Chapter 20: I Hate Long-Distance, President Pu.
That restaurant was famous, but it lacked the lavish decor and romantic ambiance of Meiyuan, being fairly budget-friendly. Consequently, the main hall inside was bustling and thronged with people during the dinner peak hours.
Before even stepping out of the car, Shan Dai regretted coming to this place. Clad in a fully bespoke, high-end handmade suit, Pu Huaiyan looked completely out of place walking in.
Sure enough, within two steps of entering the establishment, a pedestrian bumped into him. The passerby apologized to him, but he didn’t utter a word. The person kept looking back while walking away, unsure whether it was due to his striking looks or wondering why this man was so cold.
Feeling deeply embarrassed, Shan Dai whispered to him, “There are so many people. Thank you for accompanying me, President Pu.”
“Pick a different spot next time,” Pu Huaiyan said calmly. “If you need to discuss business, go to Meiyuan.”
Shan Dai let out an awkward, faint smile and said, “I wasn’t the one who picked the place.”
Pu Huaiyan glanced at her slightly flushed face and clarified, “I meant that coming here isn’t great for you either. As for me, it doesn’t matter.”
Shan Dai looked up.
Meeting the girl’s glistening, watery eyes, Pu Huaiyan’s voice grew even softer: “With this many people, bumps and jostles are inevitable. As a girl, you need to be more careful. I’ll give you a membership card to Meiyuan. Next time, you set the location—no one will refuse to dine there. If others don’t pick it, it’s simply because it operates on a reservation basis and can’t be attended on short notice.”
“…” Her forced smile turned even more strained. “Thank you, President Pu, but I rarely have projects in Beijing. I have no idea when ‘month of the monkey, year of the horse’ [TN: 猴年马月 (hóu nián mǎ yuè), a Chinese idiom meaning an unforeseen or distant future date] I’ll come back next time. Thank you.”
The man said nothing further.
The creative director from Zhuangzhou Entertainment had already arrived. He really wasn’t much different from Shen Jiani’s description—looking to be in his early forties, bald, slightly chubby, and wearing a black short-sleeved shirt.
The moment he laid eyes on Shan Dai, his eyes lit up. But as he turned to notice she was accompanied by a man, a subtle trace of surprise floated across the bottom of his eyes.
Shan Dai greeted him, “Director Zhai, hello.”
“Ms. Shan.” He stood up at an unhurried pace, extending a hand. “Hello.”
Shan Dai subtly shifted her hand hanging at her side and said, “My hand is injured, my apologies.”
“Oh, no worries, no worries. You…” He finally moved his eyes, which had been locked onto her face, to focus on the hand wrapped in thick white gauze, letting out a surprised gasp, “How did it get injured so severely?”
“An accident.”
Pu Huaiyan reached out to half-embrace Shan Dai, steering her clear of the people in the aisle and shielding her injured hand next to himself.
Only then did the man across them slowly shift his gaze onto Pu Huaiyan. “This gentleman is…”
Shan Dai could tell he didn’t seem particularly welcoming of her bringing someone along.
“This is my friend… Mr. Pu.” She remained composed, confident that he wouldn’t hold any lingering unwelcomeness once he eventually learned Pu Huaiyan’s true identity. “Since it was my first time here and I didn’t know the way, I asked my friend to guide me. His company also has related business branches, so he came along to lend me a hand.”
The other party wore an “Oh, I see” expression, then asked Pu Huaiyan in a casual, offhand manner while taking a seat, “Which company is Mr. Pu with?”
Pu Huaiyan helped Shan Dai settle onto the inner side of the sofa, sitting together on the same side. Finally, he stated in a cool voice, “Yanxin Times.”
“Yanxin??” The man opposite instantly focused his eyes, his former carefree demeanor completely evaporating as he sized him up with suspicion, “For real?”
Pu Huaiyan set down Shan Dai’s bag, giving the man half a glance. “It’s not important. The person negotiating the collaboration with your esteemed company today isn’t me.”
Shan Dai: “…”
Hearing this, Zhai Feng turned even more skeptical. “Then what position do you hold at Yanxin Times?”
“President,” Pu Huaiyan replied.
Zhai Feng: “…”
Shan Dai let out a dry laugh, stepping in at the right moment to break the awkwardness and make introductions: “Director Zhai, this is indeed the President of Yanxin Times Group, Mr. Pu Huaiyan. Mr. Pu is a… longtime friend of mine. He came along today to help me evaluate things, so please don’t mind it.”
The man’s frozen face was practically shattering, his breathing losing its steady rhythm. Staring wide-eyed and straight at the man in the off-white shirt who appeared refined and graceful yet remained devoid of expression, he was almost entirely unable to react.
It was only the waiter arriving to take their order that snapped him back to his senses in time. He then stood up in immense embarrassment, bending forward to stretch his hand across the dining table. “How could I, how could I? It’s an honor, an absolute honor! President Pu, so you are President Pu of Yanxin Times! Not recognizing you—I am truly sorry, so sorry.”
Pu Huaiyan didn’t care about anyone’s slight, but he remembered those few seconds earlier when the man had stared unblinkingly at Shan Dai upon meeting her. Thus, he casually extended his hand without standing up. “You’re welcome.”
After that, things at the table became exceedingly polite. The other party wouldn’t even touch the menu when ordering, insisting that the lady go first.
Shan Dai felt she wouldn’t be having a serious meal at a dinner table like this, so she casually ordered a few dishes before passing it back to the business partner.
Taking advantage of the gap while the man lowered his head, she leaned close to Pu Huaiyan.
Holding his breath, the man suppressed the upward curve of his lips, listening as she whispered in his ear, “Let’s grab a late-night snack later. I have a feeling this meal won’t taste very good.”
His eye corners curved upward almost imperceptibly, and he nodded.
To the man sitting opposite, this scene made them look unmistakably like a couple. He felt completely finished—he couldn’t intimidate this newly arrived female boss today, couldn’t make easy money, couldn’t flirt with a woman, and couldn’t skimp on ordering dishes. It was a total loss. Crucially, meeting the President of Yanxin Times Group was of no use to him anyway; he’d only be eligible to collaborate with him in his next life.
Shan Dai and Zhuangzhou Entertainment were negotiating the derivative development of a game. That game had been launched this year and was quite popular. They discussed the market, the other side’s expectations, as well as the design, post-production, publicity, and projected results her side could provide.
Once she got busy, she practically couldn’t spare any attention for Pu Huaiyan.
Consequently, she also overlooked how her food bowl was constantly being filled with dishes—her favorite shelled shrimp, fresh vegetables, and even her soup seemed endless no matter how much she drank.
However, she did eat slowly. Between focusing on the business discussion and her hand injury making eating inconvenient, Pu Huaiyan knew full well that she hadn’t eaten much.
Before they knew it, food was still left on the table, but the business discussion was mostly wrapped up. Everyone put down their chopsticks in tacit agreement.
At the entrance, Zhai Feng wanted to shake hands with Shan Dai, but remembering her injury, he extended his hand to Pu Huaiyan instead, saying with extreme courtesy, “Pleasure doing business with you. I’ll let President Pu and Ms. Shan take your time then. Until next time.”
Pu Huaiyan was not one to show a smiling face to just anyone. Even standing at the entrance of a noisy evening peak-hour restaurant, under neon billboards that appeared loud due to their overly vivid colors, he remained a superior looking down from above.
Nevertheless, he shook hands and offered a nod.
Shan Dai smiled and saw the man off herself.
Afterward, she and Pu Huaiyan walked toward the parking space, her voice soft as she spoke along the way: “Thank you for accompanying me tonight, President Pu. Knowing your identity made the negotiations go very smoothly.” She could tell the other party had been somewhat unhappy upon seeing her bring someone along at first, likely assuming he couldn’t push around a female partner because of it—much less expecting the person to be the President of arguably the most prominent conglomerate in Beijing.
The man beside her strolled shoulder-to-shoulder with her over the red historic cobblestones, one hand supporting her and the other tucked in his trouser pocket, offering no response.
The light from the orchid-shaped streetlamps fell in circles beneath their feet, stretching their shadows long. Occasionally, to make way for pedestrians, the two shadows—already extremely close—would blend into one another.
The moon climbs to the willow tops; lovers meet after twilight. Recalling this line of poetry, the corners of Pu Huaiyan’s lips turned up slightly. Half a minute after her words ended, he suddenly replied, “The honor is mine.”
Shan Dai tilted her head slightly, but unsure of how to respond, she could only offer a faint smile.
The moment she sat in the passenger seat, she immediately asked, “Where should we go to grab something to eat? You barely ate anything at all, President Pu.”
“I ate. Are you hungry? If you’re not, I’ll send you back to the hotel.”
“You didn’t eat—you were only serving me food and peeling shrimp.”
The man glanced at her, starting the car while asking, “You knew?”
“I knew. You kept serving me food and peeling shrimp, President Pu, while barely taking two bites yourself.” Feeling both guilty and touched, she pursed her lips into a faint smile. “Let’s find a place to eat—I’m worried your stomach will hurt.”
“I’m fine.”
Fearing he still wouldn’t want to go, Shan Dai said, “That place didn’t quite suit my taste; it didn’t feel very authentic. Lan City has a delicious Cantonese restaurant right near my company. Next time you visit, President Pu, I’ll take you there to try it.”
“Alright.” The man nodded, then said nothing further. The black Bentley cleanly merged into the tide-like traffic under the imperial capital’s night sky, navigating the long line of cars with effortless speed as it swiftly left the city center.
Shan Dai had no idea where they were going, thinking it might be Meiyuan.
A drizzle began pitter-pattering outside. Beijing’s bustling summer night took on an extra layer of atmosphere in the rain, with strands falling like straight threads through the sprawling greenery along the avenue, dropping onto brightly colored umbrellas before trickling off.
On the Bentley’s clear windshield, the wipers swung rhythmically—clean one second, only to be blurred over by rain droplets the next, growing hazy.
The thunderstorm didn’t last long. Before the car even emerged from the shadows of the ring-road skyscrapers, the wind had already blown dry all remaining rain beads on the windshield.
The place where they ultimately parked was entirely unfamiliar to Shan Dai. It wasn’t the quiet entrance of Meiyuan on the outskirts of Beijing, but rather a narrow hutong.
The hutong wasn’t wide; two cars passing each other would likely be inconvenient. The streetlamps weren’t particularly bright either—every dozen meters or so stood an old-fashioned octagonal streetlamp whose green paint had been eroded by years of wind and rain into a rusty, degraded state, its unstable circuit causing it to flicker subtly.
About twenty meters ahead grew a white ash tree, swaying gentle in the post-rain breeze.
Just as Shan Dai looked around curiously to discern where this was, Pu Huaiyan had already unbuckled his seatbelt. “Wait for me to assist you. The ground is slippery from the rain.”
He stepped out of the car and walked around the back toward the passenger side.
Shan Dai snapped back to reality and quickly unbuckled her seatbelt. In her rush, her right hand was caught by the snapping seatbelt strap right against her gauze wrapping, causing a dull ache across her palm wound.
“Ah…” She let out a soft gasp.
The car door was pulled open from the outside, and a hand wrapped in a beige shirt sleeve caught her palm. Her fingertips were pressed down by him, and the sudden, firm pressure made her fingertips numb, overriding the pain in her palm.
She closed her eyes, leaning back against the seat to cooperate and ease that piercing pain.
Gradually, feeling the pain subside significantly, she turned her head toward the outside and extended her left hand.
Pu Huaiyan first picked up her right hand to check for any bleeding. “Silly girl, wait for me to unbuckle it for you next time.”
Standing close, he sounded as if he were whispering right by her ear. The cool breeze following the rainy night carried a chill, yet the man’s warm breath—wrapped in that cool breeze—seeped into her heart like pillow talk, making a wave of distressed care intensely clear.
Shan Dai didn’t dare to move.
Pu Huaiyan lowered her right hand, took hold of her left hand, supported her out of the car, slammed the door shut with his elbow, and held her slender wrist as he guided her across the wet, black street stones.
“There’s… a restaurant here?” Shan Dai asked curiously, as the entire hutong was quiet with virtually no figures in sight.
Pu Huaiyan: “There is. In Beijing’s old hutongs, upscale restaurants are the last thing in short supply.”
Shan Dai smiled. Walking down the quiet lane filled with only a gentle breeze, her mind and body felt inexplicably relaxed. “This place must be beautiful when it snows in winter.”
“You like snow?”
Shan Dai felt a bit embarrassed. “Southerners probably all like it a bit.”
“Doesn’t it snow in Lan City?” He switched to supporting her arm, feeling that holding her wrist wasn’t stable enough.
Shan Dai: “It does, once every few years, but it’s light.”
The man nodded. “If it snows this year, I’ll let you know. If I have the honor, I’ll find time to bring you to see it, Ms. Shan.”
Shan Dai smiled, not declining.
Pu Huaiyan pointed toward a doorway up ahead. “It’s a noodle shop. Want to try it? There are quite a few other shops on this street.”
“Sure, let’s have noodles.” She surmised that since he had driven all the way to this spot, he likely knew the food here tasted good.
Pu Huaiyan led her a dozen meters forward and turned into a very old-fashioned wooden door. The cool air inside rushed over them, infused with lingering wisps of jasmine fragrance that proved extraordinarily refreshing, instantly washing away the noise of the city center along the way.
Most areas inside the shop were dimly lit, with only a lotus lamp above each table casting a patch of soft white light.
Seating wasn’t extensive, yet it wasn’t fully occupied—likely because peak dinner hour had passed, and the heavy rain earlier had reduced the number of people coming out to dine.
A gramophone sitting in a corner was spinning a vinyl record, sending wisps of song drifting from beneath the ceiling beams in all directions.
Pu Huaiyan led her to a seat near a window facing the hutong. It was well-ventilated, and the chill of the rainy night crept into her collar, giving the quiet, ordinary alley a rich sense of everyday life while instilling a feeling of inner peace.
The shop’s furnishings were remarkably classic and elegant, resembling an old establishment from the previous century. Yet Pu Huaiyan, clad in his expensive bespoke attire, blended unexpectedly well with the setting—as if he were born to quietly watch the light rain and catch the cool summer night breeze in a refined place like this, or sit on a rosewood dining chair at Meiyuan, smelling the freshest floral fragrance while casually negotiating a multi-million dollar deal over a sip of vintage red wine.
The noisy restaurant in the city center felt like a square peg in a round hole compared to him.
Shan Dai suddenly caught a faint scent of vinegar on her hand—a cold appetizer from the previous restaurant had contained sour vinegar and lemon.
“I’d like to wash my hands,” Shan Dai said.
Pu Huaiyan nodded, pointing out the direction of the restroom for her. “Walk carefully, the lighting in the shop is dim.”
“Okay.”
It wasn’t too far or too close. When Shan Dai walked over, a girl wearing a bucket hat happened to step out of the restroom. After brushing past each other, she was left alone by the sink filled with floral fragrance.
While washing her hands, she checked her light makeup in the mirror. The weather had been pleasant today, and her makeup had held up well, with only her lipstick having faded a bit.
However, considering she was about to eat again, she didn’t touch up her lipstick, as her natural lip color was decent enough on its own.
Walking back leisurely while listening to the song felt thoroughly enjoyable. Shan Dai envisioned how winter would look, with snow falling all over the hutong while she and Pu Huaiyan sat by the window looking out—it would surely be breathtakingly beautiful.
Turning a corner, her steps suddenly ground to a halt. She leaned against the wall, quietly gazing toward their original table in the distance.
Pu Huaiyan wasn’t sitting down; instead, he stood near an open, spacious area by the window, where a lamp overhead cast down a soft circle of light like rippling water.
The gramophone hummed an old song from the last century—If I were to meet you / While you are still young / Using the truest heart / In exchange for your deepest affection.
With one hand tucked in his trouser pocket and the other resting on the window sill, Pu Huaiyan maintained a rather relaxed posture.
Standing before him was the girl wearing the bucket hat, clad in a white short-sleeved dress. Her profile faced Shan Dai’s direction while her front faced Pu Huaiyan, gesturing something with her hands, her face beaming with smiles.
Pu Huaiyan had a smile at the corners of his lips.
Shan Dai had hardly ever seen him smile out in public…
She pinched her palm, turned back to lean against the corner, tilting her head to peek at the scene, unsure if she should walk over.
In a trance, she seemed to recall last night when she was drunk, and Pu Huaiyan had whispered in her ear that she had grown up, would no longer be fooled by a man’s few coaxing words, and would meet a very, very good person next time.
She lowered her head to look at her own faint shadow on the floor, then tilted her head back to glance at that scene once more.
Just then, Pu Huaiyan happened to look her way. Across half the hall, their eyes met squarely in the hazy light. Shan Dai had no choice but to stand straight and walk over.
A man was walking ahead of her, also heading toward the window area.
Pu Huaiyan loosely wrapped an arm around her as she drew near, asking softly, “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” she replied with a smile.
Turning her head, the woman in the bucket hat stared straight at her face in complete astonishment.
Pu Huaiyan said to Shan Dai, “Let me introduce you.” He lightly gestured toward the girl in front of them. “This is my junior from Yale and my assistant back when I was at the US company. She just got married last month and returned from her honeymoon, happening to be here on a business trip. Her Chinese name is Ye Xi, and her English name is CiCi.” Saying that, he pointed to the gentleman who had stopped beside her a second ago. “Her husband, my friend, Sui Yuan.”
Now it was Shan Dai’s turn to be stunned. As Secretary Shen had said, people shouldn’t judge a book by its cover—and looking at herself, she was quite adept at weaving stories out of pictures and making wild assumptions that tarnished Pu Huaiyan’s reputation.
Perhaps it was also because the song’s atmosphere was too melancholic, drawing her right into it.
The woman had already snapped back to reality, taking a deep breath as a sweet smile bloomed across her face: “Gosh, oh my gosh, Sister-in-law is an absolute fairy!”
Shan Dai: “…”
Her husband chuckled and said to Shan Dai, “Hello.”
Shan Dai nodded with a blush, “Hello…”
Only after hearing the title he wanted to hear did Pu Huaiyan smile and make introductions again, pointing to Shan Dai as he told the two of them, “Shan Dai—Shan as in green mountains, Dai as in indigo shades. A media and entertainment company boss from Jiangnan. We just finished business entertaining and came to swap places for a meal.”
“Wow, Sister-in-law is so amaz…” Before CiCi could finish, Pu Huaiyan let out a light cough, interrupting her, “My friend.”
“Oh, oh oh oh… Sorry! You two look so compatible, President Pu and Ms. Shan—standing together, anyone can tell at a glance that you’re a couple.” The girl let out a helpless, sweet laugh, “Sorry.”
Shan Dai: “…”
“But seriously, you’re so amazing—a female boss running your own business! You’re exactly the type of person I admire most.” With that, she used the back of her hand to lightly pat her husband’s chest, turning her head to look at him, “When are you going to invest in me? I really don’t want to keep working for you guys in turns anymore—I haven’t been able to stand tall my entire life.”
All three of them burst into laughter.
In Shan Dai’s eyes, she was the truly impressive one—graduating from Yale and becoming Pu Huaiyan’s assistant right after graduation.
The people around him were all so outstanding.
The couple quickly took their leave so the two could enjoy their meal, as they had already finished eating and were ready to go.
Pu Huaiyan helped Shan Dai take her seat at their table.
The menu on the table was a somewhat thick sheet of kraft paper. Aside from the shop’s signature noodles, there were many side dishes and pastries. Shan Dai noticed only one menu was placed on the table; if she let Pu Huaiyan order first, he definitely wouldn’t want anything.
So, she stood up to switch seats, sitting at the vertical end of the table, then tilted her body to place the menu on the tabletop between herself and Pu Huaiyan. “Let’s order together, President Pu. Having just noodles might be too little; let’s order a couple of side dishes.”
The moment she moved over, Pu Huaiyan was already completely content even without eating.
The rainy night breeze carried wisps of her fragrance into his embrace, causing ripples in his heart before slowly dispersing. Heaven was truly cooperating.
Pu Huaiyan cooperated by lowering his head slightly to look at the menu, the first page being all noodles. “What would you like to eat?”
“It’s a dizzying selection—crab noodles, braised noodles, hand-pulled noodles.” Shan Dai slid her finger down the list of names one by one. “How about I order a bowl of hand-pulled noodles? I remember a hand-pulled noodle shop near my school back then that was delicious, only seven yuan a bowl.” She offered a faint smile, “Let me try Beijing’s hand-pulled noodles too.”
“I’ll try it as well.”
“Okay.” Shan Dai flipped the menu over to look at the side dishes. “What else would you like to eat, President Pu? Let’s order a few more side dishes.” The noodles weren’t large in portion, unlikely to satisfy an adult man’s appetite—plus she had no idea if he had actually eaten lunch today.
Pu Huaiyan subconsciously looked at the shrimp, knowing she liked it. “Can you still eat more shrimp?”
“I can.” She nodded, “The seafood preparation at that restaurant earlier wasn’t very tasty. What else?”
“You decide.”
Shan Dai looked carefully at the menu, staring at the dishes that all looked appealing, finding it hard to make up her mind. “What do you usually like to eat, President Pu?”
“Anything except sweet dishes.”
“You don’t eat sweet food.” Shan Dai tilted her head to look at him, “Then next time before I invite you for lunch, should I tell you the dishes first so you can eat the same thing as me? I rarely eat sweet dishes either.”
“Then I’ll have to trouble Ms. Shan. Thank you.” The corners of his lips curved upward.
Shan Dai quietly lowered her head to review the menu. Seeing her struggling to choose, Pu Huaiyan’s hand lightly touched a dish on the paper—crystal steamed dumplings. “No need to order all side dishes; order a couple of snacks you like.”
Shan Dai immediately nodded. Steamed dumplings were filling, perfect to make up for the small portion of noodles, as hand-pulled noodle portions were never large.
After adding another snack, she called the server over.
Following a brief exchange with the third party, the table fell quiet once more.
“Why were you standing over there earlier?” Pu Huaiyan asked while pouring tea.
Shan Dai raised her head abruptly, looking at him sideways in utter unnaturalness.
Pu Huaiyan gave her a cool glance. “Thought I was chatting up a girl and didn’t want to disturb us?”
“…” Heavens, how was President Pu’s mind so sharp?
Seeing her lower her head in embarrassment, unwilling to admit it, Pu Huaiyan slid the teacup over. “Try it—see if it compares to the one you gave me.”
She picked it up and took a light sip. “It’s delicious. For a restaurant to serve Taiping Houkui tea to guests, it’s very impressive.”
“I think it falls short of Ms. Shan’s canister.”
“…” He was talking with double meaning again.
“You thought the news of your marriage issues was brought to you by me, so I must be that kind of person too?” Pu Huaiyan asked.
Shan Dai nearly choked on her tea. Covering her lips, she quickly said, “You’re single, President Pu, so you can interact with whoever you like—there’s no problem with that. I just felt it wouldn’t be right to intrude, not that… um, just because we’re eating together means you can’t talk to other girls.”
He tilted his head, casting a subtle look whose meaning was hard to discern. “Then after your divorce, what will your criteria for a partner be?”
“…” How was this any different from a confession? Shan Dai couldn’t help muttering in grievance, “You sound like you’re asking a newly founded startup when it plans to go public.”
He let out a laugh, chuckling helplessly for a moment before shaking his head to take a sip of tea, then asked again: “No interest at all?”
“Mm?”
“Otherwise, you must have some vague standards, right? For instance, looks, family background, personality.”
“…”
“Hmm? What kind does Ms. Shan want?”
Her face flushed crimson under the incandescent light. “Why are you asking this, President Pu?”
A certain someone began spouting nonsense with his eyes wide open: “Just caring about a friend. If I’m fortunate enough, I’d like to help evaluate candidates for Ms. Shan, lest you get bullied again.”
“…” Shan Dai let out a solemn sigh, “Men change. As a man yourself, don’t you think so?”
“I know, but perhaps someone who truly loves you won’t change.”
“…”
“Hmm?” He raised his brows slightly, “Really no specific requirements?”
After a moment of silence, Shan Dai spoke helplessly, “I’ve never thought about this question. But if I had to say, I’d reject those who constantly go on business trips for months at a time. I’m a bit… tired of long-distance relationships.”
Pu Huaiyan suddenly took a deep breath, his almond eyes staring straight at her in the hazy light.
Shan Dai raised her delicate brows, “What’s wrong?”
Pu Huaiyan: “I… go on business trips very often.”
“…”
So? So what??
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