To be honest, Xiao Luo didn"t want to lie. If he had a car, then he had one, and if he didn"t, then he didn"t. However, since Zhang Dashan was insistent that this was his vehicle, Xiao Luo found it hard to reveal the truth in case it made things awkward."I was just asking randomly, so if it"s not convenient for you to give me an answer, then that"s fine," Sun Yu realized that her question had been a little forward. But this was her first time on a blind date, and she did not know what to ask. She was curious, so she had asked the question without giving it much thought. Now, she found it a little embarra.s.sing.
"Around one-hundred and twenty thousand!" Xiao Luo replied. Since he had gone with Zhang Dashan to collect the car, naturally, he knew how much it cost.
"Wow, that"s expensive. I wonder if nurses like us will ever be able to afford a car like this," Sun Yu answered, lowering her head a little.
"I heard that nurses receive considerable welfare and benefits, and your pay can easily go up to about five thousand a month. If you save up, it shouldn"t be too long before you can purchase a car like this," Xiao Luo said. As he chatted with her, he formed a good impression of her overall and didn"t dislike her.
Sun Yu said with a bitter smile, "Sister Ruyi can earn that much. But as a newcomer, I only earn enough now to feed myself."
"It"s alright. Just take things slowly," Xiao Luo said, comforting her.
"Hmm," Sun Yu said, nodding her head.
Watching the two protagonists chatting away, Zhang Dashan, Xiao Ruyi, and Tang Ren deliberately kept quiet. This was precisely the result that they had been hoping for.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at their destination, a BBQ buffet restaurant.
Each person only had to pay 65 dollars, and then they could eat as much as they wanted without any time limit. The restaurant served all sorts of meats, seafood, pastry, drinks, and fruits. The décor was grand and impressive. Many people were willing to pay 65 dollars just for this BBQ experience, so the restaurant was already packed when Xiao Luo and the rest arrived.
However, they were fortunate as there happened to be an empty table. A group of customers who had just finished their meal was about to leave.
"Tang Ren, go reserve that table for us. If that other group gets it, then you will sleep on the sofa tonight!" Xiao Ruyi hurriedly ordered Tang Ren to take care of it as she realized that another group of people was eyeing the table as well.
Sleep on the sofa?
No way that was happening!
Like a motor traveling at full speed, Tang Ren rushed to the table. Moving as fast as a gust of wind, he risked his life and reached the table before the other group. As he placed his b.u.t.t on the seat, he lifted his head and giggled, "Excuse me, but this table is occupied!"
"Wow! Look at Tang Ren"s speed. What a light-footed runner," Zhang Dashan remarked, praising him with admiration.
"That"s a given. He is the champion of our hospital"s 100-meter sprint tournament," Xiao Ruyi said with pride.
Xiao Luo laughed without saying anything. All he could remember was his mother"s evaluation of Tang Ren: He doesn"t look like a 24-year-old man, but a high school student.
Objectively speaking, Tang Ren did have a small and youthful appearance. He looked more like a growing teenager. Based on his face alone, it was hard to tell that he was already 24 years old.
…
Since it was a buffet, diners were supposed to pick the food they wanted for themselves.
Zhang Dashan made a b-line for the seafood. He scooped up the hairy crabs, squid, oysters, and much more, filling their entire table with food.
"Big-faced Zhang, are you sure you can finish all this food?" Xiao Ruyi asked. She had her doubts.
"Obviously, I can"t finish this all by myself, but that"s why we have your brother here," Zhang Dashan said while patting Xiao Luo on the back.
Xiao Luo glanced at him and remarked, "You took way too much food. Even with my help, I"m afraid there is no way we can finish all of it."
"That"s alright. You still have me. I really enjoy seafood," Sun Yu said, chuckling.
"How much can you eat?" Zhang Dashan asked jokingly.
Sun Yu thought about it for a bit, then pointed at the whole pile of seafood on the table and said, "Out of all this food here, I can finish at least half."
Her reply shocked Xiao Luo. Most girls in this day and age wouldn"t boast about having such a huge appet.i.te, but Sun Yu was different. She was direct and straightforward. She was increasingly making a favorable impression on him.
"Brother, let"s take a picture!"
Xiao Ruyi took out her phone and walked toward Xiao Luo. She pouted, puffed up her cheeks like a pufferfish, and took a selfie with Xiao Luo. Then, she sent the image to her friends, captioning it "My handsome brother and me."
"Sister Luo, you"re biased here. Why are you always taking photos with Xiao Luo and not with me?" Zhang Dashan asked with grief.
While also responding simultaneously to her friend"s chat, Xiao Ruyi replied to Zhang Dashan: "I won"t be able to fit your face on my phone"s screen."
Zhang Dashan"s face went black in an instant. He felt as if there was nothing left to live for. Was she trying to say that his face was too big?
…
Just as she"d said, Sun Yu had an excellent appet.i.te for seafood. In just a short while, all the bits and pieces of seafood, including sh.e.l.ls and bones, had piled up into a small mountain.
Just then, an unknown voice shouted out, "The prawns are here!" Every customer in the BBQ restaurant, who had been focused on grilling their meat, now rushed to the buffet counter.
Xiao Luo observed carefully and saw one of the staff bring out a trolley full of river prawns.
"Tang Ren, hurry and go grab them!" Xiao Ruyi commanded.
At his wife"s orders, Tang Ren put down all his food, took an empty plate, and transformed into a light-footed runner once again.
However, someone else was even faster, and that was Sun Yu. As soon as she heard the prawns being announced, she immediately leaped up, dashed over, and started vying for the prawns with the rest of the diners. She completely disregarded her image and did not put on airs.
Xiao Luo was surprised. Although they had barely interacted, Sun Yu seemed like a pretty good person to him.
"Big brother, what do you think of Yu Yu?" Xiao Ruyi asked, taking this opportunity to grill Xiao Luo.
Xiao Luo replied approvingly, "Unpretentious and genuine."
"I agree with that. If this were any other girl, no matter how much she liked seafood, there is no way that she would eat this much in front of two guys she did not know," Zhang Dashan replied while chewing on his seafood.
"That"s right. I"m introducing Yu Yu to my brother precisely because she"s genuine."
Xiao Ruyi said with a sweet smile, "Yu Yu just entered the workforce. So, the way she deals with things shows how young and youthful she still is. In many ways, she"s still a small girl in the process of growing up. Big brother, you"re mature and stable. You two would be perfect for one another. You can guide her, and this way, she"ll take one less detour. Don"t be like me. I paid a painful price and took the long road to find out what a perfect guy is actually like."
At the end of her little speech, the sparkle in her eyes seemed to fade away.
Xiao Luo knew exactly what his sister was referring to.
A few years earlier, Xiao Ruyi had been young and rebellious. She"d felt like she was old enough and didn"t need to listen to her family"s teachings. She especially did not need someone telling her what she could or could not do. Therefore, she often hung out with a bunch of guys until late at night. Her taste in guys was different from that of the other girls. She thought that tattoos, punks, smoking, and guys who casually fooled around all the time were cooler and much more handsome.
At long last, after having an abortion, she"d finally gotten her wake-up call. Then, she had been fortunate enough to meet Tang Ren. He was ready to accept her for who she was and continuously adored her, loved her. Like a fool, he"d always treated her like a princess.