Chapter 40

Chu Tianshu felt particularly strange today. Usually quite eloquent, he found himself tongue-tied and incoherent when he met Xiang Wanqing, his mind as if it had short-circuited, unsure of how to start a conversation.

Was it because he felt guilty, or was it due to a lack of experience? Or perhaps he really had feelings for the girl in front of him?

Chu Tianshu was still lost in thought when Xiang Wanqing asked, "I heard from others that you've been on dozens of blind dates. Is that true?"

"Oh, do I look like someone with a lot of experience in this area?" Chu Tianshu finally regained some of his normal speaking ability.

"Not really," Xiang Wanqing glanced up.

"However, I hope this is the last one," Chu Tianshu blurted out, his mind still preoccupied with the promise he had made to Wei Shijie.

"Why?" Xiang Wanqing squinted her eyes, looking at Chu Tianshu with interest.

"Because," Chu Tianshu hesitated for a moment, then said, "I don't want there to be a next time."

This statement sounded a bit ambiguous.

However, Xiang Wanqing didn't find it awkward. Instead, she covered her mouth and laughed, "Ha ha, so you have a good impression of me, then?"

Misunderstood, Chu Tianshu couldn't explain and just chuckled, going along with it, "I agree with your interpretation."

Whatever, he thought, since I'm now Wei Shijie, being a bit shameless fits his character.

Xiang Wanqing laughed happily, showing no sign of the shyness that girls usually display when being pursued. She then asked, "Do you say this every time you go on a blind date?"

Chu Tianshu shook his head, "I've never said this to any girl before."

Xiang Wanqing lowered her head, stirring her coffee with a small spoon. After a while, she looked up and asked curiously, "Mr. Wei, can you be sure we haven't met before?"

Chu Tianshu broke out in a cold sweat and said uncertainly, "I don't think so, that would be too coincidental."

Damn, Wei Shijie had met so many girls on blind dates that it was possible he had met Xiang Wanqing through other means.

"Ha ha," Xiang Wanqing took a light sip of her coffee and said, "I have a quirk; I store the faces and voices of people I've met in my memory. I always feel like I've seen you somewhere."

"That's not a quirk, it's a strength. With that, you'd make a great journalist," Chu Tianshu said, trying to be accommodating, but his heart was racing, wondering if this was Xiang Wanqing's reason for rejecting him.

Xiang Wanqing tilted her head, thought for a moment, and then laughed, "Look closely, have you really never seen me before? Not even heard my name?"

"No!" Chu Tianshu said firmly.

Hearing Chu Tianshu's resolute answer, a hint of disappointment flashed across Xiang Wanqing's face.

Women's hearts are like needles at the bottom of the sea.

Chu Tianshu felt a bit lost, unable to figure out what answer Xiang Wanqing was hoping for.

After a moment of silence, Xiang Wanqing asked, "Mr. Wei, have you called the Qingshanyuan TV station's tip line recently?"

Called? Or not called?

Chu Tianshu was a bit stumped. How should he answer to satisfy Xiang Wanqing?

Chu Tianshu didn't know if Wei Shijie had called, but he remembered clearly that he himself had called the Qingshanyuan TV station's tip line from the Hotel Triumphant on Friday night.

Chu Tianshu decided to be honest, "Yes, last Friday, at the Hotel Triumphant..."

Xiang Wanqing's eyes lit up, and she became inexplicably excited.

"Was it in the middle of the night?" Xiang Wanqing interrupted Chu Tianshu, excitedly shouting, "Then you said you had drunk too much and dialed the wrong number, right?"

"Hehe, that's right," Chu Tianshu scratched his head.

Xiang Wanqing leaned back and laughed, "Ha ha, I knew we had crossed paths before."

Her youthful face was bright and clear, her slightly upturned nose proud and confident, her tightly pursed lips slightly smiling, as if she had just uncovered a long-unresolved secret.

Chu Tianshu finally understood that the Xiang Wanqing in front of him was the persistent female journalist from that Friday night.

Since the truth was out, Chu Tianshu decided to be honest, "Journalist, I..."

"Wait," Xiang Wanqing placed her right index finger on her lips, interrupting Chu Tianshu again. She said with an authoritative tone, "You are indeed an impostor, right?"

"Truly a journalist, sharp-eyed, I admire you, I admire you," Chu Tianshu had to admit the truth.

"Ha ha," Xiang Wanqing finally showed a girl's characteristic look of satisfaction.

In Chu Tianshu's eyes, Xiang Wanqing, without her composed and rational side, became even more adorable.

With the mask off, Chu Tianshu felt a sudden sense of relief. He extended his hand, "Let's get to know each other again. I'm Wei Shijie's classmate, Chu Tianshu. Chu as in Chu State, Tian as in weather, and Shu as in comfort."

Xiang Wanqing shook Chu Tianshu's hand, still smiling.

"Nice name, is it from Chairman Mao's poem about swimming across the Yangtze River?" Xiang Wanqing, with her professional habit, always had questions to ask.

Xiang Wanqing was right about that.

Chu Tianshu's father, a teacher at Chengguan Town Middle School, had already chosen the name before his mother was pregnant, whether it was a boy or a girl, borrowing from Chairman Mao's line, "Gazing far into the Chu sky, I feel at ease."

"No," Chu Tianshu smiled and shook his head, joking, "I'm surnamed Chu, and in our family's genealogy, I'm of the Tian generation. My grandfather said, this kid won't amount to much, so let's just hope he's comfortable every day."

"Are you comfortable every day now?"

"No."

"Why?"

Chu Tianshu squinted his eyes, deliberately scanning Xiang Wanqing's face, "Because I'm still missing a girlfriend."

"Nonsense," Xiang Wanqing laughed, her face slightly flushed. She felt a flutter in her heart, a strange feeling she hadn't experienced in years.

Chu Tianshu stared at Xiang Wanqing, a smile on his face.

Xiang Wanqing felt a bit flustered, as if her inner changes had been seen through by Chu Tianshu. She quickly suppressed the strange feeling, coughed deliberately, and said with a serious face, "Mr. Chu, please mind your image."

"Oh, Journalist, you misunderstood. I have a quirk too; whenever I see a beautiful woman, I can't help but want to remember her appearance and smile. But I swear on my honor, I am a gentleman."

Becoming himself again, Chu Tianshu felt his mind become sharp, and his inherent sense of humor quickly returned. His conversation became lively and interesting. He didn't become meek because of Xiang Wanqing's serious expression; instead, he spoke with integrity.

Xiang Wanqing asked calmly, "According to Mr. Chu, should I thank you for your praise?"

"That's not necessary, because my praise comes from the heart, with no exaggeration. I just hope you won't misunderstand me," Chu Tianshu put on a serious face, ostensibly to clear his name, but actually to praise Xiang Wanqing's beauty again.

Xiang Wanqing's hands, clasped under the table, trembled slightly.

As a journalist, she had encountered all kinds of men and seen all kinds of gazes. She had always been confident, but today, for the first time, she felt a sense of powerlessness. Chu Tianshu was truly hard to read.

If he had ulterior motives, his eyes were clear and free of any lecherous glint, unlike those men who looked at her as if they wanted to devour her with their eyes. If he was a gentleman, his words always had a hint of teasing and jest.

The more so, the more Xiang Wanqing became interested in Chu Tianshu.

"Tell me, why didn't your classmate come?" As a seasoned journalist, Xiang Wanqing smoothly changed the topic.

Chu Tianshu didn't want to hide it anymore, "Oh, he was too busy, so he asked me to be his substitute at the last minute."

"Ah, actually, I'm more interested in him," Xiang Wanqing deliberately made a regretful face, noticing the fleeting look of disappointment on Chu Tianshu's face.

"I believe he will regret it for the rest of his life," Chu Tianshu said, seemingly with a hint of jealousy.

"Oh, you misunderstood," Xiang Wanqing was pleased to see Chu Tianshu's expression, feeling a sense of balance. "I'm not interested in him as a person, but as a journalist, I'm interested in his numerous blind date experiences. I'm working on a dating show, and I really hope he can be my interview subject."

Reading people's expressions is a basic skill for a good journalist.

Xiang Wanqing observed again that Chu Tianshu felt a sense of relief.

"In this area, I can't replace him. I'm almost a complete novice."

"That's fine. The story of an impostor is also a good topic," Xiang Wanqing unbuttoned a button-like device from her clothes.

"What's that?" Chu Tianshu became alert.

"A button-sized mini camera, my interview tool," Xiang Wanqing put it back in her bag, preparing to leave. "I recorded our meeting. The story of an impostor on a blind date should be interesting to the audience."

Chu Tianshu panicked and stopped her, "No, Journalist, I don't want to be on your show." He first thought of how awkward it would be if the leaders and colleagues at the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission saw him as an impostor on a dating show.

"Why? Our show has a high viewership, and many people are eager to be on it."

"I'm not the type who likes to be in the spotlight."

As a government official, Chu Tianshu dreamed of becoming a public figure on TV, but he wanted to be a dignified public figure, not a star on a gossip show.

Seeing Chu Tianshu really worried, Xiang Wanqing laughed, "I can blur your face and process your voice technically, so even your classmate won't recognize you."

"No," Chu Tianshu still firmly refused. "As long as they see our meeting place and the secret code, Wei Shijie will definitely figure it out."