“Of course it’s because it’s too expensive!” Su Man blurted out.

On the other end of the line, Lu Yuwen seemed to let out a small breath of relief, then gave a quiet laugh.

Su Man addressed him with complete seriousness: “I won’t even bring up the dress, which was already thousands of yuan. This jewelry set is at least seventy or eighty thousand. Out of nowhere, with no occasion — how could I possibly accept something this significant? Either I return the jewelry to you, or you send me the receipt and I’ll transfer the money.”

Lu Yuwen listened patiently to all of it and said good-naturedly, “Don’t be in such a rush…”

Su Man: “I’m not in a rush!”

Her voice came out agitated; Lu Yuwen gave a low, soft laugh.

Su Man: “…”

She bit her lip and said in a muffled voice, “Fine. Maybe I am a little worked up. Anyone would be, receiving a gift worth tens of thousands.”

Lu Yuwen: “I wouldn’t be.”

Su Man: “…”

“What is the matter with you!” She furrowed her brow. “Keep this up and I won’t go to dinner with you anymore!”

It was meant to be a threat, but somehow the words came out sounding strangely like a pout…

Su Man herself didn’t know why the effect came out that way. She was momentarily stunned, and suddenly didn’t dare open her mouth again.

“Please don’t be upset, all right?” On the other end of the line, Lu Yuwen’s voice was unusually soft, threaded through with the drowsy, languid ease of someone settling in for sleep. “If you don’t like receiving gifts, I won’t give you any more. I promise.”

What could she say to that? She bit her lower lip and made a sound of agreement.

But the moment she did, something felt off.

No more next time — but what about this time?

Was she just going to let this one go???

She’d nearly let him smooth-talk her again!

“How much was the jewelry? I’ll transfer the money,” Su Man said plainly and directly.

Lu Yuwen asked, with an amused tone, “Manman, if I had given you a bouquet of roses worth two hundred yuan today, would you have paid me back for that?”

Su Man paused, then answered, “Of course not.”

Lu Yuwen: “So the reason you want to transfer money to me right now is primarily that you feel this gift is too expensive. Is that right?”

Su Man instinctively nodded. “It’s far too valuable. I really can’t accept it. My parents would say I don’t know any better.”

Lu Yuwen said: “Manman, I think ‘expensive’ needs to be seen in context. For a new intern, taking his girlfriend out for an all-you-can-eat buffet might count as extravagant, but to someone of great wealth, it’s nothing more than a cheap fast-food meal. Would you agree with that reasoning?”

Su Man: “…”

All right. She might be slow on the uptake, but she was perfectly capable of reading between the lines.

What he was implying was clearly…

“While I don’t claim to be some enormously wealthy tycoon, a jewelry set is no different to me than a two-hundred-yuan bouquet of roses. You don’t need to take it so seriously. And besides…” He continued, unhurried, “I believe that given your family’s circumstances, this amount isn’t particularly significant to you either.”

Su Man: “But still, there’s no real occasion for—”

“Why is it that you can accept a two-hundred-yuan bouquet with no occasion, yet not a jewelry set worth tens of thousands?” Lu Yuwen interrupted her, still gentle, still mild. “And besides — it’s not without reason. I wanted you to look beautiful when you dine with me tomorrow evening. A little effort toward that is only natural. The jewelry pairs perfectly with the dress. That reason alone is sufficient.”

Su Man thought hard, racking her brain, mining every corner of her mind for an argument that could counter him.

Lu Yuwen added: “Manman, you can’t possibly expect me — for the sake of your being able to accept a gift — to go buy two-hundred-yuan jewelry… I may not be someone of great standing, but I am at least the boss of several restaurants. Giving someone a gift worth a few thousand or tens of thousands is genuinely normal for me. If people knew I gave a friend a two-hundred-yuan jewelry set, I…”

Su Man: “…”

She had only wanted to return a gift. Somehow he was the one who ended up feeling aggrieved?

“Do you think that because you accepted the dress and the jewelry, you’ve taken advantage of me, and feel guilty, so you want to compensate me?” He laughed softly and continued, “…The truth is, when a man gives a woman a gift, the most important thing is that it pleases himself — for the sake of that shallow, pitiful pride that resides in every male creature. So Manman, think of it as doing a good deed — have a little sympathy for me, all right?”

Su Man closed her eyes.

Good heavens.

He had said everything there was to say. What was left for her?

—