It's just The Sims, how did it become my ideal love story?

Chapter 20 Gentle Yet Powerful

林姜
The story behind this name seems both too long and too short.

So much so that Gu Huai initially wondered why the name sounded so familiar.

Lin Jiang's parents were also employees of Jicheng Glass Factory, and coincidentally, the house they were assigned was right next to Gu Huai's house.

Back then, the concept of childhood sweethearts wasn't important; the more common saying was that they grew up together, practically naked.

However, we were all young at that time, and our memories are mostly from those days when we were little and didn't want to go home even though our parents were urging us to, and we played together in and around the neighborhood.

It sounds wonderful, like it could bring back memories of childhood sweethearts and youthful days.

However, the actual situation was different. Around the sixth grade of elementary school, Lin Jiang moved away because her parents' jobs were transferred.

The only way the two could contact each other was through QQ, and it had been so long that they hadn't changed the nickname back then. Nowadays, nobody uses QQ much, so even if Gu Huai tried to search for the other person on the spot, he might not be able to find them.
Gu Huai suddenly realized why the other person had told Xu Cheng that they knew him.

Indeed, they all came from Jicheng.

But then another problem arises: after so much time, Gu Huai also feels that his appearance has changed a lot since he was a child. How did she recognize him?

Do women really have an innate instinct to love? That's why they can recognize faces so clearly?

However, it must be admitted that girls change a lot as they grow up.

My impression of Lin Jiang was that she was a crybaby. Although she was only a year younger than me, she was more curious than anyone else. As a girl, she would follow me on my adventures, hiking through mountains and rivers, picking mulberry leaves and catching rhinoceros beetles.

But if her parents catch her, she'll burst into tears, and the whole building can hear her.

Gu Huai never imagined that he would transform into such an elegant and intellectual figure; the contrast was truly astounding.

Are humans animals that feel unfamiliar only because they are familiar with something?

But even if they recognized me, why did they insist on seeing me? There were too many unusual things, a reality that my rational mind couldn't ignore.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Don't you remember?"

Lin Jiang picked up her phone and scanned the QR code on the table, seemingly only now preparing to place her order.

Gu Huai was stunned for a moment before coming back to his senses. "Of course I remember, but I didn't expect that after so long, who would know you would look like this now?"

"Then how did I recognize you?" Lin Jiang asked in return.

Gu Huai nodded. "Yes, how did you recognize me?"

"..." The young and beautiful woman in front of him couldn't help but roll her eyes. "You better not let me find out you're pretending to be stupid."

Gu Huai directly denied it.

"It has nothing to do with being stupid or not. If I were to appear in front of my past self now, I definitely wouldn't believe it either. How did you recognize me?"

Lin Jiang said nonchalantly, "Oh, one day my parents showed me a post your mother made on WeChat Moments, which included recent photos of you."

No wonder.

Having received the answer, Gu Huai seemed to feel a sense of relief.

I leaned back in my chair and relaxed.

Seeing this, Lin Jiang smiled with amusement and said, "What? You didn't start thinking that I've been so hung up on you for so long that I still remember what you look like, and that I could recognize you at a glance even in a sea of ​​people, did you?"

Gu Huai glanced at her; her way of speaking was slightly different from when they first met.

It seems that being a little unconventional is her true nature.

Putting everything else aside, it did make me feel less awkward and distant.

"I never thought of it that way. I'm just glad that what you said made sense and that you're not a scammer."

"A scammer? So you came so late because you thought I was here to set you up?"

"Otherwise, what normal woman would see my photo and be willing to travel thousands of miles to meet me on a blind date... uh, to meet me?"

Before I knew it, I blurted out what was on my mind.

Sensing the awkwardness, Gu Huai quickly picked up the water glass on the table and drank some water, only to find that Lin Jiang opposite him was also silent, lowering her head and drinking water quietly.

Their movements were remarkably synchronized.

It wasn't an illusion; I even saw a slight blush on her cheeks, which didn't seem to be the base color of blush.

The scene fell silent for a moment.

Lin Jiang coughed softly after finishing her water.

"If you think they're scammers, then why did you come here?"

she asked.

Gu Huai sat obediently in his seat, but he simply couldn't look this woman in the eye. She was completely different from how she felt when he was a child; Lin Jiang was so beautiful and had such an elegant demeanor.

Gu Huai even found it unbelievable that she was his neighbor when he was a child; it sounded like bragging to others.

The main problem is that, despite having little dating experience over the years, I still haven't been able to overcome my inability to make full eye contact with girls.

As a result, I missed out on quite a few romantic opportunities. Even a girl I met in college told me years later: "Back then, you didn't even look at me. I thought you didn't have feelings for me. Actually, I had quite a crush on you."

Which guy wouldn't be attracted to a pretty girl? He just doesn't look because he's afraid to, afraid that if he looks too much, people will misunderstand and think he's trying to eat a swan.

As for why they don't have the courage, it's because they've never had their own value affirmed during their upbringing. They were all raised with a suppressive education, becoming ordinary people who always looked down at the road and never dared to look up at the sky.

"Hey, I'm asking you something."

Her voice was soft, but slightly reproachful.

Gu Huai realized that he had once again drifted off into his own world and looked at the other person apologetically.

"It's nothing. After all, it was Xu Cheng who took it upon himself to post my photo online and call you over, so I thought it was necessary to explain. It would be too impolite if he wasn't a scammer."

"Liar."

Seeing the way Gu Huai was speaking, Lin Jiang said without any politeness.

"Ok?"

Gu Huai didn't understand.

Lin Jiang stared intently at him. "Isn't it because you're clinging to a sliver of hope, thinking that even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance that he's not a scammer, it's still worth coming to see him?"

Gu Huai chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"I did have a bit of wishful thinking in my heart, which is why I wanted to explain. But if it weren't you, but someone I really didn't know, I probably would have already found an excuse to leave."

"So, are we still leaving now?"

Lin Jiang asked.

Holding a phone in one hand, with slender fingers gripping the edge of the phone, the seemingly gentle movement was exceptionally beautiful.

"If you need to go, then of course I'll head back."

"Why do you seem even dumber than when you were a kid? Of course I have something to do, coming to you is my business, isn't it?"

Lin Jiang said irritably. Gu Huai blinked, looking almost like a fool at that moment, his head practically bubbling with idiocy.

"What are you looking for me for?"

"Of course," she suddenly leaned forward slightly, her hand on the table gradually moving towards his own, but Gu Huai didn't move.

He simply watched her every move, getting clearer and clearer, closer and closer.

An unexpected atmosphere of ambiguity quickly spread, as if it were about to travel from her fingertips to his.
"It's a blind date."

Stop at just the right distance, at a point that leaves one wanting more.

It was as if you could smell the fragrance emanating from her mouth.

Even at such close range, her face remained flawless, making one wonder if the table was perhaps too large.

But Gu Huai knew that this face wouldn't get any closer.

Even though her fragrance was like a whirlpool, it was engulfing me.

But even though she knew all of this was impossible, and that she couldn't possibly have the idea of ​​going on a blind date with him just because she saw his photo.

But my heart was honestly racing, so much so that I was so rational, constantly warning myself that I couldn't speak at this moment.

He tried to move, but it seemed as if his gaze was fixed on him.

The lights in the entire restaurant dimmed, and her eyes became the spotlight, focusing on the person in the center of the stage.

"Bang."

The sudden sound of clinking cups and plates coming from behind startled Gu Huai, who instinctively turned around and finally broke free from this magical spell.

He looked over and saw a flustered figure fiddling with a table. Why did that figure look so familiar?

"Hey. Did you hear me?"

Just as he was about to take a closer look, Lin Jiang's voice pulled Gu Huai back to reality.

The woman's face showed slight anger.

It seems that he was unhappy that the atmosphere he had created was easily ruined by an unexpected event.

Gu Huai finally regained his senses.

He chuckled and shook his head. "Don't joke around. With your looks and qualities, why would you need to go on blind dates? If you just said you wanted to date, I reckon this whole street would be packed with people."

Seeing Gu Huai's self-deprecating expression, Lin Jiang slowly pulled back her leaning body.

"You're quite good at complimenting people. You have a sweet tongue, so you must be good at charming girls. Why did you need your friend to send you a video of your blind date?"

"He's crazy! He suddenly says he needs to find a girlfriend and then tries to help me find one; I can't control him at all."

"Really? So you don't want to find a girlfriend?"

"I don't plan on that. I'm almost thirty, I don't have a car or a house, everything is uncertain, and I don't want to find someone to suffer with me."

After regaining consciousness, it felt like sinking to the bottom of the sea, as if a thousand-pound shackle was hanging on my feet, making it impossible to float back up.

"Why are you so pessimistic? Shouldn't relationships be about supporting each other and getting through tough times together?"

She asked casually, though she felt the other person spoke so lightly, and didn't seem to really think so.

However, Gu Huai still felt it necessary to state his position.

"Perhaps such feelings did exist in the past, but they are rare now. Everyone has seen the good life and knows what a successful life is like. With this concept, very few people are willing to suffer with a man. And I don't think that just because there are such people, I can accept them as a matter of course. It's not some noble sense of responsibility; it's just that I selfishly think it would add pressure to me."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Jiang frowned slightly.

She looked at herself and thought, "Although what I said makes a lot of sense and is very honest, something still feels off."

Gu Huai smiled and said, "You don't need to think too much about what I say. It's no use thinking about it anyway. I'm just living a contradictory life. Don't worry about it."

"So all these years, you've been processing your emotions this way all by yourself?"

She casually lowered her head, but her words made Gu Huai's expression freeze.

"What do you mean?"

“It’s nothing,” she looked up at Gu Huai again, “It means… you’re bottling up your dissatisfaction while simultaneously using this reasoning to convince yourself to accept it. I’m curious, don’t you usually need to vent?”

She incisively and easily revealed her underlying logic and the true situation.

At this moment, Gu Huai's nakedness was somewhat unexpected.

Was it because I didn't hide it well enough, or was her insight too accurate?
Gu Huai wasn't sure, but suddenly he didn't know what to say.

Until something touched the edge of his finger.

Looking over, she saw Lin Jiang pushing her phone until it touched her fingertips.

The gentle and intellectual young woman smiled, revealing shallow dimples.

"No matter what kind of life you usually lead, I'll spend it with you today."

"But."

"No buts, let's order. We've been sitting here for so long, it wouldn't be right not to order something, don't you think?"

"Shall I order?"

This kind of treatment has never been seen before.

Even when he ate out with classmates in college, no one ever asked for his opinion. He was always easygoing and followed the crowd.

He's always just there to make up the numbers; his opinions are never important.

But Lin Jiang said...

"Of course, I asked you out, so of course I'll do as you say."

After saying this, she would put on a gentle smile, as if she could melt even the hardest ice.

"I'm not very good at ordering, how about you order?"

Gu Huai naturally resisted such a wonderful feeling. People who are not used to happiness will naturally feel fear and rejection when they feel this kind of wonderful feeling.

I wish I could escape back to my cold, cruel cage immediately.

But as he tried to pull his hand away, the next moment...

"Snapped."

Lin Jiang pressed her hand against the back of her hand, her soft, warm palm pressed against her skin.

Her smile remained unchanged, her cheeks a light pink like cherry blossom petals.

"Listen to me, relax today, I'll listen to whatever you want to say."

……

(End of this chapter)