This time in Europe, I planed to stay and not return, so I felt that the more people I meet in Europe, the better. Since the Airbnb I was staying at didn't provide breakfast, I gladly accepted Mr. Lin from Taiwan's invitation.
I asked him if he needed anything, and he said if possible, could I bring him a croissant? I bought a croissant and a raisin bread I like from my favorite bakery near my place. Then I passed by Carrefour and bought a box of eggs.
After entering 2 gates with 2 passwords, I finally climbed six flights of stairs to reach Mr. Lin's apartment. It's on the top floor of a hundred-year-old building in Paris. The apartment is quite small and cramped; you have to turn sideways to cook.
Mr. Lin said this used to be a servant's room from the old days of Paris. He rented it 20 years ago, and the current monthly rent is 600 euros. He prepared coffee, fruits, and fried eggs along with the bread I brought for breakfast.
He told me that when he traveled to France over 20 years ago, he found the French to be inherently romantic and their sex lives free, which he greatly admired. So, he applied to study French in Paris and then worked in a department store, and just like that, 20 years flew by.
I mentioned that I plan to stay in France this time even I was here with travel visa, and he suggested that I apply to study in Paris after returning to China, as it would be more legal and straightforward. I told him I could survive here because I sell European luxury brand clothing on a shopping website in China.
So, Mr. Lin introduced me to a department store for research, saying it might help my business. After breakfast, he mentioned he had a date at his place, and the guy would arrive before 10 AM; I decided to use the morning to visit the department store he recommended.
It was a department store I hadn't visited during my last trip to Paris, previously set up specifically for Chinese rich tourists. I discovered that most of the salespeople there were Chinese, making communication very convenient, and I really felt I had got a lot of gains that morning.
Mr. Lin invited me to join him the next day to try some good French restaurants nearby. I agreed, saying I would treat him for the first meal as a thank you for all his help.
However, the next day, I think I contracted Covid-19 again on the plane, and I started feeling unwell. By the third morning, I felt a bit better, and we agreed to meet at a French restaurant near his place for lunch.
The restaurant was located on a street called Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, filled with private grocery stores, bakeries, cafés, and restaurants, bursting with life. I suggested we have coffee afterward, and he mentioned a café across the street that was very cheap, with coffee costing only 1 euro. But when we approached that café, I noticed some strange people outside and inside, and I felt the energy was not right. I said I didn't want to have coffee here. He suggested we go to a trendy café near my place in Chinatown instead.
So, we ended up at Partisan Café, which I had passed by a few times but never entered. We ordered two cups of coffee and sat down.
I looked around and noticed that the people in this café were much more attractive, with almost no strange individuals. The woman at the next table smiled warmly when our eyes met, which is quite different from China.
Mr. Lin said he felt a bit cold and seemed to have something urgent, so he left first. I stayed in the café for a while by myself.
In the evening, Mr. Lin messaged me to pick up the keys from him. He would be traveling to Italy for a week on Saturday and offered to rent his apartment to me for 200 euros, which is cheaper than my current Airbnb.
However, after moving into Mr. Lin's apartment, I started to have a fever again.