Our Glamorous Time

Chapter 30: Day and Night

Lin Qian brought Li Zhicheng to a Western restaurant.

It was past 9:00 pm and there were not many people inside. The lights from the window shined silently into the snowy night, making the entire place feel exceptionally quiet.

The waiter came forward to take their orders. Li Zhicheng accepted the menu but placed it onto the table.

"My English is not good. You decide."

Lin Qian could empathize. Many Chinese citizens were unwilling to speak up when they ventured overseas. Li Zhicheng also used to be a soldier and hadn't ever left the country before. It would have been unbelievable if he could speak fluent English.

Lin Qian didn't beat around the bush. She looked over the menu and named several dishes to the waiter in English without delay. After stealing a glance at Li Zhicheng, who was seated opposite her, she spoke even faster, instructing the waiter, "He doesn't eat tomato sauce, so don't add it to any of the dishes. He prefers his beef in large pieces. Also, don't add onions, he doesn't like them. Do you serve tea? Yes, it's fine as long as there is tea, and British black tea is fine... No, he absolutely does not drink milk tea..."

As she was explaining the other dietary preferences he had, she suddenly became aware of his piercing eyes on her face.

However, upon lifting her head, she saw Li Zhicheng's eyes were slightly lowered. He had picked up the glass cup in front of him to slowly drink some water. Everything seemed normal.

Lin Qian's face started to heat up.

He didn't... understand all that, right? If he could understand that, then his English comprehension for the college entrance examination must have been at least full marks—he'd have no problem listening to something like the BBC on a usual basis.

Impossible. A soldier wouldn't normally have to use English.

When she thought of it that way, she began to calm down again.

Lin Qian quickly realized that she wasn't feeling extremely anxious or nervous—the night wasn't as unbearable as she had feared it would be.

While waiting for their food to be served, she tried to decide what conversation topic would be most casual and natural for them. Opposite her, Li Zhicheng had removed his jacket to show off a dark grey outdoor fleece. His hands rested lightly on the table. Lin Qian's gaze fell on his clothes. Hmm... His style is very practical—water resistant and warm. He looks nice as well. His figure seems firm and proportionate. He's rather knowledgeable about fashion products, and... actually has rather good taste in fashion.

Just then, Li Zhicheng asked in an even voice, "Do you dine in this restaurant often?"

Lin Qian immediately responded, "Not very often. I've never stayed in America for a very long—only a few weeks at a time back in university during winter and summer breaks. My brother brought me here a couple of times and I thought it was alright."

Li Zhicheng looked at her with a dark intensity and nodded.

Lin Qian started talking about the food, chefs, and the surrounding attractions of the restaurant. Li Zhicheng had always been a man of few words. Even though he sometimes said things that made her heart pound and her face flush, they were always short and concise things. However, Lin Qian noticed today that if he had the desire to engage in a deep conversation with someone, he could take the lead and do so.

She was speaking the most right now. However, with just the occasional sentence or two he could lead the conversation from the restaurant to her university life, and then from there to her hobbies and interests. By the time Lin Qian noticed this, she had basically revealed every major life event, family relationship, good and bad habit—he seemed to immediately commit everything she said to memory.