“Okay.” Jiang Fuyue agreed as readily as last time.
Huo Fanjin almost pounced on her to give her a big kiss, but Jiang Fuyue dodged her mercilessly.
“Don’t mess around.”
“…Oh.”
Huo Fanjin changed clothes as quickly as possible. Why so quickly?
Because she had already prepared.
For this meeting, the young lady had gone to great lengths, even choosing several makeup looks before deciding on one.
Half an hour later, when the well-dressed Huo Fanjin picked up her bag and turned to find Jiang Fuyue, she exclaimed, “Why are you dressed like that?”
Jiang Fuyue had changed into a loose casual outfit in gray hemp color, which not only looked dull and old-fashioned but also completely hid her good figure. She had her hair up, wore a fur-lined hat that covered her forehead and eyebrows, and her face was bare, with a dull expression.
At first glance, Huo Fanjin almost didn’t recognize her.
Jiang Fuyue looked at her transformed reflection in the mirror and nodded with satisfaction. Then, she grabbed the sunglasses from the table, put them on, and adjusted them. Now she looked even more unrecognizable.
Huo Fanjin was bewildered. “Captain… are you going to star in ‘Mission: Impossible 9’?”
“Wrong. You should call me Lisa, or Judy, or even Kell.”
“Huh?”
“You wanted me to be your translator, right? So I need to look the part. Do I look convincing?”
“A, a little.”
“Good,” Jiang Fuyue snapped her fingers. “Let’s go.”
Huo Fanjin: “?”
She hurriedly followed. “What do you mean? Are we cosplaying?”
“We were in the same exam hall before. If the other person recognizes me, how are you going to explain?”
“Right! Why didn’t I think of that? I told Frank I brought a German translator, and he was quite pleased, thinking I respect him…”
Jiang Fuyue remained expressionless. “Oh.”
Huo Fanjin was oblivious, her heart filled with the joy of soon seeing her crush.
They arrived at the same garden, ordered drinks, and waited at an outdoor café. Huo Fanjin took out a small mirror to touch up her makeup. Jiang Fuyue took a sip of coffee, and the little lip color she had on became even fainter.
Suddenly, through her sunglasses, Jiang Fuyue spotted a tall, blond, blue-eyed young man approaching them. She whispered, “He’s here.”
Huo Fanjin froze, then began frantically tidying her things—lipstick, loose powder, contour…
“Gretta?” The young man’s gaze alternated between Huo Fanjin and Jiang Fuyue, lingering longer on Huo Fanjin. After all, Jiang Fuyue now looked neither beautiful nor cute, dressed like a middle-aged woman.
Huo Fanjin stood up instantly at the sound of her pen name. “Are you Frank?”
She instinctively used English, then apologized and looked at Jiang Fuyue.
The latter smoothly began translating for them. Her German was impeccable, without any accent, so Frank did not doubt her identity.
They first exchanged pleasantries, talking about many things they had mentioned in emails. But mostly, it was Huo Fanjin doing the talking, with Frank occasionally responding, making for a somewhat harmonious conversation.
Huo Fanjin asked, “Why are you talking less? You always write a lot in your emails, sharing small things from your life. I always thought you were very outgoing and talkative.”
Jiang Fuyue translated this for Frank.
He shrugged after hearing it. “People often present very different personas in real life compared to social media.”
“Is it because you seek what you lack in reality from the virtual world?”
Frank shook his head, his blue eyes filled with emotion. “You’re not virtual; that much I know. You are real to me, the girl who exists in my eyes and heart.”
Jiang Fuyue almost lost her composure. What kind of corny lines were these?
But she was just an emotionless translation machine now. She conveyed the lines to Huo Fanjin, whose cheeks immediately flushed with shyness.
Frank then began openly flirting, spouting romantic lines one after another. With his good looks, fair skin, and high nose bridge, combined with his sincere, long-held affection, Huo Fanjin was no match for him. She was delighted by her crush’s confession but also felt embarrassed with Jiang Fuyue present, making her face blush constantly.
Frank, seeing this, felt a strong sense of accomplishment. Jiang Fuyue, through her sunglasses, saw the superiority on his face clearly. When Frank finished reciting his third poem and asked her to translate, Jiang Fuyue’s disgust peaked. She held it in.
Frank hadn’t revealed his true intentions yet. If she left now, it would be a waste and might alert him.
“He says you are the most beautiful blue cornflower, your smile bathed in sunlight, your voice like a breeze through the fields…”
Ugh!
Just as Jiang Fuyue was about to lose patience, Frank finally made a move—
“There is a small stream less than ten kilometers from the hotel, surrounded by green grass and fragrant flowers. It’s beautiful. Would you like to see it with me for our first date?”
Jiang Fuyue’s eyes flashed. She translated for Huo Fanjin: “He says he needs to go to the bathroom because he’s been holding it in for too long.”
Huo Fanjin looked puzzled. Just say you need the bathroom, no need to be so detailed…
“Of course.” She smiled, but it was clear she was a bit reluctant.
Frank was slightly disheartened. “She refused?”
“Why?”
Jiang Fuyue translated: “He really needs the bathroom.”
Huo Fanjin: “He can just go then. I didn’t say he couldn’t.”
Jiang Fuyue translated: “She says the team has rules against going out alone.”
“Really…” Frank looked disappointed, his brows furrowed as if Huo Fanjin not going was a serious problem.
Huo Fanjin: “You should go.”
Jiang Fuyue translated: “She says she wants to leave.”
“What?” Frank was startled. “No, I mean we haven’t talked for long.”
Jiang Fuyue turned and translated for Huo Fanjin: “He says he can’t find the bathroom and wants you to show him.”
Huo Fanjin: “Huh?” Why is this conversation so strange?
Jiang Fuyue: Because I’m the translator.
“Okay, I’ll show him.” She got up and led the way.
Frank was startled, thinking she was leaving. Jiang Fuyue translated: “She wants to use the bathroom and asks if you want to go too.”
Frank sighed in relief. “Of course.”
They awkwardly walked to the bathroom together. Huo Fanjin decided to use it since she was already there and went into the ladies’ room first. Frank, not actually needing to go, told Jiang Fuyue, “I’ll wait outside.”
Jiang Fuyue responded in German, “Okay.”
Once Frank was alone, he found a secluded spot, confirmed no one was around, and made a phone call—
“She refused to go out, saying the team doesn’t allow it. What now? Dinner time is soon… The translator is with her… Okay, got it.”
After hanging up, he turned to go back.
Jiang Fuyue, who had been eavesdropping from a hidden corner, emerged. Just as she suspected!
If she heard correctly, Frank spoke fluent English on the phone, without the heavy accent Huo Fanjin had mentioned. Either he was lying to deceive Huo Fanjin, or this Frank wasn’t the same person she had been emailing with!
On the first day, Jiang Fuyue had asked Niu Rui to investigate the five members of the D country team. Frank indeed was one of them, but he had no accent, which was just confirmed. The other three didn’t either, except Jonas, who had a heavy accent and had delivered the message in the garden.
Things were getting more interesting…
Sister Yue: Don’t ask. If you do, I just translate randomly. Anyway, no one else knows [smile] JPG
