Chapter 8 – This Client
Novel Title: 我们已经分手了 (We Have Broken Up)
Author：御小凡 (Yu Xiaofan)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 刘帆 (Liu Fan -MC), 陈谦 (Chen Qian -ML)
*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
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All the troubles Liu Fan had were nothing compared to the blind date arranged by Sun Yiyi. A single blind date was worse than dealing with ten exes!
“Mom, I have something to do on Saturday. Really, I have something to do,” Liu Fan said, holding the phone with one hand and pulling his hair with the other. “I have to meet a client. No, I’m not lying. I swear to the Goddess! Mom, please——————”
Liu Fan, in a Munch’s ‘The Scream’ pose, was about to be driven mad by Sun Yiyi. “I know, I know. But I really have something to do on Saturday. How about we change it to Sunday? I’ll definitely be there rain or shine. Even if it’s raining knives, I’ll go with a pot cover on my head! How about you give me the phone number? I’ll schedule it with him myself!”
How could Sun Yiyi not handle a simple date? All the trouble was just to make Liu Fan take this blind date seriously. When Liu Fan cried and begged, she gracefully set the exact time: This Sunday. For dinner. And dress nicely.
The words had been spoken and there was no point in saying more. No matter how much Liu Fan disliked it, he couldn’t defy the Empress Dowager’s decree. He glanced at the restaurant address. It was not far from his place. It was the most famous restaurant nearby, with great food, a nice ambiance, and a superb atmosphere. Liu Fan often went there, being a single person mingling among couples.
It was obvious Sun Yiyi had booked it. The consideration was thorough. Liu Fan sighed; it wasn’t easy being a mom. Even if the child was gay, she still worried about their lifelong matters.
With Saturday free, Liu Fan could now confidently schedule a meeting with Tuan Tuan. He initially wanted to call Chen Qian directly. But old friends were old friends. And clients were clients. Work matters should follow protocol.
Original Design Company Copywriter Liu Fan: Can we schedule the meeting with General Manager Chen at 2 PM on Saturday?
Tuan Tuan: He’s busy during the day. Let’s meet before dinner.
Huh? Didn’t she say he was free that day?
But thinking about it, others were different from him. He was just an employee. Even if not listed, the company had an annual revenue of twenty million so their time for work differed. Liu Fan didn’t mind: Okay, where would be suitable?
Tuan Tuan: Six o’clock. At Liu Guomu.
Liu Fan was a bit taken aback. Isn’t that the restaurant he was supposed to go to for the blind date on Sunday? Why choose here? He thought it would at least be closer to Chen Qian’s place or Fanyu’s.
But it worked out well. Liu Fan was a homebody. If he didn’t have to go out, he wouldn’t. The closer it is to him, the better.
Tuan Tuan: Do you have something to do on Sunday?
The question was abrupt. But considering Tuan Tuan’s usual speaking style, it wasn’t unexpected. There was no need to hide it. Liu Fan typed: Yes, I have an appointment. So I can only meet with your General Manager on Saturday. Luckily, he’s free that day.
Tuan Tuan: You’re going on a date?
Liu Fan raised an eyebrow, surprised that this seemingly cold and quiet girl had such a gossip-loving side. For some reason, he found her quite interesting, with an amusingly familiar feeling. He rarely looked at other people’s [social media] profiles. But he clicked into hers. Leo, birthday on August 12th, huh?
Same as Chen Qian?
Liu Fan thought; No wonder. They’re both Leos.
Tuan Tuan: Is it a date?
Liu Fan: Uh, yes.
The other side fell completely silent, seemingly satisfied after quenching their curiosity.
At this moment, Wu Shuang had someone bring over the stamped contract. Liu Fan double-checked it and put it into the file folder, just waiting to show it to Chen Qian on Saturday.
Liu Mengjiao, wearing the new shoes she had ordered that day, already had a band-aid on her left heel. She casually asked, “So, no blind date this weekend?”
Opposite her, Guo Yan snickered. She then felt a bit embarrassed and pursed her lips, not looking up. Zheng Nian continued working on his own, not paying attention.
How could there not be a blind date? There’s one every week. Haaa. Thinking about it made Liu Fan lose interest in bantering with Liu Mengjiao. Seeing his instantly weary face, Liu Mengjiao also sighed, “I say, why don’t you try dating this one? If they’re not too bad, that is. It might give your mom and yourself a break.”
Liu Fan had considered it. He had reflected on himself many times, knowing he was too picky. He blew any flaw in the other person out of proportion, unable to tolerate them. But if he didn’t like someone, he just didn’t. To avoid forcing himself, he even came out of the closet; how could he compromise in such a situation?
Most of the time, he didn’t find being single bad. He could follow his own rhythm 24/7, do whatever he wanted during his breaks, without worrying about his image or time.
Moreover, Liu Fan’s salary was neither too high nor too low. But his material desires were not high. Sun Yiyi and Liu Xing had earned three houses and left a single apartment for him, with only a 2300 yuan monthly loan. After that, he still had about five thousand yuan left. He didn’t smoke, gamble, drive a car, or own a dog, and had no significant social expenses. His biggest expense was food, so his life was easy and comfortable. Living with someone else meant considering the other person’s feelings, painstakingly adjusting to conflicts, and changing his already established lifestyle.
Such a difficult and painful thing—if he didn’t have feelings for the person, would he be foolish enough to do it? Why make things hard for himself?
Liu Fan understood Sun Yiyi’s worries. But what good would finding a partner do? Could it guarantee they wouldn’t cheat? Could it guarantee they would outlive him? Even if they had an ordinary child, there was no guarantee the child would grow up safely, and growing up safely didn’t ensure success. Success didn’t guarantee filial piety, and filial piety didn’t mean the child wouldn’t someday have to bury him.
The future was inherently uncertain. Liu Fan wasn’t recklessly squandering his present without care for the future. He just felt there was no need to trouble himself now for uncertain things.
Moreover, he knew what it truly felt like to mutually like someone. It was a feeling that stretched thousands of miles, omnipresent, dormant for a long time before blooming suddenly. It grew deep into the flesh and blood, forming a garden in the heart. Even now, looking back, that image still dazzled him.
Therefore, Liu Fan found it even harder to compromise. Should he find a partner just to have someone? Or should he share his life because he met someone special? The order couldn’t be wrong.
For Sun Yiyi’s sake, patiently agreeing to meet someone was already his greatest compromise.
***
Liu Fan, holding a file folder, entered Liu Guomu somewhat flustered. Last night, he got excited watching the theatre version and ended up rewatching hundreds of episodes of the original series. As a result, he stayed up until eight in the morning. He overslept, waking up only at three in the afternoon, feeling both sleep-deprived and overslept.
After taking a shower, he felt a bit more awake. Luckily, all the materials were ready; he just needed to go over them in his mind to sort out the logic. The timing was tight, so he left without even changing his clothes.
Before going in, Liu Fan specifically checked the roadside parking spots and indeed saw Chen Qian’s car. He had only glanced at the licence plate number once. But unexpectedly, he remembered it vaguely.
As soon as Liu Fan walked in, a waiter greeted him, “Hello, sir. How many people?”
“Thank you. My friend should already be here. Just the two of us.” Liu Fan glanced around the room. The tables were spaced generously apart, providing enough privacy, and the décor used plants to cleverly divide the tables. The entire restaurant was lush with greenery, and although it looked nice, it made it a bit difficult to spot someone at a glance.
“Two people. Are you Mr. Liu?” After confirming, the well-trained waiter led him to a seat by the window. There, Chen Qian was sitting, looking out the window with a bored expression. He was leaning back in his chair, one leg crossed over the other. His fingers were loosely interlaced and resting on his stomach. Hearing movement nearby, he turned his head slightly, meeting Liu Fan’s gaze.
Liu Fan felt a stir inside, sensing that this meeting felt different from the last time he saw Chen Qian.
After he sat down, the waiter asked, “Would you like to order now?”
Chen Qian made a sound of assent, with a hint of laziness. He was like a lion taking a nap—still majestic but much less aggressive.
“This place is close to your home. Have you been here before?” Chen Qian asked, flipping through the menu without looking up. Liu Fan also opened the menu, took a quick glance, and then closed it. He had tried almost all the dishes here and knew which ones were good. There was no need to ponder, “Yeah, I’ve been here several times. The food is indeed good. You have a good eye for places.”
“Li Yu picked it,” Chen Qian replied, seemingly uninterested. He closed the menu and tossed it back on the table, “You order.”
Liu Fan knew Chen Qian’s preferences as well as his own. Back in the day, they had shared meals many times, sometimes eating all four meals together, including midnight snacks. Their tastes had long aligned, though Chen Qian never cared about food as much as Liu Fan did.
Liu Fan didn’t hesitate. He ordered a few dishes they both liked, and said with a smile, “I hope your taste hasn’t changed. If you don’t like it, don’t blame me.”
Chen Qian, half-heartedly, said, “If it’s bad, watch out for a beating.”
Although his words were harsh, there was a hint of a smile in his eyes as he looked at Liu Fan. This expression stirred a warm feeling of nostalgia in Liu Fan’s heart.
Chen Qian tapped his knuckles on the table, “If you have any questions, ask them quickly. Why are you just sitting there dumbfounded?”
“Oh. Actually, I just wanted to chat with you about your company’s character and style, as well as your personal preferences and requirements.” Liu Fan started pulling things out of the file folder and suddenly remembered, “By the way, who is that Tuan Tuan at your company?”
Chen Qian: “…”
Liu Fan: “?”
Chen Qian responded coldly, “Why do you want to know? Does it have anything to do with work?”
“No, I’m just asking casually.” Liu Fan, feeling a bit embarrassed, curbed his curiosity. However, since he was used to joking around with Chen Qian, he didn’t take it too seriously. He handed the contract to Chen Qian, who quickly skimmed through it and put it back in the file folder, “I’ll take it back for stamping. You can come to our company to pick it up in a couple of days.”
Once the contract was signed, they could start making samples and collecting the deposit. Liu Fan casually asked, “Can’t we just use a local courier?”
“What, are you going to drop the ball as soon as the contract is signed?” Chen Qian mocked, “What kind of attitude and service is that? Is it that hard for you to come to our company? We take this very seriously. Image promotion is very important. Haven’t I already made time to meet you? Is your time more valuable than mine? Let me tell you, just because we have a past connection, don’t think you can slack off…-“
The psychological shadow left by Sun Yiyi on Liu Fan was immense. Now, whenever someone nagged him, he would immediately become submissive. Hearing Chen Qian’s long sentences made his head hurt. So he quickly compromised, “-Alright, alright. I’ll come.”
Liu Fan waved his hand, thinking that all clients are difficult, including exes. No, exes are worse. They like to bring up the past and are even harder to please…
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*Translator’s Note: I saw through your scheme, CQ… Heh! -K
Next update: 2024.09.12
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