The next day, he woke up at 5:30 in the morning, walked the dog, worked out, showered—two hours gone—and left the house at 8:30. Today he was attending a hotel industry summit, listening to seasoned veterans share their experience, and adding many peers' contact information. His WeChat friends suddenly increased by a hundred. In the afternoon, the conference continued. During the break, he chatted with his new contacts about business. Time flew to 5:30 PM. He had somewhere to be, so he left early, instructing two of his managers to stay for the evening dinner.
He had a blind date setup that evening. At 27, he'd been the subject of many rumors over the years, but nothing had ever stuck. His family hadn't explicitly told him what to do, but Mr. and Mrs. Huo had started keeping an eye out for suitable candidates. Tonight's socialite was the daughter of Mr. Huo's business partner—a woman of both talent and beauty—and they wanted him to meet her.
The gathering was organized by one of Mrs. Huo's wealthy lady friends and disciples, who had also invited many other female guests. All the women knew the evening's main players were the socialite and Huo Shize. The female lead had arrived; the male lead had work commitments and would come later.
Later, the male lead arrived. Though he was dogged by gossip and carried the reputation of a playboy, the man truly was easy on the eyes. The moment he appeared, the mood and reactions of the female guests shifted instantly.
The wealthy lady who organized the gathering was Mrs. Huo's close friend and disciple, and she also had business dealings with the socialite's family. In the capacity of an elder from a family with long-standing ties, she made the introductions between the two leads. After a few moments of pleasantries, she promptly excused herself to attend to the other female guests—but her eyes kept tracking the young Master Huo's performance. Unlike the female guests who focused on his face, the lady's attention was on his bearing and how he handled himself. Before others, he was sharp and brilliant, yet able to rein it in with ease. Over the past year or two, his temperament had grown increasingly steady. He spoke little when there were few people, and little when there were many. But then again, as the heir to the Huo family, he didn't need to say much. Wherever he stood, he tended to be the center of attention.
After the initial pleasantries, the male and female leads of the blind date quickly grew familiar. Like Huo Shize, the socialite had also been handed a maxed-out life script. Her path had been rigorously planned—from the choice of kindergarten to where she'd study abroad, from her social circle to her combination of talents, every step carefully orchestrated. After years of meticulous cultivation, the socialite standing before him tonight was elegant, poised, and nearly flawless in her conduct.
Of course, so was he. Though they'd had no prior contact of any kind, the socialite could tell that the man before her was highly disciplined, independent, broad-minded, and possessed a strong sense of family. When it came to choosing a partner, aside from hard requirements like family name and wealth, he had one more: a high standard for the person's character itself.
The socialite had just returned to Shanghai from abroad and hadn't started formal work yet, but she volunteered with stray animal rescue and had adopted two stray cats and a dog at home. He praised this greatly and said he hoped to follow her example in the future, contributing his share to the city.
The two leads hit it off splendidly, each leaving an excellent impression on the other. But a first meeting shouldn't be overly warm, nor should it run too late. After exchanging contact information, Huo Shize bid the host farewell, drove the socialite home, and then headed off.
On the way, an unfamiliar number called. It was a girl who came before his ex-girlfriend—the model. They'd gone on dates, kissed, but he hadn't developed feelings, so they never moved to the next step.
Somehow she'd gotten word that he and his ex had broken up, and she started calling frequently. Harassing texts followed in rapid succession. Feeling that it had become a nuisance, he simply blocked her—but she called again from a new number. The moment he picked up, her voice came through, wistful: "Jason, can we start over?"
He recognized her voice and frowned. "Did we ever start?"
She was hurt. Her transformation from Xue Baochai keeping vigil at the cold kiln to Lin Daiyu took all of one second. Her voice trembling with tears, she accused him: "Then why did you kiss me?"
He answered honestly: "That night I'd been drinking. The mood was right, the distance was right, your lips were right there. That's all it was."
"Can't you men just be whole—body and heart together? Can your mouth and your heart really operate in separate offices?!"
"A kiss is a sign of respect for the moment. Beyond that, it means nothing."
"Then can we try again? Start over as lip friends and kiss friends?"
"…"
His cold reaction nearly shattered her heart. But the next second, she rallied and said, "No matter what, I'll become the person you like!"
"What kind of person do I like?"
"Whatever kind you like, I'll become that!"
"So what kind do I like?"
"I'll mold myself to you slowly, like a space pillow and memory foam! Whatever shape you want…"
The call ended. Blocked again.
20:30, back at his own home, the wealthy hostess who organized the gathering wanted to keep Mrs. Huo informed, so she sent a message, chatting casually for a few moments before half-jokingly asking his impression of the socialite. He thought for a moment, then replied half-jokingly as well: "We're the same kind of people, with similar souls."
Not just souls—even their outward appearances were alike. They saw through each other at a glance, recognizing one another as the same breed. Since the earliest they could remember, they had grown accustomed to admiration from the opposite sex; whenever they wished, at any time, there were always willing conquests flocking forward. Their similarity was so extreme that drawing close meant overlapping, like facing a mirror. Of course, if they were to marry, he was confident they could spend a lifetime treating each other with mutual respect and courteous politeness, just like their own parents. They both possessed that kind of refinement.
The wealthy hostess probably didn't extract any useful information from his words, so she laughed and pressed further, asking how the interaction felt. He replied: "Very cordial."
The source of attraction has never been cordiality. The attraction between men and women lies in the personality traits arising from gender differences, and even sexual allure—a truth not everyone understands. The wealthy hostess didn't grasp it, and so hung up the phone satisfied.
20:40, he changed into his night running clothes, went to the study, selected a DSLR from the dehumidifying cabinet, chose a large-aperture lens, attached it, and drove out the door.
He drove to the intersection of Tianlin Road and Guilin Road—the same spot as last time. He parked the car, and the time was exactly 21:00. He picked up the DSLR and took a few test shots from inside the car.
He sat quietly for a moment, then lit a cigarette for himself, flipping through the photos he'd just taken with one hand. In the past, he'd photographed mountains and waterscapes, but it had never occurred to him to come to the city center to capture the neon-lit night scenery, to feel the earthy vitality of the late-night streets.
Among the many casually taken photos, a few portraits of people who had inadvertently wandered into the frame turned out stunningly beautiful—a beam of light, a cigarette, half a young face. Though shot in low-light conditions, they unexpectedly captured an atmospheric quality. The telephoto end blurred the background like melted cream, cleanly separating it from the subject, and the out-of-focus effect was breathtaking. From his near-professional eye, even the composition of this photo possessed a striking artistic sensibility.
He set the DSLR aside, picked up his phone, and saw the time had reached 21:30. He turned the car around and drove away.