Chapter 31: Chapter 31

Jack stared at Arya for a long while. She was bit flushed red due to effect of wine. Her eyes bit drowsy.

She poured herself another drink and drank it up in a gulp.  She said.  “Then what do you think is the point?”

“The point is that my first love is back and hinted to me she wants to reunite with me.”  Jack shook his small wine cup and did not know what to think.

“Ahhhhhhh……yes, so it looks like the lady who went on the blind date with you will not have a chance.”

“Arya, are you diverting from the topic again?” Jack shook his head.

“When did I divert from the topic?  This is an important point of the main content.  You still can’t forget your first love, and now do you also want to acquire a new love from your blind date?”  Arya’s tone was a bit high and she threw him a look of disgust and contempt.

“When did I say I can’t forget my first love.”

“Then you mean your new love from your blind date is the winner here?”

“When did I say I’m interested in my blind date.”

“You are damn really hard to please.”

“You’re the one very hard to please with messy thoughts swimming in your head all day long.”

Jack stuffed a piece of satay into his mouth and after swallowing, he asked her seriously.  “Arya, why did you pursue me at that time?”

“umm. Let me think. Well for starters, You are handsome and I was captivated by your charms.”  She grabbed a piece of satayi and felt happy she could talk to him so calmly.  Look, she can also be confident and carefree.

“Am I more handsome than your ex-boyfriend?”

“Yes.  you are a little taller than him, better qualified than him and I’m sure you earn more than him.  Overall, youl certainly score higher.”  She simply shot out her words which sounded a little bit like flattery but Jack still curved his lips.

“This time, you are more focused on the topic.”

She looked at him with disgust again.  “The point is that I had been in love with him but not with you.”  The tone of her voice sounded as if it was Jack’s loss.

He lifted his eyebrows and was about to say something but was stopped by her.  “Wait a minute, wait a minute!  You don’t have to tell me the reason why we had not been in love.  This matter is too risky and not worth discussing at all.”

“It’s just that you are not promising enough. huh.”  This time, it was Jack who held contempt for her.  “Why can’t you be more courageous and keep fighting for what you want?”

“Don’t encourage me.”  Arya poured herself a glass of wine and drank it in a gulp.  “I’m very easily influenced and once I feel brave, I’m afraid you will not be able to shake me off.  Then your ex-girlfriend will complain to you about meeting a formidable love rival and then I’m afraid you’ll be extremely busy handling the situation.”

Jack laughed loudly and he laughed so much that tears flowed from his eyes.

“Arya, I suddenly feel that it’s really nice to have you in my life.”

“Yes, that’s correct.  You must count your blessings and treat me better.  Don’t talk to me unpleasantly and fiercely the whole time.  You’ll regret if you lose a friend like me and by then who will listen to you when you pour out the trash in your heart and accompany you to find the important points?”

Jack smiled again and after eating two mouthfuls from the dishes, he asked.  “Did your ex-boyfriend have any regrets?”

“Yes, I’m very sure.”  Arya fiercely nodded.  “Every night he must be sitting at home beating his chest.  Hopefully, as a result, he will get heart disease.”

He laughed again.  “You cursed him and you still say you don’t hate him?”

“Then you are also cursing me the whole time, do you also hate me?”

This time, Arya’s response was very fast. Jack lifted his eyes to look at her and found her eyes shining brightly and her cheeks were flushed.  He could not help but ask.  “Arya, are you drunk?”

“No.  Wine is not that alcoholic.  How can one be drunk?”  She answered boldly and affirmatively.

“As long as the word alcohol is there……it is alcoholic.”

“Long Island Iced Tea is still not a tea.”

Jack did not speak and after waiting for a while, he said.  “Our conversation had started to lose meaning.”

“No, I think it’s very interesting.”  Arya supported her chin and poured herself another glass of wine..  “Since you feels it is boring, let’s change the subject.  Does your mother like your first love?”

“She said she is too headstrong and it will be difficult for me.”

“Your mother really loves you.”  Arya felt very envious.  “A girl who is not strong enough will not be able to endure hardship and she is worried you will suffer for it.  A girl who is too strong will be too powerful and she is worried you will suffer for it.  Why is she not worried that those girls will be mentally tortured by you?  They will also be very pitiful.  Your mother is really biased.”

“She is my mother.  If she is not biased towards me, then who should she be biased to?”

Arya expression turned dim, “I also want someone who is biased towards me.  It doesn’t matter if it is unreasonable, no matter what happens and anyway, as long as whoever treats me badly……that will be enough.  To all those who say bad things about me, she will say ~ she is my daughter.  If I’m not biased towards her, then who should I be biased to?”

Jack looked at her and asked.  “Do you have a bad relationship with your family?”

She shook her head.  “It is because I’m useless.  I am not up to their expectations. You know I wanted to persue arts but my family didn’t consider it as profession. So I followed what was told. But then I also lied to them about my job and let them down.   Dr. Jack, I’m really terrible.  It seems I’ve never done anything that I’m proud of and never done anything that can make my family be proud of me.”

Jack did not speak, lifted his hand to pick up the last piece of satay and put it into his mouth.

Arya glared at him. .

Arya was too slow to grab the last piece of satay and so she poured the last few drops of wine in her glass.  “Dr. Jack, what is your relationship with Nurse Rita?”

“The relationship between a doctor and a nurse.”

“That’s a good relationship.”

Jack gave her a knock on her head.  “What is inside that head of yours?”

“Owww!!! That’s painful!”

“Correct your words.  What is the relationship between a doctor and a nurse?”

“It is the relationship between Dr. Jack and Nurse Tian.”

“Don’t use drinking wine as an excuse to talk nonsense.”  Jack warned her.

Arya supported herself on the table, smiled and said with honesty in a slurry tone.  “Relationship between colleagues.  But everyone says that you are very good together and they also say you are well-matched.”

“What does match mean?”

“Handsome man and beautiful woman, same good social status, doctor and doctor, doctor and nurse, Mr. Perfect and Ms. Perfect…….”

Jack did not speak while he quietly ate and drank.

In fact, whether two people matches or doesn’t match, who can clearly say……..

“Dr. Jack, since now that we are good friends, best buddies, we can sit down and have heart-to-heart talks…….if someone bullies me, you must help me.  Your mouth is so poisonous and uncouth, your speech so unpleasant, so I’m sure you will win every argument.”

“Arya, if you want to request for someone’s help, you don’t have to flatter so much.”

“I’m not requesting, I’m asking.  Helping each other is duty among friends.  Dr. Jack, I feel so happy.  Before this, I used to hate you but now it is actually very good to befriend you.  I am really happy.”

“I think you feel happy because you can listen to gossips.”

“Sounds correct if you put it this way.  Dr. Jack, did the two of you exchange phone numbers?  Did you arrange for your next meeting?  If there is a follow-up, be sure to tell me.”  Arya slurred.

Jack did not speak.

“Wait, you still have two more girlfriends.  Will they come back and ask for a reunion?  Three people plus you, the four of you can have a game of rummy  Wrong, there is also Nurse Rita.  I’m sure you know that she is also interested in you.  Then the four of them can all sit at the rummy table and you can stand.  omg……..I forgot about the new love from your blind date.  What to do……the two of you can only stand together and watch.  Or else, you can ask your parents to join you so you can have two tables of rummy.  Perhaps, you can have two more blind dates, then you can also get enough people for two tables of rummy…….”  Arya burst into laughter.  “Dr. Jack, Dr. Jack, see how clever I was for giving up on you so early.  I really hate to play rummy.”

When Jack saw that she was still talking, he tightened his lips and called waitress for the bill.  Arya squinted her eyes and smiled.  “Dr. Jack, you must invite me to drink with you the next time.  I’m really happy to chat with you.”

“How can I drink with you with your low tolerance of alcohol?”

“I’m a good drinker.”  Arya was still smiling with a flushed red face.  She looked at Jack as he paid the waitress and she said.  “Dr. Jack, you look very handsome when you pay money.”

When the waitress heard Arya, she looked at Jack, tightened her lips and tried to hide her smile.

Jack also smiled but when he turned around, he pulled his face taut and pulled Arya to stand up while adjusting the coat as it slide down displaying her fair shoulders  .  “Let’s go back.”

“Okay.”  She agreed readily.

Jack led her outside and stretched out his hand to flag for a taxi.  Arya added.  “Dr. Jack, although you look handsome when spending money, however, you look more handsome when you are making money.  So you still have to be cautious about how you spend money.  Street food are comparable to restaurant food.  They come in bigger quantity and are cheaper.  And also, when you buy hand creams…….those that cost a few bucks can also be used and there is no need to buy branded products.  The next time someone let you drink and drive, you give her a punch.  Are you not Mr. poisonous?  You have a fierce and vicious disposition, so when you need to use it, you should just show them.  When you should not do it, for example when you are with me, then you have to exercise restraint, don’t you agree?”

She talked endlessly and when the taxi arrived, she was stuffed into the car.  When she was in the car, she felt her body soften and felt very comfortable.  She continued to speak.  When she felt tired, she simply hooked her arms around his arms and rested her head on Jack shoulder while continued to speak unnesarrily.

When she saw the taxi driver looking back at her in the rearview mirror and smiling, she also politely returned his smile.

Soon, they had reached the entrance to her apartment building.  After Jack had pulled her out of the taxi, she stood at the side and smiled at him goofily.

Jack also smiled at her, then suddenly he picked up her hand and gave her a hard bite.

She shouted with a loud “Ah!” and before she could react, she heard him say.  “Are you awake now?”

“I’m not drunk.”  She was very angry and scowled at him.

“Are you able to go home?”

“Of course.”  She turned around, held up her head with her chest out and walked to the front door wobblily.  “Look, I know my way home.  I’m not drunk.”

Jack stared at her for a long time and then knocked her on the head.  “Then quickly go home.  I’m leaving.”

“Okay.  Be careful when you take a taxi.  It’s very late.  Don’t meet a lecherous taxi driver.”

Jack tightened his lips and was about to say something but he eventually kept quiet.  He gestured for her to go upstairs quickly and she said a “Good-bye” before she entered the building.

Jack turned around and walked away but before he could move a few steps forward, he suddenly heard Arya running after him and calling out to him.  “Dr. Jack!”

He stopped and was about to ask her ‘What is the matter?’, when she pounced on him, grabbed his hand and bit hard on it.  He felt extreme pain and sucked in his breath.  She released his hand and then said.  “A tooth for a tooth!  Goodbye!”  Then she turned around and ran away.

His eyes were sharp, with a move, he grabbed onto to her hand.

“If you bite me, I’ll bite you back.”  She warned him.

“Forget it.  I’ll send you upstairs.”  What Jack said to her was totally two different things.  She looked at him.  Sure enough, their line of thought was never the same and their focus was extremely different.

But he was sending her home and she still felt very happy.

When two people reached Arya’s doorstep, she suddenly had a thought.  “Ooops I’ve forgotten about the note.”

“When I come back tomorrow to pick up my car, I’ll give it to you.”

“Okay.”  She nodded quickly.  Anyway, she was really tired and was too lazy to go downstairs again.

“What about having dinner with me tomorrow?”

“Okay.”  She nodded quickly.  “During tomorrow’s dinner, Dr. Jack must tell me about your two other girlfriends.  It’s really nice listening to gossips.”

Jack ignored her and waited for her to open the door.  She entered. Jack called out to her “Arya!”

Arya turned around, “Yes.”

“Nothing. Go ahead. Good night.” Jack signalled her to move ahead.

Arya nodded her head.  “Dr. Jack, goodbye!”

As Jack left, she looked at his retreating back and suddenly felt very distressed.

She watched him as he reached out and pressed the elevator button.

Unable to control herself, she shouted.  “Dr. Jack!”

As soon as Jack turned in her direction, he crashed in his arms and hugged him.  “Jack, don’t be sad.  There will be a girl who will have the sincerity that you hoped for and treat you wholeheartedly.  She will not care about other factors and will only give you real love.”

Jack did not speak nor did he push her away. Instead he pulled her close and hugged her tight.

Soon he heard soft snoring sound. He looked down and saw Arya fallen asleep and snoring softly.

He smiled and then knocked her head. Arya woke up with a jerk and release him.

She rubbed her eyes and and said goodbye to him before she went back home on her unsteady feet.

When she entered the house, without even changing her clothes, she fell onto her bed.  Before she drifted to sleep, she suddenly thought……….what happened just now?

What did she say just now?

Never mind……. Let’s just sleep as of now.