Chapter 66: Something is Very Wrong

Shen Siyuan looked at the young woman in front of him and said with a smile, "It's fine, I just arrived as well."

Perhaps because of Doudou, he felt a certain sense of familiarity toward her.

"My name is Jiang Taozhi, you can call me Taozi..."

As she spoke, Jiang Taozhi plopped down on the seat right next to him. Granny Su hurriedly got up and moved to the other side; otherwise, Jiang Taozhi would have sat right on top of her.

After Shen Siyuan introduced himself, Jiang Taozhi said, "To apologize to you, I'll treat you to cake."

"Alright," Shen Siyuan replied with a smile.

Shen Siyuan's answer took Jiang Taozhi by surprise. She had only been saying it out of courtesy, never expecting that he would actually accept.

Instead of offending her, this response greatly increased her favorable impression of him. She found him straightforward and unpretentious, unlike other guys who always tried to maintain a cool demeanor in front of her, saying one thing while meaning another, which she found hypocritical.

Though Jiang Taozhi usually seemed a bit clumsy, she had managed to get into Qiantang University, one of the top three universities in the country—how could she possibly be stupid? It was simply that she had been too well-protected, and many things were arranged for her without her ever needing to worry.

However, this had also nurtured her gentle and uncompetitive personality. Such a trait would put her at a huge disadvantage in society, which was why she had become friends with Ruan Hongzhuang.

Ruan Hongzhuang's personality was the exact opposite of hers: strong-willed and highly capable. Under Ruan Hongzhuang's wing, anyone who wanted to hurt her had to get past Ruan Hongzhuang first.

"Here is your cheese cake."

Jiang Taozhi opened the bag and handed the cake she had bought for Ruan Hongzhuang first.

Ruan Hongzhuang reached out and took it. Just then, Jiang Taozhi seemed to remember something and took the initiative to introduce, "I haven't introduced him to you yet. This is my o—"

"An old friend. We've known each other since college."

Ruan Hongzhuang spoke up, cutting Jiang Taozhi off.

Jiang Taozhi gave her a puzzled look, but a single glare from Ruan Hongzhuang scared her so much that she didn't dare ask any further. She immediately went along with it and said, "Right, my old friend Ruan Hongzhuang. We've known each other since college and we've always been besties."

"I see. I could tell," Shen Siyuan said.

Both women knew that Shen Siyuan meant he could tell she had brought a companion along to a blind date.

Neither of them offered an explanation, and by this time, Jiang Taozhi had already opened the tiramisu in her hand.

A slightly embarrassed expression appeared on her face when she revealed that a corner of the tiramisu was missing—it had clearly been sampled.

"Sorry, I just tasted a tiny little bit."

Jiang Taozhi made a cute gesture of apology.

Beside her, Ruan Hongzhuang let out a soft chuckle, pulled out a tissue, and handed it to her. "Wipe the corner of your mouth."

Only then did Jiang Taozhi realize what had happened. Her cheeks turned red, and she complained indignantly, "Why are you only telling me now?"

"Who told you to sneak a bite?"

"Because it was just too delicious! And I only ate one bite," Jiang Taozhi said with a coquettish pout.

"If you put it that way, I really have to try this cake today. Wouldn't it be a shame to miss out?"

Jiang Taozhi nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. "Let me tell you, it's seriously amazing. Your workplace isn't far from here, so you should be able to get it delivered."

Shen Siyuan's words eased Jiang Taozhi's embarrassment.

Jiang Taozhi stood up, asked the cafe staff for a clean spoon, and then used it to cut the cake in half.

Next, she placed her own half onto the plastic lid and pushed the other half toward Shen Siyuan.

"Have a taste, it's really delicious."

Her subtle consideration greatly increased Shen Siyuan's favorable impression of her. She was a young woman who clearly knew how to be considerate of others' feelings.

Shen Siyuan didn't stand on ceremony either. He took the spoon, took a small bite, and found that the taste was indeed excellent.

"Good, right?"

Jiang Taozhi, who had been staring closely at him, wore a look of triumphant pride, as if she shared in the glory.

"It really is delicious. This actually reminds me of another cake shop in Binhai."

"You wouldn't be talking about Deer's Tendon, would you?" Jiang Taozhi asked.

"You know it?" Shen Siyuan asked in surprise.

"Of course! Deer's Tendon is the oldest cake shop in Binhai. I used to eat there all the time when I was little. It's a pity their scale is so small, and after all these years, there still aren't many branches across the whole of Binhai..."

As the two of them chatted, Ruan Hongzhuang sat quietly to the side drinking her coffee, listening without touching her own cheese cake.

When they finished discussing the topic, she finally spoke up, "Is it really that good?"

"Of course, it's genuinely delicious."

Hearing this, Jiang Taozhi enthusiastically recommended it to her.

"Can I have a taste then?"

"Of course you can," Jiang Taozhi answered without a second thought.

Then, to Jiang Taozhi's utter astonishment, Ruan Hongzhuang calmly took the spoon from Shen Siyuan's hand, scooped a portion from the half of the tiramisu in front of him, and put it into her mouth.

"Thank you. The flavor is indeed quite nice."

Ruan Hongzhuang pursed her lips lightly and handed the spoon back to Shen Siyuan.

Although Ruan Hongzhuang used Shen Siyuan's spoon to eat the cake, her lips hadn't actually touched the rim of the spoon.

"Right?" Shen Siyuan replied with a smile.

He didn't think Ruan Hongzhuang's action was abrupt at all; instead, he found her open and straightforward demeanor refreshing.

Well, to be fair, a lot of it was because she was pretty. If she were ugly, people would call it impolite and flirtatious—human nature was just that double-standarded.

Jiang Taozhi, however, was too shocked for words. She looked at the cake in front of herself, then at the one in front of Shen Siyuan, feeling as though she were in a dream.

She knew very well how picky Ruan Hongzhuang usually was. Whenever Ruan Hongzhuang saw food others had eaten, she would always look disgusted, yet now she had actively chosen to eat from a complete stranger's plate.

Even though her lips hadn't touched the spoon, Shen Siyuan had just put that exact spoon straight into his mouth.

Jiang Taozhi felt like she had a bone stuck in her throat—she had so much she wanted to ask, but this wasn't the right time, leaving her feeling as restless as if a cat were scratching at her heart.

Little did she know, there was an unexpected spokesperson right beside them.

Granny Su said with a broad smile, "Ruanruan must really like you. She's never done anything like this before."

Had Ruan Hongzhuang and Jiang Taozhi not been present, Shen Siyuan would certainly have offered some polite deflection.

Even so, Shen Siyuan gave Granny Su a meaningful look.

Granny Su continued, "Don't let her appearance fool you—even though our Ruanruan is already twenty-eight this year, she's never been in a relationship. She's a very pure girl..."

Granny Su was pulling out all the stops to promote her granddaughter. Previously, she had called her "our Hongzhuang," but now she was using her childhood nickname "Ruanruan," desperately trying to shorten the distance between her and Shen Siyuan.

What was Binhai most famous for having an abundance of?

Anyone who had ever visited Binhai knew that Binhai had more seafood food stalls than anything else.

Especially along the coastal highway, aside from hotels, it was lined with seafood stalls. Once night fell, it became exceptionally lively with countless tourists.

However, locals rarely ate there because the prices were high and the quality of the seafood wasn't particularly good.

Therefore, the three of them chose not to go to a seafood stall, opting instead for hot pot.

"You've been acting very strange today. Do you like him?"

Lingering a few steps behind, Jiang Taozhi tugged at Ruan Hongzhuang's sleeve and thrust her chin forward.

Ruan Hongzhuang shook her head at the question and replied with a composed expression, "Nothing of the sort."

Jiang Taozhi: →_→

Jiang Taozhi remained full of suspicion.

Just as Ruan Hongzhuang understood her, she understood Ruan Hongzhuang just as well.

Don't let Ruan Hongzhuang's calm exterior fool you; in Jiang Taozhi's eyes, she was simply being stubborn.

"Did you guys know each other before?" Jiang Taozhi asked again.

"No."

"Liars. If you didn't know each other, how did he manage to pick Listen to the Sea Tide, which is your favorite place?"

In truth, Ruan Hongzhuang herself found it a bit strange. When they were discussing where to eat for dinner just moments ago, Shen Siyuan had blurted out Listen to the Sea Tide without hesitation.

Could this be what they called a meeting of minds?