Chapter 10, Past Events, The First Hand-Holding (Part 1)

"Not necessarily," Cui Yanan said, "With someone that handsome, there are definitely many girls willing to approach him. Does he really need to go through the trouble of supporting a backup? I think he might actually be the type that warms up slowly, so just be a bit more patient."

Uh... perhaps he is really busy

Anran, feeling disappointed, threw her phone onto the bed, opened her computer to watch a drama, yet her thoughts were entirely on her phone. She silently counted that the WeChat notifications had rung six times. Leaning over the bed, she clicked to check, only to find various public account updates. Anran felt truly foolish, directly shutting off her phone, as if that would sever her expectations.

Anran looks down on this kind of mentality in herself; even if he contacts her again in the future, what difference does it make?

After Cui Yanan finished discussing her own matters with An Ran, she asked, "How are things going with that Fang Zhe? Are you still in an online relationship? I'm not saying this to be mean, but it's quite amusing that you both are engaging in online dating after having been set up on a blind date."

That is also true

There is an unread message from Fang Zhe on WeChat: "Last time you mentioned wanting to watch a movie, I wonder if it is too late to invite you now?"

The finance lady said again: "My classmate's younger brother is really quite good, I only introduced him to you. At first, you said you would think about it, and I thought you were not interested."

Anran sat on the bed wrapped in a towel: "You think this is sweet? The Napoleon pastries from his place are really not that sweet. How much can you not handle sweetness! The sesame cakes sold downstairs in my building are not sweet either; I’ll treat you to some later." After typing this, Anran hesitated for a moment before clicking send, then deleted it. She exited the chat with Fang Zhe and opened the messages from the matchmaker, replied briefly, and then called back Cui Yanan after changing into her pajamas.

She had previously met someone through a blind date, who did not find her appealing at the time. A few months later, he suddenly contacted her, saying that after going around in circles, he still thought she was the best. At that moment, she replied to him with a "heh".

Hello! You should have said so earlier, I thought you were not satisfied with the other party's conditions. The finance lady said, "When it comes to blind dates, one must cast a wide net. If something is not suitable, it is always like this; don't be too honest."

"Alright, do you know about the 'Handsome Guy is Always Right Syndrome'?" Anran said, "I think he is treating me as a backup."

What is online dating...

After the message was sent, the other party did not reply immediately. Anran thought that Fang Zhe must have gone to sleep by now, but this is also good; a stay of execution is better than a swift death sentence

Do not say it is her; even someone as experienced in romantic affairs as Cui Yanan has not encountered this. However, driven by the instinct of the "appearance association," she still analyzed several possibilities, such as the other party not receiving the message, the phone suddenly breaking or being lost, or perhaps the person being involved in a car accident. Seeing Anran rolling her eyes at her, she suggested that perhaps she should send another message to him, as the previous one might have been too ambiguous for him to understand.

Enough, you don't need to comfort me anymore. If I still can't figure it out at this age, then I've lived in vain. What did you used to tell me? If a man likes you, he can always find time to see you, but now it's different? Busy? What a load of nonsense. He just sent me a photo of a cake from a shop I mentioned to him before, and that shop is far from both his home and his office. He has time to wander around the mall to buy cake, but no time to watch a movie? An Ran didn't feel much at first, but after talking to Cui Yanan, she became increasingly angry.

In fact, it was only a few months later, approximately one month after, one evening, An Ran's phone flashed with a WeChat notification from Fang Zhe

Anran said: "Sure, what could possibly go wrong? Meeting won't hurt, perhaps I might just meet someone suitable."

Anran has thought several times about blocking Fang Zhe on WeChat, but whenever she scrolls back through their chat history from these past days, she finds it hard to let go. Even now, she feels that her relationship with Fang Zhe will not truly come to an end. She always believes that one day Fang Zhe might still send her a message, and if she blocks him, then there will really be no future.

Anran opened Fang Zhe's WeChat, and it was a photo of a Napoleon cake

"The 'net' is just the 'net', but without 'love', it can only be considered as 'online friends', at most, just online friends whom I occasionally meet." Anran humorously reflects on herself

What are you talking about? I don't have that kind of courage. Saying it face to face is too awkward. If they really reject me later, I can't bear to lose face. Don't even mention a direct rejection; even a slightly hesitant or indifferent expression would be too much for my fragile heart. I plan to talk to him on WeChat.

Cui Yanan laughed and said: "I want to know what you are really thinking, are you truly planning to continue this 'online' relationship? Let me tell you, strike while the iron is hot; if you don't take advantage of this momentum to make it happen, you two will really only be able to remain online friends in the future"

Anran stared at the phone screen for a long time, then replied: "It's late, the next episode is out."

Your "handsome guy syndrome" has already reached a critical point. Anran said, "I don't want to drag this out with him any longer. I've decided to confront him directly; if it works out, it works out, and if it doesn't, it doesn't. Don't keep me hanging like this.

Anran, have you thought about what I mentioned to you before? During lunch, the lady from the finance department sat down next to Anran with a plate in hand, "Anyway, I briefly mentioned your situation to them, and they seem quite interested. They are just waiting for your decision. If you think it's okay, I will give them your contact information; if you don't think it's suitable, I will also let them know not to keep it in mind.

In the afternoon at work, Anran received a text message from the other party, exchanged simple greetings, and added each other on WeChat

"Let it be just netizens," An Ran casually replied

Anran never expected this outcome; she had never encountered such a situation before. There should at least be some explanation for whether it succeeded or failed. How careless a person must be to simply vanish into thin air like this

Ah! The finance lady is very satisfied, this is indeed true. That's why I get along well with you, unlike some young ladies who are overly particular. For instance, a girl from my relative's family, I suggested introducing her to Xiao Chen from our unit, but before even meeting him, she started being picky, criticizing his appearance and his family background. People like that, I won't introduce them in the future.

Isn't this what you call an online romance? How long has it been, over two months, three months perhaps? How many times have you two gone on dates? Wasn't it just that one concert? Maybe two times, three times? Meeting once a month, chatting flirtatiously on WeChat every day, what else could this be if not an online romance?

The next morning, An Ran did not receive a reply from Fang Zhe, and the following days passed without any communication. For the previous three months, they had been in daily contact via WeChat, with the most extreme days seeing over a hundred messages exchanged in a single day. However, after that night, Fang Zhe seemed to have vanished suddenly.

Perhaps it was just a passing visit. Moreover, going specifically to the store you mentioned to buy a cake indicates that the person has attentively remembered every single thing you said

She thought that if Fang Zhe suddenly contacted her again in a few months, she might not be able to respond to him with a simple "heh".

"I am fine." Anran replied with a brilliant smile, "Thank you for your concern."

That evening, Anran came out of the bathroom after taking a shower. Her mother told her that her phone had been ringing continuously. Anran went back to her room to check her phone. The call was from Cui Yanan, and there were also two unread WeChat messages: one from a matchmaking partner she had added in the afternoon, and the other from Fang Zhe

"Agreed! How do you want to tell him? When will you arrange to meet him? Do you need me to support you from the shadows to boost your confidence?"

Anran smiled gently and picked up the soup bowl to drink the soup

Anran smiled and said, "The young girl has good conditions, so having a few requirements is nothing to be concerned about"

I passed by the store you mentioned, bought something to try, the taste is quite good, but it is just too sweet

Anran watched two episodes of a drama and one episode of a variety show, took a long bath, and hesitated for a long time before finally turning on her phone before going to sleep

Anran and Cui Yanan talked on the phone for an entire night before hanging up. During the call, Cui Yanan offered her many suggestions. Anran's mind was in a state of confusion as she opened Fang Zhe's WeChat. The message still displayed the words he had sent earlier. She hesitated back and forth for half the night, writing and deleting the message repeatedly. It was only after midnight that she finally sent a single sentence:

Alright, let's say it this way, I will give him your phone number, and you can contact each other. The finance lady said, whether it works out or not doesn't matter, it's not a bad thing to meet more often, and if it doesn't work out, I will help you look into it again.

"Don't be shy, such a handsome guy is right in front of you and you won't take a bite, what a pity," Cui Yanan said. "You shouldn't measure Fang Zhe by your past experiences. A guy as handsome as him has probably been spoiled by girls since he was young and likely doesn't even know what it means to take the initiative. Don't be too reserved, be more proactive, invite him out more often, create opportunities. I believe he must be interested in you too; otherwise, he wouldn't be in touch with you every day."

You think I didn't make an appointment? I asked him to watch "Never Ever Meet Again" two weeks ago, and he said he was busy with a project and didn't have time. It's been more than two weeks, and he hasn't brought it up again. How can I take the initiative?

Without ... ... '' Anran gently set down the soup bowl, `` Someone had introduced one before, and I thought it would be more appropriate to meet them one by one, meeting two at the same time is not very good ... ... ''

At the moment she saw the notification, Anran felt a surge of surprise and quickly opened it. The message contained only three words: "What are you doing?"

Last time I invited you to watch a movie, you said you didn't have time. The movie will be leaving theaters in a few days. If you still can't find the time, I will invite someone else to go with me.

"Where is that? It pales in comparison to you," said the finance lady

Anran stated that he only "disappeared" because he understood the situation. Given that it has come to this, why should I stubbornly bang my head against a brick wall? My head is not that hard.

Although this result left Anran both angry and perplexed, she comforted herself by saying that this might not be a bad thing; ending it sooner is certainly better than becoming deeply entangled.