Zhang Nannan sat on the public seat at the subway station, feeling nervous about meeting Zhou Yuwen soon. On one hand, she fantasized that Zhou Yuwen was a gentle uncle in his thirties with a bit of stubble. On the other hand, she feared he might be a chubby, sleazy uncle in a white tank top and flip-flops.
Zhang Nannan, with her long legs together like a lady, sat there, gazing down at her own pair of long, fair, and slender legs.
In the group chat, some book friends had already started adding Zhang Nannan as a friend to chat privately, asking if she had met Uncle Zhou, what he looked like, and reminding her to take photos.
Zhang Nannan faced the enthusiastic online friends with some confidence, but hesitated for a moment before admitting she was nervous. She worried about what would happen if Zhou Yuwen turned out to be a sleazy man.
Despite being active in the group chat, Zhang Nannan was actually a shy and reserved girl in real life with few friends. This made her trust her online friends even more, especially those she had been chatting with for two months. She was straightforward: while she admired Uncle Zhou as depicted in the novels, she feared what might happen if he turned out to be a sleazy man.
She worried about being alone with him in the dark, windy night, potentially ending up in a desolate place like in "Seven" (a reference to the movie "Seven Deadly Sins").
As Zhang Nannan thought more about it, she became increasingly afraid. At this moment, her group friends tried to comfort her, saying, "Uncle Zhou is a well-known writer, the top seller on the website with monthly sales of at least tens of thousands. How could he possibly be the kind of psychopathic murderer people talk about online? Think positively! Maybe Uncle Zhou is very handsome, in his prime at thirty, with a car and a house. When you meet, it could be just like the protagonists meeting in a novel—love at first sight. Maybe Uncle Zhou will even write a novel inspired by you as the main character. Isn't that great?"
Hearing this, Zhang Nannan couldn't help but smile foolishly again. What if it really was love at first sight, unfolding like in a novel? Should she reject that? The idea of Uncle Zhou being adept at writing domineering CEOs might mean she herself could be a domineering CEO, driving a stretched Rolls-Royce with a long line of black-suited bodyguards, and Uncle Zhou, with a devilish smile, pulling her into his arms.
As Zhang Nannan thought more about it, her cheeks flushed even redder. Ah, how silly it was for a young girl to daydream like this. Just then, a man walked towards Zhang Nannan.
"Little girl."
Zhang Nannan looked up and saw the man, who grinned at her. He was in his thirties, with small, cunning eyes and a somewhat odd facial shape. In summary, he was ugly in one word, sleazy in two.
Zhang Nannan's face instantly paled. It turned out that writers are indeed sleazy men!
Her dreams shattered!
She had thought Zhou Yuwen might be unattractive, but did he have to be this unattractive?!
And he even smelled!
All of Zhang Nannan's fantasies disappeared in that moment.
"Little girl, I've noticed you've been here for quite a while. No place to go?" The man grinned at Zhang Nannan.
Zhang Nannan was taken aback by his words and looked at him cautiously. "Who are you?"
"Oh, I noticed you've been alone here. Are you from out of town? Looking for a job around here? Do you have nowhere to go? How about staying overnight at my place?" The man smiled and reached out to grab Zhang Nannan's hand.
Zhang Nannan immediately recoiled, remembering the advice from her online friends. She stuttered, "No, no, thank you. I'm waiting for someone. My boyfriend, I'm waiting for my boyfriend."
The man's small eyes gleamed with a sense of accomplishment. Seeing Zhang Nannan, who appeared to be someone without much support, he dropped the pretense and said with a smile, "Waiting for your boyfriend? But why hasn't he arrived yet? Maybe he doesn't want you anymore? It's getting late, you know? Uncle can take you out for dinner. I have a computer at home; you can go online there."
"No, no!" Zhang Nannan immediately shook her head, grabbed her luggage, and prepared to leave.
However, the man didn't insist and just followed behind Zhang Nannan.
As Zhang Nannan quickened her pace, the man leisurely kept up, smiling and asking, "Aren't you waiting for your boyfriend?"
Zhang Nannan kept her head down and ignored the man, walking ahead alone without looking where she was going. As a result, she bumped into someone and found herself in the arms of a tall, muscular man with a crew cut. He might not be conventionally handsome, but his sharp features made up for it. As they say, height can cover a multitude of flaws, and as long as he's tall, who cares about being ugly?
That day, Zhou Yuwen had measured his height and felt like he'd grown even taller since crossing over. Standing at 1.83 meters, he wore Nike sneakers and sportswear, giving him a large and imposing appearance.
Zhang Nannan bumped into Zhou Yuwen's arms with a thud and immediately lowered her head, apologizing. Zhou Yuwen ignored Zhang Nannan and instead wrapped his hand around her delicate shoulder. Coldly, he addressed the sleazy man, "Her boyfriend is here. Aren't you leaving?"
There was an indescribable fierceness in Zhou Yuwen's eyes, as if he was ready to physically confront the man if he didn't leave soon.
The sleazy man, who had been smiling smugly, considered saying something but thought better of it. Being just 1.6 meters tall, he couldn't withstand any more embarrassment, so he left awkwardly.
After the creepy guy left, Zhang Nannan breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, she encountered a kind person, who was also a handsome young man! Feeling his embrace, she really felt secure.
"Phew, if only I had a boyfriend like him!"
With her face blushing, Zhang Nannan politely bowed to Zhou Yuwen and sweetly said, "Thank you."
Zhou Yuwen glanced at Zhang Nannan. Her long hair cascaded down her shoulders, wearing a purple T-shirt with denim shorts, showcasing her long legs in small white shoes and purple ankle socks—a typical student look, but quite adorable with her blushing cheeks.
After Zhang Nannan had thanked him, she noticed that not only did Zhou Yuwen not respond, but he also impolitely scrutinized her. Did she start feeling uneasy again? Could this good-looking guy also be creepy?
Is the big city really that scary?
"Um, well, I still have to wait for my boyfriend to come pick me up, so I should go." Zhang Nannan carefully dragged her suitcase and turned to leave.
Just as she turned around, Zhou Yuwen chuckled lightly and said, "Zhang Nannan, since when did I become your boyfriend?"