Chapter 25: A Woman’s Heart Is as Deep as the Ocean

Four dishes and a soup—a truly sumptuous spread.

Luo Man’s culinary skills were indeed impressive; the colors, fragrance, and taste were all in harmony. At the very least, Zhang Long calculated that even if his own meager cooking abilities from two lifetimes were combined, they still couldn’t compare. He gave her a mental thumbs-up: outstanding.

A true chef, well-deserved.

...

“How is it?” Luo Man’s bright eyes sparkled.

“Not bad at all,” Zhang Long replied, savoring a piece of sweet and sour pork before smacking his lips in genuine admiration. “I really didn’t expect our class monitor to be so skilled in the kitchen. It’s hard to believe—you’re wasted at the bank, you ought to open a restaurant.”

“Get out of here,” Luo Man rolled her eyes at him. “This is just ordinary home cooking. I’m nowhere near ready to run a restaurant.”

“All right, let’s eat.” Luo Man called out, making herself right at home. Zhang Long chuckled. “These days, it’s rare enough for a girl to know how to cook, and even rarer for one who’s both beautiful and a great cook. Impressive.”

“I’m flattered,” Luo Man didn’t bother with his compliments. After spending over an hour cooking, she was hungry too—better to eat first and talk later.

After a few bites, she looked up.

“Did you get the invitation?”

Zhang Long’s movement paused; he knew exactly what Luo Man was referring to. He shook his head. “No, Fan Lu won’t invite me. The break was complete.”

“The wedding is tomorrow, right?” Luo Man got up and retrieved an invitation from her bag, pulling a face. “We haven’t spoken since graduation, but she still remembers to collect a gift for her wedding. I’m not planning to go, though. Here, keep the invitation as a souvenir.”

“How did you hear about it?” Zhang Long shook his head. It didn’t matter which classmate had spilled the news—he’d received a message on Qchat, but whether it was well-intentioned or malicious, he’d ignored it completely.

Tomorrow was the sixteenth of August, and with October 1 approaching, most people had already started their holidays. It was a well-chosen date.

And everything had happened so fast.

Just at the beginning of September, he’d shown up with half a million to vent the frustration for his former self, and in less than a month, the new groom was found and the wedding was imminent. Remarkable.

...

“I don’t want the invitation.” Zhang Long didn’t even have the urge to open it; he tossed it straight back to Luo Man. “If you don’t want it either, just throw it away. No point keeping something that only gets in the way.”

Clearly, he was truly over it.

Luo Man’s eyes flickered. After placing a green vegetable on Zhang Long’s plate, she smiled. “It’s good you can let it go. But honestly, I don’t think Fan Lu’s marriage will last. You two broke up not long ago, right? Unless those two were already together before, getting married after just a month or two of knowing each other isn’t exactly reliable.”

“You really know how to rub salt in the wound.”

Zhang Long was speechless—she criticized Fan Lu and then served him a piece of leafy green, bright and beautiful.

Well, it tasted pretty good, too.

“So, why did you two break up?” Luo Man was curious. She hadn’t paid attention to Zhang Long before and hadn’t bothered to find out, but things were different now. She wanted to learn from his experience and avoid any pitfalls in the future.

“Do you really want to know?” Zhang Long raised his brows, meeting Luo Man’s curious and determined gaze. After a moment’s thought, he began, “You know about my background. I didn’t want to return to Hangzhou, and Fan Lu, being a local in Shanghai, was a suitable candidate for a live-in son-in-law...”

“It was more or less an unexpected incident. Her brother’s girlfriend got pregnant and they wanted to get married in a hurry. Originally, the plan was to mortgage the old house for a down payment—no big deal. But the bride’s family insisted on full payment for the house or they wouldn’t agree to the marriage, threatening an abortion otherwise. So they turned to me for the money. When I couldn’t provide it, we broke up.”

He shrugged lightly. “Maybe the heavens have eyes and fortune turned in my favor. I bought a lottery ticket on a whim and won first prize. After donating and paying taxes, you saw how much was left in the bank. That’s all there is to it.”

“Yes, you donated three hundred thousand that day,” Luo Man’s eyes sparkled. “The transfer went to a welfare home in Hangzhou, I noticed. Very thoughtful.”

“Zhang Long, you’re a kind person.”

...

Human nature—no one is immune to material desires. Only those who lack nothing can claim they don’t care about money. It’s hypocrisy.

Luo Man didn’t deny that her initial fondness for Zhang Long was inspired by his bank balance, but after spending time with him recently, she’d come to realize he was actually quite a good man.

At the very least, after suddenly coming into a fortune, he didn’t lose all restraint. He still went to work as usual and lived his life as before.

At most, he rented a more expensive apartment.

In the bank, seeing accounts with several million or even tens of millions was nothing unusual, but those were just numbers for strangers. Zhang Long was an old classmate—someone familiar, someone within reach.

Real, tangible.

“Uh, please don’t give me the ‘good guy’ card…” Zhang Long seemed to recall something, and the corner of his mouth twitched. “If I were truly that kind, I’d have donated all the money. The three hundred thousand was just my way of thanking the welfare home. I’m not planning to return for Mid-Autumn or National Day, not even for New Year.”

“Let’s not talk about it anymore.”

Luo Man nodded, understanding. She could guess that Zhang Long probably hadn’t been happy at the welfare home as a child, or else he wouldn’t have chosen to study in Shanghai and never return, even after graduation.

“Here, have some soup.” Luo Man collected her thoughts and ladled a bowl of tofu soup for Zhang Long. Changing the subject, she asked, “With all these days off, what are your plans? Any trips?”

“Nowhere in particular,” Zhang Long’s eyes flickered and he sighed. “I’ve been exhausted after a hectic month. Weekends aren’t enough to recover, so I’ll probably just sleep for three to five days straight. No girlfriend, no one to bother me. What about you, monitor? Working overtime?”

“Yes, I’m on shift the first and second,” Luo Man smiled and sipped her hot soup. “Once we finish eating, I’ll have to go. I came today to make up for the movie we missed last time, and I even cooked you a meal. That’s quite a lot, don’t you think? Sincerity in abundance.”

“Whew, I’m stuffed.”

...

Zhang Long simply didn’t know how to date.

Across two lifetimes, he’d had a few relationships, but they all just drifted along, messy and unremarkable. As for coaxing girls and making them laugh, he was completely clueless.

To put it bluntly, he was a typical straight man.

Though it’s a common male misconception to think a girl is interested, judging by Luo Man’s actions, there did seem to be something there. Yet it still felt like something was missing—a subtle, ungraspable thing. He didn’t understand it.

Some things can’t be expressed, only felt.

Unfortunately, Zhang Long had no intention of trying to feel it.

“Uh, well…” Zhang Long hesitated, scratching his head. Under Luo Man’s slightly expectant gaze, he blurted out a bombshell, “Since you’re done eating, why not wash the pots and pans before you leave—to finish what you started.”

Silence. Deep, profound silence.

Luo Man’s eyes widened gradually, as if she must have misheard him. She was certain she had.

But in fact, she hadn’t.

“Wow… impressive,” Luo Man drew a long breath, meeting Zhang Long’s innocent and earnest gaze. She slowly raised her thumb. “I’m sorry, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have come today. You can wash your own pots and pans. Goodbye—and never again.”

With that, she stood up and left.

She was genuinely angry—she’d known Zhang Long was straightforward, but hadn’t expected him to be made of stainless steel. It was a mystery how he and Fan Lu had ever gotten together.

With a man so obtuse, you could die of frustration trying to communicate, let alone talk about love or marriage.

Unbearable, impossible to get along with.

“Monitor…” Zhang Long was dumbfounded. How had things gone sour so suddenly? Women’s hearts were like the bottom of the ocean. Still, the dishes hadn’t been washed yet, and he hated cleaning up after meals.

“Wait a minute…” Zhang Long hurried after her, and as Luo Man reached for the door, he instinctively reached out and grabbed—

By sheer misfortune, his hand landed on the elastic clasp at the back of Luo Man’s top—the fastening of her bra—and pulled it loose a little.

Just like drawing a bowstring.

“Ahem, sorry, my hand slipped,” he stammered awkwardly, letting go. With a sharp snap, the band bounced back into place, the sound crisp and clear.

Clearly, he hadn’t used a gentle touch.

For a moment, the atmosphere froze again. After a pause, Luo Man slowly turned around…