Cutting In and Crashing – Is This Your Driving School Instructor? 46

Chapter 46: Unexpected Reunion in a Strange Land?

“So dark,”

The Japanese restaurant was incredibly dimly lit. Their style seemed designed to create a specific atmosphere, prioritizing ambiance over bright lighting. Gu Yin almost tripped over the threshold when he first entered…

But the interior was quite nice. In a dining area of roughly seventy to eighty square meters, a very lush tree stood in the center, with running water surrounding it. Upon entering, it truly felt like stepping into another world.

Dining areas were situated along the walls, individual small rooms separated by wooden panels and beaded curtains flanking the tree. It felt ethereal, less like a Japanese restaurant and more like a restaurant themed around Xianxia (a Chinese fantasy genre).

“Overkill,” Gu Yin thought, “This would make a much better Xianxia-themed restaurant than a Japanese one.”

“Good evening, sir,” A waitress greeted Gu Yin. A tall girl in a blue and white sailor uniform (JK), a style of Japanese school uniform, approached with a smile. “How many people in your party?”

Nowadays, shop owners really know how to attract customers. Jk uniforms, originally Japanese school uniforms, have spread globally. A Japanese restaurant hiring college students to work in Jk uniforms to attract customers—how many otaku (nerds) could resist such temptation?

“Hello, I have a reservation. I’m looking for Sister Panpan, table… number 33,” Gu Yin told the girl.

“Ah, yes, yes, Sister Panpan mentioned it. She’s busy right now. Please, this way,” The girl gestured for Gu Yin to follow.

“Okay,” Gu Yin nodded, following the girl inside.

The restaurant’s privacy was truly excellent. Although you could see people sitting in the various small compartments, the beaded curtains obscured the upper bodies, allowing only a view of their legs.

Guided to a relatively secluded spot, Gu Yin settled down, placing his belongings. He was a little bored…

He didn’t know if Xia Xiangsi was short or tall, and waiting here felt incredibly dull. He decided to take a stroll around the restaurant.

He was curious about that tree outside… was it real or fake?

Without further ado, he left his things and went outside with his phone.

“Wow, it’s real?” He poked the tree several times, actually chipping away some bark. Gu Yin was amazed.

It was hard to imagine that a whole real tree was used in the restaurant’s decor…

Perhaps he was too engrossed in observing the tree. He turned around without looking and bumped into someone.

“Ouch…”

“Sorry, sorry,”

Instinctively, Gu Yin apologized, while also observing the other person. It was a man around his own age, wearing a white shirt and trousers, looking like a businessperson, but more like…

A salesperson, maybe real estate.

And for some reason, Gu Yin found the man… vaguely familiar!

It seemed Gu Yin wasn’t the only one who found the other familiar. The man pointed at him, his eyes widening:

“You are… Gu Yin?”

“Tong Liang?” Gu Yin twitched his mouth. “Is the world this small?”

Tong Liang, Gu Yin’s high school classmate. Their relationship wasn’t particularly close. During Gu Yin’s high school years, due to family issues, he wasn’t close to anyone. Meeting him after all these years in a restaurant was truly unexpected…

The world is small; if you’re destined to meet someone, even if you’re abroad, you can bump into them anywhere.

The world is also vast; even though they attended high school in the same small county, they hadn’t seen each other in years after graduation.

Forget Tong Liang, Gu Yin spent his middle and high school years in his hometown county. But in the two or three years since returning, except for those with special connections, he hadn’t bumped into a single old classmate.

He once thought he was somehow cursed and destined never to meet them again.

It was better not to run into them anyway, he wasn’t doing great himself, there wouldn’t be much to talk about…

But unexpectedly, today, he ran into a high school classmate in a Japanese restaurant in the city’s mall.

It was incredibly surprising, like a dream.

“Wow…”

“How many years has it been?”

“What are you doing these days?”

While Gu Yin was still dazed, Tong Liang, with a “brothers” demeanor, slung an arm around Gu Yin’s shoulder, laughing heartily and chatting in a very friendly dialect.

“Ha…”

Gu Yin felt awkward.

Honestly, he found Tong Liang a bit funny. In his memory, they weren’t particularly close in school. The guy even laughed at him with others. Years after graduation, meeting unexpectedly, he acted as if nothing had happened, as if they were best friends, greeting him so enthusiastically?

What the heck…

Damn Mountain Winter customs (referring to overly friendly or overly enthusiastic behavior).

“Liangliang, who is that?”

At that moment, a woman’s voice came from a distance.

Gu Yin turned to see a girl who appeared to be around twenty-four or twenty-five years old. She wore a long white bodycon knit sweater and knee-high boots, her shapely legs exposed. Her outfit was quite alluring.

“Hey, Jiang Yun, look who I bumped into…”

Tong Liang excitedly pulled Gu Yin over, saying:

“Gu Yin, a classmate from our high school class. Do you remember him?”

“Gu Yin…”

The girl called Jiang Yun murmured Gu Yin’s name, then her eyes lit up, and she greeted Gu Yin with surprise:

“Wow, this is unexpected, I didn’t think I’d run into Gu Yin here.”

“I didn’t expect to run into you either…”

Gu Yin greeted them awkwardly but politely. Jiang Yun was also his high school classmate. He remembered she had a questionable reputation back then, focusing more on relationships than studying, constantly getting called to the principal’s office for early dating…

However, her appearance was undeniable. She was tall (171 cm), with a slender waist, long legs, and a curvy rear. Now that she knew how to do makeup and dress well, she was a ripe peach.

It was just unexpected…

How did she end up with Tong Liang?

She was high-maintenance, why would she be with Tong Liang?

“Gu Yin, who did you come with? By yourself?” Tong Liang asked with a chuckle.

“He must have come with his significant other,” Jiang Yun laughed. “Who would come to a Japanese restaurant by themselves?”

“I…” Gu Yin wanted to explain, but Jiang Yun’s teasing made it hard to deny…

So he let it slide.

Bathroom.

“Pitter-patter…”

Xia Xiangsi, washing her hands, sneezed without reason.

“Achoo!”

The girl furrowed her brow. She felt like someone was talking about her.

…

(End of Chapter)

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