Chapter 114: The Adorable Woman

Cheng Xiaoyu drove Xu Qinning toward the Golden Summit Building. Su Yuxi and Xu Qinning were squeezed into the passenger seat in an intimate posture. Keeping his eyes fixed on the road ahead, Cheng Xiaoyu didn't dare to glance sideways, afraid that if he looked once more, he would never be able to look away.

The lingering warmth of Su Yuxi’s hand remained on his, a sensation that filled his heart with a gentle glow.

Xu Qinning had booked a table at Palando, an Italian restaurant on the 56th floor of the Golden Summit Building. Cheng Xiaoyu was quite familiar with this landmark of Shanghai.

He observed Xu Qinning quietly. The exquisite ambiguity of their last encounter seemed to have left little impression on her; at least on the surface, she appeared completely unchanged. This eased Cheng Xiaoyu's mind—as long as she didn't view that incident as an insult and seek a neurotic revenge, he was satisfied.

However, those who knew Xu Qinning well would have noticed something unusual. She rarely wore long dresses, yet today she was dressed with unusual femininity in a white lace gown. The vintage, hollow-knit floral patterns of the white fabric clung to her lithe, graceful figure, lending her a layer of elegance and womanly charm far beyond her usual tomboyish style. Even Su Yuxi found it strange, assuming she had simply dressed up for her birthday.

Xu Qinning herself thought the same, ignoring the tiny, inexplicable thoughts in her heart. She didn’t know why she had made a special trip back to the dormitory to change out of her school uniform into an outfit she would never normally wear. This vague feeling made her appear somewhat reserved throughout the day.

Xu Qinning had booked a window seat early on. The view was superb, offering a clear panorama of the Oriental Pearl Tower and the Bund. As the lights came on, the building complex along the Bund glowed with a magnificent, dazzling radiance.

The 632-meter Shanghai Tower, the tallest financial skyscraper in the city, pierced the sky with its unique spiral architecture. The entire structure was illuminated from top to bottom in a seven-colored spectrum—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet—emitting a stunning display of color into the vast night, exuding a proud and beautiful posture.

On the shimmering surface of the Huangpu River, cruise ships glided downstream, their colorful decorations and bright lights reflecting off the water. Together with the towering architectural complex on the opposite bank, they created a brilliant, shimmering scene that formed one of the most beautiful sights of late spring.

Yet, compared to this opulent and gorgeous night view, Su Yuxi and Xu Qinning were an even more magnificent presence.

Authentic Italian cuisine, much like Western or French dining, is generally divided into appetizers, starters, main courses, and desserts. This restaurant followed the Italian romantic style in its decor, and when paired with the unbeatable Shanghai night view, it immediately elevated itself into a high-end establishment.

To Cheng Xiaoyu, the taste of the food was decent, though not particularly surprising. The *riso* in the appetizer was quite to his liking, though he couldn't help but inwardly scoff at the fact that it was essentially shrimp fried rice. When the Italian waiter introduced the dish, he didn't use the Chinese name, instead solemnly reciting it in Italian to give the humble fried rice a sense of grandeur.

In this world, everyone is putting on an act; it just depends on whether you can do it with style.

Many people fall for it, which is why this place was considered a romantic spot for marriage proposals. A scene straight out of a movie unfolded before Cheng Xiaoyu’s eyes without warning.

Several Italians in white formal wear played violins as they surrounded the table of a couple sitting diagonally across from them. Clearly, this was a meticulously planned moment by the young man. A little girl in a crimson dress ran up and handed a bouquet of flowers to the serious and nervous young man, who took them and then pulled a ring from his pocket to present to the girl sitting opposite him.

The scene drew the attention of most of the restaurant. Xu Qinning watched the proposal with great interest, while Su Yuxi kept her head down, occupied with her bowl of clam soup. When the girl accepted the ring, the restaurant erupted in thunderous applause; Xu Qinning clapped excitedly, as if she were the one being proposed to.

Cheng Xiaoyu and Su Yuxi simply followed suit, clapping a few times. In Su Yuxi's view, marriage was not necessarily a cause for celebration, as it could signify the beginning of a dull and tedious life. She had always held a negative view of marriage, and even love seemed to her to be something void of substance.

To Cheng Xiaoyu, such a proposal didn't feel particularly romantic, but offering applause as a blessing was simply a matter of politeness.

After the successful proposal, a group of friends and family from both sides rushed out from the surroundings, and the elegant Italian restaurant suddenly became boisterous. This joyful atmosphere was infectious, and many balloons were released, though the sound of the violins was too faint and was easily drowned out by the excited crowd.

The scene deeply moved Xu Qinning, though a tiny trace of something lacking left her feeling regretful.

Looking at the piano in the center of the restaurant, she pouted and said, "Brother Xiaoyu, could you go up and play a song for them?"

Cheng Xiaoyu gave her a look that clearly asked if she had lost her mind, and continued eating his rosemary potatoes—a dish that had always been one of his favorites—without being moved.

Seeing that Cheng Xiaoyu lacked even a shred of romantic sentiment, Xu Qinning pouted and said, "You didn't even get me a birthday present, and you won't even agree to this small request of mine?"

Cheng Xiaoyu felt a headache coming on. Fearing that Xu Qinning would keep pestering him about the birthday gift, he said, "But the problem is, you want me to play for other people."

Xu Qinning’s eyes sparkled, and she put her hands together in a pleading gesture. "Can you dedicate it to me? Let this song be the birthday present you give me, okay?"

Cheng Xiaoyu shook his head. Xu Qinning wore an expression of infinite disappointment. Cheng Xiaoyu smiled and said, "I'm afraid of you. I'll ask the waiter if it's allowed."

Xu Qinning cheered and raised her hands high, forgetting that she still held her knife and fork.

Su Yuxi also smiled, touched by Xu Qinning's childlike innocence. She felt a sense of relief that someone else could finally help her bear the burden of Xu Qinning's deep-seated, whimsical antics.

Cheng Xiaoyu called the waiter over and asked, "May I use the piano? I’d like to play a piece for someone."

The waiter asked him to wait a moment while he checked with the manager. A few moments later, a tall, thin Italian man in his forties walked over and asked in heavily accented Chinese, "Sir, are you the one who would like to use the piano?"

Cheng Xiaoyu smiled and nodded, saying, "It's my friend's birthday, and since there’s a proposal happening here, I’d like to play a song for everyone present."

The manager looked at the beautiful Su Yuxi and Xu Qinning, clearly surprised—beautiful girls were rare enough, let alone two at once. He then looked at Cheng Xiaoyu and immediately agreed with a smile.

Italians are inherently a romantic race, so he naturally wouldn't refuse such a romantic request.

Cheng Xiaoyu stood up, went to the restroom to wash his hands, dried them carefully with a paper towel, and returned to the restaurant.

He walked to the piano in the center, gently opened the lid, adjusted the stool, and sat down. There was a microphone in front of the piano, suggesting that people often sang there.

Su Yuxi and Xu Qinning watched him with immense anticipation. The restaurant remained noisy, and no one else noticed anything unusual.

It wasn't until Cheng Xiaoyu cleared his throat and his voice drifted through the surrounding speakers that the people in the restaurant noticed the change.

Cheng Xiaoyu spoke into the microphone in a low voice: "Today is my friend's birthday, and to congratulate the couple at that table on their successful proposal, I specially requested permission from the manager of Palando to come up and play a song. I must thank Manager Juan for letting me play without even asking about my skill level. This next song is dedicated to my friend, Xu Qinning; happy birthday to her. It is also for my younger sister, the loveliest girl in my heart; for the brother and sister who just got engaged, hoping for a happy life together; and for everyone here, wishing you all a day filled with joy every day. This song, 'Cute Woman,' is for you all."

At this moment, everyone's attention was drawn by Cheng Xiaoyu's words. The entire restaurant shifted their gaze toward him. Cheng Xiaoyu remained quite calm, but he was now facing away from Su Yuxi and the couple, completely unaware that a camera with a television station logo had emerged from the crowd.

As the surroundings fell silent, Cheng Xiaoyu placed his hands on the piano and began to play gently. A string of beautiful, melodious notes floated from his fingertips. It was so pleasant and sweet that the entire restaurant was enveloped in a sense of happiness.

*I want to have a helicopter,*
*I want to fly to the universe with you,*
*I want to melt together with you,*
*Melting into the Milky Way.*
*Every day, every day, every day,*
*I’m thinking, thinking, thinking of you.*
*Such sweetness,*
*Makes me start to believe in fate.*
*Thank you, gravity,*
*For letting me meet you.*
*Cute woman, beautiful enough to make me blush,*
*Cute woman, gentle enough to make my heart ache,*
*Cute woman, transparent enough to move me,*
*Cute woman, naughty enough to drive me crazy.*
*Cute woman, beautiful enough to make me blush,*
*Cute woman, gentle enough to make my heart ache,*
*Cute woman, transparent enough to move me,*
*Cute woman, naughty enough to drive me crazy.*
*The world is so big, and I, and I,*
*Am just a tiny, tiny ant,*
*But I will use all my strength, all my strength, all my strength, to protect you.*