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

Chapter 25, give me some face?

There's no need for Cai Yan to do makeup removal herself.

The water washed over my face, and I looked at my reflection in the mirror—a face that still held no particular feature.

Gu Huai felt that too many things had happened that day, things were unbelievably excessive.

From the moment we met Lin Jiang until now, she has become a firefighter.

The changes in my life cannot be described as imperceptible. Although they are not dramatic, they are a world of difference compared to my previous uneventful life.

He wouldn't deny that this change only occurred after he started using that sleep pod for simulation. So what other changes would occur in his life afterward? He wasn't quite sure, and had even begun to have an instinctive fear of the unknown.

Especially when things seem to be spiraling out of control, is it a case of flourishing across the mountains and fields, or of heading towards uncontrollable madness?
"Let's take one step at a time."

When you reach a certain point in your life and find yourself at a loss, Gu Huai believes there's no need to plan ahead. Not everyone is a clear-headed winner in life, able to see every step they take clearly, or even prepare in advance.

For most ordinary people, the best life advice is to take things one step at a time.

As I stepped out of the restroom, I saw Cai Yan, who had already grabbed her bag.

Her face remained as cold and beautiful as ever; the fatigue of a day's work seemed to have done nothing to diminish her charm.

Instead, it created a more comfortable and relaxed state.

Her high heels clicked on the floor, and the black stockings covering her legs were still subtly visible. I don't consider myself a leg fetishist, but I can't deny that this woman's legs are an unparalleled and sophisticated allure.

"All right?"

Cai Yan asked.

Gu Huai nodded. "Let's go. What do you want to eat?"

Gu Huai was certainly not a clueless straight man with zero emotional intelligence. Although he was indeed a straight man, he could understand many things. However, understanding something and being able to do it are two different things. Sensitive and insecure people are not stupid; they just have too many things they cannot do and too many words they cannot say.

So they seemed as clumsy as wood.

Since Cai Yan had put it that way, he naturally had to respond.

So the topic of discussion was to treat her to a late-night snack.

It was getting late, and after nearly two hours of live streaming, it was time for a late-night snack.

"Let's have some barbecue, it feels like it's been ages since I've had this."

Cai Yan walked ahead with ease, the rhythm of her high heels exceptionally pleasant.

But looking at her beautiful back view, Gu Huai thought of this woman when she was young, wearing a school uniform, white sneakers, and white socks peeking out.

Simple yet pure and youthful.

She's a completely different person now, of course. But what right do I have to be picky? It seems like it has little to do with me anyway.

We walked out of the company together.

This is a time when many people should be resting, but that's how it is in the provincial capital at night; it's only just as the city lights begin to come on.

The streets were bustling with traffic, and countless shops were open, ready to stay open until late at night. Men and women of all kinds walked side-by-side, laughing and joking with each other.

When Gu Huai first came to the provincial capital after graduating from university, he also longed for such scenery.

I've also fantasized about whether I'll become one of those people in this glittering, decadent world someday, and even wondered what I would do if I became addicted to it.
But now, all of this seems like a bustling prosperity that has nothing to do with me; it's just noisy noise.

I don't have the time, and I certainly don't have the spending power.

They also can't get to know women who have tattoos, seem to be heavy drinkers, post lots of beautiful photos on social media, and are particularly good at playing dice.

"Any places you would recommend?"

A woman in high heels on the street asked softly.

The late summer breeze would lift the ends of her hair, leaving behind a light fragrance.

Gu Huai looked up and said, "I'm not too sure about that. I haven't had many late-night snacks."

"You haven't eaten much late-night snack? Do you have absolutely no nightlife?"

The woman asked with a smile.

Gu Huai answered honestly, "Do you think I look like someone who would have a nightlife? If you count working overtime."

"Who includes overtime in the calculation? But your colleagues in the office often organize drinking parties or something, and they said they haven't seen you go."

Gu Huai didn't know how she knew all this. The people in the office were too gossipy. Why did they say everything?
"There's no point in drinking with them. They just talk about work or topics I'm not interested in. I'd rather use that time to catch up on sleep."

Although I genuinely couldn't sleep for three months, I could only catch up on sleep during breaks at work.

"That's true. Even if you drink with someone you don't have anything in common with, the alcohol will taste bitter."

As she walked, Cai Yan stopped and saw a barbecue and late-night snack shop on the side of the road that looked plain but was quite lively.

"How about here?"

"I can do it."

"Anything is fine? Why does this man seem to lack any assertiveness?"

This is a stereotype about men. Who says men have to be opinionated?
Gu Huai said with a wry smile, "You are the team leader, and I am just a junior employee. Of course, I don't have any opinions in front of you, only suggestions."

"Wow, I thought you weren't good at complimenting people."

"Really? They know how to bow and scrape, swallow their pride, and flatter."

"Then why are you doing so poorly?"

Although the other party's words were quite harsh, Gu Huai did not feel angry or embarrassed. On the contrary, he found this straightforward personality much more agreeable than those leaders who said one thing to your face and another behind your back.

"There's nothing I can do about it. Sometimes I'm just too lazy to do anything, and not every leader deserves this kind of treatment."

"Does that mean I hold a pretty high place in your heart?"

Walking to an empty table, Cai Yan casually sat down and then looked at Gu Huai with a smile.

Gu Huai sat down opposite her. "How should I put it, you are indeed different from the previous team leaders."

"Is it because my attitude towards you is different?"

Gu Huai readily admitted, "Isn't that how people are? The grapes you can't get are always sour. Only after enjoying the benefits will you admit that it has helped you."

"You always seem so serious and methodical when you're working, but you always have a lot of道理 (principles/reasoning) to spout."

Does this mean he's too much of a "father figure"? I don't know. He doesn't seem to care about the labels used to describe men online; aside from those who give him money, everyone else's opinion is irrelevant. The more you care about labels, the more you become a product of those labels.

"Maybe it's because I don't interact with many people regularly, so I tend to overthink things."

"What would you two like to eat?"

As soon as the two sat down, the waiter came over enthusiastically.

Cai Yan glanced at Gu Huai, "You order, I don't have any dietary restrictions."

"Me again?"

"Again? Have you had dinner with me before?"

".fine."

I was thinking that when I was having dinner with Lin Jiang, she also let me order.

However, it is clearly inappropriate to bring this up at this time, and there is no need for it.

He pretended to order some ordinary skewers, such as butter, pork belly, beef and mutton, and some vegetables.

"What would you two like to drink?"

The waiter asked again.

Gu Huai looked at the other person, and Cai Yan said, "You can drink, right? You're not the type who only drinks cocktails and not beer, are you?"

I have to go to work tomorrow.

Gu Huai only drinks when he feels like it; otherwise, he doesn't want to go to work with a hangover.

"In this kind of weather, do you think it's appropriate to eat barbecue without drinking ice-cold beer?"

Cai Yan's gaze was piercing.

Gu Huai simply couldn't resist this woman's gaze, or rather, he felt like he would explode if he looked at her for even a second longer.

"Okay, okay, you have the final say."

"Then a dozen beers."

"so much?!"

Just how much can this woman drink? It seems that women who are successful in the workplace are all quite good at drinking. Gu Huai once had the opportunity to accompany the deputy director of the publicity department to a dinner party. During the dinner, a female secretary from the other company picked up a bottle of baijiu and drank it. She almost threw up, but Gu Huai was still able to chat and laugh at the table.

Cai Yan reached out and touched the ends of her hair. "It's just beer, how could you possibly get drunk?"

"It's not just bloating, it's more like that."

"Then just go to the toilet a few more times."

"You really are very considerate, taking care of pick-up and drop-off. You've arranged everything."

"That's right. By the way, didn't you say you were going on a blind date? Did things at work ruin your date?"

She asked as if it were a casual question.

Gu Huai remembered Lin Jiang's suggestion to watch a movie together. It sounded tempting, but what would it actually be like?

Having absolutely no experience, I'd probably be like a block of wood, watching a movie I have no interest in at the theater, half-asleep but pretending to be paying attention. I wouldn't be able to bring up a single topic of conversation, just sitting there like a wooden statue the whole time.

It might not be of any use at all, and could even be a negative factor.
It's probably a good thing that I couldn't go.

So he shook his head. "It's nothing. I just received the call on my way home after dinner."

"Oh, it sounds like things aren't going very smoothly."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because logically, if the match is very compatible, there should be further activities, right? Like drinking together, watching a movie together, or going shopping together or something?"

Indeed, Lin Jiang had made such a suggestion. But was this a follow-up activity that only occurred after they had gotten along well? He didn't think the atmosphere at the time was particularly pleasant.

I'm not the kind of person who can be successful in everything and thrive in any situation.

But how did she know all this? Is this the kind of experience people with boyfriends have? For some reason, I suddenly remembered that BMW from earlier that day, and that handsome, dashing man.
However, Gu Huai quickly adjusted his emotions this time and didn't say anything sarcastic.

Instead, she replied with a smile, "Isn't it hard for someone like me to feel like a good match? My job doesn't pay particularly well, I don't own a house or a car, and I'm not exactly handsome like Daniel Wu or Takeshi Kaneshiro. It's hard for me to have anything that would attract someone. It would be good enough if we could even finish a meal together."

I don't think so.

"Ok?"

The other person narrowed their eyes, about to say something.

Sudden.

Gu Huai felt the back of his chair move slightly.

He subconsciously turned around and saw a figure reeking of alcohol pass by him and then walk straight up to Cai Yan.

A crew-cut man with flushed cheeks, who looked like he'd had quite a bit to drink, raised his bottle to Cai Yan and said...

"Hey beautiful, I think you're pretty. How about grabbing a drink together? Just for the honor."

He even let out a loud, alcohol-smelling burp during the process.

……

(End of this chapter)