Chapter 704 - 695: Forget It, Just Speak Chinese
Chapter 704: Chapter 695: Forget It, Just Speak Chinese
Shen Yi had thought long and hard to make sure this meeting would go smoothly. However, as the saying goes, even a wise person can make mistakes, and when three people are involved, the hearts and minds are likely to diverge.
How should she say this? She had tried to consider every detail for today’s meeting, yet she hadn’t accounted for cultural differences.
In China, handshakes have become a common etiquette over the years, but it’s not the same in some Western countries. Some greet each other with hugs, some by cheek-kissing, some by kissing the back of the hand, and some with Eskimo kisses by touching noses.
In Shavanna’s country, the greeting is a hug and a cheek kiss. Shen Yi didn’t expect that and almost got taken advantage of.
Mind you, even her sister Qing had never experienced such a gesture. How dare a foreign girl try to take advantage? Luckily, she reacted quickly; otherwise, she would have lost right from the start.
Plus, she knew in her heart that Shavanna did it on purpose. She had studied in China, loved Chinese culture, and often traveled here for business—there’s no way she wasn’t aware of local customs.
She did it on purpose, but she had an excuse, since such things are customary in her culture. What could you do about it?
So right from the meeting, Shen Yi had suffered a small loss, but she kept it to herself. It’s not the time yet; she had to be patient.
The saying about three people losing their unity refers to how with two people, things are still manageable. But once it’s three or more, it becomes a mind game with multiple thoughts and complexities.
Even Su Qing occasionally caused issues, giving her headaches.
"Su...you look so young, you seem like you’re not much older! Are you still in college?" Sitting down, Shavanna looked at Su Qing curiously and asked.
When she heard that Shen Yi had a partner, she was very surprised. She couldn’t imagine what kind of man this woman, who secretly competed with her, would fall for.
Mature, steady, with a tough appearance and an eight-pack, perhaps a man bursting with masculinity, or maybe a financially stable and very gentlemanly type.
Because as her rival, she had secretly compared herself with Shen Yi countless times and found that Shen Yi was indeed an exceptional woman. Most importantly, she knew that now this woman was also financially strong, which made her even more curious about Su Qing.
But the moment she saw Su Qing, she admitted she was a bit stunned. Not because he was exceedingly handsome—after all, she’d seen better-looking men—but because of his youth and demeanor.
He wasn’t the middle-aged businessman type she imagined, nor the muscular kind exploding with hormones. Instead, he was very young, giving off a...clean impression, with a skinny build that didn’t match Western aesthetics, not buff at all, and seemingly without visible muscles.
Nonetheless, his entire appearance, topped off with his attire, made her feel at ease to look at. Especially since she particularly loved Chinese culture, the interior decorations, the tea on the table, and even the attire of Su Qing and Shen Yi made her very happy. Naturally, her impression of Su Qing improved.
Listening to the hints in her mind guiding her about Shavanna’s thoughts, Su Qing couldn’t help but silently give Shen Yi a thumbs up in his heart. Indeed, the person who understands you the most is often your enemy.
At the very least, Shen Yi seemed to have calculated Shavanna’s character, personality, and likes.
"Uh...I’ve been graduated for over a year!" Su Qing replied with a smile.
Hearing that, Shavanna exclaimed, "Oh my gosh, you just graduated? You’re so young!"
Su Qing: ...
Damn, this woman isn’t right. Why on earth would she say such a thing? What’s with the wild words?
For that, he looked toward Shen Yi, his eyes asking, ’Can I scold her?’
Yet, Shen Yi didn’t seem to mind and directly said, "We’re a few years apart, but it’s fine, at least we like each other.
Come, knowing you love Chinese culture, today I’ll let you experience our country’s tea culture."
As she spoke, Shen Yi’s elegant hand danced across the tea table, pouring tea into the cups and then onto a stone, repeating the process twice, and finally distributing a cup of tea in front of Shavanna after using several tea utensils.
"Go ahead, try it!"
Watching Shen Yi’s movements, both Shavanna and Su Qing had similar stunned looks as if they had never witnessed such a spectacle before.
Shavanna was naturally amazed by the tea culture, not expecting it to have so many steps, while Su Qing was surprised to discover Shen Yi’s hidden talent.
Shen Yi then poured another cup for herself and Su Qing, this time without any fancy skills.
The three lifted their tea cups, Su Qing and Shen Yi’s movements were almost identical, right down to the way they held the cup, blew on it, inhaled, tasted, and savored, leaving Shavanna dumbfounded and then imitating them for a sip.
"Mmm~~~the taste is really good, I feel so much more relaxed. Truly amazing!!" Shavanna was the first to speak.
Upon hearing this, Su Qing and Shen Yi were already inwardly laughing, thinking ’amazing my ass, we couldn’t tell anything from it and you, saying you feel more relaxed after drinking it, that’s what’s amazing.’
Surely, their actions were pre-rehearsed. You have to admit, Shen Yi had quite a few clever little tricks.
"Chinese culture is incredibly profound, Shavanna, you’ll have much more to learn in the future!" Shen Yi said with suppressed laughter.
Su Qing: "Drink tea, drink tea!"
Shen Yi: ...
Shavanna: ???
"Su, don’t you speak English? Why don’t I teach you? Just kidding, I still need to learn Chinese."
Upon hearing this, Su Qing was suddenly flustered. I came here to make my sister look good today, and you say my English is poor, isn’t that mocking me?
Thinking of this, Su Qing quickly shook his head: "nonono, me, English is, very good, no need for you to teach.
Hey, sister, what’s your name?"
Hearing this, Shavanna instinctively replied, "My name is HaHaHa~~it’s fine, I can understand you."
"See there, see there, my English is...uh...pretty awesome!"
Shavanna: ???
[Official hint: Language not recognized!]
Su Qing: ...
This narration almost made him furious, what the heck ’official hint.’
"My, usually use computer, can’t compute you know, learning English very good! o(￣▽￣)ｄ"
At this point, Su Qing was already beginning to sweat a bit on his forehead.
Shavanna: "computer~?"
"Can’t compute, your pronunciation isn’t standard, doesn’t match what my elementary teacher taught, where are you from, the suburbs?" Su Qing argued, determined not to embarrass himself.
Shavanna: "Whatever, just speak Chinese! It’s okay."
Su Qing: ...
Shen Yi: ...
...