Shang Chi pulled up in front of the club. The doorman eyed the unassuming sedan with a hint of hesitation.
Only when he saw the tall figure emerge from the driver's seat and recognized the strikingly handsome face did the doorman relax, stepping forward eagerly to take the keys and park the car.
Shang Chi and his childhood friends had a reserved private room here.
The moment he pushed open the door, a soulful, smoky voice filled the air with wailing passion.
The room's lighting and sound system were set to KTV mode.
The person near the door was holding a microphone, singing with deep emotion. Catching the corridor light spilling in from the corner of his eye, he abruptly straightened up.
"Shang Chi's here!"
The booming voice echoed through the entire room via the mic.
Shang Chi winced at the volume, lazily lifting his eyes and clicking his tongue before casually kicking the speaker.
"Turn it down," he snapped irritably. "You're going to deafen us."
Zhong Yun clutched the mic and muttered, "What a fierce guy. No wonder he's going on blind dates."
Shang Chi: "?"
Shang Chi's gaze swept over the sly grins on the other two guys on the sofa. A vein throbbed on his temple as he turned and kicked again.
"So you called me here today? The charity was fake, but watching me make a fool of myself was real?"
Shang Chi eased up on the force, and Zhong Yun, thick-skinned as ever, didn't even bother to brush the footprint off his pant leg. He grinned, slung an arm around Shang Chi's shoulder, and pushed him toward the sofa.
"One hundred percent real! My wife's sulking and won't give me any spending money. My pockets are empty. Bro, spare me a buck or two. I gotta buy groceries and cook tomorrow."
"Besides, who dares watch our Second Young Master Shang's spectacle!"
Zhong Yun pointed an accusing finger. "This Liang Yuda snitch told us you, the guy into human-machine romance, actually agreed to a blind date. The guys got curious and rushed to drag you here for the scoop."
The man being pointed at grunted.
"Zhong Yun, don't try to pass the buck—you were the one who brought it up first!"
After a pause, he peeked out cautiously like a puppy. "So, did you actually go on the blind date? How was it? Compared to your robot?"
Shang Chi: "..."
Why was everyone saying he was dating a robot?
He clearly remembered working on intelligent AI.
Shang Chi couldn't be bothered to explain. He strode over, sat down in the empty spot between the sofas, leaned back casually, hummed lightly, and said slowly, "It was great. She complimented me on being gentle and considerate."
Recalling that handful of sparkling candies, Shang Chi narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of amusement curling his lips.
"Eeeeeh—!"
"You? You?? You???"
"Praised~me~for~being~gentle~~"
The private room erupted in overlapping shrieks, each voice drawn out in disbelief.
Shang Chi scoffed indifferently, "Fine, don't believe me."
And no one did.
Shang Chi possessed a profoundly handsome, sharp-featured face. A faint, ambiguous smile always played at the corners of his lips. When he lazily glanced at someone, his dark eyes held a hint of amusement, creating the illusion that he was easygoing.
In reality, he was arrogant and cold, so insufferable you wanted to kick him.
His eyes and mind were occupied solely by his AI and robots day in and day out. No matter how many women tried to charm him, he was too weary to spare them a second glance.
Gentle with blind date partners?
Ha, more likely the world would end tomorrow.
No one present took Shang Chi seriously, and he couldn't be bothered to elaborate.
Long fingers loosely encircled the wine bottle on the small table ahead, lifting it to examine. He raised an eyebrow. "Lychee fruit wine?"
As the bottle neared, an overpoweringly cloying sweetness wafted up.
Every soul in this private room preferred nothing but hard liquor. How did a bottle of fruit wine end up here?
"I grabbed the wrong one," Yuan Zhenglang, seated beside him, leaned over to explain. "I was rushing out and just grabbed a bottle from the liquor cabinet—ended up with my girlfriend's fruit wine."
Liang Yuda sighed deeply: "Engaged people are just different."
Yuan Zhenglang chuckled twice, his face flushed and full of vigor. He even gestured to Shang Chi: "I'm planning to get engaged. When I marry, I'll save the best man spot for you?"
Shang Chi unscrewed the cap and leisurely poured himself a glass of fruit wine.
He glanced up, slightly surprised. "Engaged? You two only started dating two months ago."
Yuan Zhenglang ran his fingers through his buzz cut, smiling with an honest warmth.
"When it feels right, timing doesn't matter."
Liang Yuda said sourly, "He's all lovey-dovey now, tagging along with that young lady for social work every day—either at the welfare home or the special needs school. If he weren't planning to come back for the engagement, you wouldn't even see him."
He glanced at the crystal-clear fruit wine and asked suspiciously, "Didn't you say fruit wine was too sweet?"
Shang Chi replied meaningfully, "Now I love sweet things."
Turning to Yuan Zhenglang's blissful smile, his features relaxed as he offered congratulations.
Zhong Yun roared into the microphone again, "Woo-hoo-hoo!"
Amidst the lively clamor, Shang Chi sipped the sweet, refreshing fruit wine and turned to Yuan Zhenglang.
His tone was casual and nonchalant: "By the way, do you often visit special needs schools?"
Yuan Zhenglang nodded. "Meng Yue studies social work. Those places are always short on volunteers, so I usually go with her."
Once the conversation started, Yuan Zhenglang launched into a detailed account of the various things he and Meng Yue had witnessed while volunteering.
Shang Chi responded sporadically, his long lashes drooping lazily, concealing the thoughtful expression in his eyes.
Soon, a key phrase caught his attention.
"—Our Jincheng has a special school that enrolls hearing-impaired and visually impaired students. It's quite well-known."
-
Mingzhuo stepped into the bathroom for a warm, steamy bath, washing away the chill of the autumn wind that clung to her skin.
Her sickly pale complexion gained a rosy glow, even her lips tinged with a hint of crimson.
She slipped into a thin flannel pajama set and returned to the bedroom, her fingers fumbling across the table until they found her phone.
While bathing, Mingzhu had faintly heard her phone chime twice.
It was the specially set notification sound for WeChat messages.
Her fingertips slid across the screen, and the mechanical female voice in assistive mode immediately announced:
"Photo album."
"Jincheng Bank."
"Xiaomao Music."
"WeChat."
Mingzhu double-tapped to confirm, and the phone smoothly launched into WeChat.
She skipped the pinned messages from her teachers Qi Lan and Qi Kejing, scrolling down to the third chat—the one with the new message.
The mechanical voice read out Shang Chi's name without a flicker of emotion.
Mingzhu was slightly surprised.
Shang Chi had asked to add her on WeChat while waiting for their food, leaning in close.
...She'd assumed he'd become one of those silent contacts in her list.
She tapped the chat window, curious what Shang Chi had sent.
It was a voice message.
The background carried the sharp whistling of wind, as if he stood on a balcony or similar spot, with faint vibrations of music in the distance.
His slightly lowered voice was warm and magnetic, exuding a deliberate yet tender softness.
"Teacher Ming, I forgot to ask—did you enjoy tonight's dinner?"
...Enjoy it?
Memories she'd struggled to push away surged back into her mind.
The more she tried to ignore them, the clearer they became.
Even the warmth and texture of Shang Chi's fingers occasionally brushing her wrist during their interactions felt painfully vivid.
Her fingertips drifted lazily across the screen, accidentally hitting the voice module. The phone vibrated, startling Ming Zhu into snapping her fingers away.
Whoosh.
An empty voice message was sent.
Mingzhu frantically swiped the screen, selecting the message to recall.
After regaining her composure, she held the phone close to her lips and replied softly.
"Mr. Shang, you're too kind. The restaurant you chose was delicious."
Though she was accustomed to using voice messages to communicate due to her blindness,
when the recipient was Shang Chi, Mingzhu felt inexplicably nervous. She swiped up to select the sent message and listened to her own voice again.
Her tone was slightly strained and stiff, sounding uncharacteristically distant and formal.
Should she send another one?
Before she could decide, Shang Chi had already replied instantly.
Opening the voice message, the first sound that reached her ears was a low, husky chuckle, almost like a breathy whisper.
"Then I'm relieved. But since today's invitation was so last-minute, next time I'll take Teacher Ming to somewhere even better."
"..."
Next time?
Mingzhuo held her phone, feeling a bit dazed as she pondered.
Even if you don't hit it off on a blind date, can you still hang out for a meal?