Fight the Landlord, Fall in Love

Chapter 5 - I Don’t Want to be Friends with Virgos

During the naive, muddleheaded days of his childhood, Xie Zhuo had definitely suspected that Sun Zinan’s tolerance and respect for him had a special connotation to it. He suspected it was due to a ‘crush.’

In a sense, Xie Zhuo was exceedingly prone to a one-track way of thinking, and even had a sincerely difficult time worrying over this, imagining scenarios and planning out what he should do if Sun Zinan were ever to confess to him. Although he enjoyed wearing dresses, he didn’t actually consider himself female. He especially did not want to offer his cherry to be popped—even if Sun Zinan was the most important friend in his life.

So for a time, Xie Zhuo incessantly hinted “I like women” and “I am a straight man,” until Sun Zinan politely and euphemistically told him, “What’s the difference between liking you and a lunatic? Don’t worry, I’m not that blind. I wouldn’t do something that foolish.”

Xie Zhuo still remembers how disgruntled he had been. “Then what do you like, fairies?”

Sun Zinan pondered for a while, then said, “I don’t know, but not lunatics.”

The times had changed, and the once ridiculed, flat-chested youth was now a lascivious butterfly, but Sun Zinan, who had long since been bent, was forced onto the path of blind dating. The wheels of fortune had reversed, and the ways of the world had become unpredictable.

“Hahahahahahaha!” Xie Zhuo’s inner heart was filled with the joy of revenge, and he even wanted to stand up and applaud. “Who knew you’d come to this day!”

Sun Zinan stared at him mutely.

“Be content with it, at least it’s a man.” Xie Zhuo was very cheerful. “I thought you would live the rest of your life with this lunatic.”

“...”

Sun Zinan set his cup down, ready to pay and leave.

Xie Zhuo hurriedly pulled him back. “Sulking isn’t fun. Sit down. Give your brother some details first. Which fairy are you meeting?”

At this moment, the alcohol hit him, and Sun Zinan felt as if both his strength and reason had turned to pulp. He had completely lost the ability to hide his wounds, or maybe he had decided to become hopelessly reckless, and directly confessed, “It’s the son of my father’s friend. His last name is Tang, name is Tang Kai. A professor at Tianhai University.”

Xie Zhuo’s eyes twitched, his sharp black fingernails twirling at his hair. “The Kai in kai shu, handsome, and proud to heaven. Is that him?”

Sun Zinan, “En. You know him?”

“Not only do I know him!” Xie Zhuo slapped Sun Zinan’s thigh and said excitedly, “He’s related to my dad’s side of the family! Tang Kai’s mother is my dad’s aunt; the two of us are a generation apart. I have to call him uncle...”

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Sun Zinan tried to untangle this complicated family tree for a while until his head hurt, but finally couldn’t keep from laughing. He squinted his drunken eyes. “So if this works out, I’ll have to give you New Year’s money in the future, right?”

His eyes gleamed with waves of light, revealing a rare gentle, lucid look, like a stream of autumn water, stained with the beauty of intoxication. Just like the saying that wine does not make people drunk, people make themselves drunk. One could say he was cold and unfeeling, but he wasn’t. For a moment, even Xie Zhuo couldn’t help but be moved, not due to lust, but the pure human perception of beauty.

Speaking of which, with Sun Zinan’s looks, it was really inconceivable that he hadn’t found a partner yet.

“Get out, is being called uncle by a group of young men not enough? I’ve met Tang Kai before; his entire being resounds Asperger syndrome. Why would this type of person need a blind date? Spending his life with petri dishes should be enough for him.”

“Who knows. He might not agree. It’s best if he doesn’t agree.” Sun Zinan was a little sleepy, so he passed his car keys and credit card over to Xie Zhuo. “Help me find a driver.”

Xie Zhuo casually slipped the credit card into his pocket, playing with the car keys as he said, “If you need backup let me know. I’m very good at acting as a white lotus.”

Sun Zinan expected Tang Kai to reject the blind date, but after a few days the old man actually had Secretary Wang Tian send him the time and plans.

Wang Tian was Sun Ying’s close confidant; Sun Zinan had to treat him with the same level of respect as his own father. Fortunately, Secretary Wang was a very understanding and thoughtful person&#k2014;not only did he make the restaurant reservation for him, he also sent him a small folder of information on Tang Kai.

Sun Zinan mindlessly flipped through it, and was stunned by the ID photo. Although Tang Kai was a bastard, his looks could really make one speechless. His family circumstances were not complicated; his parents were both present and worked as government officials. Tang Kai himself had been outstanding since childhood. His resume was listed very clearly; he had even won first place in a robotics competition as a child.

The resume was like the person, clean to the point of moral virtuosity. At a glance one could tell he had never come across many setbacks, smoothly growing up into a talented youth.

Sun Zinan dropped the stack of data onto the table, thinking to himself, how boring.

The date was at a garden restaurant. Its furnishings were from the Republic era, and the dimly lit lamps at night created a quiet atmosphere, suitable for private conversation.

Sun Zinan arrived a little early; Tang Kai was led in by a waiter after he began reading the menu. The two had already met before, so there was no need for introductions. Their gazes met for a moment, then withdrew.

Tang Kai said, “I was held up by students asking questions after class. I’m sorry for coming late.”

“No need.” Sun Zinan smiled and passed the menu to him. “I came too early.”

Although Tang Kai had rushed over after class, he was still dressed impeccably in a suit without a single strand out of place. His tall stature and mature, scholarly temperament was a pleasant sight when he did not speak, but the moment Sun Zinan thought of his sharp tongue and acrid ‘cornstalks and kelp’ speech, his heart was pervaded with a lingering fear. This spiked mace had a rose in full bloom; no matter how beautiful the rose, he still had no interest in picking it.

“You drove here?” Sun Zinan asked him politely. Tang Kai nodded, then motioned to the waiter. “I don’t want red wine.”

The food was served after a while. The waiter poured water for them, set the table, and retreated quietly.

“I didn’t think Professor Tang would actually come,” Sun Zinan said. “Thanks for meeting with me.”

Tang Kai replied, “Only because of my father’s request.”

Sun Zinan’s eyes curved slightly along with his lips, and he said flatly, “I personally wanted to see Professor Tang again. Whether it was due to our family arrangements or because of work.”

Tang Kai, “Do I have to say important things three times? The patent is not for sale.”

Sun Zinan couldn’t help but laugh. Tang Kai looked at him mildly, his gaze neither strong nor aggressive, but the concentration was very comforting.

Sun Zinan continued, with the traces of a smile he had not yet retracted, “What I meant was, there might be chances of cooperation in the future, so we should first start out being friends.”

The gathering of darkness hung deeply, and the night breeze blew gently, sending the warm breath of a spring evening mingled with the faint scent of wood. The dim yellow lights were as heavy as wine, and each murmur seemed to have the hint of secret meaning.

Tang Kai’s line of sight moved from the rose by the windowsill to the small candle in the glass, before finally landing on Sun Zinan. His body exuded an indescribable aura of sophistication yet approachability, but he always kept a polite distance. He was mature and not wily, always giving the impression that he was very reliable and could solve difficult problems without breaking a sweat. This was a unique gift given to him through experience, giving him a steady bearing beyond his years mixed with the liveliness of his youth.

The young unmarried Professor Tang grumbled to himself: he’s trying to coax me like I’m a little girl; sounds like he’s a practiced salesman.

He asked, “Mr. Sun, what’s your star sign?”

“Virgo,” Sun Zinan responded. “What about it?”

Tang Kai revealed a ‘that’s why’ expression. “What a pity, I’m not used to being friends with Virgos.”

Sun Zinan, “Why?”

Tang Kai, “Because Virgos have too many things going on and their expectations are too high. They’re mysophobic and have obsessive compulsive disorder. It’s hard to get along with them.”

Sun Zinan, “...”

He was almost angered to the point of laughing. “Professor Tang, looks like your school’s scientific teachings are not very scientific. You’re such a well-known professor, why do you believe in such superstitions?”

Tang Kai responded, “It’s the reality of it.”

“Your way of thinking can’t even compare to that of a high school student. Aren’t Western superstitions still superstitions?” Sun Zinan questioned, “Professor Tang, are you wearing a fortune bracelet under your suit jacket?”

Without waiting for Tang Kai to deny it, he added, “Besides, speaking of OCD, why do I feel like you have it more severely than I do?”

Tang Kai lowered his head, following Sun Zinan’s gaze towards his own yet-to-be-collected dinner plate. He was met with the sight of all the side dishes on his plate arranged neatly by type and size. Even the scraps meant for the trash were put in line. If he denied it, there would be no such thing as OCD in this world.

Tang Kai, “...”

Tang Kai had been silenced by Sun Zinan’s canon-like words. Sun Zinan sipped at his water, observing Tang Kai’s angry frown in satisfaction. Feeling like he had teased the other enough, he said leisurely, “Professor Tang, it’s not good to be picky with your food.”

Tang Kai was about to foam at the mouth from rage. His face was just like one of a female protagonist from an idol drama, screaming out ‘not your business.’

Sun Zinan kept going. “But your contradictions are very cute.”

“...”

Tang Kai’s reaction was too slow and he finally realized he was being teased. His expression was stifled, revealing a mysterious taste to it. The man sitting across from him was youthful and handsome, his beautiful double-lidded eyes holding the hint of a smile, brighter than the reflection of light. His gaze made even the air warm and soft.

He clearly knew he was prejudiced against this man, but at the same time didn’t want to admit it. But even with his preconceived and criticizing attitude, he still couldn’t bring himself to dislike Sun Zinan.

Tang Kai lowered his eyes and finally relaxed his bearing. He raised the corners of his lips slightly.

“Thanks.” He said smoothly, “You’re also very cute.”

This was toothache-inducing. Sun Zinan let out a breath of cold air.

Two adult men frantically praising each other for being cute at a blind date – this was indeed the prominence of society.

He had originally just wanted to avoid an awkward silence, so had faced Tang Kai in a pleasant manner. He hadn’t thought this guy would react better to soft persuasion than force. Calling him cute had immediately thawed out his past grudges; the sour face he had put on all night immediately basked in sunlight, as if he was a little too easy to coax.

Perhaps his previous sarcastic countenance was just a defense mechanism and the spiked mace’s inner self was actually a pure and shy youth?

Sun Zinan didn’t mind maces, but compared to the barbed jabs at each other, he still preferred the smooth, well-behaved Tang Kai—he wasn’t a masochist.

The mace withdrew its sharp spikes, leaving just the rose. The latter half of this dinner became harmonious and lovely. When the two of them finished eating and were about to leave, Sun Zinan took the initiative to ask, “I don’t have your WeChat, why don’t we add each other? We can hit each other up later.”

Tang Kai nodded, taking his phone out readily and inputting the lockscreen password. Sun Zinan sent him a friend request and was about to change the request comment, when he caught a glimpse of Tang Kai’s WeChat name. His gaze hardened in a flash.

A familiar double-helix structure, a familiar ID—

DONKI.

Tang Kai’s phone vibrated and he tapped on the ‘new friend’ notification. The other party’s ID was ‘North.’

Professor Tang was a scientist of excellent memory, and while Sun Zinan had an average memory, he held onto grudges bitterly.

Quick as lightning, the two men both recalled a certain memory. Tang Kai raised his brows in surprise, immediately looking up to stare doggedly at Sun Zinan.

The smile on Sun Zinan’s face had disappeared.

He put his cell phone back on the table. “Sorry, I take back my earlier words.”

Tang Kai, “En?”

Sun Zinan, “I don’t think we should start from being friends.”

Tang Kai, “Why?”

Sun Zinan responded cordially, “I don’t want to be friends with childish people.”