Mistaken Canary Chapter 53
Chapter 53
—How to win a man’s heart?
1. Act cute and clingy.
2. Play hard to get.
3. Through his stomach.
4. Admire and praise him.
5. Be an independent and confident person.
Zhuo Shu closed the laptop, folded his hands, and a glimmer flickered in his gaze—he wore the look of a man who had seen the road to victory.
Though they had just confirmed their relationship and were in the honeymoon phase, he already felt a strong sense of urgency.
He had to make Ying Tongchen fall completely under his charm.
He opened his phone and stared at his chat with Ying Tongchen, recalling the elements he had just looked up. After editing for a while, he sent the message.
He waited for a moment, but there was no reply. Checking the time, he suddenly remembered something and quickly sent a message to Ban Zhang from his alternate account.
{Send me your class schedule, price negotiable.}
Half an hour later, after class, Ban Zhang sent him his schedule along with a few photos he had secretly taken of Mr. Ying and Mr. Zheng.
As soon as Zhuo Shu saw the photos, he immediately canceled his previous purchase.
He then carefully examined the schedule and realized that the class they had just finished was their English class. Now that it was over, Ying Tongchen would have time to reply to his message.
After a few minutes of fixating on the screen, a knock from Mi Shu signaled it was time for the meeting. He gave an acknowledgement, picked up his phone, and stepped into the conference room to listen to the department heads' regular briefings.
…
"Mr. Ying, I still don't quite get this question." The moment class ended, Zhuo Zi tugged at Ying Tongchen to ask for help. Ying Tongchen patiently began to explain it to her.
"Ah, I think I kind of understand now. Thank you, Teacher," Zhuo Zi smiled brightly at him, noticing that Ying Tongchen briefly glanced at her, his eyes carrying a faint yet restrained smile.
She looked down at her outfit for the day. She was wearing a purple skirt, with the loose school uniform jacket draped over it. She cautiously said, "Teacher, I'm sorry. I'll wear my school uniform pants tomorrow."
"It’s a beautiful skirt, but don’t forget to dress warmly," Ying Tongchen replied, slightly suppressing the smile on his lips. He quickly shook off an unspeakable image of a certain someone and turned to head back to his office.
He picked up his phone and checked his messages:
[.]: Mister Handsome and Youthful Teacher Ying, you've worked hard all day. What would you like to eat tonight? I'll cook for you myself.
[.]: ... Pretty please, give me this chance, I beg you! Hands clasp.jpg
Ying Tongchen felt a chill run through him, rubbing his arms to chase away the goosebumps.
As he passed by Fu Lu's desk, Fu Lu didn't look up from her computer screen but suddenly spoke, startling him. "Mr. Ying, you're in a relationship, aren't you?"
Ying Tongchen looked around the office, observing his colleagues engrossed in their work. When he confirmed no one was paying attention, he leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper, "How did you figure that out?"
Fu Lu: "For the past few days, you've been randomly grinning at your phone, and occasionally making small gestures that you’ve never done before. To be able to restrain yourself to this extent is already impressive."
Ying Tongchen: "."
Ying Tongchen cleared his throat and tried to argue, "It's because I did well on the monthly exam."
"Sure, keep up your excuses," Fu Lu raised her head, her gaze sharp, "Nothing escapes the keen eyes of Sherlock FuLu."
Ying Tongchen, feeling a pang of guilt, made his way back to his seat.
Fu Lu casually glided over in her chair and, in a low voice, asked, "When did this happen?"
Ying Tongchen questioned back, "Why are you asking about this?"
"I'm just worried about you," Fu Lu said, adopting the tone of a mentor, "You’ve never been in a relationship, have you?"
Ying Tongchen was confused. "So?"
"Don’t you know that first loves often end in failure?"
"Really?" Ying Tongchen said, disbelief in his voice, "Why is that?"
"Many people haven’t figured out how to love, nor have they gotten used to letting others into their lives, which leads to inevitable conflicts." Fu Lu sighed, "Laoniang missed out on eight first loves because of that."
Ying Tongchen: "..."
After a pause, Ying Tongchen pushed up his glasses, hiding his flustered gaze, and quietly asked, "Is there a way to reduce the chances of failure?"
"It's not difficult, but it's not exactly simple either," Fu Lu began to impart her wisdom. "First, you have to learn to look at your partner with an appreciative eye. No matter what they do, offer sincere praise. This will not only boost their confidence but also provide them with great satisfaction."
"Second, you must possess a unique personal charm, so that your partner can't find a replacement. This way, you become their one and only choice."
It sounded quite reasonable, so Ying Tongchen nodded and continued to listen attentively.
"And the third thing..." Fu Lu continued, "Give me the dates of your birthdays."
Ying Tongchen asked, "What do you want those for?"
"To check your zodiac compatibility!" Fu Lu said, "Don't underestimate astrology, it's super accurate!"
Ying Tongchen: "How accurate?"
Fu Lu responded, "Out of my eight first loves, none of their zodiac signs matched mine. So, I quickly broke up with them to cut my losses. And sure enough, after we broke up, none of them ever came back to reconcile. Isn't that just a sign we weren't meant to be?"
"..."
Ying Tongchen faintly smiled, his hands gently resting on her chair as he smoothly pushed Fu Lu back to her desk.
He glanced at the message on his phone, pondered for a moment, and then replied: {Alright.}
Then, he added another message—
{Since you’re making it, I’m sure it’ll be delicious.}
This should serve as enough praise.
Sure enough, not long after, Zhuo Shu replied.
[.]: (*^▽^*)
[.]: [Photo of the meeting]
[Ying]: You're amazing.
[.]: You're amazing too!
Ying Tongchen: "......"
Zhuo Shu: "......"
After a brief moment, they both placed their phones down simultaneously.
Ying Tongchen took a sip of water to calm himself, shuddering as he shook off the goosebumps on his body. He opened his photo album and glanced at Zhuo Shu's cross-dressing photos—moving him from one emotional extreme to another.
The next moment, laughter echoed through the quiet office. Everyone looked over in surprise, never expecting it to come from Ying Tongchen.
"Excuse me, I have class," Ying Tongchen said as he grabbed his textbook and quickly made his escape.
On the other side, Zhuo Shu had to continue his meeting, listening to the reports while his pen worked busily.
Mi Shu, sitting nearby doing the meeting minutes, saw how focused Zhuo Shu was and felt her energy surge, full of motivation.
If her boss was working so hard, what reason did she have to slack off?
When the meeting ended, she opened the door to send the department heads out. Turning around, she saw Zhuo Shu still sitting at the table, diligently completing his notes. His posture was upright, resembling the image of a model boss.
She couldn't help but feel a bit more admiration for him. Thinking back to the campus recruitment years ago, Chairman Zhuo had picked her out from the crowd as a gem.
Over the years, they had both witnessed each other's growth—Wait a second?!
"Chairman Zhuo, what are these notes you're writing?" Mi Shu stabbed at his notebook.
Zhuo Shu, momentarily interrupted from his pleasant task, looked up and gave her a glare.
Mi Shu picked up the notebook and was dumbfounded at its contents, her mouth twitching as she looked at what was written on the pages—
How to cook crabs: prepare ginger, garlic, and green onions. Sauté them on low heat, add the crabs, Ying Tongchen Ying Tongchen Ying Tongchen... YingTongchenYingTongchen really loves Zhuo Shu...
Mi Shu: "......"
If there was such a thing as a regret pill, she would have refused this love-struck fool during campus recruitment!
Zhuo Shu quickly grabbed the notebook back, carefully closing it, and said, "Every meeting is the same, with nothing new to report. Go back and check the records—aren’t ninety percent of the reports identical?"
"That's true." Mi Shu shrugged. Just as she was about to complain, she heard him say, "The end of the year is coming. You've done well this year. You'll get a year-end bonus."
"Thank you, Chairman! You really are a great judge of talent. It’s such an honor to work for you." Mi Shu gave a professional bow and gestured respectfully with a slight sweep of her hand. "After you."
Zhuo Shu returned to his office and glanced at the desk calendar. "Christmas and New Year's are coming up. Let’s just stick with the usual activities."
"Alright. Also, the National Day’s celebrity event was quite a success. Should we invite Liu Li'ang again for New Year's?"
"No need." Zhuo Shu's gaze turned sharp. "We don't need to invite him for any more events."
"Why?"
"He's too ugly."
"?"
"That's all, I'm heading home."
"For what?" Mi Shu asked in confusion.
Zhuo Shu adjusted his collar, stood up with flair, and without looking back, replied, "Cooking."
"......"
After picking up some crabs from the grocery store, Zhuo Shu knocked them out one by one and began cooking, following a video tutorial.
Once completed, he looked at his creation with satisfaction, took a sniff—it truly smelled like a delicacy from heaven. Unfortunately, he didn’t dare to try it, but just by its appearance, it couldn’t be that bad.
He checked the time, carefully packed the crabs into a food container, and drove to the school to deliver the meal.
Along the way, he thought about many things. What if the shock from the surprise made Ying Tongchen faint? What kind of expression should he have if Ying Tongchen cried tears of joy?
The bell signaling lunch break rang, and students walked out of the school gate in clusters, chatting as they went.
Zhuo Shu sent Ying Tongchen a message, then walked to the school gate with the food container in hand.
A few minutes later, Ying Tongchen appeared beside him, walking briskly. "Why are you here?"
Zhuo Shu stood with his hands behind his back, said cryptically, "I brought you something."
"What?" Ying Tongchen looked around, grabbed his arm, and said, "Let's talk over there."
The two men moved a little to the side. Zhuo Shu looked down at his hand, then covered it with his own, secretly scratching the palm of Ying Tongchen’s hand.
Ying Tongchen recoiled as if it were a hot potato, pulling his hand back quickly and shooting him a warning look. "Be careful."
Zhuo Shu looked at him with a smile, then revealed the food container. "Here, this is for you."
As he spoke, he deliberately moved his fingers, showing off the wounds on his hand from every angle, leaving no parts hidden.
"...You’re amazing," Ying Tongchen said as he took the container. "What's inside?"
"Take a look for yourself," Zhuo Shu raised an eyebrow.
Ying Tongchen had just touched the lid when, from a distance, he heard an excited shout. "Ge! What are you doing here?!"
Ying Tongchen was startled, his hand jerking and almost dropping the item he was holding.
Zhou Zi ran over, followed by Ban Zhang and Shi Tiwei. She tilted her head up, looking at Zhuo Shu and then at Ying Tongchen, confused. "Huh? Did you two arrange to meet?"
"Of course not," Ying Tongchen immediately denied, steadying himself and saying, "Your brother brought you something. He happened to run into me, so he asked me to bring it to you. Now that you're here, you can take it yourself." Saying that, he shoved the item into her hands.
"Really?" Zhou Zi looked at Zhuo Shu with some doubt. "You would come all the way here to deliver something to me?"
"Yeah." Zhuo Shu gazed sorrowfully at the crabs about to pass, silently reciting a prayer as he bade farewell to Tony, Maria, Anna....
Zhou Zi opened the box and gasped, "Wow, crabs! No wonder you’re giving them to me, you couldn’t eat them yourself. Well, anyway, thanks!"
Ying Tongchen also looked at the crabs with a pained expression. "Why are you leaving the school grounds?"
"Oh, Mr. Zheng ordered some math materials for our class and wanted us to pick them up from across the street," Zhou Zi replied.
Zhuo Shu suddenly shifted his gaze to Ban Zhang beside her, taking a step forward and positioning himself between Zhou Zi and Ban Zhang, coolly eyeing Ban Zhang.
Ban Zhang nodded at him. "Thank you, Mr. Zhuo, for helping my sister. If there's anything I can do to assist you in the future, please don't hesitate to let me know."
Zhuo Shu nodded. "Very good. Now, you, stay away from Zhou Zi."
Ban Zhang obediently took a few steps back.
The other three were utterly confused.
"Ge, what are you doing?" Zhou Zi furrowed her brows.
"You’re not allowed to date at this age," Zhuo Shu warned, casting a stern glance at Ban Zhang. "Don’t think I don’t know you like her."
Upon hearing this, Ban Zhang slowly widened his eyes, instinctively glancing at Zhou Zi, then quickly avoiding her gaze. He lowered his voice and said, "I don’t."
Zhou Zi and Shi Tiwei were both completely confused.
Not long after, Zhou Zi giggled without a second thought. "What are you talking about? How could he like me? Besides, I wouldn’t like him back, he’s a whole day younger than me."
Zhuo Shu froze for a moment. "What’s wrong with him being a day younger?"
"A day younger means he’s a younger man, and younger men are so troublesome—immature and boring."
"!!!" Zhuo Shu felt as though someone had hit him hard in the chest. "Nonsense! Younger men are the best!"
"How are they the best? Anyway, I won’t like a younger man," Zhou Zi crossed her arms, "You wouldn’t understand."
"I don’t understand?" Zhuo Shu instinctively glanced at Ying Tongchen. "This is a fallacy! Younger men have the best stamina, and what’s the big deal about being a day younger? You're being petty."
Zhou Zi furrowed her brows. "Who are you supporting here, ge?"
"Of course, I’m supporting all the younger men in the world!" Zhuo Shu said, pulling Ban Zhang over by the arm. "For example, this young lad here—he’s handsome, knows how to make money, can support his whole family, and has responsibility. How happy would you be with someone like him?"
While saying this, he desperately gestured at Ying Tongchen with his eyes.
Ying Tongchen repressed his lips, but the smile in his eyes was impossible to suppress.
Zhou Zi stared at Ban Zhang, her face turning red. She hesitated and said, "Uh... I didn’t mean to target you."
"I know," Ban Zhang chuckled, rubbing his neck, and turning his head away.
As a result, he happened to see Shi Tiwei’s gloomy face.
"Y–You guys actually... Well well, Ban Zhang, I treated you like a brother, and now you want to be my rival in love!" Shi Tiwei pointed a condemning finger back and forth between Ban Zhang and Zhou Zi, and the tall guy, to everyone's surprise, burst into tears right on the spot before turning and running away.
Ban Zhang immediately chased after him. "A’Wei, listen to me! I can explain!"
"Don't call me A'Wei! The A'Wei you knew is dead!" Shi Tiwei cried out.
Zhou Zi, holding the food container, ran after them, yelling, "Where do you two think you're running off to? We still need to pick up those math materials, you jerks!"
Ying Tongchen, watching the cars pass by on the road, anxiously ran after them. "You guys, slow down! Be careful when crossing the street!"
Zhuo Shu, following Ying Tongcheng, chased after them too. "Mr. Ying, younger men really are the best. They’re young, good-looking, full of energy, and can warm your chest!"