Unable to Fall in Love Syndrome - Chapter 14

Chapter 14 – Time Speaks 04

“Ah.” Ying Shengnan let out a long sigh to break the awkward silence, punching himself in the chest with a fist as he said mournfully, “Third Brother, your big bro here’s been single for so many years—I want to fall in love and get married too, but I just can’t find the right match. Little Matchmaker’s got a reputation that spreads far and wide, so I came here full of admiration. Asking someone to play matchmaker is kinda embarrassing, y’know? Hard to bring it up.”

Zuo Yi nodded. “You really should find a matchmaker.” He reached out and pinched Ying Shengnan’s chin, frowning in disgust. “When are you gonna shave that beard? Looking like this and still hoping for a wife?”

Ying Shengnan slapped his hand away with a tsk. “It’s handsome. What do you know?”

Zuo Yi pulled his hand back, shoving it into his pocket, and glanced at Qiao Shan before his gaze returned to Ying Shengnan. “Coming out of a girl’s place bright and early—you’re not afraid her boyfriend might get the wrong idea?”

“Boyfriend?” Ying Shengnan turned to look at Qiao Shan. “Little Matchmaker, you’ve got a boyfriend!?”

“Why are you getting so worked up?” Zuo Yi asked.

“Why… wouldn’t I?” Ying Shengnan hooked an arm around his shoulder. “Little Matchmaker’s got a boyfriend, and the two of us are still single—what a tragedy—”

He dragged out the last note, making it long, winding, and utterly desolate.

Zuo Yi teased in a cool, indifferent tone, “In your next life, reincarnate as a woman, and I’ll marry you?”

Ying Shengnan raised an orchid finger and poked him in the chest, twisting his hips to bump against him as he shrilled in a coy falsetto, “You rascal, how annoying…”

Even he found it gross, shuddering as he snapped back to normal and turned to Qiao Shan with a serious look. “That aside, Little Matchmaker, do you really have a boyfriend? How come you’ve never mentioned it?”

Qiao Shan blinked, spreading her hands in total confusion. “If I’ve got a boyfriend, how come I don’t know about it?”

Dudu at her feet wagged its tail and barked twice.

As if to say—If my owner has a boyfriend, how come I don’t know?

“Hey, don’t go spreading rumors, okay?” Qiao Shan said solemnly. “The guys chasing me could line up from China all the way to America. How bad would it be if my admirers heard that?”

“From China to America… on a 1:87 million scale world map, that could barely fit one person,” Zuo Yi said. He paused, then shook his head.

“Really pitiful.”

“…” Qiao Shan clenched her fists but held back. “After all, my wish is for social harmony and world peace. Civilized people don’t swear.”

“You sure didn’t act like a civilized person last night,” Zuo Yi shot back.

She still remembered last night—probably even more embarrassing than what she recalled. She stepped forward, glaring daggers at Zuo Yi, tension crackling like a drawn bow.

Ying Shengnan was forced to back up a step, watching helplessly as the two locked eyes in a standoff.

One gaze was calm and utterly devoid of anger. The other was wide-eyed with fury, radiating killing intent. Sure, the latter looked fierce as hell, but the former clearly had the upper hand.

Ying Shengnan played peacemaker with a straight face. “Keep bickering like this, and you’ll end up as a couple, ha.”

The two whipped their heads around at almost the exact same moment, saying in unison:

“Who’s a couple with him (her)!”

Ying Shengnan froze at their roar. “This… isn’t exactly couple behavior?”

*

The three of them headed downstairs together. In the elevator, Ying Shengnan stood in the middle and could still feel the resentment crackling between them.

Once they got down, Qiao Shan really didn’t want to see a certain someone anymore, so she grabbed the leash and took the dog for a walk.

Ying Shengnan watched the ponytail girl fade into the distance, then elbowed Zuo Yi in the chest. “Third Brother, you’re acting off today. Feeling the love bug? Little Matchmaker’s single right now—go for it. Didn’t you want to chase her back when you were a kid? What, chickening out now?”

Zuo Yi couldn’t bring himself to lose face. “That was just youthful ignorance.”

“Why do I get the feeling it’s meant to be? Fate’s a subtle thing—even if it’s late, it shows up eventually. How about a bet? I wager you’ll keep running into each other outside the neighborhood, over and over,” Ying Shengnan said.

Zuo Yi just looked at him.

“Don’t believe me?” Ying Shengnan added. “Kid, the more you push fate away, the harder it glues your destined match to you. Don’t buy it? Let’s just wait and see!”

*

Qiao Shan spent the whole afternoon calming herself down.

—Stay cool. How could she let money slip through her fingers?

That evening, while Qiao Shan was still pondering what to eat, the takeout Xiao Jia had ordered for her arrived right on time. She opened the box, and steam wafted up in a hazy cloud. Each plump grain of rice gave off a sweet, hot aroma, topped with a layer of sweet-and-sour pork ribs. The rich sauce coated patches of the white rice, creating a stark contrast in colors that made her mouth water just looking at it.

Qiao Shan hadn’t had such fragrant, piping-hot rice in ages. She wolfed it down, swallowing chunks of meat before she’d even chewed them properly.

The downside of scarfing it all? Indigestion. She rubbed her hard, bloated belly, fidgeting restlessly. Might as well take the dog out for a walk. She held the leash and scrolled through her phone the whole way, wandering out of the neighborhood without even realizing it.

Strolling along the bustling street, the streetlights stretched her and Dudu’s shadows out thin and long.

On her way back to the neighborhood, she happened to bump into Zuo Yi heading out for a run.

The guy was in a sleeveless tee, showing off his solid arms. He straight-up ignored her and jogged right past.

Remembering Ying Shengnan’s request, Qiao Shan ditched the idea of going home. She rolled up her sleeves, hiked up her pant legs, and started running after Zuo Yi.

Chubby Dudu plopped down on the ground, utterly unwilling, gazing at her pitifully as if to say it had zero interest in running!

Qiao Shan gripped the leash tight and yanked it up, dragging the dog along as she ran.

Dudu only got up when the leash started choking it for real, tongue lolling out as it panted heavily, finally putting in some effort to keep up.

After just one street, Qiao Shan couldn’t take it anymore. Exhausted beyond belief, she squatted on the lawn by the roadside, dry heaving.

Dudu, who barely ever exercised, was now sprawled out on its back, completely done with moving…

Right now, it just wanted to be a lazy fat dog that lazed its way to the end.

Zuo Yi looped back on his run and came across the scene.

Qiao Shan and the dog, both sprawled on their backs on the lawn, totally still…

He walked over for a look and saw her eyes fixed straight up at the sky, unblinking. Curiosity got the better of him, so he bent down to peer into her eyes. “What are you doing?”

“…Leg… leg…” Qiao Shan’s face was frozen stiff.

“Leg stretches?”

“Leg… leg cramp. Wuwuwuwu…”