54: Chapter 54: How Deep Can a Man’s Tricks Be?
54: Chapter 54: How Deep Can a Man’s Tricks Be?
Lisa initially intended to introduce Cheng Daqi to Temir to see if she could find that damned mechanic a job.
Her original intention was good.
But the way Cheng Daqi met the two was absolutely outrageous.
And Temir’s face changed too quickly.
The blonde’s brain was already overloaded.
Normally, as the person introducing two friends, she should help them find a topic of conversation.
But with her brain overloaded, Lisa just wanted some quiet time alone.
Cheng Daqi and the dark-haired wealthy woman awkwardly looked at each other.
Both were seasoned old foxes and, unlike Lisa, did not feel quite as embarrassed, but for the moment, they didn’t know how to start the conversation.
So, a deafening silence ensued.
And what embellished the silence was the omnipresent awkwardness.
Cheng Daqi didn’t think embarrassment was a problem.
He was thinking about what to say to leave a first impression on the wealthy woman.
On the other side, Temir intended to speak, but didn’t know how to communicate with a vagrant.
She had never interacted with someone of such low status before.
Talk about what kind of food she got today?
Or discuss the weather in Saint Rodu?
“Today in Saint Rodu…”
“I’ve heard from Lisa earlier…”
Both spoke at the same time and almost simultaneously stopped.
Cheng Daqi silently praised his response speed internally.
How do you pique the interest of someone who is a complete stranger but has just met you?
This kind of interest is not about your looks, status, or wealth, but just pure curiosity.
The simplest, most reliable, and proper method is this.
Catch the moment the other person begins to speak, and do the same.
Then stop in time, trying to match the other person’s pace.
Create a sense of rapport through coincidence, stir up emotional fluctuations with that rapport, and just a little bit is enough.
The follow-up is to amplify and guide.
Mastering this technique, combined with your own abilities, can make you invincible in the social field.
It’s not to say that you can get through to everyone unobstructed, but often, it can greatly accelerate the speed at which you build rapport with newly met friends.
“Haha, you go first, I should give some face to the most beautiful girl in America.”
Cheng Daqi signaled Temir to speak first with a teasing tone.
Starting with a compliment is the most brainless choice, but it’s truly the lowest risk at the beginning.
Simple, inefficient, but effective.
And more importantly, it doesn’t cause displeasure in the other person.
Hearing such a capable man compliment her, the dark-haired wealthy woman was very pleased.
She adjusted her hat and said something quite pointedly.
“You just said that Lisa mentioned you to me, what did she tell you about me?”
The brain-overloaded Lisa was awakened by her friend’s words and looked puzzledly at the damned mechanic.
When did I ever mention Temir to you?
Didn’t we just meet four days ago, talking twice on social media?
The blonde was certain that she wasn’t the type to casually talk to others about her friends.
Temir and Cheng Daqi didn’t know each other beforehand; she would never say anything about Temir to him.
The cunning mechanic wasn’t the least bit flustered.
Hearing Temir speak, he realized that he had been hoisted by his own petard.
This kind of verbal trick had been used too much in his past life and had become a habit.
Today, Cheng Daqi’s reaction time was too short, forcing him to subconsciously pick a topic and start talking with Temir at the same time.
This habit sneak-attacked him from the subconscious.
But Cheng Daqi wasn’t flustered, not flustered at all.
As soon as Temir started to speak, he picked up a bottle of water and began to wash his hands.
Tactical hand-washing, using motion to disrupt the rhythm of the conversation.
Buying time to think about how to respond to the dark-haired wealthy woman’s questions.
After all, Lisa had never told him any information about Temir.
Because this kind of ploy is rarely used in social interactions, as long as the gesture isn’t too out of the ordinary, it won’t make the other person feel anything strange.
Cheng Daqi came up through the ranks from a high school dropout to his company’s Series A funding round without any background whatsoever.
No family background, no clan background either.
The only things he could rely on were sincerity and a few little tricks that made sincerity look sincere.
“Temir, can I just call you by your name?”
While tactically washing his hands, Cheng Daqi made a concessive reply first, letting the dark-haired wealthy woman agree to a small request of his.
Language is the carrier of emotions, and the speaker’s words can in turn affect their emotions.
Prefacing with possible affirmative expressions can lead Temir’s heart to slightly approve of Cheng Daqi.
One could say that, as soon as Cheng Daqi recovered from the initial awkwardness of their meeting, every single word and action of his was laden with ploys.
The substance of starting from scratch is just that daunting.
Cheng Daqi wasn’t sure about others, but he himself had cautiously made his way to where he was.
Temir was genuinely interested in Cheng Daqi; she truly hoped to have a deeper interaction with him.
So, smiling, she patted Lisa on the shoulder affirmatively.
“Of course, of course you can.
A friend of Lisa’s is a friend of mine.”
Lisa actually considers me a friend?
I always thought she saw me as just another passerby?”
Stalling, continuing to stall, Cheng Daqi chatted with Temir while thinking quickly.
She said you are just a passerby, what’s that supposed to mean?”
The wealthy woman simply couldn’t grasp what new trick Cheng Daqi and Lisa were playing.
Could it be that field play had become trendy on the West Coast?
“Haha, that’s not important.
Do you want to know how Lisa brought you up to me?”
Having thought of a way to deal with it, Cheng Daqi redirected the question.
“Certainly, tell me, tell me.”
Temir, oblivious to her best friend’s expression of surprise, urged Cheng Daqi on, quite interested to hear more.
“I remember she said you are a girl with a lot of ideas, which is why you chose the perfume industry.”
Nonsense, everyone has ideas.
One needs to have ideas to become the head of a perfume company.
Up to this point, Cheng Daqi still didn’t know that Temir was actually an entrepreneur girl.
“I also remember the way she described you to me, which left a deep impression.
She said you’re actually just a little girl at heart.”
Nonsense, what woman isn’t a little girl at her core.
Everyone is influenced by their childhood, and the child inside always remains.
And women, being naturally more emotional, are more noticeably affected by their childhood than men.
Cheng Daqi’s words were as cliché as a street fortune-teller’s, all one hundred percent correct nonsense.
This resembled cold reading, but he wasn’t using it to seduce women, but rather to smooth over his habitual use of catchphrases.
He knew Lisa might grow suspicious, but such is life; you can’t please everyone all the time.
Questions from the blonde could be dealt with later; getting through the immediate issue was more pressing.
Cheng Daqi didn’t yet know the specifics about the dark-haired wealthy woman, Temir, but her OC Perfume was indeed flourishing.
This was a valuable connection to make; not to seize it would be to waste the opportunity Lisa had given him.