Chapter 5 : Traps and Prizes

When El first called in the middle of the night, breathlessly describing how he’d met a special Chinese girl, all Péi Wanyi wanted to do was hang up and get back to her workout.

His flings were nothing new. How many of them ever lasted?

Just look at that Korean girl last time. Didn’t she treat him like a new toy and dump him in a week?

Péi Wanyi kept her sports headphones on, letting his words go in one ear and out the other, barely offering a token response.

That is, until El suddenly changed his tune: “Mavis, you have to come to the next party and meet her. Trust me, she’s cool, she’s special. You’re cool too. You two will definitely become friends.”

Péi Wanyi couldn’t even be bothered to sigh.

She put down her dumbbells, wiped the sweat from her forehead with a towel, and slowed her breathing before saying concisely, “Send me the date and location.”

That was the whole point of his call. If she didn’t agree, she’d have to listen to him ramble on for another half hour.

Remembering his state six months ago, Péi Wanyi had to hope that this time, he’d met someone normal.

Another episode like that would be too much for anyone to handle.

Unfortunately, on the day of the party, from the very first moment Péi Wanyi laid eyes on the other woman, she knew things wouldn’t go as planned.

This woman, Jiang Yanlin… if El fell into her hands, he’d be played for a fool.

After the party, Péi Wanyi even took a rare moment to reflect on her own mistake—mistaking Jiang Yanlin for Mia at first glance was a rare lapse in judgment.

—If Mia had half her brains, she wouldn’t have ended up in such a mess.

But El was already head over heels, completely hooked.

Every time Péi Wanyi checked her phone, she’d find a dozen messages from him, asking for her first impression of Jiang Yanlin, or if she thought Jiang Yanlin liked him.

Péi Wanyi had words on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed them all back.

What could she say? Nothing would stop his momentum now.

Besides, since the woman was willing to accept his invitations time and again, it was likely a mutual choice. It wasn’t an outsider’s place to interfere.

Whether it was a trap or a grand prize, he wouldn’t know until he saw it for himself.

But despite her thoughts, when she saw El’s progress report message, Péi Wanyi couldn’t resist going to his restaurant to check on the situation.

What’s wrong with checking in on a good friend’s new romance?

With a clear conscience, Péi Wanyi didn’t even bother to change out of her work clothes and brazenly pushed open the door.

At that moment, she had no idea what kind of door she had just opened in her life.

—Whether it was a trap or a grand prize, she was about to see for herself.

The bar counter in the restaurant wasn’t large. It could comfortably seat four, but five would be a squeeze.

As the owner, El was constantly shuttling between the kitchen and the bar, serving tea, water, and food to the two women.

Péi Wanyi’s arrival caught him completely off guard. He had to rush to prepare another portion, so busy he was practically running.

Meanwhile, at the bar, Péi Wanyi sat leisurely next to Jiang Yanlin, making small talk.

Both were experts at keeping up appearances. Their conversation flowed, neither overly polite nor overly enthusiastic, but at a glance, they seemed to be getting along quite well.

As they chatted and smiled, their initial impressions of each other quietly shifted.

‘She’s the woman my best friend is pursuing. I should at least be on good terms with her. ’

‘A free shield has just presented itself. Might as well make use of it. ’

By the time El finally served all the dishes and wanted to ask how they liked the food, he found that he couldn’t get a word in.

His Chinese wasn’t terrible, but anyone who has tried to learn the world’s most difficult language knows its power. He could handle daily conversations without a problem, but once specific nouns or technical terms came up, he was completely lost.

The two women were now discussing something that was practically gibberish to him. He listened for a long time but couldn’t understand a thing.

—What in the world is a “fujoshi”?

Jiang Yanlin was just as shocked as El.

At first, she was just going through the motions of social interaction with an ulterior motive, her conversation topics formulaic and requiring no thought.

Until she happened to glance at Miss Péi’s phone wallpaper. The words caught in her throat, replaced by: “…Is that Max?”

Péi Wanyi, having just checked a notification, replied casually without looking up,
“Yeah.”

The moment she said it, she too fell into a strange, brief silence.

After that, the conversation veered off in a completely uncontrollable direction.

“Did you choose to save the town or save Chloe?”

“Chloe. I’d choose her every time.”

“I chose to save her on my first playthrough. On the second, I wanted to see the other ending.”

“Have you played the prequel and the sequel?”

“…”

They were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn’t even notice El standing beside them, silent.

—To be precise, only Péi Wanyi didn’t notice.

As for Jiang Yanlin, she was hoping it would take her a little longer to notice.

It wasn’t that Péi Wanyi had completely forgotten about El.

She just got carried away, since it was rare to find someone in real life who shared her interest in these topics.

Péi Wanyi was surprised. Jiang Yanlin didn’t seem like the type of person who would be into this kind of culture. She seemed more like a “city girl” who only cared about fashion magazines and popular trends.

If Jiang Yanlin had heard that, she would have probably rolled her eyes.

A woman who rides a custom motorcycle in biker gear but has fan art as her phone wallpaper—how is she any different?

In the end, it was Péi Wanyi who brought the conversation to a halt and looked at her long-neglected friend.

“You should sit and eat too. What are you standing there for?”

Only then did El smile and ask them, “How’s the food? Please give me some suggestions for improvement.”

Jiang Yanlin instantly switched to work mode and replied,
“I’ll write a comprehensive review for you when I get home. I’ll send it to you for approval before publishing. We can discuss any issues then.”

It was only then that Péi Wanyi realized she was here for work.

“You’re helping El with promotion? Are you in the media industry?”

Jiang Yanlin looked at her. “It’s a side gig, but my main job is also freelance. I travel sometimes, but mostly work from home.”

Péi Wanyi nodded and reciprocated,
“Similar to me. I rarely go to the office either. I work remotely.”

They started chatting again, and El was once again left out.

He sighed inwardly and decided to give up on his original plan.

The meal was satisfactory—at least for those eating.

Péi Wanyi, having eaten at countless restaurants, quickly gave a few pertinent suggestions. Jiang Yanlin, on the other hand, only offered a few compliments, planning to save the rest for her review.

Watching her professional demeanor and then glancing at her love-struck friend, Péi Wanyi felt a twinge of annoyance.

‘I feel like I came at the wrong time. Better make a quick exit. ’

But Jiang Yanlin had no intention of giving her that chance.

Just as Péi Wanyi was about to make an excuse to leave, Jiang Yanlin turned and asked her,
“Did you drive here?” She hadn’t heard a motorcycle engine earlier, so it was likely a car.

Péi Wanyi’s car was parked right outside. She couldn’t very well lie.

At this point, Miss Péi had to rely on her good manners and tactfully ask,
“Which direction are you heading?”

Jiang Yanlin smiled, taking a step back to advance,
“Just drop me at the subway station. Thanks.”

Péi Wanyi slid off the barstool, the silver chain on her wrist glinting in the light.

“Address,” she said, cutting to the chase.

Jiang Yanlin turned to El behind the bar, waving with a calm smile.

“Thanks for dinner. I’m heading back to work now. I’ll send you the review later. Don’t forget to check it.”

El waved back, his expression still enthusiastic.

“Don’t mention it. Come anytime you want. You’re always welcome.”

Foreigners could be so cheesy.

Jiang Yanlin returned the smile but didn’t take the bait.

Péi Wanyi waved to him and walked out of the restaurant first.

Jiang Yanlin grabbed her things and followed.

The city lights were just coming on. The summer night was still young, and a gentle breeze lifted Péi Wanyi’s black hair, the scent of her shampoo drifting past Jiang Yanlin’s nose.

Watching her from behind, she realized that no matter the angle or the way she looked at her, this woman was impeccably beautiful.

—Next time, I have to ask her which cosmetic clinic she goes to.

Péi Wanyi unlocked her car with the key fob and, seeing that Jiang Yanlin was still standing there, turned to ask,
“What’s wrong?”

Jiang Yanlin glanced at her phone and replied with a light laugh,
“Thank you, but my ride is here. I’ll be going now.”

She didn’t even bother to pretend, said her goodbyes, and walked towards the other end of the street.

Péi Wanyi watched her retreating figure for a long time before letting out a soft chuckle.

Then she got into her car and drove away cleanly.

That day, both Jiang Yanlin and Péi Wanyi gained a new perspective on each other.

The dislike had faded, but it hadn’t turned into fondness either.

More than anything, they had both come to the same conclusion.

—The other was definitely not someone who could be controlled.

Jiang Yanlin admitted to being a very controlling person.

Whether it was her work, her life, her social interactions, or her relationships.

She chose to be a freelancer precisely because she enjoyed the feeling of being the sole decision-maker in every step of the process.

From having an idea, to planning and organizing, to the final perfect presentation, everything was under her complete control, without being questioned or contradicted.

When her desire for control was matched by her ability to execute, she could accomplish many things with high efficiency. Sometimes it was commendable, sometimes it was perfect, but she never messed up.

Her clients had a love-hate relationship with her, because of her high standards, and also because of her high quality.

But socializing and relationships were different from work.

Jiang Yanlin wasn’t arrogant enough to think she could manipulate people’s minds. All she could do was filter and screen.

Because human consciousness is the most complex and intricate instrument in the world, as elusive as magic.

There are many people in this world who don’t even fully understand their own thoughts and desires, often lost in the face of countless choices.

How could anyone else accurately define another person’s black and white?

Jiang Yanlin didn’t define others. She only read, interpreted, dissected, and then understood.

In this process, the answers to a series of puzzles would leap off the page after she had climbed mountains and crossed rivers to find them, a pleasure that few other things could compare to.

But once you’ve thoroughly digested one book, you always want to read the next.

So she never stayed. She had little interest in the new chapters that followed.

Over time, walking down this path, she became what is commonly known as a “Sea Queen.”

Jiang Yanlin didn’t mind. A “Sea Queen” could also be a “Queen of Vast Reading”—labels and definitions can be deconstructed and reassembled by oneself, so why dwell on them?

Only on the accusation of being “controlling,” Jiang Yanlin was happy to accept.

She was self-centered and wouldn’t tolerate anyone or anything that displeased her in her sight for long. Was there a problem with that?

Avoid people you don’t like.

Cherish those you get along with.

In the game of adulthood, this was already the highest difficulty setting.

But if you could do it, it was incredibly satisfying.

For example, people who she knew from the first glance she wouldn’t get along with, had no desire to get to know, and were difficult to control—Jiang Yanlin would usually not engage with them further.

Unfortunately, there’s a saying: “Nothing is constant.”

This summer, for Jiang Yanlin, was a series of abnormalities.

What she thought was a harmless cold turned into pneumonia. Things she thought she’d never see again kept appearing.

And a person she thought she’d never cross paths with again, she met the very next day.