continued asking: “How so?”
I told him the truth: “Over a little bit.”
A wrinkle appeared on his face, evidently very puzzled. He repeated my words: “Over?”
I carefully deliberated over the wording: “What I mean is that I came here with a mindset of “so so is all right”, and then,” I stretched out my left hand and curved my lips: “You know.”
Lu Chengze bent his eyes knowingly. I was also curious about his impression of me: “What about me, what did you think of me?”
Suddenly, he began looking at me seriously, as if it was the first time he was seeing me. His gaze was so focused that there was a kind of pressure. This kind of focus and pressure could quickly make a person’s heart beat faster and stop their breath.
Fortunately, a few seconds later, he lowered his eyes, inadvertently displaying his cute, alluring eyelashes. When he looked back at me, he only said two words: “Very good.”
“What,” I laughed: “So insincere.”
“Is it,” he couldn’t agree and turned his face towards the window, indicating where he had been standing before: “When I saw you from over there, I immediately felt that it was you and hurried to call you.”
He used the word, “hurried.”
I didn’t dare to say he was being half-hearted. So I said: “Because I was the only lost person in that entire crowd.”
“Mm,” Lu Chengzi nodded: “Very lost,” he paused: “Also very beautiful.”
I was sure my cheeks started to flush.
At this time, an English song suddenly started playing in the shop, cutting into the slow Chinese songs which were being played previously. The tune was languid and the atmosphere was quickly pulled into a stretched and relaxed mood, like milk foaming over the lip of a coffee cup, or like a faint mellow fragrance yet intoxicating diffusing in the afternoon air.
“I’ll bring you iced coffee
Woo woo woo
Maybe passion fruits
And strawberries too
I know
I’m in love
I just can’t take my eyes off you
So good
To be true
I’m glad to have this coffee with you…”
Upon hearing this, many of the conversing diners brought their conversations to a close and focused on listening to the lyrics.
Lu Chengze and I also stopped talking, looking at each other and smiling in tacit understanding. I was certain; we both knew this was that song, Sunset Rollercoaster’s 《Coffee’s On Me》.
When the notes of a saxophone that accompanied the music came to an end, Lu Chengze suddenly called me: “Qi Miao, can I invite you out for coffee again tomorrow?”
I looked uncomprehendingly at him for a second. My heart was shouting: Why can you not?
I was so agreeable to this that if it was possible, I hoped we could meet again today for the second time. He was here before my eyes, sitting across from me, but I was already looking forward to our next encounter.
I joked: “Are the employees of Guangniu so idle?”
He didn’t continue this line of conversation. His eyes were black and bright: “Can I?”
I heard my cheerful voice replying: “Of course you can.”
QC:
I’m glad I wasn’t working on this chapter while I’m on lunch break. Else my colleagues will wonder why I am smiling like a fool. They’re making me feel very old (even though I’m probably younger than them) and lonely and single.
La la la, it’s so sweet, my teeth are going to rot~ I’m a basket case, I’m just smiling the whole time. It’s okay to be single, and lonely? No way, friends and our novels are the way to go, the company we need~ wait, now I sound lonely and single. (QC: Ahem, sure you do)
Index:
[1] In-house work or activities are done by employees of an organization or company, rather than by workers outside the organization or company.[2] 春節 is the Spring Festival, otherwise more commonly known as Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year.
[3] These small bags are called aegyo sal in Korean. It can be translated to charming fat. Personally, I call them smile bags. 😉
[4] Little S is the stage name of a Taiwanese television host. Her actual name is Dee Hsu.
[5] What he means, at least what I think he means here is an indirect kiss.