The Cinnabar Mole of a Beijing Circle Tycoon

The head waitress was a lady dressed in a plain-colored cheongsam, with elegant manners. Several waiters carrying trays followed behind her, her steps as light as if she were walking on clouds.

"Mr. Meng, Ms. Shen, this 'Snowy Glaze' is made with seasonal winter bamboo shoots and shrimp paste. Its shape is modeled after the glazed tiles of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and the frosting looks like freshly fallen snow."

She pointed to the crystal-clear pastries on the plate and said in a gentle voice, "This technique is an improvement on an old recipe from the Imperial Kitchen, which emphasizes the harmony between form and meaning."

Next came a hot dish: several thin slices of fish, as thin as cicada wings, lay on a porcelain plate, complemented by emerald green bok choy. The head waiter explained, "This dish, 'Moon Reflected on Red Walls,' uses fresh fish from Miyun Reservoir. To slice it this thin, it would take a master chef with thirty years of knife skills to make it. It evokes the imagery of 'the moon shining on the palace walls.'"

……

Shen Qingyao looked at the exquisite dishes in front of her, which were like works of art, and suddenly sighed softly.

Meng Jiangyu raised an eyebrow: "What's wrong? Not to your liking?"

"No," she shook her head, her gaze drifting to the Forbidden City outside the window. The snow-covered palace walls glowed a serene red in the twilight. "This is too extravagant. Is this what the rich live like?"

"It's all about the atmosphere. This is your first time, but you'll get used to it."

"Oh, oh, oh!" Shen Qingyao pouted.

"Does this mean that possession itself dispels the mystique?"

"Yeah, once you have it, you'll get used to it!"

"Seeing travel bloggers' photos of the Forbidden City, I thought it was so beautiful it was like a dream, and I longed to come. But when I actually went inside, I felt it was better to have seen it from afar."

Just like now, looking at the hazy scenery of snow falling on the palace walls through a glass window, the shock and longing are even clearer.

While walking through the palace just now, I was distracted by the cramped corridors and the noise of the crowds, and I lost the initial excitement.

"That's normal." Meng Jiangyu picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks and put it in her bowl. "Mystery puts a filter on everything. When you don't have it, you fill in the details with your imagination, and everything looks good no matter what; but once you actually get to know it, the flaws in the details and the trivialities of reality will naturally dilute that filter."

He paused, looking out the window: "Just like the Forbidden City, from afar it's a legendary sight of red walls and white snow, but once you go inside, you'll see the mold on the walls and the cracks in the floor tiles. But these 'imperfections' are what make it real."

"So... does our current state mean we've retained the filter while also appreciating the reality?" Shen Qingyao smiled. "We've both stepped inside and can still appreciate its beauty from a distance."

"Yes." Meng Jiangyu looked at the light in her eyes, a smile appearing in his own. "So sometimes, keeping a little distance is actually a good thing. It allows you to see the whole picture while still retaining your feelings."

The head waiter promptly served a sweet soup, an amber-colored broth in a silver bowl, sprinkled with a few bright red goji berries: "This 'Jade Dew' is made using an ancient imperial method, simmered over low heat for six hours. Please try it."

Shen Qingyao scooped up a spoonful, and the sweet taste melted on her tongue.

As the palace lanterns of the Forbidden City outside the window gradually lit up, the night sky after the snow was dotted with sparse stars, and the red walls and lanterns reflected each other, creating a beautiful scene like a flowing painting.

She suddenly realized that Meng Jiangyu was right.

True liking may not necessarily mean "possessing" it to the point of no distance, but rather being able to get close to see its reality, and also step back to keep a lingering thought.

This perfect distance makes the beauty of the Forbidden City even more intriguing.

The warmth of the sweet soup soothed his throat. Meng Jiangyu put down his silver spoon and looked at Shen Qingyao, who was staring blankly out the window: "By the way, you said you were studying psychology?"

Shen Qingyao turned her head and nodded: "Yes, applied psychology."

"Why did you choose this major?" Meng Jiangyu asked curiously.

He has seen many girls from ordinary families who tend to choose seemingly "safe" majors such as teacher training or accounting.

Psychology is often seen as impractical by outsiders.

"I find it very interesting." Shen Qingyao smiled, her eyes shining with seriousness. "Don't you think that the human mind is like a room full of secrets? It may seem chaotic, but it actually contains a lot of logic. For example, different people will have completely different reactions to the same thing, and there are reasons behind them."

She paused, recalling cases she had encountered at school, and her tone deepened: "Moreover, people are under too much pressure these days. Students have academic pressure, working professionals have work pressure, and many people are trapped by their emotions and can't get out of it. I've seen people suffer from insomnia due to chronic anxiety, and others are afraid to socialize because of the influence of their family of origin..."

"So you want to become a psychotherapist?" Meng Jiangyu asked.

"Yes!" Shen Qingyao nodded vigorously. "I think this profession is very meaningful. It doesn't necessarily have to solve some huge problems. Even if it's just helping people relieve a little bit of their emotions and making them feel that 'they're not the only ones like this,' so that they can face life a little more easily, that's great."

She blinked, a hint of anticipation in her eyes. "And I think this industry definitely has a future. After all, people are paying more and more attention to mental health; you can't just keep your emotions bottled up inside, can you?"

Looking at the light in her eyes when she talked about her ideals, Meng Jiangyu suddenly felt a gentle touch on a corner of his heart.

"That's great," he said sincerely. "This profession requires a lot of patience and empathy, and I think you're very suitable."

Shen Qingyao felt a little embarrassed by his praise, and lowered her head to stir the sweet soup in her bowl: "I'm still learning, there are so many things I don't understand."

"Take your time." Meng Jiangyu looked at her, his tone resolute.

The palace lanterns outside the window shone even brighter, reflecting the lingering snow like scattered gold dust.

Shen Qingyao looked at Meng Jiangyu's gentle profile and felt a warmth in her heart.

The snow outside the window had completely stopped, and the snow on the palace walls shimmered softly under the night lights.

Shen Qingyao sipped her warm tea, watching Meng Jiangyu finish processing a work message, and suddenly asked, almost as if possessed, "Ayu, have you... ever had a girlfriend before?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. Her fingertips unconsciously twisted the edge of the tablecloth, and her eyes darted away.

Meng Jiangyu looked up at her, a hint of surprise in his eyes, then shook his head frankly: "No."

"Why?" Shen Qingyao pressed, her voice softening. "Someone like you... should be very popular, right?"

He put down his phone and tapped his finger lightly on the table: "In the past few years, the group expanded, and I was either in meetings or on business trips every day. I couldn't even find time to sleep. How could I have the mind to think about these things?"

He paused, a hint of barely perceptible disgust in his voice, "And back then, some business partners would always find ways to send women over, calling them 'assistants' or 'secretaries,' their intentions were obvious, it was just annoying to look at."

Shen Qingyao imagined the scene and couldn't help but frown.

"Things have been a bit more relaxed these past two years," Meng Jiangyu continued, "but there are also more people who are actively trying to get close to me, mainly because they're interested in the Meng family's background and want to climb the social ladder."

He spoke in a flat tone, as if he were talking about someone else's business, "I have no interest in dealing with it."

Shen Qingyao was silent for a moment, then looked up at him with a serious expression: "Then...aren't you afraid that I'm also only doing this to climb the social ladder..."

Before she could finish speaking, Meng Jiangyu interrupted her.

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed intently on her, his tone carrying an undeniable certainty: "If it's you, then I couldn't ask for more."

Shen Qingyao's heart skipped a beat, and her cheeks flushed instantly.

"Qingyao," he said, looking into her eyes, each word distinct, "I understand what others are after. But you're different."

The stubbornness and vulnerability in her eyes, and the honesty and purity in our later interactions, were not feigned.

"Even if you really have something in mind," Meng Jiangyu's lips curled into a faint smile, tinged with indulgence, "my family background, my money, my resources—whatever you want, whatever I have, I can give you."

His words were too direct, like honey boiled in lukewarm water, so sweet it made you a little dizzy.

Shen Qingyao looked into his deep eyes, where her own reflection was clearly seen, without flinching.

She suddenly realized that her question had been completely unnecessary.

"Who...who wanted your things?" She turned her face away, her voice barely audible, but her ears were so red they looked like they were about to bleed.

Looking at her like this, Meng Jiangyu's smile deepened.

He didn't continue the topic, but simply placed a piece of the freshly served pastry on her plate: "Try this, it's sweet but not cloying."

Shen Qingyao took a bite of the pastry, and the sweetness spread from the tip of her tongue to her heart.

Perhaps some answers don't need to be stated too clearly. His eyes and his tone are enough to say everything.