Chapter 22 (part 1)
Ning Wan bid goodbye to Fu Zheng, quickly ate a snack, and took care of some work email. When she looked at the clock, it was already almost 7: 30pm. She packed up and hurried to the square dance venue - speaking of which, this new venue was the one she had been responsible for.
There was a light wind blowing, and the bright, open space was comfortable. A few older ladies gathered slowly, chatting with each other. Unfortunately, although Ning Wan poked about for a while, she didn't see Auntie Xiao, the very busy square dance leader. The lady in question eventually arrived late, at 7:40pm, but even after she came there was no chance to engage her in conversation, because Auntie Xiao immediately turned on the radio and rhythmic music came on at full blast.
Everyone around her jumped in, and she would have stood out too much just standing by the side, so she got up and began dancing too...
A few sets later and out of breath, Ning Wan finally caught the attention of Auntie Xiao thanks to her stiff movements, awkward expression and ill-fitting reactions that were always a half-second behind--
"You are?"
"Auntie Xiao, my name is Ning Wan." Ning Wan smiled brightly, but didn't get straight to the point. First, she sprinkled a little sugar. "I hear that you're one of the best dancers here. I'm always sitting in the office, and not flexible at all, you're so much better than me! Trying to keep up with you today really makes me feel like I'm not as strong as you, either. No wonder you're in such good shape..."
But Xiao Mei didn't seem to be pleased at all, only reserved. "Is that so?"
"Why wouldn't it be? I don't suppose I could call you Sister Xiao in the future?" Ning Wan asked unsophisticatedly. "I heard other people here call you Auntie Xiao just now, but you just look and feel so young to me that I just can't call you 'auntie'! Can I call you 'sister' instead?"
According to reason, flattery like this should work on most people. People generally let down their guard around those who praised them, but unfortunately, Auntie Xiao seemed to be an exception. She was often complimented in her day-to-day life, so she was quite used to it. No matter how many pretty words Ning Wan used, she accepted them with a sense of aloofness and reserve, not allowing Ning Wan to push forward.
Auntie Xiao shot a penetrating gaze at Ning Wan and cut to the chase. "Tell me, what are you approaching me for?"
Alright then... Since she didn't like to beat around the bush, Ning Wan wouldn't stand on ceremony. "It's like this, Auntie Xiao..."
When she said that, Xiao Mei coughed, interrupting. She fiddled with her hair, "Didn't you say you wanted to call me 'Sister' just now?"
"..." Ning Wan read the room and immediately adapted. "Sister Xiao, here's the thing. My name is Ning Wan, and I'm one of Yuelan's community lawyers. At the moment I'm working on a very troublesome case. Do you know Wang Liying? I hear she's your friend and I would really like to ask you about her."
However, after she finished her story Xiao Mei didn't seem too interested. "To tell you the truth, there are a lot of people in this neighbourhood who think of me as a friend, but I don't have the time to take care of every friend's business. Wang Liying was one of the earliest participants in our square dance group. There's nothing much more to say. You're young, so you should understand the concept of plastic sisterhood1?"
“……”
Aunt Xiao had prevaricated enough, and she got to the point. "Of course... if I really wanted to, I'm certainly capable of investigating anything you want. But well, I'm very busy nowadays, how would I have so much free time..."
Ning Wan caught on quickly. "Well, if I were to ask you to inquire about things for me, of course I would have to show some gratitude in return. Sister Xiao, please let me know if there's anything you need?"
Then she prayed in her heart that Xiao Mei wouldn't ask for too much...
"I have nothing to ask for as far as a house, or car, or money," Xiao Mei sighed.
Ning Wan breathed a sigh of relief…
"The only thing I lack is a boyfriend."
Ning Wan was taken aback, but fortunately, this request was within her means. "No problem at all, I'm quite close to the director of the Social Work Committee. If I find any good singles in the community, I'll let you know and introduce you. Do you have any requirements for your boyfriend, Sister Xiao?"
Xiao Mei was quite generous in this respect. "No requirements other than that he be handsome, tall and under 25 years old."
?!?! Is this what you would call 'no requirements'??? And under 25, even??
Was being in a May-December romance popular nowadays? But now Ning Wan was really stumped. Where on earth would she find a handsome young man under the age of twenty-five willing to date Auntie Xiao...
Fortunately, Xiao Mei cleared her throat and added, "I'm not actually looking for a real boyfriend. I just don't want to lose."
"What?"
The older lady gave Ning Wan a sidelong glance. "I don't want to lose to Wang Liying. In fact," she complained, "You didn't even have to tell me about it. There have been rumours going around the community recently that Wang Liying has found a young man of 26 to marry. Is she as attractive or youthful-looking as I am? How on earth did she find such a young man?"
She paused. "I've actually wanted to look into it for awhile now. How did she find such a boyfriend? Is there some inside story?"
Ning Wan was stunned for a moment before suddenly putting the pieces together. "But you felt like you couldn't win since you didn't have a young boyfriend like her, so you never went?"
"Well, anyhow," Xiao Mei coughed a little unnaturally, "She's taken away all my limelight recently! Everyone's discussing her and they bring me up on the side, saying 'what's the use of looking young just to be surrounded by old geezers?'"
Staring at Ning Wan, she said, "I can go out and inquire for you, but only if you find me a handsome young man under the age of 25 to accompany me. He doesn't really need to be my boyfriend. He just needs to go shopping and chat and make all my girlfriends secretly jealous."
"He must be handsome!" she added. "Tall! Good-looking! Wang Liying has found a 26-year-old, so I must have a younger one, under the age of 25!"
"So what you're looking for is not actually a boyfriend, but more like a kind of male escort?"
Upon hearing the words 'male escort', Xiao Mei's brow wrinkled. "I don't want a male escort. They're all the same, not well-read, of bad temperament, and glib. They might try to cheat me out of my money. I want an educated and pure young man of good family!"
“……”
"In short," Xiao Mei laid down an ultimatum, "When you find me a 'little boyfriend', I will help you."
Finished, she turned her back on Ning Wan, ended the intermission, and turned the stereo back on again.
As the intoxicating beat of square dance music began once more, Ning Wan pondered over the problem, troubled. She couldn't be tardy with this investigation, as Lu Feng was waiting on the results. But to find a handsome young man in such a short period of time who was willing to go shopping and chat with Xiao Mei was a little difficult...
If only she were a man, she would definitely be willing to sacrifice herself for the cause...
Wait!
Come to think of it, Ning Wan felt a lightbulb going off above her head.
She was no longer alone. She had a team! And on her team, wasn't there a man?
A beautiful face and supple figure2, handsome, tall, of good temperament, top of his class from a prestigious school overseas. And like herself, he was the lawyer entrusted with this case, so he would absolutely be willing to make a few little sacrifices for his work. The only thing was...
Fu Zheng was thirty.
"Thirty?! No way! That's too old!"
Sure enough, when the square dance finished up Ning Wan stepped forward once again to 'pay tribute' with a possible candidate, and was met with fierce opposition. "Thirty is unacceptable! Absolutely not!"
"Look, if you told me he was twenty-six," said Auntie Xiao earnestly, "That might still be acceptable. At the very least, I would be tied with Wang Liying. Twenty-seven is okay, too, you can't always tell how old he is as long as he can act young, but not thirty! Why, after a man is twenty-eight, he's like a withered willow, a wilted flower3, and this one is thirty! I'll just lose face if I bring him out! I'll lose to Wang Liying in one swoop!"
Ning Wan had not expected Fu Zheng, who was 30 years old and in his prime, to be rejected...
But she tried peddling him anyway. "Although this one here is thirty, he's a hot commodity, and extremely handsome! He's so handsome that he has no friends!4 Sister Xiao, don't let age be an obstacle for you. The older the man, the more mellow the wine, the more you taste the flavour!"
She then waxed lyrical and gushed madly about Fu Zheng's face Fu Zheng's long legs Fu Zheng's cool temperament until finally, Auntie Xiao loosened up a little and said, "Since you've said all this, I suppose I'll reluctantly give him a chance."
Having gotten her agreement, Ning Wan thanked her a thousand times and went home gratefully.
But after having conquered Auntie Xiao, Ning Wan unexpectedly found that Fu Zheng had become the next stumbling block in the matter.
Chapter 22 (part 1)
Ning Wan bid goodbye to Fu Zheng, quickly ate a snack, and took care of some work email. When she looked at the clock, it was already almost 7: 30pm. She packed up and hurried to the square dance venue - speaking of which, this new venue was the one she had been responsible for.
There was a light wind blowing, and the bright, open space was comfortable. A few older ladies gathered slowly, chatting with each other. Unfortunately, although Ning Wan poked about for a while, she didn't see Auntie Xiao, the very busy square dance leader. The lady in question eventually arrived late, at 7:40pm, but even after she came there was no chance to engage her in conversation, because Auntie Xiao immediately turned on the radio and rhythmic music came on at full blast.
Everyone around her jumped in, and she would have stood out too much just standing by the side, so she got up and began dancing too...
A few sets later and out of breath, Ning Wan finally caught the attention of Auntie Xiao thanks to her stiff movements, awkward expression and ill-fitting reactions that were always a half-second behind--
"You are?"
"Auntie Xiao, my name is Ning Wan." Ning Wan smiled brightly, but didn't get straight to the point. First, she sprinkled a little sugar. "I hear that you're one of the best dancers here. I'm always sitting in the office, and not flexible at all, you're so much better than me! Trying to keep up with you today really makes me feel like I'm not as strong as you, either. No wonder you're in such good shape..."
But Xiao Mei didn't seem to be pleased at all, only reserved. "Is that so?"
"Why wouldn't it be? I don't suppose I could call you Sister Xiao in the future?" Ning Wan asked unsophisticatedly. "I heard other people here call you Auntie Xiao just now, but you just look and feel so young to me that I just can't call you 'auntie'! Can I call you 'sister' instead?"
According to reason, flattery like this should work on most people. People generally let down their guard around those who praised them, but unfortunately, Auntie Xiao seemed to be an exception. She was often complimented in her day-to-day life, so she was quite used to it. No matter how many pretty words Ning Wan used, she accepted them with a sense of aloofness and reserve, not allowing Ning Wan to push forward.
Auntie Xiao shot a penetrating gaze at Ning Wan and cut to the chase. "Tell me, what are you approaching me for?"
Alright then... Since she didn't like to beat around the bush, Ning Wan wouldn't stand on ceremony. "It's like this, Auntie Xiao..."
When she said that, Xiao Mei coughed, interrupting. She fiddled with her hair, "Didn't you say you wanted to call me 'Sister' just now?"
"..." Ning Wan read the room and immediately adapted. "Sister Xiao, here's the thing. My name is Ning Wan, and I'm one of Yuelan's community lawyers. At the moment I'm working on a very troublesome case. Do you know Wang Liying? I hear she's your friend and I would really like to ask you about her."
However, after she finished her story Xiao Mei didn't seem too interested. "To tell you the truth, there are a lot of people in this neighbourhood who think of me as a friend, but I don't have the time to take care of every friend's business. Wang Liying was one of the earliest participants in our square dance group. There's nothing much more to say. You're young, so you should understand the concept of plastic sisterhood1?"
“……”
Aunt Xiao had prevaricated enough, and she got to the point. "Of course... if I really wanted to, I'm certainly capable of investigating anything you want. But well, I'm very busy nowadays, how would I have so much free time..."
Ning Wan caught on quickly. "Well, if I were to ask you to inquire about things for me, of course I would have to show some gratitude in return. Sister Xiao, please let me know if there's anything you need?"
Then she prayed in her heart that Xiao Mei wouldn't ask for too much...
"I have nothing to ask for as far as a house, or car, or money," Xiao Mei sighed.
Ning Wan breathed a sigh of relief…
"The only thing I lack is a boyfriend."
Ning Wan was taken aback, but fortunately, this request was within her means. "No problem at all, I'm quite close to the director of the Social Work Committee. If I find any good singles in the community, I'll let you know and introduce you. Do you have any requirements for your boyfriend, Sister Xiao?"
Xiao Mei was quite generous in this respect. "No requirements other than that he be handsome, tall and under 25 years old."
?!?! Is this what you would call 'no requirements'??? And under 25, even??
Was being in a May-December romance popular nowadays? But now Ning Wan was really stumped. Where on earth would she find a handsome young man under the age of twenty-five willing to date Auntie Xiao...
Fortunately, Xiao Mei cleared her throat and added, "I'm not actually looking for a real boyfriend. I just don't want to lose."
"What?"
The older lady gave Ning Wan a sidelong glance. "I don't want to lose to Wang Liying. In fact," she complained, "You didn't even have to tell me about it. There have been rumours going around the community recently that Wang Liying has found a young man of 26 to marry. Is she as attractive or youthful-looking as I am? How on earth did she find such a young man?"
She paused. "I've actually wanted to look into it for awhile now. How did she find such a boyfriend? Is there some inside story?"
Ning Wan was stunned for a moment before suddenly putting the pieces together. "But you felt like you couldn't win since you didn't have a young boyfriend like her, so you never went?"
"Well, anyhow," Xiao Mei coughed a little unnaturally, "She's taken away all my limelight recently! Everyone's discussing her and they bring me up on the side, saying 'what's the use of looking young just to be surrounded by old geezers?'"
Staring at Ning Wan, she said, "I can go out and inquire for you, but only if you find me a handsome young man under the age of 25 to accompany me. He doesn't really need to be my boyfriend. He just needs to go shopping and chat and make all my girlfriends secretly jealous."
"He must be handsome!" she added. "Tall! Good-looking! Wang Liying has found a 26-year-old, so I must have a younger one, under the age of 25!"
"So what you're looking for is not actually a boyfriend, but more like a kind of male escort?"
Upon hearing the words 'male escort', Xiao Mei's brow wrinkled. "I don't want a male escort. They're all the same, not well-read, of bad temperament, and glib. They might try to cheat me out of my money. I want an educated and pure young man of good family!"
“……”
"In short," Xiao Mei laid down an ultimatum, "When you find me a 'little boyfriend', I will help you."
Finished, she turned her back on Ning Wan, ended the intermission, and turned the stereo back on again.
As the intoxicating beat of square dance music began once more, Ning Wan pondered over the problem, troubled. She couldn't be tardy with this investigation, as Lu Feng was waiting on the results. But to find a handsome young man in such a short period of time who was willing to go shopping and chat with Xiao Mei was a little difficult...
If only she were a man, she would definitely be willing to sacrifice herself for the cause...
Wait!
Come to think of it, Ning Wan felt a lightbulb going off above her head.
She was no longer alone. She had a team! And on her team, wasn't there a man?
A beautiful face and supple figure2, handsome, tall, of good temperament, top of his class from a prestigious school overseas. And like herself, he was the lawyer entrusted with this case, so he would absolutely be willing to make a few little sacrifices for his work. The only thing was...
Fu Zheng was thirty.
"Thirty?! No way! That's too old!"
Sure enough, when the square dance finished up Ning Wan stepped forward once again to 'pay tribute' with a possible candidate, and was met with fierce opposition. "Thirty is unacceptable! Absolutely not!"
"Look, if you told me he was twenty-six," said Auntie Xiao earnestly, "That might still be acceptable. At the very least, I would be tied with Wang Liying. Twenty-seven is okay, too, you can't always tell how old he is as long as he can act young, but not thirty! Why, after a man is twenty-eight, he's like a withered willow, a wilted flower3, and this one is thirty! I'll just lose face if I bring him out! I'll lose to Wang Liying in one swoop!"
Ning Wan had not expected Fu Zheng, who was 30 years old and in his prime, to be rejected...
But she tried peddling him anyway. "Although this one here is thirty, he's a hot commodity, and extremely handsome! He's so handsome that he has no friends!4 Sister Xiao, don't let age be an obstacle for you. The older the man, the more mellow the wine, the more you taste the flavour!"
She then waxed lyrical and gushed madly about Fu Zheng's face Fu Zheng's long legs Fu Zheng's cool temperament until finally, Auntie Xiao loosened up a little and said, "Since you've said all this, I suppose I'll reluctantly give him a chance."
Having gotten her agreement, Ning Wan thanked her a thousand times and went home gratefully.
But after having conquered Auntie Xiao, Ning Wan unexpectedly found that Fu Zheng had become the next stumbling block in the matter.
