Chapter 13 Blind Date

A week later, the Dragon Boat Festival quietly arrived.

Before the holiday, Shen Mengqing received a phone call from her mother. There must have been more than one person on the other end of the line, as the background noise was quite loud.

While still at work, Shen Mengqing held the speaker of her phone, found a relatively open space, and said, "Mom, what's wrong? Is something the matter?"

"It's nothing serious. It's almost Dragon Boat Festival, so I was just wondering if you'll be coming back with Xiaolin for the holiday? Xiaolin and I haven't seen each other in a long time."

As soon as Mom finished speaking, several aunts' voices came from the other end of the phone: "Yes, Xiaoqing, bring Xiaolin home for the holiday. Your mother is increasingly satisfied with this son-in-law and can't wait to hold a banquet for you two tomorrow."

"Nonsense, these kinds of things should be decided by the young people themselves."

Hearing her mother's playful scolding to her aunts on the other end of the phone, Shen Mengqing licked her dry, wrinkled lips, unsure of what to say.

Suddenly, the phone went silent; it must have been Mom who went into the room.

"Xiaoqing, I actually met Xiaolin's parents a few days ago. They said Xiaolin wanted to come back and develop his career with you, but you didn't agree. Did you two have a fight?"

“We broke up,” Shen Mengqing confessed. “Mom, you know me. I want to stay in Beicheng.”

The mother seemed surprised by this situation. She was silent for a moment, then sighed and said, "Sigh, I know you want to live in Beicheng because of Dad. But Xiaoqing, I think Xiaolin is a good kid. You're working too hard on your own, and I want someone to take care of you in the future. Why don't you talk to him again?"

"We'll see. I'll be back for the Dragon Boat Festival."

Shen Mengqing gave vague answers, not wanting to trouble her mother too much with her own affairs.

When she was little, her father lost his job, and her mother shouldered the burden of the family alone. Although her family was not poor, her mother was still busy making money and had very little time to spend with her.

Especially during her adolescence, when she desperately needed love and care, her father passed away. For a time, she changed her cheerful and smiling personality and shut herself off for a long time. She gradually recovered after starting university, but by then, she and her mother had even fewer things in common.

Shen Mengqing didn't think this meant her relationship with her mother was bad. She understood her mother now and knew that they loved each other very much, but they just couldn't be completely close.

In the past, if it could put her mother at ease, she wouldn't mind marrying Lin Xiangyang and starting a family.

However, staying in Beicheng was her bottom line, and she had persisted in this goal for so long that it had become an obsession.

And now...

Shen Mengqing thought of Yu Xin; they were no different from a couple who had just had a fight, and were in a state of cold war.

The phone number she could remember even without saving it in her contacts was quietly buried in her call log from several days ago and never appeared again.

...

Shen Mengqing went home a day early for the holiday. Her hometown is Chucheng, a small city in central China. She first took a plane from the north to the provincial capital and then transferred to a high-speed train, arriving home before evening.

A bunch of mugwort was hanging at the door, making it easy to spot. The fragrance of the herbs filled the entire floor. Shen Mengqing pushed open the door and found the house bustling with activity; all her aunts were there.

When she returned, everyone crowded around her. One person put down her bag, another put down her suitcase, and the rest went to the kitchen to bring out the dishes and set out the table for dinner.

The meal lasted for nearly two hours, and not a single word was uttered at the table. Among these relatives, Shen Mengqing was considered a man of few words.

My aunts helped clean up the house before leaving. After the two of them were left alone, it became much quieter. No wonder they often come to keep my mother company; it must be quite lonely for her to be alone in this huge house.

Shen Mengqing sat next to her mother, watching TV with her. Her mother's hands were busy; she peeled a zongzi (sticky rice dumpling) that Shen Mengqing loved, coated it in white sugar, and handed it to her, saying, "How long have you and Xiaolin broken up?"

"It's been two months."

She calculated the time Lin Xiangyang had been out of contact.

The subtle sweetness of white sugar spreads on the tip of her tongue, and even now that she's grown up, she still loves this taste.

Mom took out a tissue, secretly observed Shen Mengqing's expression, and said, "Do you still remember Uncle Li? When you were little, your father and he were very close. We lived in the same courtyard."

Shen Mengqing shook her head, puzzled as to why her mother suddenly brought up this Uncle Li.

"He's been working his way up in the pharmaceutical industry in Beicheng all these years, and he's now the CEO of a listed company. He went back to Chucheng for the holiday, and a few days ago he visited your dad's grave. We chatted for a bit." At this point, the mother took out a business card and handed it to Shen Mengqing. "This is his son's business card. His name is Li Qinghe, and he's about your age. His job sounds quite similar to yours. We were thinking, why don't you two meet up?"

The amount of information was too much for Shen Mengqing to process. Her mother thought she was a little resistant, so she explained, "We do want you to try blind dates, but it also depends on fate. Anyway, you two are both in Beicheng, so it's good to have more friends."

Shen Mengqing stared at the business card, head bowed in deep thought.

She recognized the name of the medical device company on the business card very well; it was the company where General Manager Guo worked—in other words, it was one of her major clients.

Her mother's move brought in such a large client base.

Although it was for a blind date.

Even if Liang Jun came, he might not be able to arrange a meeting with this person. Without further hesitation, Shen Mengqing made up his mind and said, "I'll go."

She didn't have any other thoughts; she simply didn't want to miss this opportunity to network.

Mom's eyes crinkled into a smile, and she laughed heartily: "Okay, I'll talk to your Uncle Li right now and we'll arrange a time and place for you to go tomorrow."

Shen Mengqing originally wanted to say that she could contact the number on the business card herself, but seeing her mother excitedly helping her, she swallowed her words.

...

The two "parents" arranged to meet at 6 p.m. at the most expensive Western restaurant in Chucheng, which shows how important it was to them.

Shen Mengqing was both amused and exasperated. Her mother had spent the whole day helping her put together an outfit, and finally chose a very simple white spaghetti strap fitted long dress, wrapped in a Burberry shawl, and paired with kitten heels. Her mother had also styled her hair in a bun.

She hadn't dressed up this nicely in a long time.

Shen Mengqing drove her mother's car to the appointment. It was a Mercedes-Benz that she had bought more than ten years ago, which was very cool in Chu City at the time.

The Western restaurant was on the top floor of a five-star hotel. After entering the elevator from the parking lot, Shen Mengqing noticed several girls around her who were dressed even more beautifully than her and were also going to the Western restaurant, which made her feel less awkward.

The reserved booth was in A9 by the window. Shen Mengqing arrived a few minutes early and was led there by a waiter. Unexpectedly, the waiter had arrived even earlier than her.

She walked to the seat opposite her and said apologetically, "I'm sorry I'm late."

"No, no, no, I came too early, I'm sorry."

The person opposite him politely stood up, and after Shen Mengqing saw his appearance clearly, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

This guy is way more handsome than she imagined.

A note from the author:

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Don't worry, Xinzi is on her way and will be there soon. [shy]