Now I Am Free

They had said it would only take a few minutes, but Li Yuanying was gone for half an hour.

Su Yang didn’t rush her. There was no need to hurry, anyway.

Another ten minutes passed before Li Yuanying finally appeared in the lobby.

She was carrying a small black-and-white handbag. Her long hair, which had been hanging loose earlier, was now tied up, with her bangs pulled forward to cover her forehead.

She had changed into a pale yellow blouse and paired it with a black pleated skirt. On her feet were a pair of black pointed-toe flats.

Overall, her outfit looked fresh, sweet, and charming.

She hurried toward Su Yang, calling out before she even reached him. “Su Yang~”

“Hey, you’re here.”

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“No problem. Do you want to sit for a while first?”

“Sure.” Li Yuanying walked over with a bright smile and sat down across from Su Yang.

“Have you eaten yet?” Su Yang asked.

“Not yet. Didn’t we agree to eat together yesterday? You didn’t eat without me, did you?” Li Yuanying asked, blinking.

Su Yang waved his hand. “No. I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Good. I was worried you’d eaten by yourself.”

“Nope. What do you feel like eating later?”

Li Yuanying thought for a moment. “I’m not very familiar with France. I don’t know what local specialties they have here. Do you?”

“I don’t know either. This is my first time here.”

“Then I’ll look it up.” As she spoke, Li Yuanying took her phone out of her bag and began searching.

At that moment, a staff member hurried over from nearby.

Before he could say anything, Su Yang spoke first. “Hey, perfect timing. Could you bring this lovely lady a cappuccino?”

“Of course, Mr. Su.”

The staff member answered and turned toward the bar.

After looking for two minutes, Li Yuanying raised her head with a smile. “Su Yang, let’s have French food.”

“Sure.”

“Look at this.” As she spoke, Li Yuanying stood up, moved over beside Su Yang, and sat down next to him. She held out her phone with a smile. “Have you ever tried Burgundy snails?”

Su Yang glanced at the screen and shook his head. “No. We can give them a try. Are you brave enough to eat them?”

“Of course. I’m worried you might not be.”

“Haha, there’s nothing I’m afraid of. What other specialties do they have?”

“There’s also beef bourguignon. Wow, it looks delicious just from the picture!” Li Yuanying said, swallowing hungrily.

Seeing her reaction, Su Yang laughed. “Are you hungry?”

“Mm-hmm. I’ve been hungry for ages. I haven’t eaten a thing since noon.”

“Then why didn’t you eat something?”

“I don’t actually have much of an appetite. I was thinking about having dinner with you tonight, so I kept myself hungry. That way, I could eat more at dinner.”

“Haha, you really are something. You’re so skinny—don’t tell me you got that way by starving yourself?”

“You could say that. I’m usually very strict about managing my figure. I eat very little every day to keep from gaining weight, and I have to exercise too.”

“Being a singer isn’t easy, is it?”

“Not at all. But I’m free now. I don’t have to watch my figure for the time being. I can eat whatever I want, and I don’t even mind gaining a little weight.”

“Then make sure you eat plenty later. You’re seriously too thin right now.”

“Okay.”

As they talked, the staff member brought over the coffee.

“Your cappuccino, miss.”

Li Yuanying turned and smiled, revealing two adorable dimples. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“You should drink it quickly,” Su Yang said, looking at the coffee in front of her.

“Why?”

“Aren’t you hungry? Let’s finish up and go eat.”

“Oh, right. I’ll drink it now.”

Li Yuanying was a girl who loved to smile. She smiled at everyone, everywhere, all the time. And whenever she smiled, she looked especially beautiful. Her eyes curved like two crescent moons, the corners of her mouth lifted, and a pair of dimples appeared on her cheeks. Her smile gave people the feeling of basking in a gentle spring breeze.

It was also somewhat like the soft drizzle of spring falling lightly across one’s face, carrying the fresh fragrance of damp earth and leaves after the rain, instantly lifting one’s spirits.

Watching Li Yuanying, Su Yang found the corners of his own mouth unconsciously curling upward as well.

By this point, he had lost count of how many women he had spent time alone with. Being with each one felt different.

Take Emma, whom he had just parted from. How should he put it? Emma was also the cute type, but she leaned more toward being sexy and straightforward.

Many women in Europe had that kind of personality. Whatever they did, they were direct and honest. If they liked someone, they showed it through their actions. They rarely felt shy or embarrassed, and they weren’t coy at all. They were very open.

Although that kind of personality was quite appealing, Su Yang personally preferred someone like Li Yuanying.

Actually, it wasn’t exactly her personality that he preferred. To put it bluntly, he liked Asian features—more specifically, women from China, Japan, and South Korea.

That didn’t have much to do with personality. It was simply a matter of personal taste.

This was especially obvious in the movies he watched. Whenever he watched adult films, he usually chose Chinese, Japanese, or Korean productions, only occasionally switching to European or American ones.

Li Yuanying finished the coffee in just a few sips. She set down the cup and looked at Su Yang with a smile. “I’m done. Let’s go!”

“Wait. You’ve got some milk on your lips.” Su Yang pulled out a tissue and handed it to her.

“Thanks.” Li Yuanying took the tissue and wiped her mouth. Then she stood up. “All right, let’s go!”

“Let’s go.”

The two of them quickly left the hotel and stepped onto the street. Su Yang asked, “Is the restaurant you found far from here?”

“A little. We’ll need to take a taxi.”

“Okay.”

Just then, a black taxi came speeding toward them. Su Yang raised his hand and flagged it down.

Once the car stopped, he opened the rear door and stood to the side, extending a hand. “Please, get in.”

Li Yuanying nodded with a smile. “Thank you~”

After she got in, Su Yang was about to close the door and take the front passenger seat. But before he could, Li Yuanying quickly reached out to block the door. Tilting her head, she asked, “Why are you closing the door? Get in.”

“Huh? I was going to sit in the front.”

“No need. We’ll sit together in the back. Come on.” Li Yuanying pushed the door open with a bright smile.

Su Yang didn’t say anything else. There was no reason to refuse an invitation from a beautiful woman. He stepped into the car.

The door slammed shut, and the driver glanced back at them. “Where are you two headed?”

Hearing the question, Li Yuanying took out her phone and opened a translation app, preparing to translate.

Su Yang stared at her for a moment. “What are you doing?”

“Translating. I don’t understand French.”

Su Yang pursed his lips. “Didn’t I speak French with the staff at the hotel earlier?”

“Oh, right! You can speak it! What was I thinking?” she said, a little flustered.

Su Yang gave her an exasperated smile. “What’s the address?”

“119 Morgan Street.”

“Got it.”

After Su Yang relayed the address to the driver, the taxi quickly pulled away.

“Su Yang, how many languages can you speak?” Li Yuanying asked curiously.

Su Yang smiled. “How should I put it? Every human language spoken on this planet…”

By the time he got that far, Li Yuanying had already furrowed her brows and leaned back in shock.

“Hahaha, of course not all of them.”

“Phew! You scared me. I thought you could speak every language in the world. You’d be Superman!”

“I actually speak quite a few languages.”

“Really? Do you speak our country’s language too? I’ve been speaking English with you this whole time because I was afraid you wouldn’t understand.”

Su Yang smiled. “Korean, right? I know a little.”

“Really? Then shall I speak Korean with you?”

“Sure. From now on, just speak your native language.”

“Okay! Annyeonghaseyo?”

Hearing this, Su Yang deliberately put on an exasperated expression. “Are you seriously underestimating me? That’s way too basic. Just speak normally—I can understand you.” He had already switched to Korean.

Hearing Su Yang speak such fluent Korean, Li Yuanying once again looked surprised and gave him a thumbs-up. “You’re amazing!”

“Haha, keep it low-key.”

“Let me count. Besides Korean, you speak English, French, and your own country’s language. That’s already four languages. Are there any more?”

Su Yang nodded and held out his fingers. “Let’s see... I also know a little Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic...”

Before Su Yang could finish, Li Yuanying grabbed his fingers. “W-Wait... Stop counting. Are you joking, or are you serious?”

“I’m serious. Why would I lie to you? If you don’t believe me, you can test me with a translation app.”

Seeing how serious Su Yang was, Li Yuanying smiled. “I believe you.”

“I believe you, but I don’t!” the driver in the front suddenly interjected in heavily accented Korean.

......