I Am The Third Party (GL) - Chapter 9

It took about a month to complete the paperwork for the new store.

During this time, I was busy, preparing several renovation plans.

I specifically called my best friend Lanlan and asked her to bring a few art students to help me paint the wall.

I borrowed her paint supplies to paint the wall at the HKUST cafe. The painting was fine for the kids, but it was too low-brow for the city crowd. I had to hire a professional Lanlan designer for the new store.

In addition, beyond the basics like coffee, milk tea, and juice, I wanted to create some unique pastries.

Xiao Xuewu seemed very experienced in launching new products, so I mentioned it to her.

She was very interested and asked if I could give her the responsibility of designing and producing the pastries.

Of course, that was a good idea.

I said, “Xuewu, when you applied, I thought I’d found a gem. You’re beautiful, multi-talented, and your coffee-making skills are impeccable.”

Whenever I praised her, she’d shyly lower her head and chuckle, quietly asking, “Am I that good?”

I nodded eagerly: “You’re a cash cow!”

It’s Saturday, and the heavens are still looking after me. The sky is blue, the sun is shining, and

my dad called me early in the morning to urge me to get up and dress myself.

I screamed into the phone, “Dad, my alarm hasn’t even gone off yet, and you’re calling me like crazy. I don’t care, you have to top up my phone credit next month.”

My dad rudely ignored all my complaints and specifically told me not to wear T-shirts, denim baseball shirts, and to wear the ankle-length maxi dress he picked out for me this summer, which cost eight hundred yuan, paired with seven-centimeter heels.

“Dad, those shoes rub my feet.”

“Are you going to the park or hiking? Are

you buying Band-Aids just for decoration?!” I grumbled. “Dad, are you sure you didn’t take the wrong baby in the delivery room?

” “I definitely took the wrong one. My real daughter should be Xiaofang, not a filthy, useless girl like you.”

He Fangfang?

Damn, isn’t her br3asts just big? I have someone with bigger ones here. Let’s compare.

What else is so good about her?

Her face was painted like whitewash, and her eyelashes were about to fall off with every blink.

Last time we went to hot pot, I saw her false eyelashes almost fall into the soup while she was scooping up some vegetables. I was so scared that I quickly grabbed the spoon to help her pick up some potatoes.

And what about all that powder? If

it fell into the pot, would it still be edible? The next morning, the newspaper reported a food poisoning incident at a certain hot pot restaurant. The cause was a female customer’s makeup powder that fell into the bottom of the pot, causing an unknown chemical reaction…

But I still didn’t dare disobey my dad, so I changed into my skirt and went out.

“Oh, is that Xiao Qiao?”

Huh?

I turned around, and Aunt Zhang, wearing big rubber gloves and holding a plunger, looked at me like a gorilla. She trotted over and circled me twice, her face wrinkled with smile. “You’re dressed so beautifully, are you going on a date?”

Is it really that obvious? Can you tell I’m going on a date?

“Yes,” I said.

“Oh, that’s great! Find a good guy quickly, if it’s the right guy, that’s all! That’s great, really great. Xiao Qiao, let me tell you something. There’s a girl in our compound, your age. She’s also been single, totally experienceless. And then last year…”

“Oh, well, Auntie, I’m running late. I’m leaving now!”

“Hey, hurry up! The date’s important. Don’t keep me waiting!”

I was already several meters out of the dormitory building when Auntie Zhang chased me to the door, shouting at the top of her lungs, afraid she might not hear.

I turned around and saw several heads peeking out of the first-floor windows, peering in my direction with a sly look.

Well, the girls on the ground floor all knew that the girl from the cafe downstairs from the library was going on a date.

At your age, saying it’s a date is just giving you face. If you think about it, everyone knows it’s a blind date.

Blind dates aren’t supposed to be shameful, but for some reason, there’s this popular saying that “blind dates are the only option for older single men and women.” As a result, those of us who are on blind dates, aside from our parents who are particularly enthusiastic, are more or less secretive about it.

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As soon as I got off the bus, I saw Xiao Xuewu, wearing a large apricot trench coat, standing in the most conspicuous spot at the bus stop, waving at me. The white ribbon tied around her shoulders, holding her slightly curly blonde hair, fluttered in the wind as she swung her arm. Her fair face seemed almost transparent in the clear sunlight. For a moment, I thought she resembled a goddess from ancient Greek mythology in an oil painting.

I walked up to her in my seven-centimeter heels and suddenly realized that she was actually just a little taller than me.

How could I not have noticed her height before?

My attention was distracted, and I twisted my foot and fell to the side.

Xiao Xuewu quickly caught me and said with her usual calm and shy tone, “Be careful. I don’t often see you in high heels, so walk carefully. But why is the boss dressed so nicely today?”

Honestly, I was a little nervous. It was

n’t very nice of me to ask someone to accompany me to meet my blind date, and I hoped Xiao Xuewu wouldn’t be angry.

“Xuewu, I actually have to meet a friend at Xianhu Park today.”

“Friend?” She glanced at me faintly from the corner of her eye, lowering her eyelashes. “The same one from last time?”

Oh my god, she couldn’t remember that I forgot to bring her lunch. She couldn’t be so stingy.

“No, no,” I explained hastily. “He’s my childhood friend, the brother next door. He usually works away from home, and this time my dad asked me to meet him for dinner or something…”

I carefully observed her expression, afraid she’d be angry at me for taking the initiative to use her as a third wheel.

However, Xiao Xuewu’s expression didn’t change, and she walked towards the park gate with me as usual.

I breathed a sigh of relief in my heart. Fortunately, I wasn’t angry.

“Then are we still having Cantonese tea and snacks? I’ve already reserved a table. If there’s any change, I’ll call the restaurant now.”

“No need. I haven’t told that person about dinner yet. Maybe we won’t eat either. Let’s go shopping first.”

“Well,” she reached out and plucked the leaves off my hair. “Tell me if there’s any change.”

“Xiao Xuewu.”

“Hmm?” She looked down at me. “What’s wrong?”

I stood on tiptoe and reached for her head. “How tall are you?”

She bent down, a smile on her lips, gently grasped my wrist, and placed my hand on top of her head. “Just a little bit.”

I curled my lips. “How much is a little bit?”

She continued to walk forward and said lightly, “It’s just the height where you can hold an umbrella and not get wet by a single drop of rain.”

I vaguely felt that something was wrong with this conversation, but before I could savor the mystery, Xiao Xuewu spoke again.

“Where did you and the gentleman agree to meet?” she asked.

“Oh! Right at the main entrance of the park, by the fairy statue.”

“Okay,” she raised her hand and pointed at the bustling crowd ahead, “Is that the one?”

“Huh?”

I made a small canopy over my eyes with both hands and looked in the direction she pointed. Next to the fairy sculpture with fluttering sleeves at the gate of Xianhu Park, a man in a casual suit and big sunglasses was also looking in our direction.

“Xianyu!”

Sun Minrui shouted my name and walked towards me quickly. Xiao Xuewu and I also walked towards him.

I looked at the man in front of me. His face was still the familiar face, with a slightly high forehead, thick eyebrows and big eyes, and his lower lip was a little thicker than the upper lip, but he was much more mature than before. I guess he has been working in the company for a few years and has seen a lot, so he is a lot more alert.

“Brother Minrui, long time no see.” I greeted him with a smile.

He nodded his chin at me. “It’s been a while. Xianyu has grown into a beautiful girl.”

I tried not to let my laughter sting. “How could she be so beautiful? Brother Minrui is the one who’s getting more and more handsome, talented, and wealthy.”

“Xianyu, you’re still so good at teasing me, haha.”

I looked at his laughing face and thought to myself: teasing? I guess you just like me saying that.

“Ah, who is this?”

Soon, Sun Minrui spotted Xiao Xuewu next to me, his attention quickly drawn to her, and he extended his hand to shake her.

“Xiao Xuewu. Xiao in the next moon, snow in the rain, no grass.”

Xiao Xuewu was also polite, smiling and shaking his hand.

“What a nice name! Miss Xiao is so elegant, and the name is so meaningful. She really lives up to her name.”

“You’re so kind, sir.”

“This Miss Xiao is an employee in my shop.”

I couldn’t stand their pretentious greeting ceremony, so I rolled my eyes and muttered.

“Huh?”

Sun Minrui was a bit surprised, but then smiled. “It seems Miss Xiao must be well-versed in coffee culture.”

Xiao Xuewu smiled sheepishly, blinking, then looked at me and said, “That’s what the boss taught me.”

Humph, you’re smart enough to curry favor with your boss. It’s worth my sister’s love for you.

“Haha, really?” Sun Minrui nodded. “When Uncle Qiao first told me Xianyu was running a coffee shop, I thought it was just a joke. It seems you’re serious, Xianyu. Good job! Keep it up.”

What? A joke? Your family’s business is a joke?

Oh, my business is just a joke. I think I’m capable because Miss Xiao works for me. What a ridiculous logic.

Sun Minrui has been like this since he was a kid. He looked up to Brother Wang Jian and Sister Cailin, the kids he grew up with in the neighborhood. Why?

Wang Jian’s father was a company manager, and Lu Cailin’s uncle was the deputy director of the Guangyu District Public Security Bureau in City A.

In middle school, he competed for class president and treated his classmates to chocolate in exchange for votes. In college, he wanted to be the head of the student union’s public relations department, and privately reported another candidate to the Youth League Committee Secretary for abusing his power.

He had several girlfriends before, all of whom were big-breasted, perky, and attractive. He even dated the niece of his company’s financial director for a while, but ended up dumping her because he thought she wasn’t virtuous enough and her cooking wasn’t to his liking.

For a guy like that, not to mention that I don’t like him, he wouldn’t even look at me. If it weren’t for the relationship between Uncle Sun and my dad, would he even come out to see me?

This time, he probably wanted to take the opportunity to show off in front of me, to show off, to imply that I should know my own worth and know my own weight. If I don’t have the looks, I shouldn’t approach him. Not only would it waste his time, it would

also offend him. Oh, if you don’t like me, I might not like you either.

“Well, thank you, brother,” I replied in a long, listless tone.

“Let’s go for a walk first. Xianhu Lake has a few new swans, they’re so beautiful. Let’s go and take a look,”

Sun Minrui called, leading Xiao Xuewu and me to Shenxian Lake. Along the way, he explained the park’s facilities and landscapes, telling us which lake the pebbles for that road were transported from, that the grass on the mound over there had been trimmed this morning, what kind of flowers are on the other side, and if there’s a swing a little further down the road we can play on… I was surprised

how Sun Minrui knew so much about this park, and suddenly remembered that my dad had said he worked on a project in the project department of Changmao Company.

If I remember correctly, Xianhu Lake was developed by Changmao

. Yes, that’s right, there’s a big sign over there advertising “Changmao Real Estate, Beautiful Life.” Since Sun Minrui works for Changmao, and is involved in projects, it’s no surprise that he’s familiar with this park.

Xianhu Park was built primarily because of Shenxian Lake’s beautiful scenery and pleasant environment.

The park isn’t large, neatly surrounding a small lake. In the center, there’s a small sandbar with a neatly built pavilion. Every time I see it, I can’t help but shake my head and mutter, “Watching the snow from the pavilion in the middle of the lake…”

It’s definitely beautiful to watch the snow from the pavilion in winter, it’s a truly unique experience.

But it’s hard to get in when the lake is frozen over. Boats can’t get through, and you have to break the ice. Even though the ice is thin, it’s still a hassle.

Alas, the park didn’t realize they could capitalize on the snow viewing opportunity at the pavilion in the middle of the lake. It would be nice to earn a little money by charging a small fee.

After entering the park gate and walking along the path, we soon reached the lake.

We rented a large yellow duck boat and went rowing. Since Sun Minrui was the only man there, I unceremoniously threw the oar to him. He glanced at Xiao Xuewu, then took it generously and took on the hard work without complaint.

There were some naughty kids on the stone bridge in front who bought feed to feed the swans. A large group of them gathered under the bridge. There were only a few floating on the lake, floating slowly on the water, and some leaning against each other with their necks bent to make a loving gesture.

I quickly took out my phone and took a picture. After saving it, I thought about it and sent it to Qi Xi without hesitation.

Qi Xi soon sent a picture back. It was a piece of white text. What was it?

I held the phone and looked at it carefully before I realized it was her neck.

I replied:

Why are you showing me your neck? She replied: I came back to rub it against you.

I laughed: Why should I rub your neck?

She replied again: So that you don’t envy the beast.

Ha, Qi Xi, you can even see that I envy the beast, you really win.

I guess it was because I was too obviously laughing foolishly while holding the phone. The two people on the boat looked at me puzzled. I put away my phone and smiled at them with a bit of embarrassment.

At this time, the children feeding the birds on the stone bridge left, and the swans under the bridge swam towards us. Some were white, some were black. I excitedly shouted, “So many swans are coming!”

The two of them turned to look, and Sun Minrui began to make small talk. He asked, “Do you prefer white swans or black swans?”

I was too lazy to answer him and went to look at Xiao Xuewu.

Xiao Xuewu usually wore light-colored clothes, especially white. I guess she liked white swans.

Xiao Xuewu leaned against the side of the boat and looked at the swans for a while, then turned to look at us.