298: Being single in Singapore

“You’re the older one, so you make the call.”

Li Qinghe shrugged. Since they were just going out for fun anyway, he might as well go check it out.

The place Zhang Rui mentioned was Pearl’s Hill Terrace.

This was an older commercial and residential building in Singapore.

It mainly housed hardware stores and craft shops, and of course, some essential food stalls.

The popular photo spot here was the rooftop parking lot of the podium block below.

Pearl’s Hill Terrace

After Zhang Rui finished speaking, Li Qinghe also went online to take a look.

Although most of the comments were full of praise, to Li Qinghe, it was nothing more than a bare concrete rooftop.

The environment was indeed old and worn, no wonder people claimed that photos taken here could evoke an 80s Hong Kong retro vibe.

Speaking of which, old concrete rooftops like this could still be found in many old residential areas in Longguo.

What kind of style the photos conveyed was ultimately up to the photographer.

However, his cousin was so enthusiastic about taking him around, it wouldn't be good to dampen his spirits too much.

So, Li Qinghe went up to the rooftop with him and took a few photos.

With Li Qinghe’s current photography skills, he could get a good shot instantly.

After taking a few photos for Zhang Rui, he didn’t even wait for his girlfriend to finish work and sent all the photos to her in one go.

“He Zai, I really didn’t expect you to have such a talent.”

After sending the photos, Zhang Rui looked at Li Qinghe with a lot of emotion.

The photos his younger cousin took had such great composition and color. He had taken photos here with his girlfriend before, but she was never quite satisfied, and they hadn't thought of hiring a professional photographer.

Seeing how brilliant the photos Li Qinghe took were today, he quickly sent them to show off.

“Your sister-in-law has always wanted to take some outstanding photos here, but unfortunately, I’m not very good at photography. If you stay in Singapore for a few more days this time, help me take some photos for your sister-in-law.”

Zhang Rui held his phone, admiring his photos with a wide smile.

“No problem. Can we take photos here at night?”

“Yes, you can.”

“What time does sister-in-law get off work?”

“Four-thirty.”

“We can come here after dinner and still take a few shots. I saw online that the best lighting for photos here is between 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM.”

“Hey, He Zai, you’re right, that’s a great idea. The restaurant we’re having dinner at tonight is right next to this place.”

Considering Li Qinghe’s taste, Zhang Rui chose a Hunan restaurant here. The cuisine from Akalin Province’s neighboring region would be more to Zhang Rui and Li Qinghe’s liking.

The two of them went to the Hunan restaurant around 5 PM. To show how much he valued his younger cousin’s visit and to welcome him.

Zhang Rui ordered several dishes, both spicy and non-spicy, because his girlfriend was from Zhejiang Province, next to Akalin, and she could barely eat spicy food.

Fortunately, Hunan cuisine also had non-spicy dishes, which could perfectly satisfy customers who didn’t eat spicy food.

Around 5:10 PM, Zhang Rui’s girlfriend, Su Yao, finally arrived.

She was dressed quite casually: a blue short-sleeved T-shirt, denim shorts, and a pair of breathable slip-on shoes.

She was nearly 1.7 meters tall, not exceptionally beautiful, but pleasant to look at, the type that grew on you, a demure beauty.

Su Yao

“Sister-in-law, come quickly, we’ve been waiting for you.”

Li Qinghe stood up with a smile and greeted Su Yao.

“Ah, you must be Qinghe. You’ve grown so tall.”

Su Yao sized up the standing Li Qinghe and praised him with a smile.

“Yaoyao, sit down quickly.”

Zhang Rui eagerly pulled out a chair for Su Yao.

“Yaoyao, for the non-spicy dishes, I ordered Steamed Assorted Cured Meats and Guoqiao Tofu. Do you want to add anything else?”

It was clear that Zhang Rui was quite attentive to Su Yao.

“Look at you two, why did you wait so long for me? You haven’t even opened the wine.”

Three people, five dishes, and several bottles of Tiger Beer. Before Su Yao even sat down, she asked the waiter for an opener to open the beer.

It was only when Li Qinghe came to Singapore that he realized Tiger Beer was a Singaporean brand.

No wonder it sold so well in Southeast Asia.

“Sister-in-law, my brother just said that meeting you was the luckiest thing that ever happened to him.”

Li Qinghe smiled and poured a glass of beer for Su Yao.

“Qinghe, you’re better at talking than your brother.”

Su Yao smiled. After dating Zhang Rui for a few months, she knew his personality well—a typical IT straight man who would do many things but wasn't very good at expressing himself.

“Haha, sister-in-law, eat quickly. My brother specially ordered the Guoqiao Tofu…”

Seeing that his sister-in-law wasn't falling for the flattery, Li Qinghe quickly changed the subject. He could only help so much.

The three of them had a few drinks and chatted briefly, and the atmosphere became much more relaxed.

While pouring beer for the two cousins, Su Yao asked Li Qinghe about his girlfriend: “Qinghe, do you have a girlfriend? Before you even came to Singapore, Zhang Rui kept talking about how he had a tall and handsome cousin.”

After seeing Li Qinghe’s appearance just now, Su Yao was indeed a little surprised. Although Zhang Rui wasn’t unattractive, his looks were quite ordinary.

Su Yao agreed to date him because she saw that he was very ambitious and his appearance seemed to offer a sense of security.

So when Zhang Rui said he had a very handsome cousin, Su Yao just thought Zhang Rui was bragging, as Zhang Rui’s looks, no matter how optimized, couldn’t be described as very handsome.

But Zhang Rui, being a straight man, insisted on arguing with her and even dug out childhood photos to prove that Li Qinghe had been more handsome than him since childhood.

It was only because Li Qinghe never posted photos on his social media that he couldn't find a photo to show Su Yao.

Su Yao wisely didn't continue the debate, essentially conceding to Zhang Rui's statement.

But at their first meeting, Li Qinghe's broad shoulders, long legs, and handsome appearance were indeed as handsome as Zhang Rui had described.

Especially his physique, which clearly belonged to a broad, strong, and energetic young man.

Thinking that there were many pretty girls in her company, she casually asked Li Qinghe about his romantic status.

Li Qinghe heard Su Yao’s tone and immediately understood that she wanted to set him up. He responded with a grin, “Sister-in-law, if you have any beauties, feel free to introduce them. I’m single in Singapore.”

“You rascal, don’t talk nonsense.” Seeing Li Qinghe’s flippant manner, Zhang Rui quickly stopped him, worried that he might leave a bad impression on Su Yao.

“Zhang Rui, don’t be so serious. You’re still so young, don’t act like an old man.” Su Yao playfully swatted Zhang Rui.

“Hey, sister-in-law, my brother is being mature and steady. He’s less likely to make mistakes at work.”

Li Qinghe quickly put in a good word for Zhang Rui. Men who were too boring could easily annoy women. He was also subtly reminding Su Yao that a steady, technical worker like Zhang Rui was more likely to be valued at a company, and being a bit more reserved wasn’t a bad thing in the workplace.

“Alright, I was just asking casually, but with you two cousins talking like this, I’ll have to seriously find someone for Qinghe.”

Su Yao looked at Li Qinghe: “Qinghe, what kind of person are you looking for? But I should warn you beforehand, many foreign girls in Singapore want to stay in Singapore.”

Li Qinghe didn't immediately answer Su Yao’s question. Instead, he asked her curiously, “Sister-in-law, do you also want to stay in Singapore in the future?”

Su Yao laughed speechlessly: “Qinghe, I really doubt if you and Zhang Rui are real cousins. Why are you so sly? Your brother and I have already discussed it. Singapore is just a place to make money; we’ll eventually go back to our home country.”