Shapeshifters

I remembered the events of last night and began to wonder if I would be invited upstairs again tonight. From the way things looked yesterday, it seemed I had seriously dampened Su Ying’s enthusiasm. Thinking about it made me laugh at myself; I was worried about losing my personal space if I were called upstairs every day, but now I was wondering if I wouldn’t have the chance to chat with her anymore. Maybe this showed that I was overly emotional and prone to wild thoughts. Just then, my phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number. I answered, and to my surprise, it was Su Ying’s voice on the other end. “Hey, Nado?” Her tone suggested she was over whatever had happened. “Su Ying?” I was slightly surprised. “Is something up?” “Surprised? I found your number on your business card. Are you free this afternoon?” “Oh… I should be.” I wondered if she wanted to chat again. “Here’s the thing, if you’re free this afternoon, come to the university pool for a swim. My treat. Just bring your swim trunks and cap.” This was unexpected, but swimming was indeed a great way to cool off in this heat. “Actually, I bought a bunch of tickets before the summer break, but I’ve been busy filming and haven’t had time to use them. If we don’t go soon, they’ll go to waste, which would be a pity. You can help me use some of them.” Su Ying quickly explained, seeing my hesitation. “Sure.” Somehow, I found myself agreeing. “Great, see you there! You know the way, right?” “Yes, see you then.” After arranging the time with Su Ying, the taxi had already arrived at the newspaper office. I quickly started writing the report on my interview with Ruan Xiwen. Halfway through, I started pondering about Su Ying. Our interactions had become quite frequent, and she was always the one to initiate contact. Although I didn’t mind spending time alone with her, I had no ulterior motives. Given this, should I be more cautious? If I kept going to a single female college student’s home at night, I might become the talk of the newspaper office. How should I interact with her in the future? I needed to think it through. But Su Ying was beautiful. Honestly, if she weren’t attractive or if she were just ordinary, I would have no hesitation in drawing a clear line. The problem is, she’s beautiful. She seems to be the one approaching me, which is an opportunity not easily come by for most men, too good to pass up. That’s the trouble with beautiful women; no wonder there’s the saying “beauty is a curse.” But no matter what, I had already agreed to go swimming with Su Ying this afternoon, and once promised, I couldn’t back out. As for the future, I’d take it one step at a time. I told myself this. Perhaps this mindset was somewhat irresponsible, but it’s a common male psychology. After convincing myself, I quickly finished the article, left the office, hailed a taxi, and headed straight to the university.