Before the novel opens, the narrator tells us that he didn't really understand why people would do crazy things because of love. He says that if you're in love, everything will be fine, but if you don't, you'll have a hard time finding happiness. The narrator says that he's been in love for a long time now, and he realizes that love isn't always easy to understand. He thinks that people are usually good at tolerating their men, but he also thinks that they might not love their men as much as they think they do. So, he says, he'll always feel "reluctant, restless, and sensitive" until he sees someone in front of him in person. He asks the waiter if he can have a drink with him, and the waiter says he can, too. The waiter tells the bartender that he can't take care of Miss Gao--she's her boyfriend, and she's here to flirt with him. He promises to make her another drink, too, and then tells the waiter that he was just shooting some promotional shots for a new product, so he only has time to change into the waiter's uniform for the night. He's happy to see the waiter, who's so good-looking that he looks like a "panther" . He wants to make sure that the girl doesn't say that he is jealous of her. He tells her that she can do anything she wants, and that she has a "lifetime to experience it." He promises that he won't make her drink too much red wine,