Unable to Fall in Love Syndrome - Chapter 31 - Sunny Side Up Fairy Tale 10

Chapter 31 – Sunny Side Up Fairy Tale 10

Qiao Shan asked, “Old Ying, are you serious?”

The three of them walked into the hotel together. Ying Shengnan straightened his cuffs and tie as he said, “You think I’m joking? Have you ever seen me this serious about a joke?”

They headed up to the fifth floor together, where the banquet was laid out with a full fifty tables.

Ying Shengnan sighed in admiration. “Little matchmaker, your family has this many relatives?”

Qiao Shan led the two of them to the frontmost table and sat down, explaining in a low voice, “Ever since my dad passed away, a lot of relatives stopped keeping in touch. These people? They’re all old clients of my mom’s. She doesn’t have many divorces among the matches she made—everyone’s families are harmonious and happy. They’re all super grateful to her for playing matchmaker back in the day, so every year on this date, they rush over from all over to pay their respects.”

Ying Shengnan was deeply moved. His gaze locked onto Tian Jian’s table. Only Tian Jian and a man in a black suit were sitting there, and since they had their backs turned, Ying Shengnan couldn’t see the man’s face. He nudged Qiao Shan. “Little matchmaker, why aren’t we sitting at that table?”

Qiao Shan replied, “My cousin’s super protective of his little sister. Normally, besides relatives, he won’t let anyone sit with them. If it weren’t for you two outsiders, I’d have gone over there myself.”

Ying Shengnan tsked, putting on a straight face. “Sister-in-law, saying that makes us sound like strangers. Are Zuo Yi and I outsiders? One’s Tian Jian’s brother-in-law, and the other’s Tian Jian’s future husband—how could we be outsiders?”

Qiao Shan was mid-sip of water when she suddenly choked.

What a shameless guy…

Half an hour later, the banquet kicked off. Qiao’s mom dragged Qiao Shan and Zuo Yi around to greet relatives and friends. The two of them followed her from table to table, toasting along the way. As a girl, Qiao Shan could skip the alcohol without issue, but Zuo Yi couldn’t—so he muddled through with watered-down booze.

By the end of the feast, Zuo Yi looked like he’d shed half a layer of skin; he was dead drunk and out cold. Qiao Shan booked a room at the hotel and helped him inside to rest.

She’d just gotten him onto the bed when he suddenly sat up, wrapped his arms around her waist, and called out “Grandma.”

This was the second time Qiao Shan had dealt with a wasted Zuo Yi, and like last time, he was just like a kid.

Qiao Shan patted his shoulder, coaxing him softly. “Just sleep for a bit, okay?”

Zuo Yi shook his head, still clinging to her waist. “No…” His voice was low and husky. “I want to hear the crickets chirping.”

“…Damn it.” Qiao Shan couldn’t help swearing. “You wanna hear the whip cracking on flesh instead?”

Zuo Yi took a deep breath and fell silent. Qiao Shan looked down at the man who was usually so arrogant, now acting all kittenish and spoiled, and her heart softened. “Fine, let go then. Lie down, and I’ll sing it for you.”

His grip loosened a bit. Qiao Shan pried his hands off her waist, helped him lie back on the bed, and tucked him in under the silk quilt.

She crouched by the bedside, took a deep breath, and used her finger to press down on the tip of his nose, flicking it up to turn it into a “pig snout.” She whipped out her phone for a commemorative snap, muttering, “One day, someone’s gonna make you crouch by the bed and sing ‘Crickets Chirping’ to me a hundred times over.”

The someone in question frowned and let out a muffled grunt.

Afraid he’d roll over and sit up again, Qiao Shan pressed a hand to his chest and started singing “Crickets Chirping.” Her voice wasn’t anything special—the melody veered left and right, somehow swerving from “Crickets Chirping” into “Newsboy’s Song,” until she straight-up forgot what she was even singing and blurted out, “You’re my little, little apple—however much I love you, it’s never too much…”

Once she’d lulled Zuo Yi to sleep, Qiao Shan headed back to the banquet hall to handle the relatives, staying busy until seven that evening. She’d just caught her breath after seeing off the last of the guests when Xiao Jia called her over.

Qiao’s mom had brought Zuo Yi around for toasts and passed by Xiao Jia’s family’s table too. At the news that Qiao Shan already had a boyfriend, Xiao Jia’s parents were heartbroken—a steady, well-behaved daughter-in-law prospect flew the coop.

Xiao Jia’s expression was grave. He said, “Wenwen’s condition is getting worse. The bone marrow match for her is all the way in America. Tomorrow, Mr. Jian and Guo Fei will take Wenwen and head over there for the surgery.”

“So rushed?” Qiao Shan was surprised. “But last time I saw Wenwen, the little girl seemed in pretty good spirits.”

Xiao Jia replied, “It’s still this kind of illness, after all. She’s too young, and the surgery might not even succeed.”

Qiao Shan got where he was coming from right then—after spending so much time with Wenwen, the bond ran deep. She didn’t even need to think about him; just recalling when she’d first learned about Wenwen’s illness, her own heart had crumbled a little.

But in the end, Wenwen wasn’t her bl00d relative, so neither she nor Xiao Jia could truly grasp what Jian Shizhang and Guo Fei were going through. Beyond sighing over the unpredictability of life, there wasn’t much they could do.

Xiao Jia said, “Yeah, actually, I think Wenwen’s right. You and Zuo Yi are a great match—you like him, not me. So why should I cling to some fantasy? Even a kid can see that logic, but I’ve been stuck in the circle I drew for myself, refusing to step out.”

Qiao Shan comforted him. “Xiao Jia, you’ll find your own soulmate someday.”

As she said it, Zuo Yi—that scoundrel—popped into her head unbidden. She rubbed her forehead in reflex. Damn, that guy had really gotten under her skin; even in a moment like this, she was thinking of him.

She wasn’t sure if Zuo Yi was her soulmate, but she did have the urge to give it a shot with him.

There was no physical aversion on her part, and the guy’s conditions were top-notch. Why not try?

Yeah… why not try?

After bidding Xiao Jia farewell, she took the elevator upstairs. At the door, she suddenly didn’t want to go in. She mulled over the feasibility of her and Zuo Yi, and a wave of emotion surged up from deep inside.

Give it a try?

That voice had been whispering in her heart all along.

But just as quickly, she shook her head, shooting down the idea. Would it really work?

Having played matchmaker for so many people all these years, she’d seen way too much of romance between men and women. The matchmaker’s own match is the hardest to make—and when it came to her own heart, she couldn’t see it clearly anymore.

She pulled up the match-making app, which had a little database along with a severity chart for “Unable to Fall in Love Syndrome.” She read through the items one by one, checking them against herself, and bam—every single one hit home.

Crap, she had Unable to Fall in Love Syndrome too, and it wasn’t mild. She pocketed her phone, swiped the keycard, pushed open the door, and stepped inside.

Water was running in the bathroom—Zuo Yi was awake and showering.

Qiao Shan glanced at the bathroom and made a beeline for the bed, flopping down. The soft mattress sank under her, pulling her in.

The moment her body hit the bed, exhaustion crashed over her like a wave. She closed her eyes and plunged into deep sleep. She didn’t know how long she’d been out when a ding-dong jolted her awake. She bolted upright on instinct and checked the wall clock—it was already ten. She’d slept a solid three hours.

She heard Zuo Yi talking to someone at the door and scrambled up to splash water on her face.

When she emerged from the bathroom, Zuo Yi was just coming in with a tray of food: a glass of milk and two milkshake-slathered sandwiches. He set it on the table, turned back to her with her looking all dazed, and said, “Slept your brains out?”

Qiao Shan took a breath, scooted over, grabbed a sandwich, and took a bite. Then she looked up at him. “Wenwen’s heading to America tomorrow.”

Zuo Yi: “Mm. Jian Shizhang’s got everything squared away over there. Don’t worry—Wenwen’ll be fine.”

Qiao Shan asked, “You already knew?”

Zuo Yi: “Jian Shizhang just called me. He said he and Guo Fei have already gotten their marriage papers sorted. From now on, he’ll take good care of her and the kid.”

Qiao Shan: “I hope he really does look after Guo Fei and Wenwen properly.”

Zuo Yi: “Their road’s still long—this is just the beginning. As for us? Qiao Shan, why don’t we give being together a shot? I’m serious.”

His voice trailed off, like the rustle of leaves in the wind, hanging there, waiting for her one word to let it settle.

“Then let’s try it.” Qiao Shan sighed. “Call it matchmaking for myself—a blind date.”

As a matchmaker, she knew full well that having no physical repulsion toward a blind-date prospect was the bare minimum of fondness. She and Zuo Yi were already so familiar; it had to be a notch above fondness, a hair short of like…

She couldn’t even sort out her own feelings, so she just agreed. She added, “But heads-up: we’re just testing the waters here, in mutual evaluation mode. If either of us decides we’re not a fit during this period, we can call it off amicably. As for staying friends after? We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

The words were barely out of her mouth when Zuo Yi reached over and pulled her into his arms. The milk glass slipped from her hand with a clatter, hitting the floor.

Zuo Yi held her close, his chin rubbing against the top of her head in a way that felt more satisfying than ever. After a long moment, he loosened his hold, looked down at her, and slowly leaned in to press her back.

Qiao Shan instinctively shrank back, wanting to dodge. Zuo Yi reminded her, “What kind of couple doesn’t kiss? Wanna give it a try? It’s not like it’s our first time anyway.”

Seeing her hesitate, he added, “Qiao Shan, after knowing you this long, I don’t take you for someone who’s coy.”

Qiao Shan’s face flushed red. “Wh—who’s being coy? It’s just a kiss—who’s scared of who?” Then, one hand on his shoulder, the other hooking around his neck, she rose on her tiptoes and took the initiative, pressing her lips to his.

Qiao Shan had meant it to be a quick brush, like a dragonfly skimming water, but the man suddenly cupped the back of her head with his hand, holding her in place so she couldn’t pull away. Their lips stayed locked tight.

Zuo Yi tested the seam of her lips with his tongue, slipping it in with agile precision—a lick, a twirl—that left Qiao Shan with zero room to fight back.

On her very first real attempt at a kiss, Qiao Shan’s mind went blank, her whole body turning to mush, soft and tingly. Zuo Yi noticed her going limp and quickly wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her. Their height difference was too much; kissing like that was wearing him out, so he scooped her up and set her on the table.

But in his excitement, he didn’t spot the food still on the table. Qiao Shan landed right on a sandwich, the milkshake smearing all over her butt.

“…” Qiao Shan shoved him away, hopped off the table, and pointed at the mess on her backside. “If we’re kissing, let’s kiss properly—what the hell is this? Did you do that on purpose?”

Zuo Yi stared at the ruined tray, equally furious.

Sh1t, I could’ve kissed her way longer! All because of a damn sandwich platter—ruined! Fvck!