Super Combat Soldier

Chapter 1718: Chapter 1717: The Thing That Frustrated Liu Rumei

Ye Tianchen invited Liu Rumei to dinner!

To say it was formal, well, it wasn’t entirely so. To say it wasn’t formal, yet it was indeed the first time the two of them were going out for a meal alone, a solitary date. Some things can’t be expressed too plainly; they need to be felt with the heart!

What Liu Rumei hadn’t expected was that when Ye Tianchen invited her out for a meal, his choice of transportation wasn’t a sports car, nor a luxury sedan, not even his favorite motorcycle, but a bicycle. It genuinely left Liu Rumei feeling a bit frustrated, unable to fathom what Ye Tianchen was thinking, opting for a bicycle as a means of transportation!

Watching Ye Tianchen’s serious manner, devoid of any emotional intelligence, Liu Rumei couldn’t help but shake her head. Despite feeling a bit annoyed, she sat on the back seat of Ye Tianchen’s bicycle. Who would have thought that as soon as she sat down, she almost fell off? Ye Tianchen could barely ride a bicycle, wobbling side to side, giving Liu Rumei quite a scare!

”Hey, hey, can you even ride a bike? We’re about to fall!” Liu Rumei, startled witless, couldn’t help but pat Ye Tianchen on the shoulder and said.

”Hold tight to me; I promise I’ll get you to the destination safely!” Ye Tianchen chuckled and said.

Wobbling, yet without incident, only such words could describe Ye Tianchen’s cycling skills. Along the way, Liu Rumei was frightened repeatedly and several times thought about jumping off the bicycle and walking instead, refusing to ride with Ye Tianchen anymore. Yet Ye Tianchen wouldn’t let her off, causing Liu Rumei, a proper lady, to scream out loud several times!

”Ah... can you look where you’re going? We almost hit that lamppost!”

”Hey, can you stay to the side? Do you want to collide head-on with other vehicles?”

”Can you pedal a bit faster? The bike’s too slow, it’s tipping over.”

”With skills like yours, I might as well do it myself!”

Liu Rumei couldn’t bear to watch any longer and definitely couldn’t sit still any longer. Ye Tianchen’s biking skills were downright pathetic, unable to ride properly, full of peril, nearly colliding with roadside vehicles several times and garnering countless disdainful looks!

Brakes screeched!

Finally, they stopped. Liu Rumei let out a long breath. Ye Tianchen had finally brought the bicycle to a halt. Along the way, Liu Rumei had been scared into screaming countless times by Ye Tianchen’s terrible biking skills, and finally, when he stopped, Liu Rumei’s first reaction was to jump off and vow never to sit back on again!

”I suggest you don’t ride a bicycle in the future; it’s enough to drive anyone crazy!” Liu Rumei glanced at Ye Tianchen and sighed softly.

”This is my first time riding a bicycle; you’re my guest, lucky you!” Ye Tianchen laughed.

”I can’t afford such luck, you should let others enjoy it, too thrilling; I want to live a few more years!” Liu Rumei quickly replied, shaking her head.

Ye Tianchen glanced at Liu Rumei, realizing he hadn’t really interacted with her much before. But now, she was just a small woman, a very beautiful small woman. Indeed, Liu Rumei was very beautiful; her kind of beauty was captivating!

”Here we are, shall we go in?” Ye Tianchen said with a smile.

”Oh, is this... Western food?” Liu Rumei looked at the restaurant in front of them and asked.

”I suppose it is, I heard about this place from my sister, so we’ll have lunch here today, what do you think?” Ye Tianchen asked.

”Sure, I’m not picky about food!” Liu Rumei smiled slightly.

A place not too fancy, yet not too shabby, was where Ye Tianchen decided to have lunch with Liu Rumei. To be honest, Ye Tianchen was completely clueless about these things, had no emotional intelligence, and couldn’t arrange things. Plus, he rarely ate out and didn’t enjoy such atmospheres. Ten years ago living in the Mortal World was like this, and ten years later returning to the Mortal World, it felt even stranger. But considering it was Liu Rumei’s first outing with him, he thought to make it somewhat decent. After thinking it over, Ye Tianchen simply recalled his sister Ye Qianwen mentioning this restaurant. While waiting for Liu Rumei at the door, Ye Tianchen had already inquired about the route from the Ye family’s bodyguard.

Upon entering the Western restaurant, Ye Tianchen and Liu Rumei discovered that although the place wasn’t too spacious, with only about three or four tables, it was cozy and romantic—perfect for two people in love to whisper sweet nothings!

”Good evening, sir, madam. How may I assist you today?” A waiter dressed in Western restaurant attire smiled and asked.

”We’re here for a meal, get us a place, and bring out the menu!” Ye Tianchen replied directly.

Hearing Ye Tianchen’s words, the waiter smiled subtly, glanced at the spot by the window not far off, and said, ”This way please, sir, madam!”

Ye Tianchen promptly headed towards the vacant spot in the restaurant, while Liu Rumei smiled slightly, thinking—no wonder Ye Qianwen mentioned several times that her brother had zero emotional intelligence; it seemed true. Not gentlemanly at all, missing the basics of interacting with a lady, not even showing some chivalry by moving her chair, and instead plopped down on the seat himself, and started ordering once the menu was brought out!

”What do you like?” Ye Tianchen glanced at the menu and asked Liu Rumei for her opinion.

”Anything works; you decide!” Liu Rumei said with a smile.

He ordered several dishes in a row, and had Liu Rumei not told Ye Tianchen not to order too much to avoid waste, he would have kept going. This guy came to the Western restaurant to eat, not for any cozy or romantic pursuits. More importantly, the way he was ordering was as if a starving ghost had reincarnated, leaving Liu Rumei both amused and exasperated.

”Did I not wash my face today? Why are you staring at me like that?” Ye Tianchen noticed Liu Rumei looking at him with an unusual look and couldn’t help but ask.

”No, I finally understand why Qianwen said you’re a man with no emotional intelligence, it seems your EQ is genuinely zero!” Liu Rumei teased, laughing.

”Haha, truth be told, I’m not good at doing romantic stuff. Let’s just enjoy the meal and have a good chat; I find that quite nice!” Ye Tianchen said with an awkward smile.

”Okay!” Liu Rumei nodded.

Soon, the Western food was served. Ye Tianchen glanced at the fork and knife on either side and frowned, calling the waiter immediately, ”Could you bring me a pair of chopsticks, please?”

”Certainly, sir!” the waiter replied, handing Ye Tianchen a pair of chopsticks.

”Using chopsticks for Western food—you may not be the first, but you’re certainly one of the most unique. Why not try using a fork and knife first?” Liu Rumei elegantly cut her steak, asking as she spoke.

”I just don’t like them; that’s just my personality!” Ye Tianchen laughed.

The interaction between Ye Tianchen and Liu Rumei, despite not being as awkward as in the past, still lacked familiarity. How to say... Ultimately, the two hadn’t spent enough time together, so there weren’t many feelings involved. A bit of awkwardness sneaked into their conversation due to their unfamiliarity with each other’s personalities and temperaments. However, since both Ye Tianchen and Liu Rumei were mature adults, this dinner date, even without Ye Tianchen being gentlemanly, was sincere and gave Liu Rumei comfort, making their interaction enjoyable!

”Why don’t you try using chopsticks?” Ye Tianchen glanced at Liu Rumei and suggested.

Liu Rumei paused for a moment, then smiled and asked the waiter beside her, ”Could I have a pair of chopsticks as well?”

The waiter, slightly taken aback, had seen people unused to fork and knife, particularly Chinese, requesting chopsticks. It wasn’t uncommon. But for a couple enjoying Western food to ask for chopsticks together was somewhat perplexing. Were these two here to enjoy the romantic ambiance of Western dining or simply to eat?

Nonetheless, the guest’s request must be fulfilled, so the slightly puzzled waiter promptly handed Liu Rumei a pair of chopsticks. She used them to pick up a cut piece of steak, put it into her mouth, and couldn’t help but laugh, ”Eating Western food with chopsticks is quite the same; perhaps different things, when viewed and enjoyed from different angles, offer different experiences!”

”That’s exactly what I mean. Not everything has to follow the rules. When you defy conventions, you may face criticism or receive odd looks, but when you influence those around you and modify some rules, everyone starts to accept the changes. These changes become the new norm. That’s how conventions form—no one said they couldn’t change. It’s just that many people don’t try to change or find it hard to accept changes!” Ye Tianchen said with a smile.

”Your way of thinking is highly valuable in business development!” Liu Rumei praised with a smile. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)