Chapter 72: A Date, But No Romance

"Have you been waiting long?" he asked casually, like a familiar old friend.

“I just got here too.” Shi Shi handed him the menu. “I only ordered two signature dishes. This one, and this one. You can order some other things you like.”

The private room had a small round table, and the two people sat at adjacent seats. Shi Shi's fingers hovered over the menu, making Fu Yingzhou's heart itch with anticipation.

He's a hand fetishist.

Afraid of startling Shi Shi, he avoided staring intently at her. He casually ordered two dishes and handed the menu to the waiter. After the waiter left, only the two of them remained in the room. The atmosphere was somewhat awkward.

"Busy lately? You've been owing me a meal for ages."

Shi Shi was also a little embarrassed. Although she was indeed very busy, it wasn't that she couldn't find time for a meal; she had simply forgotten.

"I'm a bit busy, sorry."

"It's nothing, then I'll ask you to come again, as interest?"

Shi Shi: ... ...You probably haven't eaten in eight hundred lifetimes!

"Okay." Regardless of her true feelings, Shi Shi readily agreed. After all, the other party held a "hostage."

"You sing so well, don't you plan to become a singer?"

The crossover singing competition show "Joyful Voice" is quite popular, so Shi Shi wasn't surprised that he recognized her. "I have a job. Singing is just a hobby. You can't make a hobby your main job."

"So you like being a teacher?"

How did you know I was a teacher?

"The parking lot last time."

Shi Shi patted her head: "Oh right, that's the faculty parking lot. Are you from our school too?"

"No, I went to deliver something to my younger brother."

"I still don't know your name?"

"Then let's get to know each other formally. I am Fu Yingzhou." He then extended his large hand.

"I am Shi Shi." She gently shook the other person's hand.

The girl in front of me had slender, long fingers that were rounded and fair, not too bony, and even her pinkish-white nails were perfectly manicured. Her skin had a luminous white glow, and it felt like it would melt in your hand.

Their hands touched briefly before separating. Fu Yingzhou slightly twirled his thumb and forefinger, his fingertips seemingly still lingering on the cool touch.

He didn't deny that he was attracted to Shi Shi at first sight. Mutual attraction is the first step in building close relationships; after all, there are so many beautiful women, and the fact that he only liked Shi Shi meant that her looks and temperament were his type. As for interests, character, family background...

He believes that outward appearance determines whether two people are together; lifestyle habits determine whether two people will establish a long-term relationship; and character is the most important factor in determining whether two people will spend their whole lives together.

It seems he needs to work harder to get closer to Shi Shi now.

Fu Yingzhou noticed that Shi Shi was a little reserved, so he chatted with her casually. Both of them ate quickly. After finishing their meal, Shi Shi casually asked, "Raising two dogs must be tiring, right? They're still so young. Aren't they very well-behaved?"

Fu Yingzhou put down his water glass, looked at Shi Shi whose face clearly said "I want a dog," and deliberately didn't respond.

"I'm not tired at all. I can easily take care of them."

Shi Shi: Speechless.

Seeing her choked up, Fu Yingzhou was secretly laughing, but he didn't show it on his face.

"Owning a dog is a sweet burden. Dogs are so cute. Who wouldn't love them? Don't you agree, Shi Shi?"

Although he tried not to show any smile, the tremor in his voice at the end betrayed his emotions.

"Are you still going to give me that puppy or not?" Shi Shi asked fiercely.

She had large, almond-shaped eyes with a moist, sparkling quality. Fu Yingzhou found her "fierce" appearance rather endearing.

"Here you go, but you can only choose one; the other one is mine. Do you want Runrun or Qianqian?"

Shi Shi was stumped: "Both are so cute, I don't know how to choose."

"Let's go to my place and see for ourselves."

Going to a strange man's house on the second date?!

"Give me the dog back, I'm not going to your house! What is this man thinking!"

"Don't worry, I'm home alone, it's not like I'm meeting the parents."

What indecent language!

"Dream on! You're the only man in your family, I'm not going!"

Fu Yingzhou laughed. This was the first time in his life someone had given him a badge suggesting he was a bad guy. However, since she saw him as a stranger, such wariness was understandable.

"How about this, you wait for me downstairs at my place, and I'll bring them down for you to choose from. How about that?"

That would be fine!

When Shi Shi went to pay the bill, she found that the money had already been paid. She looked at Fu Yingzhou in surprise. He nodded.

Inviting yourself to dinner is just an excuse; actually letting a girl pay will ruin your chances of getting her to like you.

As the two walked out, Shi Shi asked him, "When did you pay the bill? I didn't see you leave."

"You paid when you came in, so it wouldn't be right for you to treat me."

"How do you know how much it costs before we've even eaten?" Shi Shi asked curiously.

"I've been to this shop before. I can estimate how much it will cost for the two of us. I'll give him an extra service charge, and then we can keep the change."

His actions helped Shishi regain some of her positive impression of him.

Fu Yingzhou had driven there, of course. When he saw that Shishi had also driven, he quickly put the car keys he was about to take out back into his coat pocket.

"I don't have a car, could you please give me a ride?"

Suddenly wanting to tease him, Shi Shi said to him in a serious tone, "I'm not a driver for nothing; I have to pay him."

Fu Yingzhou readily agreed: "Sure, just name it."

Shi Shi: ...He agreed way too easily.

"I haven't decided yet."

Fu Yingzhou wasn't in a hurry: "Then take your time to think it over. Let me know whenever you've made up your mind."

Shi Shi waited in the car for Fu Yingzhou to go and get the dog. Being alone allowed her some quiet time to think. Fu Yingzhou really wasn't a conman. At most, he was just a clueless flirt. But judging by his age, he didn't seem completely inexperienced. Was he just naturally low on emotional intelligence? Since she couldn't figure it out, Shi Shi stopped thinking about it. The happiest time in a relationship is when there's mutual attraction and a spark between the two.

Before long, she saw Fu Yingzhou stride towards her with his long legs, carrying a fluffy ball in each hand.

How adorable!

Fu Yingzhou placed the two dogs on the back seat of the car. Perhaps because of the unfamiliar environment, the dogs were a little scared. Runrun started scratching frantically at the leather seats in the back. In just a few scratches, the cushions were torn.

Shi Shi looked at the two puppies' paws: "Didn't you trim their nails?"

For the first time, a look of confusion appeared on Fu Yingzhou's usually composed face: "Does a dog need its nails trimmed?"

After saying that, seemingly feeling the atmosphere was a bit awkward and that he was acting like an idiot, he added, "This is my first time owning a dog."

Shi Shi tried to ease the tension by saying, "Maybe the dog will file its own nails."

She fell silent after saying that. Beautiful! The atmosphere became even more awkward.