13: Balcony Chat

"Don't touch me next time," Fang Hanyu said resentfully.

Wang Runmin stopped speaking.

Wu Fan looked at the cigarette in his hand; more than half of it remained.

He stood up, took a deep drag, and gazed at the distant mountains.

The door to the adjacent balcony opened with a clang.

Wu Fan pretended to be calm, not turning to look, and continued smoking.

He was mainly worried that Wang Runmin would come out, and if he appeared too eager, it might make him overthink things.

"Wu Fan, smoke less; it's drifting over here," Fang Hanyu's sweet, crisp voice rang out.

Only then did Wu Fan turn; her cheeks were flushed, clearly still flushed with passion.

"Oh, okay."

He stubbed out the cigarette and tossed it into the pothos water tank.

The two looked at each other for a few seconds, their gazes almost stretching into threads... Wu Fan said, "It's getting late; I need to pick up Yaoyao from school."

Fang Hanyu, however, called out, "Wu Fan, I'm taking you on a blind date tonight. She agreed to meet first to get to know each other."

Wu Fan stopped and asked, "What does she do?"

Fang Hanyu walked to the wall and said, "She's a server in our school cafeteria, 29 years old, divorced, with a daughter the same age as Yaoyao."

Wu Fan quietly asked, "Is she as pretty as you?"

Fang Hanyu looked back at the balcony door, then lowered her voice and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? She's the belle of our school cafeteria. You'll definitely like her after you meet her."

If this were before he had the system, Wu Fan would have readily agreed.

But not now. With the system in hand, he didn't want a divorced woman, and one with a child was even more impossible. Playing around, however, was something he could consider.

He mischievously said, "I think I'll pass. I still like you."

Fang Hanyu smiled shyly, just about to say something, when Wang Runmin's footsteps sounded.

"Hanyu, what are you doing on the balcony?"

Fang Hanyu said loudly, "I'm telling Wu Fan something; I'll be done in a moment."

Wang Runmin also came out, pulled a cigarette from his pocket, and tossed one to Wu Fan.

Wu Fan reached out and caught it.

Fang Hanyu continued, "You should really consider it. She's genuinely good, and very down-to-earth. She's a good woman for settling down."

Wang Runmin seemed to catch on and asked, "Are you setting Wu Fan up?"

Fang Hanyu hummed in affirmation.

Wang Runmin said, "Wu Fan, you should have found a woman a long time ago. A home isn't a home without a woman."

After he finished speaking, he glanced at Fang Hanyu with a hint of triumph.

Wu Fan thought that a direct refusal wouldn't be appropriate, so he demurred, "I'm busy tonight. I have plans with a friend. Maybe next time."

Fang Hanyu frowned slightly and said helplessly, "This is a big matter; you should take it seriously."

Wu Fan chuckled, flicked the cigarette ash, and said nothing more.

Fang Hanyu said, "Alright, I'll tell her, and we'll arrange it for next time."

She turned, swaying her hips, and went back into the room.

Wang Runmin moved closer and whispered, "Wu Fan, do you have a woman outside?"

His words made Wu Fan a little wary.

Could he have noticed something?

So he teased, "To be honest, I even suspect I'm impotent. It's been so long since I've been with a woman, I've forgotten what it's like."

Wang Runmin heard this and laughed, as if he had found a kindred spirit, saying, "Between men and women, that one thing isn't really important. Having a wife or not is just a matter of face. Why don't you quickly find a woman to silence the gossips?"

Wu Fan nodded repeatedly, "My brother is right. I must work hard to find one."

"Oh! I need to pick up Yaoyao from school. I'm leaving now."

Wu Fan didn't wait for Wang Runmin to reply before he went inside and closed the balcony door.

He actually didn't like chatting with Wang Runmin; he always felt strange about it.

Perhaps it was a sense of guilt, after all, he and Fang Hanyu were only one step away.

Wu Fan turned on the TV, idly watching a nonsensical anti-Japanese war film.

A old farmer, feigning surrender, led the Japanese into an ambush set by the Eighth Route Army, dying a heroic death... [Ding, congratulations, host, you have received a random gift. Would you like to claim it now?]

Wu Fan silently thought, "Claim it." (The system panel can also be operated manually.)

[Ding, claim successful. You have received 20,000 yuan in cash.]

He opened his China Construction Bank card, checked the balance, and felt very comfortable seeing over 130,000 yuan.

He needed to find some time to buy a car, as he had promised Yaoyao.

As for the money, he could just swipe it a few times.

He had only thought of this method after pondering for a long time one night.

When the electric bike arrived at the school gate, it was exactly dismissal time.

Wu Fan looked up, searching, and finally saw Sweetie's mother not far away.

She wore a long, gray double-fleece coat unbuttoned over a pink sweater, a black mini-skirt, black leggings, and knee-high boots, looking quite fashionable.

She stood out especially in the crowd.

Wu Fan couldn't help but look a few more times, but he didn't expect her gaze to meet his.

Wu Fan smiled and nodded.

She returned a smile, then immediately averted her eyes from Wu Fan.

Wu Fan mused, this kind of woman, this is what you call a woman; her aura was like that of a celebrity.

Yaoyao still came out with Sweetie, but at the gate, Sweetie was picked up by her mother.

Wu Fan could only watch her go.

Sweetie's mother was tall and had an excellent physique; she seemed to have practiced dance, or perhaps yoga.

"Daddy, what are you looking at?" Yaoyao was by his side now.

Wu Fan picked her up and changed the subject, saying, "What do you want to buy on the way home today?"

Yaoyao thought for a moment and said, "I don't know. I still have a lot of puzzles to do."

Wu Fan couldn't help but laugh, "You thought for so long, and didn't come up with anything, huh? Are you hungry? How about I buy you a skewer of pork loin?"

Yaoyao happily grabbed Wu Fan's ear and said, "Okay."

After each eating a skewer of pork loin, they went home.

After dinner, they put together puzzles and watched the cartoon "Boonie Bears" together.

Time quickly passed, and it was past eight o'clock.

After Yaoyao washed up and got into bed, she fell asleep before he could even read her a bedtime story.

Perhaps she was a bit tired from kindergarten today, as the schedule included an outdoor activity class, and who knew what crazy games she had played.

Wu Fan sat by the bed, quietly watching Yaoyao for a while, feeling very content.

He turned off the light and quietly backed out.

When he arrived at Dai Mao's guitar shop, he was playing Honor of Kings. If Wu Fan hadn't come to pick up his guitar, he would have closed early.

"Brother Fan, you're finally here. If you didn't come, I would have dropped from Star Glory to Diamond."

His eyes were glued to the screen, and his hands furiously operated the controls.

Wu Fan leaned in to look, only to see his Arthur fighting a jungle monster, but then the opposing Pei Qinhu ambushed him and stole the red buff.

He couldn't help but sneer, "You're losing stars because your skill is too bad. How can you blame me? Next time, I'll carry you, and reaching King isn't hard if you have hands, right?"

Dai Mao scoffed, "Brother Fan, don't brag. I have a feeling you're definitely a noob, haha."

"Next time, I'll show you my skills when I get the chance."

Wu Fan saw that the guitar was already packed in a guitar case and placed on the desk, so he picked it up, slung it over his shoulder, and walked straight out of the shop.

Dai Mao, holding his phone, chased after him and asked, "Brother Fan, are you going to One Foot Sea Bar to play?"

...