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

Chapter 21 Is there a next time?

Compared to physical contact, the impact of words and eye contact is more soul-stirring.

The most striking thing wasn't how profound that short sentence was, or how determined her eyes were, but that no one had ever said such a thing to her before, not even her parents.

He felt that none of this was real.

Perhaps I am still living in a sleep pod, which is why I am able to encounter things in life that I have never encountered before, or even dared not imagine.

For example, a woman like this might appear in front of you, or even have contact with you.

For example, she would say such perfect things to herself, making her seem so understanding, like an angel.

After a moment of confusion, he immediately withdrew his hand.

The lingering warmth signifies that something happened, but the remaining rationality and lessons in his mind make him want to turn the page on this event as if turning the page of a book.

People tend to be very busy when they are trying to hide their embarrassment or guilt.

While casually picking up the other person's phone, you should also ask, "What do you like to eat? Do you have any dietary restrictions?"

At this point, it's impossible to look the other person in the eye. Even if he can feel that the other person is watching him, he has no way of knowing what kind of look they are giving him.

"Whatever, just order what you like."

In fact, Gu Huai didn't know what he particularly liked.

Looking at the menu of this restaurant, with its fancy and bizarre names, you'd think it was some kind of skill from a video game. One dish doesn't even specify what kind of meat it uses. What's the point of opening a restaurant like this?

Despite the difficulty, I still gritted my teeth and ordered a few dishes, which is my usual eating habit: order only the amount needed for the number of people, and never order more out of curiosity.

The most deceiving organ is the stomach. When you're hungry, your stomach will tell you you could eat a whole cow. But after just a couple of bites of rice, you'll feel a bit dizzy. The next most deceiving organ is the heart.

"I've ordered these. Do you want anything else?"

Of course, I only ordered what I could afford. It's shocking; this restaurant with this kind of decor doesn't have a single dish under fifty yuan.

Gu Huai could only be thankful that the sleep pod hadn't cost him anything; he just hoped it would start earning him money someday.

Lin Jiang took the phone and looked down at it. Even from this angle, she looked beautiful, making one want to secretly take a picture and save it to their album. Luckily, Gu Huai didn't have that habit.

"You've got a good eye for food! How did you know I like eggplant?"

"Do you have eggplant? I can't eat eggplant."

Gu Huai looked up and met the other person's gaze.

Gu Huai felt somewhat embarrassed by his subconscious actions.

Among the few vegetables I don't eat, mushrooms and eggplants are the only ones I do.
"Okay, I'll delete it then."

However, Lin Jiang simply ignored it, and Gu Huai said helplessly, "It's okay, order whatever you like."

He brings all sorts of habits out regardless of the occasion; no wonder he can't find a girlfriend.
As for whether or not to use the person in front of him as an example, Gu Huai didn't indulge in such unrealistic fantasies; too much closeness would only arouse suspicion.

"If you don't like it, there's no need to order it. But why did you order it?"

"I didn't recognize it from the name, how did you know it was eggplant?"

"There's a materials list below, didn't you see it?"

"Huh?" Gu Huai leaned closer and saw that each dish had a line of small print below it that listed the ingredients used.

Good heavens, Gu Huai felt even more ashamed. Although he didn't think of this as a date, he had ruined even a meeting with an old friend.

The young and beautiful woman poked at it with her long, fair fingers, so thin you couldn't see a single hair on them.

It was like poking a knife into my own fragile skin.

"Here."

"The text is too small." Gu Huai said this and looked up, only to find Lin Jiang's face, who had handed him the phone, right in front of him.

Her long, slender eyelashes were perky and trembling slightly.

Her eyes at this moment were like the surface of a lake after a breeze, with delicate ripples reflecting the sunlight.

I subconsciously held my breath, but I could feel the other person's breath gently caressing me.

Gu Huai took the initiative to create some distance, trying to appear calm as he said, "You're still more attentive, just like when we were kids."

I've mostly forgotten what I looked like when I was a child.

Fortunately, Lin Jiang didn't seem to notice anything awkward. She just glanced at herself, then reached out and stroked her slightly curled hair before sitting up straight.

"Should I say that you're still as careless as you were when you were a child?"

"Don't talk about embarrassing things, although I've almost forgotten them too."

"But what do old friends talk about if they don't share embarrassing stories about each other?"

She looked at herself.

Gu Huai shook his head with a wry smile, "Don't ask me, I'm not good at socializing. In fact, I haven't made any new friends for many years. I only interact with colleagues and delivery drivers."

After placing her order, Lin Jiang smiled and said, "How can we keep eating takeout?"

"Otherwise what? I don't have time to cook, but it's alright, the company cafeteria provides lunch."

"Judging from your lifestyle habits, you really need to find a girlfriend to force you to change them."

She said thoughtfully.

Can finding a girlfriend really change bad habits? Gu Huai doesn't think so, and his view on relationships doesn't believe that finding a partner is about correcting oneself.

"It's difficult. Even if I find a girlfriend, I think the situation will either be that we both inherit each other's bad habits, or that we will break up because she can't stand me."

"Is it really necessary? You have so many bad habits."

"I can't explain it."

It's not that it's unclear, it's that there's too much to say.

They're too lazy to listen to other people's complaints and grievances; they just want to vent their own.

They are completely insensitive and get annoyed whenever they hear someone trying to confide in someone.

They also never take other people's reminders to heart, and they easily forget what they just said, and so on.

She nodded. "But don't be discouraged. It depends on what kind of girlfriend you find. Maybe you'll meet someone who changes your mind about everything you've been holding onto?"

"Thank you so much for your blessing. By the way, enough about me. How have you been these past few years?"

Not wanting to dwell on the topic, Gu Huai decided to be a listener.

Indeed, the topic of conversation at the dinner table shifted because of this decision.

Lin Jiang began to recount her experiences over the years in an orderly manner, though she didn't really listen to most of it.

Apart from some key information.

For example, she works as an intern teacher at a music academy in the provincial capital and is still single. So, what's the key point here?

"It's amazing that you can be a teacher at a college in the provincial capital."

Gu Huai's heartfelt sentiments.

And at such a young age, one can imagine a bright future ahead of them.

Lin Jiang smiled, her dimples revealing her cheeks, and said, "No, it's just that I happened to have won a few national awards before, so I had this opportunity."

"It's impressive that he can talk about national awards so casually."

Does this mean I'm being pretentious?

Lin Jiang pretended to be angry as she looked at Gu Huai.

Gu Huai quickly shook his head with a smile, "No, this is just a compliment to your lack of arrogance."

"Actually, I don't think being proud is a bad thing. At least it's better than being sensitive and insecure, right?"

She gazed at herself with a tender look. But did she know that the words "sensitive and insecure" were practically Gu Huai's self-introduction?
Fortunately, the food was served, interrupting Gu Huai's awkward silence about how to start the conversation.

Naturally, there were fewer topics to discuss during the meal.

When she asked about his life over the years, Gu Huai told her the truth, because there really wasn't much to say.

But Lin Jiang is undoubtedly a very good listener.

No matter what I say, whether it's interesting or not, she will always appear to be listening patiently and looking forward to what will happen next.

During this meal, Gu Huai said more than he would say in a day at work.

The atmosphere at the scene was almost too wonderful to be true.

They didn't seem like they were reunited after a long separation; rather, they looked like they should have reunited long ago.

Whether it was her occasional nod of agreement or her graceful, ladylike gesture of covering her mouth with a smile, those were scenes that Gu Huai had imagined but never experienced.

Having dinner harmoniously with such a charming woman felt like an unending dream. In an anime, this would probably only happen at the end with a happy ending.

However, it unexpectedly appeared in his life.

Once you've almost finished eating, it's time to properly process your emotions.

The rat returned to its sewer and resumed its life of hiding from the light of day.

Gu Huai looked at the other person and said, "You've finished eating."

He meant that this meeting should end here, otherwise, if they got along too well, it would give people the illusion that they were compatible.

He knew very well that someone like him, and Lin Jiang, who seemed so perfect and kind in every way, had no chance of a future together.

"I still have time, would you like to go see a movie?"

Lin Jiang asked quite naturally.

Gu Huai was taken aback, and hesitated before saying, "Didn't you come all the way from Jicheng? Don't you need to go home?"

"Pfft." The woman couldn't help but laugh. "Look at the dates, it's almost time for school to start, how could I still be in my hometown? I'm living in Jicheng now, I said that because I was afraid you wouldn't come."

Why would I come if you said that?

"It's simple. I already told you I came all the way from Jicheng specifically for you. Even if you don't want to see me, you'll feel embarrassed, right?"

indeed.

This perfectly reflects my feelings.

Clever, and clever in a way that feels just right, a subtle tactic that won't offend anyone.

"How honest you are."

"Because I know you won't blame me for it."

Her smile even had a touch of girlish innocence.

Seeing that Gu Huai remained silent, she asked again, "So, do you want it or not?"

Just as he was about to ask the question, Gu Huai was also hesitating about whether to continue the meeting.

The phone in my pocket rang.

Upon closer inspection, it was an unfamiliar number.

Gu Huai was taken aback for a moment. He didn't want to answer the unfamiliar number, but the decision made him hesitate. So, to give himself more time to think, he said to Lin Jiang, "Excuse me, I have to take this call."

"it is good."

Lin Jiang was not in a hurry and readily agreed.

When the call connected, I heard a familiar voice, accompanied by some strange music.

"Gu Huai?"

"Who are you?"

"I am your team leader."

Cai Yan? Where did she get her own phone number?
"Don't overthink it. I specifically asked someone to give me your phone number."

That's the kind of thing that makes people think too much!
"Is there something you need from Team Leader Cai at this time?"

Gu Huai stole a glance at Lin Jiang, who was looking at her phone and didn't seem to be paying attention to what he was saying.

"Do you have time now? Come back to the company right away."

Her voice sounded somewhat urgent.

"Go back to the company? I didn't mean that."

"I don't care about this or that, Zhong Xinyang is going to mess up the live stream, so come back right now. I'll give you double overtime pay, hurry up!"

"But..." Double overtime pay is still somewhat tempting.

But how can I tell Lin Jiang that I'm after money?
"No buts, I'll wait for you at the company, the sooner the better, it's extremely urgent!"

After saying that, the other party hung up the phone.

Before Gu Huai could react, all that was left on the other end was the dial tone.

He looked at Lin Jiang helplessly, and actually understood that he shouldn't struggle in unrealistic fantasies.

If this continues, I'll definitely start overthinking.

This phone call has helped me make a choice.

"That Lin Jiang."

"Hmm? Is something the matter?"

Lin Jiang smiled and looked up, seemingly guessing what Gu Huai was going to say.

Gu Huai nodded. "Sorry, something came up at the company, I might have to go back and work overtime."

"Oh, it's okay. You go ahead then, work is more important."

"Thank you for understanding. I'll go pay the bill."

Gu Huai stood up.

Lin Jiang smiled and said, "I've already paid the bill."

"When?" Shouldn't the man always pay at these kinds of meetings? Even for truly independent women, shouldn't it be split the bill?
Lin Jiang looked at the slightly surprised man and smiled, saying, "I bought it when I placed the order, and paid for it on my phone. What era are we living in? Do we still go to the counter to pay?"

"How much is it? I'll transfer it to you, let's split the cost."

Gu Huai quickly said.

But Lin Jiang still had that smiling look on her face, "That's too formal, how about I treat you next time?"

"next time?"

And next time?

This was something Gu Huai hadn't considered.

The interactions between people, like my interactions with such a beautiful woman, weren't they just fleeting encounters?
"Of course, don't you want to see me again?"

As she spoke, she took out her phone.

Then, looking at himself with those eyes as clear as an autumn pond, he said.

"Add me as a friend, and let's meet up when you have time, okay?"

……

(End of this chapter)