Tianhe hasn’t been to Fink for a long time. This restaurant has been open in China for eight years and used to be known for serving only regular customers. However, after launching the Centurion Credit Card reservation service last year, it suddenly turned into a luxurious and bustling market. Subsequently, it was featured in the interview “Those Years When Michelin Restaurants Went Crazy,” which resulted in chaos and a flood of criticism. The restaurant received enough bricks to build a 20-kilometer-long Great Wall. Tianhe found the restaurant too noisy, especially on Friday nights, so he reduced his visits. But today, he wanted to experience the lively atmosphere.
Upon seeing Tianhe, the headwaiter’s eyes lit up, and he quickly led him to the second floor for a pre-dinner drink. This small two-story restaurant, converted from four villas, was filled with flowers. The second floor had only two tables, while the first floor was available for reservations and was bustling with activity, with many foreigners accompanied by their families sitting there.
–Prometheus: “Having dinner at Fink is a relatively good idea.”
“Why?” Tianhe glanced downstairs.
–Prometheus: “The probability of Guan Yue coming here for dinner is only 0.7%.”
“Could you stop mentioning that person? I finally managed to forget about him,” Tianhe said.
Jiang Zijian went upstairs, whistled at Tianhe, pulled a chair, and sat down, saying, “I’ve decided to disguise myself as a hotel doorman and meet my online friend. Look at my outfit today, does it look convincing?”
The two of them exchanged glances, and Tianhe showed a strange expression. Jiang Zijian asked in confusion, “Isn’t it convincing? I worked hard and personally bought this outfit on Taobao! My assistant even helped me wait in a long queue. See, they even got me a cracked iPhone.”
–Prometheus: “Should I give him some advice?”
Tianhe took the phone, casually took out an earring, and inserted it, changing the SIM card for him. “Your manner of speaking can easily give you away. When you sit down, you should prepare a pack of cigarettes, either Hongmei or Zhongnanhai, along with a lighter, and then snap your fingers and shout, ‘Waiter! Some tea, please!’”
“I don’t smoke. Waiter! Some tea, please!” Jiang Zijian shouted boldly.
The headwaiter, who was holding a lemon water jug and walking over, thought Jiang Zijian had gone mad and was startled. He asked, “Mr. Jiang? What tea would you like?”
“It’s nothing. We’re rehearsing a play and practicing.” Jiang Zijian turned to Tianhe and asked, “What’s next?”
Tianhe turned his head and said, “Prometheus, what’s next?”
Jiang Zijian: “Huh?”
Tianhe said, “Prometheus is a voice-activated smart search program. It asked if you brought your wallet.”
Jiang Zijian slapped his thigh, “Right!”
Tianhe continued, “Prepare a wallet filled with discount cards, five or six credit cards, VIP hair salon cards, various membership cards, etc. Also, make sure to stack them neatly…”
Jiang Zijian hurriedly nodded, “Yes, yes, like my driver.”
Jiang Zijian never carried money or a wallet when going out. At most, he would carry one card. Tianhe said, “And then prop up your feet like this, sitting and swaying…”
Tianhe demonstrated the leg shaking, and Jiang Zijian said, “What about the meeting place? How about Starbucks?”
Tianhe: “Yeah, that’s suitable. When buying drinks, use China Merchants Bank’s points to redeem them. Also, don’t just say, ‘Plain water is fine.’”
Jiang Zijian took out his phone, concentrated on scrolling, and said, “I also downloaded a Dianping App…”
*Dianping is a website and also a mobile app that is part of a larger group known as Meituan-Dianping. This is a Chinese retail service, providing information services such as user information, consumer reviews, commercial offers, and discounts, It also provides O2O (Online To Offline).
Tianhe’s attention was no longer on Jiang Zijian; he turned his head and looked downstairs.
–Prometheus: “Tianhe, it’s not a good idea to teach him to find a partner through deception.”
“Prometheus, what did you say earlier?” Tianhe flipped his phone and pointed the camera downstairs.
–Prometheus quickly replied, “The camera is out of focus, I can’t see the surroundings.”
“Stop pretending. Explain it clearly to me,” Tianhe said.
–Prometheus: “Low-probability events still happen frequently; you can’t ignore its possibility just because it’s only 0.7%.”
Jiang Zijian: “???”
Following Tianhe’s gaze, Jiang Zijian saw Guan Yue walking into the restaurant with a Ukrainian supermodel and being seated in a corner on the first floor garden.
Jiang Zijian immediately stood up and said, “Let’s change to another place. Lucy, I’m sorry, something came up suddenly…”
*Lucy is the headwaiter.
“It’s okay, sit down. I visited Mr. Guan this afternoon.” Tianhe thought for a moment, took off his ring, placed it on the table, and said to Jiang Zijian, “It’s actually perfect, Mr. Guan asked me to do something for him.”
–Prometheus: “Tianhe, this isn’t a good idea.”
Jiang Zijian’s smile vanished, and his eyebrows furrowed. “You met him? Why?”
“I’ll tell you later.” Tianhe turned to the headwaiter and said, “Lucy, can you do me a favor? Do you still remember Mr. Guan Yue?”
—–
“You don’t seem to be in a good mood,” The supermodel flipped her hair back and looked at Guan Yue with a smile. “Do you need a break?”
Guan Yue shook his head and glanced at the menu the server had brought. He just nodded.
The Ukrainian model continued, “They say you don’t talk much.”
“Because there’s nothing to say,” Guan Yue replied absentmindedly.
The supermodel laughed and said, “Do you need eye drops?” She took out a small mirror from her handbag and let Guan Yue see his slightly red eyes. She handed him a bottle of eye drops, and Guan Yue accepted it, tilting his head to apply two drops.
“It’s my first time in China,” the supermodel said. “Nice to meet you.”
Guan Yue closed his eyes, nodded, and then opened them again, turning to look upstairs, which was blocked by the railing. That was the place where he used to sit with Tianhe after returning to China.
“Me too,” Guan Yue thought. “You speak Chinese very well.”
The supermodel said again, “I met some investors today, I want to establish our brand in China. Do you have any friends you can introduce me to?”
Guan Yue pondered and said, “Was it your father’s idea?”
The Ukrainian supermodel smiled and said, “Yes, my family supports me a lot.”
Guan Yue showed a slightly weary expression and turned his head to look at the blooming roses on the flower railing.
“Hello,” the headwaiter came over and personally served Guan Yue and the supermodel, saying with a smile: “Mr. Guan, it’s been a while since you’ve also come here.”
“You remember me?” Guan Yue asked in a low voice.
“Of course,” the headwaiter smiled.
Guan Yue nodded, took a sip of the pre-dinner wine, picked up his fork, and twirled it between his fingers. Suddenly, he felt that the word “also” was dangerous.
The headwaiter smiled as he placed their food down. The Ukrainian supermodel said, “I came to China this time to get to know more friends in the fashion industry, but I don’t know why; it’s always challenging to find time to meet them. Life in China seems busier than in Europe.”
Guan Yue responded with a mumble and tasted the food. The supermodel used her fork to move the meat aside, and was about to pick up the side dish, when she noticed a ring in the dish.
Guan Yue: “.…”
Just as Guan Yue felt that things were going wrong, all the spotlights in the entire restaurant turned toward their table like stage lights, and the prelude to “Figaro’s Wedding” resounded loudly. All the guests were startled and turned their heads to Guan Yue and the Ukrainian supermodel.
In the next moment, the symphony quieted down, and the gentle melody of violins echoed. Tianhe and Jiang Zijian each held a violin and played the music gracefully and enchantingly. They moved from table to table, heading towards Guan Yue and the supermodel. Behind them were the head chef playing the Scottish accordion and a group of waiters with drums. It was as if someone at Fink was celebrating a birthday, but this time the music playing was not “Happy Birthday” but “Figaro’s Wedding.”
The Ukrainian supermodel’s face was full of shock: “Guan?”
Guan Yue was surprisingly calm at this moment. He sat still, raised his hand with a stiff expression, and tried hard to explain.
Even so, the situation was just a step away from his breaking point. Guan Yue reached for the ring, and the supermodel misunderstood, cooperatively standing up and immediately getting into character, waiting for him to kneel down in a marriage proposal.
At the same time, Jiang Zijian and Tianhe arrived at the table playing their violins, and the music reached its climax.
“Marry him! Marry him!” The head chef played the accordion and shouted emotionally.
“Marry him! Marry him! Marry him!”
“Marry him!”
All the guests, whether foreigners or Chinese, clapped their hands together, cheering enthusiastically.
Guan Yue: “.…”
“Marry him!” Tianhe and Jiang Zijian put down their violins and shouted excitedly.
Like a magnificent stage of blooming flowers swaying with the wind, the audience was filled with happy smiles at witnessing true love, shouting wholeheartedly to Guan Yue and the supermodel, “Marry him!”
Tianhe looked around and said seriously, “I’ll be covering everyone’s bill tonight.”
“Hooray!” Another round of cheers pushed the atmosphere to a joyful climax.
–Prometheus: “Based on my analysis, Guan Yue is now filled with a strong feeling. You humans call it embarrassment. If you don’t mind, let me make a request on his behalf…”
Jiang Zijian: “Flowers! We didn’t prepare any flowers!”
Tianhe remembered. He looked around, rolled up his sleeves, and took a large pot of dripping Guanyin from behind the flower railing. He brought it in front of Guan Yue with difficulty, gazing at him sincerely.
Guan Yue: “.…”
Tianhe: “Take it! It’s heavy! I can’t hold it for too long!”
Jiang Zijian: “It’s too big, it’s not elegant! There are two smaller pots here, use cacti! Mr. Guan, come on, hold one pot in each hand!”
Suddenly, all the lights in the restaurant turned off, and there were surprised exclamations. After the initial darkness, the dim candlelight on the tables remained. The sound of chairs being pulled filled the air, and there was chaos. The headwaiter hurried to check, and when the lights came back on, the table was empty.
“Oh—” the head chef said regretfully, “What a shy boy, so handsome—”
“So shy—” the waiters echoed with exaggerated mouth movements, shaking their heads helplessly.
Jiang Zijian spread his hands helplessly, and Tianhe had no choice but to put the pot of flowers on the table and walk away with Jiang Zijian.
At 8:20, there was a clap of thunder, and it started raining.
This belated torrential rain poured heavily. Jiang Zijian casually finished dinner and said, “It’s not as good as before, and we even fucking bumped into Guan Yue. This was such an epic fail. I’m going to another place next time.”
Tianhe had only eaten a little beef and stopped, saying, “Their farm was acquired by Derlin Livestock Farm.”
Jiang Zijian took a sip of his after-dinner coffee and said, “Derlin is annoying, always acquiring small ranches and using their milk, changing the taste of coffee.”
“If you don’t like it, squeeze your own milk,” Tianhe replied.
Jiang Zijian laughed heartily and said, “Want to go to a nightclub?”
“Both of us?” Tianhe asked.
After pondering for a moment, Jiang Zijian took out another phone to make a call. Tianhe guessed that he had already made plans with other friends tonight and wanted to dismiss them to accompany him, so he said, “If you have plans, go ahead. I want to go home and rest for a while.”
“That’s fine. I want to introduce a friend to you tomorrow, but I haven’t decided on the place yet,” Jiang Zijian said. “We need to find a suitable occasion, not just sit and chat over a meal.”
–Prometheus’s voice rang out from Tianhe’s earpiece, “I suggest playing polo.”
Tianhe pondered for awhile, “Polo? It’s been a long time since I played.”
Jiang Zijian woke up with his comment, “Right! Let’s go to the ranch. I’ll check if they’re available.” He lowered his head to send a message and said, “I made this appointment two days ago.”
Tianhe was taken aback and looked at Jiang Zijian, who continued, “The other party is the Vice President of Ronghui Venture Capital and Wu Shun from the National Development and Reform Commission. We can chat casually. Ronghui is holding an industry conference next week, maybe you can say a few words and create some momentum to help your situation a bit.”
“What should I pay attention to?” Tianhe asked.
Jiang Zijian smiled and said, “Just do as you usually do. Although Ronghui may kneel down and call Guan Yue ‘father,’ his family has an interest in your industry, and he can help you out a bit.”
“Thank you,” Tianhe said earnestly.
Jiang Zijian looked at Tianhe for a long time, and finally asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” Tianhe took a sip of coffee and said, “I’m fine.” In his mind, he thought, ‘this milk is indeed hard to drink.’
Jiang Zijian nodded, picked up his coat, and came over. He gently kissed Tianhe’s ear, just like he did every time they parted after meeting during their study abroad in London.
Tianhe looked up and smiled at him. Jiang Zijian took his suit and left downstairs.
–Prometheus: “This is China, the relationship between two boys who are not lovers seems a bit too intimate.”
Tianhe looked at the garden and pondered, “It’s because he thinks I need love at this time. There was a period of time when my classmates thought that Jiang Zijian was my fiancé. Prometheus, did you learn about the human emotion called ‘jealousy’?”
–Prometheus: “The correct description is ‘envy’.”
Tianhe: “So I can assume that Guan Yue was slightly envious. Lucy, please bring me the bill… Prometheus, was it you who cut off the power supply to the restaurant?”
–Prometheus: “I thought it might help alleviate the awkward atmosphere, otherwise, I didn’t know any other way to end it.”
Tianhe took the bill from the headwaiter, signed it, and got up to leave. “Your abilities are like a Brownian motion between being useless and omnipotent. So far, you haven’t correctly calculated the probabilities even once, but you are quite skilled at helping Guan Yue get out of awkward situations… Oh no, why is it suddenly raining so heavily? I forgot where I parked my car.”
–Prometheus: “The power grid connected to Fink was designed twenty years ago, and it doesn’t have a preset power-off password. Which car are you asking about?”
“Of course, the one I drove here.”
–Prometheus: “Your car is located 420 meters away from here, in the underground parking lot of the Yintai Building. I have searched for two routes. One of them is almost sheltered from the rain. Please turn to the side and carefully move along the eaves of Fink Restaurant…”
“No need, thanks.” Tianhe declined the restaurant doorman’s offer for an umbrella and nodded, saying, “Until next time.”
“Take care, Mr. Wen.”
Tianhe walked into the rain.
The city had not seen rain for a while. After returning from his graduation trip, the whole summer had been clear skies until autumn. He still remembered that sixteen years ago, whenever there was a heavy rainstorm in the city, the streets downstairs would be knee-deep in water. He missed the rainy days when he was in kindergarten and would come out in a raincoat and rain boots to splash and play in the water.
–Prometheus: “Twenty-five seconds left before the red light at the intersection. If you accelerate, you can pass the intersection before the light turns red, but this is not the best option. I suggest you maintain your current speed; it’s likely that…”
“The professor said that even if knives were falling from the sky, a gentleman shouldn’t run on the street. Let’s listen to a song.” Tianhe walked patiently along the long street, getting splashed by water from private cars passing by.
The heavy rain poured down, and the world around him began to sway rhythmically to the tune of “Ode to Joy”, and the leaves danced joyfully in the rain.
Pouring rain fell from the sky to the ground, The resounding chorus of “Joy of the Goddess, pure and beautiful, radiant light shining upon the earth…” accompanied Tianhe as he soaked in the rain like a drowned rat.
Tianhe: “.…”
–Prometheus: “This version has the highest play rate.”
Tianhe: “You have a very accurate grasp of my current mood.”
At the intersection, Tianhe’s vision was blurred by the water. He couldn’t see the world clearly in this heavy rain. His hair dripped with water, and when the green light turned red, he crossed the pedestrian crossing.
At that moment, the rain suddenly stopped without warning. Someone caught up from behind and held a black umbrella for Tianhe. The music in his earphones disappeared, replaced by the sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella, like drumbeats.
Tianhe stopped and turned to thank the person, but he saw Guan Yue’s familiar face.
Tianhe: “….”
Guan Yue silently stared at Tianhe. He was dressed in a black suit, and holding a black umbrella. The light from the far headlights reflected off the diamond watch on his left wrist.
As the green light turned red, the cars honked one after another. Guan Yue made a “please” gesture and held the umbrella for Tianhe, leading him across the road. Amidst the thunderstorm, it was impossible to hear each other speak. Tianhe had no intention of talking. He crossed the road, arrived at the entrance of the mall, and politely said, “Thank you.”
He was about to leave, but Guan Yue took back the umbrella and grabbed his arm. His strength was significant, and Tianhe was no match for him, so he had no choice but to be led into the mall.
A gust of cold wind blew into the mall, and Tianhe shivered a bit, trying to hold back his sneeze. Guan Yue took off his suit jacket and handed it to him. Tianhe gestured with his hand to decline, and Guan Yue didn’t put it on either. He held it with one hand and stepped onto the escalator.
In the luxurious and high-end mall, the soft piano music that was playing stopped abruptly, and the symphony of “Ode to Joy” surrounded them from all directions.
“Your power can bring people together and eliminate all differences—”
“Under your radiant light, people unite as brothers!”
Tianhe: “….”
The sudden change in BGM startled the customers in the mall who were seeking shelter from the rain. In the resounding music, Tianhe and Guan Yue stood on the escalator, descending slowly. Guan Yue frowned, looked around at the colorful decorations in the mall, and appeared puzzled.
“Do you have an obsessive compulsive disorder that makes you have to listen to this song until the end?” Tianhe covered one ear with his hand and said it expressionlessly.
–Prometheus replied in the background music, “Doesn’t it feel like spending Christmas in London?”
Guan Yue: “?”
Guan Yue raised an eyebrow slightly, and turned his head to look at Tianhe carefully.
“Nothing.” Tianhe replied calmly, thinking that from now on, he will refuse to listen to Beethoven.
Guan Yue: “.…”
In the underground parking lot of the mall, the familiar Audi R8 was parked there. Guan Yue pressed the car key, opened the passenger door, and let Tianhe sit in.
“Thank you.” Tianhe noticed that Guan Yue’s right half was soaked by the rain, and his white shirt was almost transparent, clinging to his shoulders and abdomen and revealing his sexy muscles.
Tianhe said, “Your figure looks better than before.”
“Thank you,” Guan Yue replied politely, got in the driver’s seat, and drove out of the garage.
