Hard to Escape - Chapter 14.1

Although Yin Li later agreed to push off Su Qing Dong’s dinner for ours, that didn’t necessarily mean that he also agreed to our proposal. Thus, Wei Yan and I were still on edge. Furthermore, as he drove us to Polaris, Wei Yan also had to reassure Mr. DuPont on the side. Thus, he seemed a bit weary. In contrast, when I caught my reflection in the car’s mirror my complexion was better than when I had arrived. To prepare for these negotiations I had also applied light makeup and lipstick, which gave me a bit more of a competent feeling. My frantic, dejected state after seeing that painting had vanished after seeing Yin Li.

“As expected, it’s easier for a man and woman negotiating with each other to close a deal.” As Wei Yan drove, he looked at me through the rear view mirror. “This is my first time hearing you mention your boyfriend. But besides that, Yin Li actually has a serious girlfriend? Looks like their relationship must be quite good for him to be moved by your words.”

Wei Yan smiled and continued. “Is your boyfriend real or is he just something you brought out to put on the sign for display?”1

1 “打幌子” meaning shop sign, is also used to imply that something is a false claim, kinda like what’s in the store isn’t as great as what’s displayed on the sign.

I felt that now wasn’t the time to reveal my relationship with Yin Li. So instead, I opted to reveal half of the matter. “Yes, I have a boyfriend. He’s been looking after me ever since my car accident. This should count as love, right?”

After that Wei Yan didn’t say anything else, and we quickly arrived at Polaris.

As Wei Yan ordered food, I chatted with Mr. DuPont. The older gentleman loved theater and had gone to pretty much every one in Paris. To my shock, of the theaters and various performances that he brought up, I was able to happily converse about them all. The two of us could discuss for ages on this topic.

“Miss, have you lived in Paris before? It’s rare that I encounter a young person like you who is so familiar with Parisian theater old and new. Even native Parisians wouldn’t have such a grasp on it. It’s so laughable. Paris is the cultural capital of the world yet its splendor is lost upon the majority of Parisians themselves.”

I smiled at Mr. DuPont. “It’s only that I’ve read so many books. In truth, my understanding isn’t that deep.” Yet somehow, my thoughts were forced back to that large oil painting. And in the cellphone I was holding, was still that phone number.

I was way too familiar with Paris and France, as if I had really lived there before. It was like that part of my life was tucked away, sleeping peacefully in some corner of my memory. In comparison to Paris, this current city might as well be entirely unfamiliar to me.

“Alright, I’ve pretty much finished ordering. Come see if there’s anything else you want to add.” Fortunately, Wei Yan interrupted my silly train of thought. He tossed me the menu and raised his eyebrow.

I glanced it over. To conquer Yin Li, Wei Yan really pulled out all the stops. The dishes he selected all followed the principle of “High in Price, Not in Taste.” Pen in hand, I crossed out all the expensive seafood dishes and swapped them out for simpler ones before returning the menu to Wei Yan2, saying, “Yin Li is allergic to seafood.” Then I calmly added, “Last night I investigated Yin Li’s background a bit. You know, as the saying goes: ‘If you know yourself and know your enemy, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.’”3

2 So in China the way you order dishes at a restaurant is they give you a paper copy of the menu with boxes next to each dish and you check off the ones you want to order (Or write a number if you want more than one). That’s why Wei Yan and Yan Xiao are scribbling back and forth on the menu lol

3 This saying, “知己知彼百战百胜”, comes from The Art of War which y’all have probably heard of before. It’s also often shortened to “知己知彼” aka “know yourself, know your enemy”.

Wei Yan grinned. “Indeed. So did you come up with that final maneuver back there after seeing the gossip about his girlfriend?”

I took a sip of tea, declining to comment.

This time when he came, Yin Li didn’t bring his assistants. He was also more amiable towards me and Wei Yan. He exchanged a few words with Mr. DuPont, creating a pleasant atmosphere of warm conversation between guest and host.

From stocks to real estate to antiques, Wei Yan and Yin Li seemed to have a lot of shared interests to discuss. At the dinner table, the unwritten rule was that discussion should turn to more personal topics, and leave business matters to after the meal.

“Mr. Yin’s girlfriend must be very outstanding.” I didn’t know what they had been talking about, but Wei Yan had turned the spotlight on Yin Li. From their conversation earlier, Wei Yan had estimated that this deal was pretty much eighty-percent confirmed. So he relaxed and they drunk a few glasses of wine. The result was that Wei Yan was now a little tipsy.

Yin Li didn’t seem to mind the the remark. He sent me a glance from over the top of his wine glass. “Outstanding indeed. When it comes to haggling over prices, she’s especially shrewd.”

With my thick skin I pretended not to understand the deeper meaning in his words. Instead, I played dumb and incessantly praised, “Mr. Yin’s girlfriend must definitely be extremely gorgeous, generous, and charming, the perfect woman!”

Yin Li raised a brow. “Thank you Miss Yan. I’m sure your boyfriend must also be extremely handsome and outstanding.”

“Naturally, my boyfriend is indeed extremely handsome and outstanding. His only flaws are his jealous tendencies, his appetite for control that’s a bit strong, and maybe also the occasional facial paralysis. But ignoring all that, we are a match made in heaven.” In a contest of shamelessness, he was still far beneath me.

Sure enough Yin Li’s face twitched, but he immediately regained his calm countenance and responded, “Me and my girlfriend are actually also a match made in heaven.”

The somewhat tipsy Wei Yan raised a glass and toasted, “To the matches made in heaven!”

Yin Li and I both stared blankly, then we both revealed abnormal smiles. His was more sinister while mine was more dismal. We raised our glasses and toasted, “To the matches made in heaven!”

Though Wei Yan was a bit tipsy, luckily he still remembered the order of business. After the meal, tea and coffee were served and he resumed negotiating the terms of the contract with Yin Li. This round compared to last went more smoothly. Yin Li only amended a few minor parts and didn’t make things difficult for us.

But Mr. DuPont objected to the condition that Yin Li have purchasing priority. Yin Li didn’t concede either, so on this one clause we faced a difficult dilemma.

As the two sides were talking over this last condition, everything before our eyes went dark, followed by a loud clamor around us. The power seemed to have been cut for an unknown reason, and our private room descended into darkness.