Emotional breakdown

It has been two hours since we left.

Originally, we had a lot of things planned, but we only managed to open a bank account and activate a mobile SIM card.

However, Airi Sakura couldn't blame Deny Aaron for the slow progress; the main reason was the long wait at the bank. Deny Aaron hadn't been to a bank for a long time.

Back at the parking lot, Deny Aaron opened the car door and Sakura placed the teddy bear she got from topping up her phone credit on the back seat, making sure it was comfortable.

"Are you hungry?" Deny Aaron asked. It was already past noon.

"Where do we want to go eat?" Airi Sakura became excited; she was feeling hungry too.

"Let's walk around and see."

"Aren't we driving there?"

"It's mealtime now, driving around to find a parking spot would waste a lot of time."

Airi Sakura had never eaten at a Chinese restaurant before, so she wasn't sure what Deny Aaron meant by it being crowded.

In Japan, restaurants were generally small, more like home-style, with not many tables. In terms of dining environment, they were not as spacious as most places in China.

Deny Aaron didn't know where to take Sakura to eat either, so they entered a tea house while wandering around.

Deny Aaron ordered a pot of tea and handed the menu to Airi Sakura, telling her to order whatever she liked.

"Are the portions big?" Airi Sakura asked, earnestly studying the menu, which displayed a variety of colorful dishes that made her eyes dazzle. She wanted to try them all.

"It's fine; the portions won't be big. We can order more if it's not enough."

The dishes in the tea house were mostly exquisite and a bit on the expensive side, but the portions wouldn't be too large.

Airi Sakura chose the signature stir-fried shrimp and spicy eel paste, then handed the menu to Deny Aaron, asking him to order.

"Don't you want to order a couple more dishes?" Deny Aaron asked.

"I'm afraid we won't be able to finish them. You order."

Deny Aaron added a few hairy crabs and two bowls of tofu soup.

After handing the menu to the waiter, tea utensils and tea leaves were also served. A small sand pot filled with water was placed in an alcohol burner beside it.

"Let me brew the tea!" Airi Sakura volunteered.

"Do you know how?" Deny Aaron wasn't convinced.

"I do!"

Airi Sakura also loved drinking tea, and despite her clumsy appearance, she was actually skilled in the art of tea ceremony.

She was focused while brewing the tea, going through various steps such as washing the teapot, steeping the tea, pouring into different cups, and presenting the tea. She appeared very proficient in each procedure.

Her fingers were beautiful, moving between the cups like dancing spirits.

"Deny Aaron, please enjoy the tea!"

Deny Aaron received the teacup and took a sip. Though the tea ceremony was more of a ritual, having gone through it naturally brought about a sense of tranquility. It seemed like the taste of the tea became more flavorful too.

"I didn't expect you to know how to brew tea."

After tasting it, Deny Aaron couldn't help but praise her, which was rare for him.

Deny Aaron seldom praised people, so for Airi Sakura, this was the first time she received his compliments.

Feeling somewhat proud, she thought it was nice when Deny Aaron praised others.

Actually, whether he praised or scolded her, Airi Sakura was most afraid of Deny Aaron ignoring her.

"I'm not as dumb as you think!"

Airi Sakura proudly straightened her chest and said, "My father taught me tea ceremony since I was very young. He said learning tea ceremony would cultivate my character, making me more poised and virtuous in the future."

Deny Aaron stared at her for a while but couldn't see any signs of poise. It seemed that Uncle Asuka's education had failed...

The food arrived, and they ate while chatting. Most of the time, Airi Sakura did the talking while Deny Aaron listened, occasionally responding to keep the conversation going.

"I can also paint and sing, and I know a bit of piano. I can recite many classical Chinese poems too!"

"You have quite a few talents."

"Deny Aaron, this is the second time you've praised me. Are you... starting to see me in a different light?" Airi Sakura giggled.

"You even know how to use idioms," he replied.

"Hehe."

Airi Sakura was easily satisfied. Just a couple of compliments from Deny Aaron and her tail was practically wagging in the air.

"This food is so good!"

Her attention quickly shifted to the delicious meal, acting surprised at every little thing.

When it came to cracking open the crab, she had no idea how to do it, so she watched Deny Aaron.

It's strange how everyone has their own unique talents. Some are good at learning, some at playing games, and some at sports.

But when it comes to eating, Airi Sakura had exceptional talent. Deny Aaron didn't even have to teach her, but after watching him for a while, she quickly learned how to clean the crab meat.

Sakura didn't like peeling a little bit at a time, she preferred to peel off a lot and then eat it all in one bite, completely satisfied.

"Do you have a part-time job, Deny Aaron?"

"Yes, I do."

"What kind of work do you do? Can I do it with you? I also want to earn some money during my free time," Airi Sakura asked curiously.

"I help people write programs, algorithms, frameworks, and work on computer research projects. Can you handle it?"

Deny Aaron actually had his own freelance work. He was quite well-known in online forums, often getting outsourced projects from tech companies.

He had enough money for his own expenses. Since his father didn't support his computer research, he had to earn his own money by taking on these projects.

He had just finished a facial recognition algorithm for a company a few days ago, but Deny Aaron hadn't submitted it yet.

Airi Sakura felt a little dizzy just listening to him. She quickly waved her hands and said, "I can't do that. I get sleepy just looking at math..."

Airi Sakura felt disappointed. "Deny Aaron, you're much better than me. If it were me, I would probably only be able to work as a waitress or something."

"In China, artificial intelligence doesn't pay as much as in Japan. Human labor isn't valued here."

"I see..."

"If you really want to work, you could become a Japanese language teacher. There are many Japanese language enthusiasts, and you could teach children," Deny Aaron suggested.

Airi Sakura's eyes lit up. It was indeed a good choice, but there was no rush. After all, she hadn't even attended school yet.

When it was time to pay, Deny Aaron naturally reached for his wallet, but Sakura insisted on splitting the bill.

"In our country, we always pay separately," Sakura said.

"That's fine."

After this meal, Deny Aaron's impression of her had improved. Although they were not on the same intellectual level, Airi Sakura had many positive qualities. 

She often made Deny Aaron feel uneasy, but at least he didn't find her annoying.

During their break, Deny Aaron taught her how to register for WeChat and how to use WeChat Pay. They also became WeChat friends.

Deny Aaron didn't have many WeChat friends, only a few dozen, and most of them were companies that outsourced projects to him.

Airi Sakura had even fewer WeChat friends, only him.

"Deny Aaron, how about we cook our own meals in the future! I can learn how to cook Chinese dishes!" Airi Sakura suggested as they walked out of the tea house.

"It's too much trouble. Ordering takeout is much simpler."

Buying groceries, washing vegetables, cooking, and doing dishes were definitely not within Deny Aaron's consideration.

"I can cook!"

"Good for you, but don't expect me to help."

"In our country, after getting married, it's the wife's job to cook, and the husband doesn't help..."

Can things really be like that?

Deny Aaron thought to himself that he wouldn't even consider getting into a relationship, let alone getting married.

In the afternoon, they continued shopping. Deny Aaron accompanied her for a while in the mall, but he soon felt tired. He wondered where she got all her energy from. They had walked from the first floor to the fifth floor, and it seemed like her energy was never ending.

When they finally left the mall, they were both carrying bags. Airi Sakura excitedly told him about all the things she had bought.

"Mobile payment is so convenient!"

"Look at the water bottle I bought, isn't it pretty!"

"I also bought facial cleanser for you. I noticed that you ran out of yours."

She chattered on, but Deny Aaron wasn't really listening. However, he caught a mention of himself.

"I never use facial cleanser," Deny Aaron replied, speechless.

Just washing his face with water was enough. It didn't affect his handsomeness, did it?

"That's okay, this one is a gift from me. Give it a try, it's really good. Your face will feel like it's breathing after washing," Airi Sakura enthusiastically recommended.

Deny Aaron glanced at it but knew he wouldn't use it. He was too lazy.

"Let's go back to the car first. I still need to buy a fish tank."

"Sure. By the way, do you really not use your bathtub for bathing?"

"You can use it to raise fish, wash vegetables, wash clothes, or bathe cats. It has many uses."

Airi Sakura looked serious...

It was already 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the peak hour of traffic. The roads were noticeably busier with cars zooming by.

Deny Aaron took a shortcut with Airi Sakura following closely behind. There weren't any traffic lights, just a blurry zebra crossing, and cars passed by intermittently.

"No cars, hurry!"

"Wait... wait for me..."

Airi Sakura nervously watched the traffic and unconsciously held onto Deny Aaron's clothes.

Deny Aaron glanced back at her.

If she keeps this up, my emotional might break!