Chapter 354

Alright, so here's the deal. I needed to give her some space, but I kinda dragged my feet on the way out. When I hit the door, I closed it real slow and paused, catching bits of their convo inside.

Looked like Quinlan had swung by her place.

I did some mental math and headed back in after a bit.

By then, lunch had shown up.

When they ate, they took these tiny bites and even covered their mouths, making eating look all fancy and stuff.

And they didn't chat while munching.

I thought, 'Man, her family must have some strict rules.'

In the afternoon, we bounced from the tea house and hit up Book Sea Haven.

First time for me, and I was super curious.

"Mr. Cena, what kinda books are you into?"

"I'm cool with anything."

I grinned, but honestly, I wasn't feeling it at all.

But she was all in. She walked up to a book stall, "How much for this book?"

The owner held up a hand, "Fifty grand!"

"That's crazy expensive!" Wendy said.

"This is a super rare book..." the owner began to explain.

I clicked my tongue. Just a few handwritten pages and it's that pricey?

I thought, 'No wonder they say don't come here if you can't tell what's what, easy to get ripped off.'

Abigail squatted down, flipping through the book carefully, and finally said, "Five grand, I'll take it!"

The owner got all flustered, "At that price, I'm losing money."

Abigail smiled, "This book ain't worth that much."

"If it weren't in such pristine condition," she continued, "it wouldn't even be worth five grand."

Abigail knew her stuff, making the owner look kinda embarrassed.

Finally, he gave a sheepish grin, "Alright, five grand, it's yours."

After paying, Abigail handed me the book, "It's a gift for you!"

I was stunned, "You're giving me this book?"

"Yup!"

"I can't take such a pricey gift!"

"You treated me to tea, so I'm giving you a book."

I thought for a sec, "Alright then, thanks, Ms. Kingsley."

This could help kickstart a friendship.

Then I tagged along as they wandered around Book Sea Haven, and I tried to snag some cool little things for both of them.

At eight in the evening, Abigail said, "John, thanks, goodbye!"

I said, "Goodbye."

After hanging with her all day, I finally got her to stop calling me Mr. Cena and use my first name.

She wasn't exactly quiet; she was just so smart that finding common ground was tough.

I didn't wanna talk too much, scared she'd figure me out.

But she was pretty chill, spoke gently, slowly, and clearly.

"If I could marry a woman like her," I mused to myself, "that would be something else."

After I got home, Quinlan called me over.

In the Rolls-Royce, Quinlan, puffing on a cigar, said, "I went to her place, and just like you said, her dad didn't chew me out, but he did ask me not to take Abigail to places like that again."

"By the way, how'd your meet-up with Abigail go today?"

He raised an eyebrow, "Not bad, you met her pretty quick."

I said, "It went well, she even brought her cousin along."

"You mean Wendy?"

I nodded.

"She digs literature. So she likes folks who can vibe with her on that. You should read up on some books in that area."

Quinlan groaned, "Man, I've hated reading since I was a kid."

"Do you still wanna chase after her?"

"Of course, I dream about it."

"Then listen up, read more, and try to snag some rare books to gift her." I grinned. "Next time, invite her to Book Sea Haven. She's super into it and probably goes there a lot. You can learn from her."

"She likes Book Sea Haven?" Quinlan repeated, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Didn't know that. Not bad, Cena. You're pretty sharp."

I blew out a puff of smoke, thinking this was a piece of cake. I had secretly added Wendy's contact info.

I thought, 'Focus on Wendy, make her happy, and it'll be a breeze to find out what Abigail likes.'

"It's nothing, as long as you're willing to put in the time."

The next day, I set up a solo meet-up with Wendy.

Wendy asked, "Why'd you ask me out?"

"Nothing much, just wanted to chat."

"Can't we chat on Facebook?"

"Sure, we could," I said with a smile. "But I can't give you these on Facebook, can I?"

I pulled out a bouquet of delicate baby's breath flowers. "These are for you."

"How'd you know I like Baby's Breath?"

Of course, I saw it on your social media, but I couldn't say that, "Just a lucky guess."

"Thanks!"

Wendy said, "This is the first time someone’s given me flowers."

I thought, 'The first time?'

I found it hard to believe. 'Wendy's so gorgeous; how could no one have given her flowers?'

'Is she lying, or is there some reason others didn't dare to?'

"Don't believe me?" Seeing my skeptical look, she explained, "Because of my family, it's hard for me to meet many strangers. After growing up, no one dared to give me flowers. You're the first!"

I swallowed hard.

I thought, 'This Wendy must have a seriously powerful family background.'

"Is your dad an official?"

"Why, you scared?" Wendy laughed. "They're all generals."

I immediately felt uneasy.

I warned myself not to have any improper thoughts about Wendy, absolutely not.

No wonder Wendy said no one gave her flowers.

But in front of her, I couldn't admit I was scared.

"What's there to be afraid of? These are for a friend, don't overthink it."

I took a sip of coffee to calm my nerves.

I thought, 'To be honest, I'm just an ordinary guy. Maybe I have some money now, but people at that level are way out of my league.'

"Alright, I'll accept them!"

Wendy said happily, "So, why'd you ask me out? Is it about Abigail?"

I nodded, "Sort of, but don't overthink it. I just wanna know more about her!"

"Know more about Abigail." I continued.

Wendy covered her mouth and giggled, "What do you wanna know first?"

"Just her interests and hobbies."

After Wendy left, I quickly jotted down notes, "Doesn't like meat, loves reading, into musical instruments."

I thought, 'These interests are so refined and unique.'

I suddenly felt that Quinlan's chances of pursuing her were slim. Her hobbies were completely different from most people nowadays.

Moreover, I also learned from Wendy that Abigail's grandpa was an official, and her dad was so high up he couldn't even be mentioned. Must be super impressive.

I suddenly regretted getting involved in this.

After I got home, I sent this info to Quinlan. Soon, Quinlan called, "Are you sure these are her interests?"

"Yeah, Wendy said so herself."

Quinlan's frustrated voice came through the phone, "I've already forced myself to read. Do I have to learn an instrument too?"

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Chapter 354