An 80s female translator was spoiled rotten by a rough and jealous man.

Chapter 343 Take your time

A man sat at the table, his neck slightly drooping and his back slightly hunched. He remained motionless, his gaze seemingly fixed on the letter lying on the table, yet not quite.

The room was dark, the surrounding light transitioning from darkness to dimness, until the first ray of morning light pierced his eyes through the window, as if activating his senses, and the man blinked.

He sat there all night, seemingly thinking about everything, but seemingly not understanding anything at all.

The letter was on the table, unopened. He picked it up, stared at it for a few seconds, and then suddenly stood up, the chair leg scraping against the floor with a screeching sound.

He turned and strode toward the wardrobe, squatted down, pulled open the bottom drawer, put the letter deep inside the clothing compartment, and then slammed it shut.

If he could, he would never have opened the letter.

...

At 9:50 a.m. on Saturday, Meng Youyou went downstairs. Her apartment complex was only two streets away from Tonggu Tianjie. After crossing a zebra crossing, she would reach Entrance C of the shopping district.

Meng Youyou stood on the crosswalk waiting for the red light. She glanced down at the time on her phone screen, then looked up again. Huh? She lifted the frames of her sunglasses and looked across the street.

A large SUV whizzed past, briefly obstructing her view before clearing it again. She saw a well-dressed man standing upright next to the traffic light pole, wearing a white shirt and black trousers, holding a large bouquet of yellow roses.

Meng Youyou glanced down at the thin-strapped pale yellow dress she was wearing and clicked her tongue in amazement.

The red light turned green, but Meng Youyou didn't move because the person across the street had already run towards her with flowers in hand.

He stopped in front of her, smiling as he looked into her eyes, and offered her the flowers with both hands. Meng Youyou didn't immediately reach out to take them. She pouted, "What does giving flowers mean? There are many meanings for a man giving flowers to a woman. Are you mute?"

The man paused for a moment, then said solemnly, "Oh, let's... take it slow, okay?"

"What's going on?" Meng Youyou thought to herself. She had thought this was a prelude to a confession!

"What do you mean by 'take it slow'?" the girl frowned in dissatisfaction.

Meng Youyou repeated it softly twice, but the more she thought about it, the angrier she became: "Why don't you do other things in the same slow and deliberate way? Did the doctor agree that you should resume combat training this month? Why are you in such a hurry to go into the ring? If you have to go on a mission someday, will you take it slow too? When you are arranging your troops and making decisions, are you also so unhurried?"

“When it comes to dating, you just dawdle! Are you a snail?” Her voice lowered, she looked away from him, and muttered with a pout, “Where did your usual decisive and efficient spirit go?”

“It’s different.” Just as he finished speaking, noticing someone riding an electric scooter rushing towards them from the zebra crossing, Huo Qingshan reached out and pulled the girl's arm, moving her a couple of steps to the side so he could stand on the outside. After doing this, he quickly let go and patiently explained, “Work and relationships are different.”

“I feel we haven’t known each other long enough, and we don’t know each other well enough.” The man said seriously, “I want you to fully understand what kind of person I am, to see the whole picture of me, and then carefully decide whether or not to choose me, not because of anything else.”

"Don't I know you well enough? I've seen every inch of you, don't I know you well enough?" Meng Youyou retorted inwardly. But then she thought about it again, and realized that their perspectives were worlds apart at this stage. In his eyes, they were indeed only slightly more familiar than ordinary colleagues.

She lowered her head and comforted herself for a while, which thankfully worked. Glancing at the bouquet she had been holding, the girl reluctantly took the flowers, adding, "It's a deal, I'm the one evaluating you, not the other way around. The choice is mine." Meng Youyou looked unwilling.

Huo Qingshan smiled: "Yes."

...

We had barbecue for lunch. After leaving the restaurant, the two of us wandered around aimlessly. Tonggu Tianjie is the largest shopping center in Fanzhou City, integrating shopping, dining, leisure, entertainment, fitness, and education. It has all kinds of facilities and a wide variety of places to visit, so you won't see anything the same.

Ascending the escalator to the fourth floor, I arrived at a shop with a uniquely decorated storefront. A young female shop assistant greeted me with a broad smile and enthusiastically introduced the shop: "Handsome guy, beautiful lady, our brand is having an anniversary celebration. Come in and check in to receive a free custom-made aromatherapy tablet. Would you like to come in and take a look?"

Meng Youyou looked up following the sound and immediately caught sight of the sign above the door – “Adult Candy”, with soft, creamy lettering embedded in the macaron pink and blue wall.

Upon seeing this, a sly glint flashed in the girl's eyes, and the corners of her mouth curled up with interest. As she looked away, her gaze inadvertently swept over the heart-shaped sign with "18+" printed on it on the right side of the door.

She turned to the man beside her and asked, "Would you like to go in and take a look?"

Huo Qingshan was scrutinizing the two snow-white human figure sculptures displayed at the entrance with a questioning look in his eyes, his tone somewhat puzzled: "What kind of shop is this?"

“An art exhibition hall.” Meng Youyou said calmly and casually, “It should be similar to the cultural and creative exhibition we saw this morning. I guess it’s full of modern aesthetic works.”

Finally, the girl drawled out, adding meaningfully, "It should be quite interesting." Then, she casually followed up with, "Want to go in and take a look?"

"I'm fine with anything, whatever you say." The man nodded gently, his expression mild.

"Oh, then let's go in and take a look. It'll be a good opportunity to learn something and cultivate our minds." Meng Youyou shrugged indifferently.

The shop assistant immediately smiled and led the way, pushing open the double frosted glass doors, and a sweet floral fragrance wafted out. The interior was even more dreamlike than the exterior, with warm, twinkling lights hanging from the ceiling, making the macaron-colored shelves appear even softer.

Looking around the main hall, over 90% of the customers were young couples. The walls were covered with large illustrations depicting silhouettes of men and women embracing or leaning against each other, the ambiguous lines sparking endless imagination. The further Huo Qingshan went in, the more uneasy he felt.

Meng Youyou walked a little behind him, secretly observing his expression. This old fogey, where had he ever seen these novelties before? Let me show you something new today!
On the circular display stand in the center, there were rows of uniquely shaped "small items". Next to them, an acrylic stand was printed with detailed product descriptions. Huo Qingshan moved closer and quickly scanned the words "skin-friendly touch", "gentle care" and "immersive experience" with his eyes. He endured the tingling sensation that almost pierced his scalp and read the text from beginning to end.

He glanced sideways at the girl who had been walking beside him without changing her expression, and unfortunately met her gaze, which looked incredibly clear.

The girl blinked her innocent big eyes and asked blankly, "What's wrong?" Meng Youyou had learned from her previous failure—if you accidentally make eye contact, don't panic; the calmer you are, the better.

The man's eyes darted away slightly. He clenched his fist against his chin, coughed to cover his barely concealed embarrassment, and finally forced a calm reply: "N-nothing." Huo Qingshan didn't understand, because everyone in the shop, including her, seemed completely at ease. He seriously suspected that he was out of touch; he hadn't had time to delve into this area of ​​knowledge. Perhaps... in this world, these things truly were works of art, so he couldn't appear too out of place.

Even though he didn't want to stay here for another second, Meng Youyou was admiring the man's face and neck, which were as dark as if he had a high fever. She almost broke her teeth with her teeth clenched, and the smile on her lips almost burst out several times. She really used all her strength to hold it in and not give herself away.

"Oh, that's good." Meng Youyou nodded thoughtfully. "I was worried that you wouldn't be used to this kind of art form. It seems I was overthinking it."

This man is like a completely different person after falling in love. He's been reborn, his skin is incredibly thick, he's so adorable now! Meng Youyou leisurely examined the roasted sweet potato head in front of her, looking left and right, and felt more and more that she should cherish him while he was still in the stage of a pure young man.

Actually, Meng Youyou herself was a little embarrassed. It was her first time visiting this kind of store, but when it came to acting like a big shot, she was quite skilled at it, and once her mischievous thoughts started, she was unwilling to stop easily.

She looked at him quietly, then said in a serious tone, "If we just take a quick look like this, we can only get a superficial understanding at most. If we want to understand it in depth, we still need to listen to the explanations of professionals."

Upon hearing this, Huo Qingshan's expression inevitably froze for a moment: "..."

"Hey!" The girl's eyes lit up suddenly. She pointed to the right front of the man with her chin and then asked with great interest, "There's a guide over there. Shall we ask her to come over and explain it to us in detail?"

...

Ten minutes later, the man hurriedly walked out of the "art exhibition hall," his eyes darting around the mall, scanning the floors and surroundings. He turned around and saw Meng Youyou strolling leisurely out of the store. Huo Qingshan breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly asked, "Weren't you going to buy earrings? There seem to be a few jewelry stores upstairs."

She looked so embarrassed, as if she wanted to get away from this "place of trouble" as soon as possible. Meng Youyou was still trying her best to suppress her laughter: "Oh, then let's go up."

Meng Youyou went into the store and picked out a pair of pink diamond earrings in the shape of butterflies. She is very decisive when buying things and knows best what style suits her. From picking out the items to paying, it takes no more than five minutes if she is fast.

The jewelry store sales associates escorted the man and woman to the door, bowing and saying in unison, "Welcome to visit us again!"

The business district is very large. When the two entered, it was still broad daylight, but when they came out, it was already dark. Behind them was a continuous cluster of glass curtain wall buildings, which laid out a staggered outline in the night, with electronic billboards on the buildings flashing with colorful lights.

The shop signs along the street are inlaid with tiny light sources, casting flickering shadows on the walls. The milk tea shop's lightbox emits a milky white halo that spreads along the street. The traffic, carrying the lights, leaves long trails of light on the asphalt road.

They walked side by side toward the street corner, their steps slow, deliberately taking advantage of the evening breeze to stroll and digest their food. Every few steps forward, a new streetlamp would appear, casting their two shadows on the paving stones that constantly changed shape, varying in height and build, and the distance between their shadows would sometimes widen and sometimes narrow as they walked.

The girl glanced down unintentionally and noticed that her left arm was bent over from holding flowers, overlapping with his right arm hanging by his side. The scene on the ground looked like an elderly couple taking a walk hand in hand after dinner.

It wasn't about age, but rather the simple and warm atmosphere that suddenly reminded her of the elderly people in tofu pudding shops. She couldn't help but feel a strong urge to capture this moment in time.

Thinking this, she did just that. Meng Youyou observed the direction of the light source with one eye and kept a close eye on the shadows cast on the floor tiles with the other, adjusting her position flexibly in real time. Sometimes she would lag behind him by a small half-step, and sometimes she would lag behind him by a small half-step, just to ensure that the two of them were "inseparable" at all times in a certain dimension. She was immersed in this and silently carried it out for a while, but suddenly burst out laughing, amused by her own childish act that had been done on impulse.

So stupid, so incredibly stupid.

She smiled and shook her head, then looked up, unexpectedly meeting the man's dark eyes. The two of them stopped at the same time, and he stared at her for an unknown amount of time.

His gaze was a little strange. Meng Youyou scratched the skin behind her ear uncomfortably, then suddenly remembered something. She looked down and rummaged through her bag, pulling out a small velvet box.

Meng Youyou opened her palm upwards, revealing a pair of pink diamond earrings. She handed them to the man, smiling radiantly, "Help me put them on."

Amidst the comings and goings of people, the man said in a low voice, "I won't wear this."

"This is a gift you gave me, so I should go all the way. Besides, there's no mirror here, so I can't see," the girl said, tucking her long hair behind her ears to reveal her smooth ears. She stood quietly under the streetlight, looking at him, her hand holding the earring held up.

A pair of dark pupils opposite him seemed to be filled with water, shimmering and blinking twice, causing the man's heart to pound erratically. Huo Qingshan remained silent for a few seconds, then, as if driven by something, took a step forward, picked up an earring from her palm, and leaned down slightly to get closer.

He lowered his eyes, gently cupping her small earlobe with the pads of two fingers. The warmth of his fingertips traveled through her thin skin. As he put the needle on her earlobe, he unconsciously held his breath, as if afraid of disturbing her or disturbing his own mind.

When wearing the other ear, that ear was facing away from the streetlight, making the view somewhat dim. To get a better look, the man brought his eyes closer.

As he approached, the girl naturally raised her hand to hug his waist, leaned her head forward, and the moment their noses touched, his heart almost stopped.

The girl suppressed her delight, her cheek lightly brushing against his chin, then resting her chin on the crook of his neck, leaning against him softly, surrendering her entire weight to him.

The man supported her stiffly, his Adam's apple bobbing dryly: "Um... there's still one that's not on properly."

Meng Youyou didn't pay much attention to this, and whispered sweetly into the man's earlobe, "My high heels are rubbing my feet, they hurt so much, can you carry me back later?"

The next second, the man heard himself blurt out without thinking, "Okay."

They encountered many people along the way. Although they were complete strangers, it didn't stop them from casually gossiping and making comments as they passed by. Naturally, many of these remarks reached their ears, whether near or far. Whenever Meng Youyou heard phrases like "a handsome man and a beautiful woman," she couldn't help but agree. When they arrived at the apartment building, the man put the girl down.

Before parting, Meng Youyou awkwardly pulled a bag out of her purse, turned her face away, looked elsewhere, and said in a muffled voice, "I originally intended to give this to my boyfriend, but he just doesn't appreciate it. Logically speaking, he doesn't deserve this gift. But I thought since I've already bought it, it would be a waste to keep it with me. I might as well use it sooner, so I'll give it to you."

The girl shoved the bag against the man's chest, let go, and ran into the building without looking back.

Huo Qingshan stood still, opened the bag and glanced at it. The logo of a well-known protective gear brand was revealed on the packaging box, and he smiled silently.

Just then, his phone vibrated in his pocket. "We've only just entered the elevator," Huo Qingshan thought to himself as he reached into his pocket and took the phone out to check.

Yoyo: "Knock knock, your sweetheart asked me to pass on a message to you. She said she likes you even more today than yesterday."
Yoyo: [Oh right, she also said she had a great date today~]

At this moment, Huo Qingshan suddenly began to doubt the truth of what someone had said during dinner: that she didn't have an ex-boyfriend.

This doesn't look like someone who's never been in a relationship at all. It makes him look like an uncultured young man.