Chapter 3. Regret not Wanting to Leave

Emily raised her chopsticks, put her favorite vegetables into the hotpot, and saw Wolfgang put all the beef into the pot directly. She was about to remind him that the meat would easily overcook, but then she noticed him quickly scoop the cooked flesh into his bowl with a spoon. 

"Would you like to have some?" He scooped the spoon in front of her. 

"Thank you." Emily took a bite and quietly observed his eating posture. Even though men ate more, she didn't think Wolfgang will eat so much meat. 

But then she saw a miracle. 

She only saw Wolfgang sitting up straight, with beautiful movements, and putting each piece of meat into his mouth. The activities were swift and neat, and after his thin lips opened and closed a few times, all the beef quickly went into his stomach. 

The broccoli in Emily's hand fell back into the bowl, and she was dazzled by his eating movements! She was sure that he had added a special effect! Why did she feel like she was watching a sci-fi movie? 

Wolfgang put down his chopsticks and looked calmly at her: "Scared you, didn't I? Sorry, I always eat like this." 

"No, no, no, I'm not being threatened!" Emily immediately spoke, her eyes shining like stars outside the window: "You... You're amazing! How can you eat so quickly, and your movements are still so elegant? I admire you! I also like to eat like this, but until now, I haven't been able to enjoy it as much as this!" 

Wolfgang was slightly stunned, then smiled again: "Thank you for saying that." 

"Ha ha." Emily chuckled and pushed a plate of green vegetables before him: "Try some of this. Eating so much meat at once will make you feel a bit queasy." 

To Emily's surprise, Wolfgang shook his head and said: "Sorry, I don't eat vegetables." 

"Oh? You don't like green vegetables?" Emily asked. 

"No, I don't like vegetables." Wolfgang replied coldly: "Although I can eat them, personally, I prefer meat." 

"Ah, I see." Emily hurriedly returned the food: "Then eat meat. We are quite similar. I also like to eat meat. When I was a child, my mother used to chase me to force eating rice, and I always ran away, ha ha ha." 

In Wolfgang's eyes, a glimmer of light flashed, and he suddenly said: "Can you tell me a little about your life? What kind of person are you? How is your life going now? I am very interested in your life." 

Emily was momentarily stunned, but then she recounted her exciting stories from childhood to adulthood, talked about her colleagues at the company, her love of snacks and watching TV dramas, even mentioning the 'x' that she got rid of, and she couldn't stop talking. When she finally paused, Wolfgang had already finished off a table of meat. 

Emily was embarrassed and said: "Did I talk too much? I'm sorry. I don't usually talk this much... but since I just met you..." 

"It's okay, I like to listen." Wolfgang smiled and said: "If possible, next time we meet, please tell me more." 

Emily's eyes lit up momentarily, and he said, 'next time'. In other words, they still had a chance to develop further! She nodded eagerly: "Okay! No problem!" 

"After talking so much, are you full yet?" Wolfgang asked. 

Emily nodded: "Yes, I'm full. You're amazing. You ate all the meat. Are you full yet? Do you want to order more?" 

"No, it's okay." Wolfgang said. 

Emily took a sip of water and felt a bit regretful. She felt like she had talked too much today, while Wolfgang had hardly said anything. She wondered if he was interested in her or not. But it was so difficult to meet someone she liked. Emily didn't want to give up, so she gathered her courage and asked: "Can I ask you one more question? How do you like girls?" 

Wolfgang tapped his fingers on the cup's rim, lost in thought. After a moment, he looked up at her and calmly said: "You're not so bad yourself." 

Emily wished she could transform into a butterfly and soar into the sky! She was so happy, and was deeply moved by the vague compliment of Wolfgang. 

After finishing their meal at the hot pot restaurant, they stepped outside and were greeted by a cool breeze on this summer day. Emily suddenly felt utterly relaxed and took a deep breath. 

She turned to look at Wolfgang, her eyes filled with anxiety. What would he do next? She wanted to be with him a little longer, but if he wanted to part ways after eating, she wouldn't have a choice. 

Luckily, Wolfgang said: "I just finished eating. Let's take a walk." 

"Okay!" Emily immediately agreed, and with her lively energy, she led the way. She remembered her mother telling her that Wolfgang had just returned from studying abroad, and she said: "My house is near here, and I'm very familiar with this street! There are also many interesting places that I can introduce you to!" 

"Sure." Wolfgang walked beside her steadily, listening to Emily's chirping voice that was sweet and refreshing in his ear. But he didn't feel annoyed. On the contrary, he felt warm and fulfilled. He hadn't felt this way in years. 

So he slowed down his pace, hoping that her voice would keep him a little longer. 

But every road has an end. Emily stood at the intersection, feeling a little reluctant, and scratched her head: "There's nothing fun to do if we keep going..." 

Wolfgang pointed across the street to a row of high-rise buildings: "What's over there? It looks lively." 

"Oh? That's the newly opened Cen-T shopping district. My friend Dani and I often go there to watch movies." Emily explained. 

"Oh, movies. . . . ." Wolfgang muttered to himself: "I haven't been to one in a while. Let's go. Can I treat you to a movie?" 

If it were any other time, Emily would agree. But two days ago, she and Dani had made plans to watch a horror movie tonight, and the time was approaching. If she had gone with Wolfgang, she wouldn't have had time to go with Dani. 

So she could only say: "I'm so sorry. Tonight I already have plans to watch a movie with Dani, how about we... go another day?" 

"Of course." Wolfgang nodded: "I'll just take you to Cen-T then." 

Emily couldn't help but exclaim to herself: 'He is smooth-talking!' 

As they stood on the roadside waiting for the traffic light to turn green, a large dog suddenly appeared from nowhere, its leash slipping out of its owner's hand and racing out onto the road like a gust of wind. The cars were still moving as if nothing had happened, but just as it was about to be hit, Wolfgang suddenly narrowed his eyes and called out: "Hey!" 

As if the big dog understood him, it stopped and looked at him momentarily before quickly running back to safety. It then circled Wolfgang a few times, whimpering in its mouth. 

At that moment, the dog's owner also caught up, panting heavily and looking at Wolfgang, as he wiped his sweat, saying thank you: "Did you stop my dog just now? Thank you so much! It likes to run wild like that, and if it weren't for you, it might have died just now." 

"It's nothing, no need to be polite." Wolfgang said calmly: "Just keep an eye on it from now on." 

After thanking him repeatedly, the owner finally managed to pull the dog away, but to everyone's surprise, the dog refused to leave and stayed at Wolfgang's feet, looking up at him with pleading eyes as if it couldn't bear to leave him. 

Wolfgang furrowed his brows and said gently: "Go back to your owner." 

The big dog obediently let out a "Woof... wooo" sound but hesitated before finally walking to its owner's side. 

The dog's owner was amazed and gave Wolfgang a thumbs up: "You're excellent, and you can train dogs! I've had him for two years, and he never listens to me!" 

Wolfgang's eyes glinted with a faint, unseen light as he spoke seriously: "Just wait with sincerity. Things will get better eventually. Even though you, and it wasn't the same species, sometimes it might feel lonely." 

"Got it. I understand now. Thank you for today!" 

Waiting for their dog and its owner to leave, Wolfgang turned his eyes back to Emily and saw the light in her eyes, mesmerized by him, which left him stunned: "You're amazing!" Emily exclaimed, grabbing his arm: "Truly amazing! You just saved a life! I'm so impressed with you, and the dog is so obedient to you! You're a hero for sure!" 

Wolfgang felt a kind of indescribable feeling in response to Emily's words, like the warmth of the sun. For years, he had been called a "freak" "alien" or "incompatible" by many people overseas. Except for his parents, no one had ever spoken to him with such gentle words, let alone called him a hero. He raised his hand to his forehead, and Emily was the first to treat him so kindly and the only one to smile genuinely at him in recent years. 

"Thank you for saying that." Wolfgang replied.