1. Blind Date

"I think you, Second Uncle, still retain your charm."

When Song Chiyu rushed to the district civil affairs bureau, there was only one person left in the huge hall, and even the staff were preparing to leave work.

The steps in front of the Civil Affairs Bureau were soaked by rainwater from passing pedestrians, and the ground was covered with residual mud. She heard passing staff whispering: "Poor thing, she was the first one to come and get a number this morning, but the bride still hasn't shown up."

"Yeah, it's amazing that such a handsome man got dumped on the day he got his marriage certificate."

Behind the blurry, floral-patterned French windows, a man's slender and upright figure could be seen. The chair behind him had a wide back, but he made no attempt to lean against it. His clean, crisp white shirt was brand new and without a single wrinkle. His cool and handsome face showed an undeniable hint of loneliness compared to yesterday.

She was the one who asked the other person if they were willing to get married.

Song Chiyu felt even more guilty.

They quickened their pace inward.

The story begins before yesterday—

Song Chiyu's city is a prefecture-level city under Mingzhou. Although it is not a large city, it has produced Qin and Han dynasty sites, Tang, Song and Ming dynasty tombs, and recently, Shang dynasty cultural sites were discovered, making it a veritable ancient capital of seven dynasties.

The province attached great importance to this and invited experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences who study business culture to the city overnight to provide guidance.

It was under these circumstances that Song Chiyu met Xie Yunjin.

Xie Yunjin was Song Chiyu's first love. Before breaking up with Xie Yunjin, she never thought about marrying anyone else, but ended up in a miserable state in the most humiliating way.

After breaking up with Xie Yunjin, Song Chiyu has remained single ever since.

It's been almost three years already, roughly calculated.

Song Chiyu's mother was so anxious that she prayed to the gods and Buddhas at home every day, and went to the fortune teller every few days to have her marriage fortune told. According to the fortune teller, if she could not get married this year, she would have to move her great-grandfather's grave at the end of the year.

So much so that her great-grandfather would appear in her dreams at night, telling her to think more about herself.

The next day, she met Xie Yunjin and his team of young scholars in the restoration room. He was still the same as before they broke up, wearing a white shirt, half-rimmed glasses, and jeans, looking very scholarly.

She used to be completely captivated by his aloof and intellectual demeanor.

The moment I saw him at school, I was determined to win him over.

Someone had warned her back then that this person seemed very intelligent, had a strong temper, and was rather self-centered. He would be great as a friend or colleague, but his partner would be unhappy. [1]

At that time, Song Chiyu didn't believe in superstition and insisted on going down a dark path, thinking that there were always exceptions to everything, and that she would definitely be that exception.

But everything that followed proved that she really had a bad eye for men.

During the four years they dated, it was always her who gave and made concessions. So much so that when she was belittled by his uncle and aunt and couldn't help but argue back, he would righteously question her why she couldn't endure it for his sake.

Even after all these years, she still feels suffocated when she thinks about it.

She didn't know if Xie Yunjin had seen her, but it didn't matter to her anymore. She tucked the hair that had fallen across her face behind her ear. Her colleague, sensing her absent-mindedness, nudged her arm with interest: "Are you going on a blind date today?"

"Hmm." Song Chiyu was still absent-minded. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but Xie Yunjin, who was standing two or three people in front of her, seemed to have turned her head away.

What kind of person is the other party?

“Very…” If her colleague hadn’t mentioned it, Song Chiyu would have almost forgotten about this incident. She answered based on her limited memory: “An ordinary person.”

How old are you?

"Twenty-five or twenty-four..." she couldn't quite remember.

Her colleague had already calculated it based on her previous answers: "He's a year younger than you?"

"kindness."

My colleague sighed, looking uninterested.

Just hearing her age tells me there's no chance, so I simply don't bother asking anymore.

Song Chiyu didn't say anything more and followed the crowd obediently.

The person next to Xie Yunjin noticed that he was lost in thought and followed his gaze: "Isn't that Song Chiyu?"

"Hmm." Xie Yunjin withdrew his gaze, his unsmiling face revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Oh, what a pity." This person was Xie Yunjin's classmate and knew at least seven or eight out of ten things about the two of them. If Song Chiyu had been more patient back then, he would have entered the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences long ago with the Xie family's connections. He wouldn't be stuck in such a small place, with no end in sight for his entire life.

"She brought it on herself." Xie Yunjin adjusted her glasses.

"You..." His classmate wanted to ask him why he was being so stubborn. If he really didn't care, why was he still wearing the plain ring he bought when he was dating Song Chiyu? He hadn't taken it off no matter who he dated afterward. "Where's your ring?"

He looked down and noticed that Xie Yunjin's ring, which she always wore even when showering, had been taken off at some point, leaving only a deep ring mark.

"Pick it."

"You..." The classmate was speechless; he truly didn't want to be friends with Song Chiyu anymore.

He stopped worrying, adjusted his headphones, and continued listening to the explanation.

Song Chiyu also heard their conversation.

Her gaze unconsciously followed the indentation on his ring finger.

That must be a wedding ring, right?

She knew that less than three months after breaking up with her, he accepted his family's arrangement to start dating another girl, and they quickly reached the point of discussing marriage. By all accounts, they should already have a child.

Song Chiyu didn't know why he had taken off the ring at this time, but whatever the reason, it was no longer her concern. After the reception at the courtyard ended, Song Chiyu hurriedly went to change her clothes, already ten minutes late for her appointment with Ms. Li.

We'll have to take a taxi there later.

She changed her clothes, leaned against the open door frame, and hunched over, hooking her high heels. Her supervisor walked over and said meaningfully, "Xiao Song, are you free tonight? Let's have dinner together."

He had obviously heard about her past with Xie Yunjin, and he kept giving her meaningful glances.

Song Chiyu glanced at Xie Yunjin not far away and smiled faintly: "Excuse me, I'm going to my boyfriend's house for dinner today."

"Huh?" The boss was somewhat surprised: "When did you get a boyfriend?"

"It's been a while. I didn't say anything before because I felt it wasn't stable enough."

"So things are stable now?" The leader's face showed a look of delighted surprise, clearly happy for her as well.

Song Chiyu nodded without blinking.

The leader certainly didn't dare to delay Song Chiyu in this matter. Among so many female employees in the hospital, Song Chiyu was the only one who was still single at her age. Now that he finally heard that she had found someone and was going to meet his parents, he hurriedly urged Song Chiyu to hurry up and go.

After Song Chiyu left, the leader said with a regretful expression, "You're not fortunate enough to have dinner with our campus belle today. Our teacher Song has to go and attend to her life's most important event."

Xie Yunjin adjusted his glasses, recalling the snippets of conversation he had overheard during the visit.

Before I met him, he was my blind date; after I met him, it became like meeting his parents.

That's interesting.

He didn't expose them, and said to the others beside him, "Let's go."

**

Ms. Li, Song Chiyu's mother, took this blind date very seriously, even digging out the cheongsam she had prepared for Song Chiyu's wedding three years ago. As soon as Song Chiyu entered the coffee shop, she felt immense pressure.

In contrast, Ms. Li was much more relaxed.

She figured it out. If she couldn't wear this to Song Chiyu's wedding, she could wear it to move Song Chiyu's great-grandfather's grave. There would always be a use for it.

Song Chiyu was completely bewildered.

Now, she bears the burden of ensuring her great-grandfather's peace after his death, and she is extremely busy: "We must get married today, no matter what."

Li Li wasn't trying to force her to get married, but she was afraid she wouldn't think things through and reject the man without considering the consequences. So she patiently explained, "Don't be so frivolous. This young man is really good. Don't let his young age fool you; he's very sensible. His dad told me that he started preparing three days in advance when he knew he was going to meet you. He's very thoughtful."

“Yes.” Song Chiyu nodded in agreement. “But isn’t he a little too late?”

It's almost 6:30 now, and the agreed time is 6:00.

“Oh,” Li Li said casually, “I was afraid you would be late, so I told you half an hour early.”

This shows how much Li Li valued it.

Song Chiyu didn't argue with her. What difference did it make who she married? She wasn't looking forward to marriage anyway, so it was good to make Ms. Li happy.

Song Chiyu ordered a strawberry milkshake.

After finishing my drink and seeing that no one had arrived yet, I ordered a cake and ate it while waiting.

The light outside the window gradually dimmed.

Two hours had passed since the agreed time, and Song Chiyu was certain that the other party wouldn't come. She stood up casually and said, "He must have run into some trouble and can't make it. Let's go back first."

“No, that won’t happen.” Li Li insisted, “I just called the person’s father, and he said the person is on their way and we should wait a little longer.”

Song Chiyu had no choice but to suppress his anger.

If she had known it would take this long, she would have brought the pottery she had bought last week that she hadn't had time to repair yet.

Time passed second by second.

Song Chiyu's patience was wearing thin. Especially with the torrential rain outside, pedestrians with umbrellas were getting soaked, let alone her and Ms. Li who hadn't brought umbrellas or driven. The thought that her two hours of makeup and her expensive new shoes would be ruined in the downpour made her increasingly irritable.

She hoped the heavy rain would stop soon, but an hour passed and there was no sign of it stopping.

Instead, it escalated further.

She looked at Ms. Li.

Li Li's face was calm, as if she had accepted her fate.

Song Chiyu didn't urge them, but it was really too late. The once noisy coffee shop had become quiet, and the barista had started mopping the floor.

"Let's go." Song Chiyu felt she had done everything she could.

"No." At this point, Li Li had no choice but to tell her the truth: the other person was not her friend's son, but someone she had asked her uncle to introduce to her.

Her ancestors were from Anxi, but her father had been doing business in Beijing. Besides several stores, her family also had connections in Beijing, and who knows, they might be able to find a way to transfer her to Beijing in the future.

Song Chiyu could understand from the beginning that Ms. Li was just being vain, but she understood from the end. Ever since she broke up with Xie Yunjin, Ms. Li had been resentful that she hadn't been able to stay in Beijing to work, and was willing to shamelessly try to get married to him.

Ms. Li is such a strong-willed person.

Song Chiyu's throat tightened slightly. "Mom."

Since she grew up, she has rarely used such reduplicated words, usually referring to her as "Mom" or "Ms. Li".

Li Li didn't notice: "Huh?"

"I think marriage depends on fate. If the other person doesn't want to come, it means they're not interested. Let's find someone else. From now on, I'll go on any dates you ask me to go with. I'll marry whoever you think is right for me. Don't worry about me."

“The way you’re talking makes it sound like I’m selling my daughter,” Li Li said, displeased. “I just feel guilty about this. Look how good your ex was. If it weren’t for me and your dad… you two would definitely have a child by now.”

"How can you blame yourself and Dad for this?" Song Chiyu said with heartache. "Alright, let's go back. If this one doesn't work, let's try the next one."

"Will you see the next one?" Li Li asked cautiously, as she had only managed to coax Song Chiyu to come this time.

"I see." Song Chiyu said decisively.

She didn't want to see Ms. Li blaming herself anymore.

She completely surrendered to this matter. Since there was no one she absolutely had to marry, marrying someone who would put her parents at ease was a good idea.

She helped Li Li to stand up.

The tightly closed door of the coffee shop was suddenly pushed open, and accompanied by the crisp sound of a bell, a clear male voice rang out: "Excuse me, is Ms. Song Chiyu still here?"

Song Chiyu raised her head.

The man's white shirt was soaked by the rain, revealing glimpses of his shoulder and back skin and the white vest bulging out of his muscles, while the buttons on his collar and wrists remained tightly fastened. Despite this, one could still discern from the leather buckle around his waist that he had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, a straight posture, and long legs.

Song Chiyu looked at it for two seconds and said, "Yes, that's me."

The man turned around when he heard her voice. His deep, moist gaze lingered for a couple of seconds before he turned and walked over. He sat down opposite her and said, "Hello, I'm Qi Yanzhou."

Song Chiyu did not recognize him.

But he didn't follow up for a while, so he tilted his head and asked, "Hmm?"

He abruptly averted his gaze from Song Chiyu's face: "Qi as in the State of Qi, Yan as in inkstone, Zhou as in light boat."

Song Chiyu blinked, puzzled.

Is it him?

He was indeed born with an exceptionally handsome appearance. Even with his hair half-wet, he still exuded a gentle and refined air, like a true gentleman. Yet, he didn't look younger than me at all.

Li Li spoke up, dispelling her doubts: "I remember, your name should be Qi Zhannan, right?"

“Qi Zhannan is my nephew. He… had something come up and couldn’t make it. I’m here to apologize to Aunt and Miss Song on his behalf.”

His hesitation gave Li Li a sense of foreboding.

Could something have happened to him on his way to the blind date, giving Song Chiyu a bad reputation? "What happened to him?"

He licked his lips. "They ran away."

"What?" Song Chiyu and Li Li exclaimed in unison.

“He asked my brother for some money under the pretext of meeting Miss Song, saying he wanted to prepare a gift for her. But he took the money and ran away in a taxi overnight. My brother and my father still haven’t been able to find him.” He licked his lips and carefully chose his words: “Miss Song, this is our problem. We will definitely compensate you and find Xiao Qi to give Auntie and Miss Song an explanation.”

"How are you going to explain this?" What Li Li wanted was not just an apology, but the other party's true thoughts: "Is it because he's unwilling, or has your family changed their minds?"

He shook his head, answering firmly, "This whole situation was due to my brother and father's lack of foresight, which led to it turning out this way. When Xiao Qi returns, I will definitely bring him to apologize in person. As for compensation—"

He looked up and stared at Song Chiyu.

"Let's see what Miss Song wants."

Perhaps it was the lighting, but Song Chiyu felt that his eyes weren't as rigidly black as they appeared; they seemed more like he was observing and pondering.

But none of these things mattered to Song Chiyu at this moment.

She crossed her legs under the table, and his knees, which were originally spread apart, immediately moved back.

With a forced smile, Song Chiyu rested her chin on her hand and leaned closer to him: "Are you married?"

He tilted his head slightly: "No."

"You're his father's younger brother?" Song Chiyu asked after a moment's thought.

"kindness."

"Half-siblings?" With each word she spoke, she leaned forward a little more.

"Brothers".

"So you're his second uncle?"

"kindness."

How old are you?

“Thirty-three.” He kept avoiding looking at her, but his gaze never left her face.

"Doesn't seem like it." It's more like twenty-seven.

"Thank you." Her body had already moved more than halfway across the table, but his gaze remained fixed on her.

It's pointless.

Song Chiyu sat up listlessly, leaning against the soft backrest: "You're welcome."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "Have you always been single, or are you divorced and..."

"Always single," he answered quickly.

"Don't you have a girl you like?"

He shook his head.

Li Li had absolutely no idea what Song Chiyu was up to. Ever since she heard that the other party had taken a taxi and fled overnight when she found out about the blind date with Song Chiyu, she had been completely devastated. In front of Qi Yanzhou, she started sending voice messages to the family group chat.

The group chat was filled with enthusiastic responses.

Old Song, in particular, felt so angry when he heard that his precious daughter had suffered such a great injustice that he wanted to come and kill her with a knife. However, he was at his hometown and could only vent his anger on his phone.

Li Li couldn't scold him to his face, so she used the voice message in the group chat to give him a thorough dressing down.

But he always maintained that gentle and humble demeanor, never uttering a single word of explanation.

Song Chiyu asked her last question: "Wait a minute, I haven't finished asking yet. Is it that you don't have a girl you like, or is it that you're not good enough?"

Her question was direct, even somewhat aggressive.

He had to be serious: "No."

Song Chiyu nodded.

A pair of beautiful, upturned eyes were fixed on his face.

For some reason, despite her seemingly harmless face, Qi Yanzhou sensed a cunning glint in her eyes, as if she were about to do something wicked. Sure enough, the next second he heard her smile brightly: "Actually, I think you, Second Uncle, are still quite charming."

The dining table, which had become noisy due to Ms. Li's voice playing out loud, became extremely quiet at this moment.

Li Li looked surprised.

It felt like I was meeting Song Chiyu for the first time.

In her memory, Song Chiyu had only been aggressive twice: once when she met Xie Yunjin's parents, and now.

Li Li thought to herself, "It's over."

Based on last experience, she would probably be ready to tear things apart and flip the table any second now. This time, she definitely won't hold Song Chiyu back or try to sabotage him; instead, she'll be ready to stand by Song Chiyu's side at any moment.

However, the other party did not play by the rules.

Even when blatantly offended by Song Chiyu, the other party remained calm and even laughed.

"Is that so?" The man opposite her, with a refined and elegant demeanor, slowly unbuttoned his shirt cuffs and smiled, saying, "If Miss Song doesn't mind, I can do it too."

[Author's Note]

New post started! As usual, I'll be giving out red envelopes!

The previous chapters will be updated every other day. I'll announce any extra chapters later. The tentative update time is 18:00.