Chapter 68: Fate or No Fate

This was certainly not some kind of telepathic understanding.

What to eat has always been one of the biggest problems troubling humanity.

So when Su Apo suggested going to eat at Tian Hai Chao, he didn't think much of it and blurted it out directly.

Thus, they were now on their way to Tian Hai Chao.

Tian Hai Chao was actually a restaurant that localized Sichuan hotpot.

It retained the characteristics of Sichuan hotpot while integrating some local features.

So it was very popular among locals, while there were not many tourists.

Ruan Hongzhuang was not a local, but she loved spicy food, so she liked this Tian Hai Chao very much.

Whenever she had free time, she would take Jiang Taozhi with her to eat there.

This tortured Jiang Taozhi, who loved sweets, to the point of feeling like she was in heaven and hell.

Sometimes Jiang Taozhi couldn't help but complain, wondering if their parents had accidentally swapped them at birth.

Clearly Ruan Hongzhuang was from Siming, and people from Siming should prefer sweets, so why did she like spicy food?

And she was clearly from Binhai, where people loved yellow lantern peppers and millet peppers the most, yet she stubbornly liked sweets.

Seeing Ruan Hongzhuang acting like a stubborn duck refusing to admit defeat, Jiang Taozhi got a bit angry and said, "Tonight is my blind date. Since you don't like him, don't try to steal him from me."

"Oh, do you like him very much?"

Ruan Hongzhuang glanced at her and asked as if the wind was light and the clouds were calm.

"I wouldn't say I like him, after all, it's our first meeting, but getting along with him feels comfortable, so let's try getting to know each other first," Jiang Taozhi said after thinking for a moment.

She was speaking her true feelings, not trying to deliberately provoke Ruan Hongzhuang.

Ruan Hongzhuang's eyes flickered, and she nodded slightly: "Getting to know each other is fine, but don't get yourself trapped. You can know a person's face but not their heart, so avoid suffering losses and regret later."

Hearing this, Jiang Taozhi grinned and said, "Are you showing concern for me? Or..."

But Ruan Hongzhuang did not answer this question; instead, she stepped forward.

"Let's go, don't make others wait."

It turned out that Shen Siyuan, seeing the two talking behind him, had stopped in place to wait for them.

"Tripe, shrimp paste, beef balls, and fish slices..."

Shen Siyuan listened to Su Apo's suggestions while ordering dishes.

He didn't notice Jiang Taozhi sitting across from him looking at Ruan Hongzhuang with a shocked expression.

And Ruan Hongzhuang's beautiful eyes sparkled, as if she also felt quite shocked.

Because everything Shen Siyuan ordered was exactly what she loved to eat.

Then Ruan Hongzhuang discovered that Shen Siyuan had even prepared the dipping sauce exactly the same as hers, which shocked her even more.

"Does this really taste good?"

Taking advantage of the two not being around, Shen Siyuan quietly asked Su Apo.

"Of course, you must believe me. Before I passed, I was very knowledgeable about cooking," Su Apo said with great conviction.

So Shen Siyuan believed her, tried it, found the taste was indeed quite good, and thus accepted it.

He completely failed to notice that Ruan Hongzhuang across from him had been staring at him with her eyes.

After finishing the hotpot, the three added each other on WeChat and then parted ways, with no other activities.

They had just met today, and eating a meal together was already the limit, especially since there were three of them, which wasn't very convenient.

So Shen Siyuan took the initiative to take his leave and depart.

Seeing him leave, Jiang Taozhi finally felt safe enough to boldly question Ruan Hongzhuang.

"Confess honestly, do you like him?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ruan Hongzhuang said, walking forward on her own.

"You knew each other before, right?"

"Do you know how annoying you are?"

"I don't know, but since you don't like him, I'll pursue him, so you can't try to steal him from me," Jiang Taozhi said.

Hearing this, Ruan Hongzhuang stopped in her tracks and turned to look at her.

Jiang Taozhi felt a bit panicked under her gaze.

"W-what are you looking at me like that for?"

"Do you like him?"

"No, didn't I say before? I just have a slight fondness for him."

"Then why do you want to pursue him?"

"Because then you would try to steal him."

Ruan Hongzhuang frowned and glared coldly at Jiang Taozhi.

While she shrank back, Ruan Hongzhuang continued to stride forward.

"I would never steal my best friend's boyfriend."

"Tsk~"

Jiang Taozhi was basically both cowardly and fond of playing games.

Su Apo did not continue to follow Ruan Hongzhuang.

Instead, she followed behind Shen Siyuan.

"Let me tell you, you and I and Ruan Ruan are really a perfect match..."

"You are a very special person, and my Ruan Ruan is also someone with ability..."

"Although her personality is a bit domineering, towards you, she is very gentle, taking care of your feelings in every way..."

……

Su Apo kept nagging in Shen Siyuan's ear the whole way, trying hard to matchmake the two of them.

Shen Siyuan actually understood her good intentions; Ruan Hongzhuang was already twenty-eight this year, an age that was no longer young. Su Apo's anxiety over her lifelong matter was, in fact, understandable.

But he still refused, saying, "I don't think she's bad; it's just that she's too good, so she isn't suitable for me."

"Why say that? Is being too good not a good thing?"

"Do you think, given her personality, she would be a wife who supports her husband and teaches children, dealing with oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea?" Shen Siyuan countered.

Su Apo fell silent upon hearing this.

But finally, she spoke again: "She truly likes you; she can actually learn all these things."

"Then would she still be herself?"

Su Apo fell silent again upon hearing this.

She was also a person of insight, and naturally understood this principle.

"When a person changes for the sake of another, they have already lost themselves; a person being themselves is when they are most charming."

"Although Miss Ruan is beautiful, what is most attractive is still the temperament she carries. If she were at home supporting her husband and teaching children, would she still have that stunning temperament?" Shen Siyuan continued to counter.

Su Apo, upon hearing this, fell silent once more; this time the silence lasted a very long time.

After a good while, she spoke again: "She is a young girl; she must marry eventually."

Her words were filled with helplessness and worry for her future.

Ruan Hongzhuang's personality was indeed too domineering, which made her lifelong matter even more difficult.

"Let nature take its course; let's not talk about this anymore. Su Apo, do you have some unfinished wish that has kept you by Miss Ruan's side?" Shen Siyuan changed the subject.

"Naturally, it is her lifelong matter," Su Apo brought the topic back around again.

"This topic can't be discussed."

Su Apo burst out laughing.

It could be seen that she must have been an extremely cheerful person in life.

"In the future, if you have anything, you can come find me."

Only after Shen Siyuan returned to the residential area where he lived did he say this to Su Apo.

Su Apo nodded with a smile, looked around the residential area's environment once, and then turned and left without looking back.

"Could her wish really be just Ruan Hongzhuang's marriage matter? If so, I cannot help."

Shen Siyuan took out his phone and sent a message to Jiang Taozhi.

"Have you arrived home?"

Currently, his impression of this Miss was very good; she was very simple, with no scheming. A girl like this was actually very suitable to be a girlfriend.

She wouldn't play Cheng Xinyan games with you; all her emotions would be shown on her face, and she was also a foodie, so even when angry, she would be easy to coax.

So Shen Siyuan's initial impression of her was good, so he also wanted to get in touch and see.

Since that was the case, he needed to show an attitude, which is why this message existed.

However, since the day he returned from his hometown, Jiang Tingyu had sent no messages for these past two days, as if she had simply disappeared.

Even so, Shen Siyuan had no intention of actively sending a message to the other party.

Since he decided to pursue Jiang Taozhi, he should no longer drag things out with Jiang Tingyu and delay others.