"I agree, but you must first pay us the two hundred thousand dollars and provide any equipment we might need during the repair process. If we fail to fix it, we'll return the money. Also, we can sign a confidentiality agreement."
After thinking for a moment, Reed gave his answer.
"I'll be in touch," Fenris said, nodding with a relaxed air as he turned and walked away.
"Wait... I don't think he ever asked for your contact information, did he?" Benjamin asked, stunned.
Reed was silent for a moment. "He didn't."
"So how is he going to contact you?"
"…"
Benjamin rubbed his shiny bald head and muttered hesitantly, "You don't think he was messing with us, do you? That whole time controller and two hundred grand... maybe it was all just made up."
Reed stayed silent. Now that he thought about it, that might actually be the case.
The sun was setting, and night was falling.
Outside a luxury hotel near Columbia University…
Fenris, who had just quietly taken out a few street gangs and "collected" the two hundred thousand dollars he needed to pay Reed, and even earned over twenty bonus points, was walking out the front entrance when he unexpectedly spotted Susan coming from the direction of the campus.
Susan noticed him too. "You?"
"What a coincidence. Where are you off to?" Fenris asked with a smile.
Susan nodded, smiling back. "Yeah, what a surprise. I'm just taking a walk."
"I'm going to eat. Without you, I'll lose my appetite."
Susan: ???
His words caught her completely off guard. That direct? We're not even that familiar yet!
"Sorry, I have something else to do, so–" Susan began to politely decline.
Fenris smiled and said, "A man once wanted to ask the woman he liked out for a meal. At first, he said, 'Can I take you to dinner?' The woman replied, 'Women don't like questions.'"
Ah, she got it.
This was probably like the clever wordplay he'd used before.
Intrigued, Susan asked, "And then?"
"Then the man said, 'Come have dinner with me.' The woman said he was too overbearing. So he tried to be polite and asked, 'Would you like to have dinner with me?' And the woman replied again, 'That's another question.'"
"In the end, the man said, 'I'm going to eat. Without you, I can't.'" Fenris looked at Susan, who was now covering her mouth, giggling softly. "No good? Then let me try another one."
"You've got such a beautiful figure. It'd be a shame not to fill it with food."
"Pfft!" Susan couldn't help laughing and gave him a gentle tap on the arm. "I honestly can't tell if you're complimenting me or teasing me."
"Still no good? Alright, one more."
Looking at Susan's black dress, Fenris said seriously, "Your dress is lovely. I'd like to take it to dinner. If you're free, you can come along too."
"Ha ha! Well, thank you on its behalf."
"Can you ask it if it's accepted my invitation?"
"It says yes. And…" Susan looked into his eyes. "I'm free too."
"That's fantastic."
Fenris smiled and extended his hand. Susan smiled and lifted hers into his, then looped her arm through his.
That move, ending with a hand-holding gesture, was the cherry on top of a perfectly executed invitation.
Don't think girls don't know what you're up to. Especially a girl like Susan. She's seen every kind of pickup line and dinner invite out there.
From the first sentence, she already knew what he was getting at.
Some guys might think, "It's just dinner. You know I'm interested. Why bother with all the extra fluff? Just say it straight."
But…
And here's the key…
That "extra fluff" is exactly what women appreciate. That's what makes things fun.
Even if the outcome is the same, the experience along the way makes a big difference.
Just like in intimacy between a man and a woman, same end result, but the process changes everything.
Guys always want girls to be a bit more forward. Why shouldn't girls expect guys to put in a little flair?
Why do some women fall for so-called "bad boys"?
Because those guys know what women want. They get it. They do it.
Why do people say you need a thick skin to chase girls?
Because if you're shy, even when you know what she likes, you're too embarrassed to say or do anything… what's the point?
Yes, yes. "I understand the theory. I just can't do it."
(Yeah, that's me.)
The restaurant wasn't luxurious. The food wasn't exceptional.
But to Fenris, it was a feast for the eyes.
And Susan?
Well, she spent so much time laughing that she didn't even taste the food.
Fenris was firing on all cylinders, little jokes, clever lines, charming anecdotes, never too flattering, never awkward. He told stories that narrowed the gap between them naturally, never coming off creepy.
His witty, confident personality and handsome, exotic looks made Susan's fondness for him skyrocket.
Especially in comparison to a certain someone.
Looks?
That guy might have some charm, but with his messy beard and sloppy appearance, even good looks wouldn't help. And he wasn't that good-looking to begin with.
Fenris, on the other hand, tall posture, refined presence, handsome foreign features, radiating confidence at every moment.
The other guy only got that kind of spark in his eyes when talking about lab work.
But what's the point?
You plan on spending every day in a lab together after getting into a relationship?
Personality?
Don't even start.
That guy's a total straight-laced bore, can't even string together three interesting sentences.
Fenris?
Susan felt like she'd laughed more in one day with him than she had in all the time she'd known the other guy, combined. Probably twice as much. Maybe more.
And the best part? It was all genuine. She felt completely relaxed.
How can anyone compete with that?
Forget it. Let the whole thing burn.