What Are Your Tastes? chapter 1

Mistaken for a Ride-Hailing Driver?

On Saturday afternoon, the café in Hongchuan Park was not crowded. By the window, two men sat across from each other. One was dressed in a conventional suit, while the other wore a more casual blue hoodie.

The casually dressed young man had shoulder-length hair, with curled ends tied in a half-ponytail. The afternoon sunlight slanted in, giving his black hair a tea-gold sheen, and his silver earring sparkled brightly. From the side, one might not immediately recognize him as a man.

“Mr. Lu, just send me the design draft directly. I’ll report to Mr. Zhou,” said the man opposite him.

As the man finished speaking, Lu Yunchu’s coffee cup was empty.

“Okay,” Lu Yunchu replied, his voice slightly low, somewhat mismatched with his delicate appearance.

Not long ago, he had accepted a commission to create a sculpture for Hongchuan Park. Today, he was there for an on-site inspection.

“Then I look forward to your good news.” Both stood up almost simultaneously and walked out of the café.

“Thank you, Manager Sun, for showing me around.”

“It’s nothing. I’m sorry for bothering you on your day off,” the manager looked around, “Is your car nearby? I can give you a lift.”

“No need,” Lu Yunchu raised his hand and pointed to a small square ahead, “It’s parked over there. You go ahead.”

Manager Sun directed him out of the park, and they parted ways. Lu Yunchu headed back to the city alone.

Overconfident in his sense of direction, he relied on memory to drive back. After twenty minutes, he realized he had taken a wrong turn and had to stop by the roadside to set up navigation.

Ahead, there seemed to be a traffic accident. A sedan had crashed into the central guardrail, though it wasn’t clear how it happened. A person, presumably the owner, was negotiating with someone, handling the aftermath.

After setting up the navigation, Lu Yunchu glanced at the accident scene. It seemed like the insurance company had taken the car, and the owner, phone in hand, walked briskly towards him.

To Lu Yunchu’s surprise, the person skillfully opened the car door, got into the passenger seat, and shut the door in one smooth motion.

“Yeah, don’t come over. I got a ride,” the man said loudly into his phone, “Let’s meet at the Chaoyue Hotel lobby.”

Lu Yunchu quickly realized he had been mistaken for a ride-hailing driver.

Having just set up navigation, he saw that his route back to the studio passed by the “Chaoyue” Hotel.

But why should he give a ride to a stranger who mistook him for a driver?

“Sir—” he tried to get his attention.

The man, oblivious to the mix-up, nodded and gestured forward, indicating Lu Yunchu should drive, still engrossed in his phone conversation.

“Yeah, can’t keep the client waiting… Sure, you hurry too.”

It seemed the man was also a businessman. Lu Yunchu glanced sideways at him.

The man looked about thirty, well-dressed, with fine features and a slightly anxious expression, possibly due to urgency.

Probably not a big boss, otherwise, he’d have an assistant or driver. If his car broke down, he wouldn’t be hailing a ride himself, and his clothes weren’t particularly luxurious.

Maybe he’s not doing as well as me… Once Lu Yunchu’s imagination started, it ran wild. He even felt a bit sympathetic towards the sweating, phone-calling man. If he were rushing to see a client and his car broke down, he’d be more anxious.

So he stopped trying to correct the man, silently shifted the car into drive, and pressed the gas pedal.

“Sigh…” The man finally hung up and began to complain to Lu Yunchu, whom he thought was the driver. “Kids these days… just dart out without looking, not even using the crosswalk. If I had reacted slower, it wouldn’t have been the guardrail I hit…”

His explanation was fragmented, but Lu Yunchu understood. The man had crashed into the guardrail to avoid a kid running across the road. Bad luck.

Driving to “Chaoyue” wasn’t far. After two major intersections, they’d be there. As Lu Yunchu drove, the man’s phone rang again. He answered and soon looked puzzled, “I’m already in the car, yes? A white one, license plate ending in 868?” He glanced at Lu Yunchu, full of confusion.

Lu Yunchu squinted at him, slightly slowed the car, and corrected word by word: “My license plate ends in 886.”

The man quickly ended his call, his eyes flashing with a hint of sharpness, and asked, “Then why did you give me a ride?” Earlier, he was just confused, but now his tone and expression revealed blatant distrust.

A flame of irritation ignited in Lu Yunchu’s heart. Being mistaken for a ride-hailing driver was one thing, but how could he possibly look like someone running an unlicensed taxi service?

However, he didn’t lose his temper. Patiently, he explained, “I tried to tell you earlier, but you were on the phone the whole time. I heard the place you were going to, and it happens to be on my way home, so I thought I’d give you a lift.” He ended with a look of extreme frustration that clearly said, “This is all your own doing.”

“Oh, I see…”

“Yeah,” Lu Yunchu snorted, seeing the man deflate, “It’s broad daylight. Do you really think I could rob or assault someone as big as you?”

The man stared at him strangely. After a moment, he seemed to fully process the whole misunderstanding and, feeling embarrassed, said, “I’m sorry, I was in a hurry and made a mistake. Thank you so much… Can I pay you?”

The car stopped at the hotel entrance. As the man unfastened his seatbelt, he reopened his phone and asked, “Could I add you on WeChat? I’ll send you a red envelope.”

“No need,” Lu Yunchu waved him off, “You’re in business yourself, aren’t you?”

“Huh? Oh, yes…” The man seemed unsure why Lu Yunchu asked that.

“Well, I am too,” Lu Yunchu’s good Samaritan spirit returned now that the man’s attitude had become polite. “It’s tough doing business these days. We’re all in this together, so don’t mention it.”

“But—”

“Just go about your business.”

Lu Yunchu pushed back the long strands of hair from his ear and saw a young man running towards them through the rearview mirror. The young man went up to the man and greeted him.

“Mr. Zhou, you’re here…”

Another Zhou.

Lu Yunchu recalled that the boss of Hongchuan Group was called Zhou Yanchuan. However, this time, his business was handled by a manager named Sun, so he had never met this “Mr. Zhou.”

Planning to rush a draft for Manager Sun to review, Lu Yunchu didn’t linger. He drove around the hotel’s revolving door and re-entered the main road.