Chapter 12 Heading to a Blind Date Speaking of blind dates, he happened to be eavesdropping on one today…
Evening, the rain outside the window still hadn't stopped.
Zhu Liushuang changed into a clean, dusty pink dress and went out without makeup.
She carried a beige woven crossbody bag on her shoulder and waited by the roadside with a light blue umbrella. To avoid being ridiculed by her aunt for being poor, she unusually chose to take a taxi.
"Beep beep—" Two beeps sounded, and a green new energy taxi stopped in front of her. Zhu Liushuang opened the car door and quickly got in. Raindrops sliding off the umbrella dripped onto her plain-colored leather shoes, making them glisten.
Taxi drivers in Gucheng are known for their love of chatting, and they drive with an even more "domineering" attitude.
From the moment Zhu Liushuang got into the car, the driver tried every possible way to strike up a conversation with her. Seeing that she had no desire to chat, he changed his target, turning to his fellow drivers in the group chat to complain about the current traffic conditions and their earnings for the day.
The taxi weaved through the city streets like a nimble water snake. The driver chatted loudly as he raced through an intersection during the last three seconds of the yellow light.
Sitting in the back, Zhu Liushuang silently fastened her seatbelt behind her back, her right hand, which had been resting on her knees, firmly gripping the overhead armrest.
Although she admired the driver's ability to multitask, she couldn't help but worry about her own safety as she watched him weave through the gaps in the overtaking lane.
Having not ridden in a car for a long time, Zhu Liushuang was filled with anxiety in the back seat the whole way, but the taxi finally arrived safely at the entrance of the Lotus Hotel.
The moment she stepped out of the car, the rain pattered against the top of her umbrella, creating a rhythmic "whoosh." She found the sound much more pleasant than the roar of the engine, and the faint urge to vomit that had been rising in her stomach vanished instantly.
The journey, which originally took more than half an hour, was shortened by a full ten minutes. The driver, a rather "brave" fellow, managed to lean out of the window, grinning and revealing a mouthful of prominent teeth: "Young lady, remember to click 'pay' on the app and give us a five-star review!"
Zhu Liushuang agreed and immediately gave him a four-star rating on the ride-hailing app. She stopped and wrote an anonymous review: "I suggest you don't speed..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she heard someone calling her urgently: "Xiaoshuang, Xiaoshuang, over here!"
Zhu Liushuang looked up and saw her aunt Cui Li, dressed in a gaudy floral dress, waving her arms as she stood at the entrance of the restaurant waiting for her.
Two lush cycads were placed in front of the glass door. From Zhu Liushuang's perspective, the shadows of the cycad branches and leaves could be seen cast on Cui Li's heavily made-up face, making her smile appear fake and even somewhat ferocious.
Zhu Liushuang simply deleted the unfinished comment and strode towards Cui Li.
"Auntie—" Before she even stood in front of her, she had already started snoring. In Cui Li's mind, Zhu Liushuang had been obedient and well-behaved since childhood, a little white flower that was easy to manipulate.
"With such heavy rain, I thought you'd be late!" Cui Li warmly took Zhu Liushuang's hand, feigning concern, and asked, "Are you alright?" Her eyes scanned her niece, and she was relieved to see that her clothes were dry and clean.
Cui Li's gaze moved up to Zhu Liushuang's face, and her expression suddenly changed: "Xiaoshuang, why did you come without even putting on makeup?" There was a hint of reproach in her words.
"I worked overtime today so I didn't have time to put on makeup. My mom said..." Zhu Liushuang said in a low voice.
"Just like your mother said, so you should take this more seriously!" Cui Li glanced at her deliberately, putting on a good aunt's face. "Your aunt went to great lengths to find this boy for you. His looks, family background, and character are all impeccable..."
Listening to Cui Li's effusive praise of her blind date, Zhu Liushuang found it somewhat amusing. She obediently hummed in agreement, but subtly shifted a step to the side and back, dodging the flying spittle.
It was dinnertime, and there weren't many seats left in the restaurant. Zhu Liushuang was pulled inside by Cui Li. From a distance, she saw a young man in a gray polo shirt sitting in the innermost booth.
As she got closer, she could see the man's face clearly. He had a square face, thin lips, triangular eyes, and a high nose bridge—a fairly normal appearance. However, he was far from the standard of "handsome."
While she was pondering, Cui Li had already greeted the young man and then pulled Zhu Liushuang to sit down in the booth opposite her.
The three of them didn't rush to order food, but exchanged polite pleasantries. Seeing that the atmosphere had been set, Cui Li began to find an excuse to leave.
She first tugged at Zhu Liushuang's skirt, then leaned closer and whispered, "Xiaoshuang, Auntie suddenly remembered... your uncle is working overtime at work tonight, and I have to bring him dinner."
The excuse was clumsy, and the acting was terrible, but Zhu Liushuang still put on a kind and understanding look: "Then Auntie, you should go back first, don't let Uncle go hungry. I think Mr. Wang looks kind, I'll have a good talk with him."
When she said these words, Zhu Liushuang whispered in Cui Li's ear, her voice so soft that it inexplicably revealed a girlish charm.
Seeing that her niece was so understanding, Cui Li nodded in satisfaction. She stood up, said goodbye to Wang Shaojun across from her with some embarrassment, and then left the space to the two young people at the table.
After Cui Li left, a waiter came over to ask if they wanted to order. Zhu Liushuang remained silent, waiting for Wang Shaojun's next move.
She saw him quickly tick several dishes on the menu without even asking for her opinion. She thought to herself that he was probably a bit of a chauvinist.
There was no talking at the table. Zhu Liushuang lowered her head and poured herself a glass of lemonade. The glass clinked together, making a crisp "clink" sound. She had a feeling that Wang Shaojun was watching her, so she deliberately lingered for a while before looking up.
Sure enough, she caught the man's unabashed gaze as he scrutinized her. His triangular eyes narrowed slightly, seemingly quite satisfied with his "prey."
Despite her utter disgust at the man's lecherous gaze, Zhu Liushuang mustered her spirits and replied, "I heard you're a colleague of my aunt's. May I ask how my aunt introduced me to Mr. Wang?"
She was the first to break the silence.
Sitting opposite, Wang Shaojun smiled, his eyes still lingering on Zhu Liushuang's face: "To be honest, I'm not your aunt's colleague. However, Miss Zhu is indeed quite pretty, just as Zhu Xing said, and she's my type."
The Zhu Xing mentioned by Wang Shaojun is Zhu Liushuang's cousin, that is, the son of Zhu Xiangqian and Cui Li, who just graduated from university this year.
Faced with the man's blunt words, Zhu Liushuang suppressed her discomfort and asked with a faint smile, "Then you are my cousin's friend?"
Wang Shaojun shook his head: "Not yet... Some time ago, Zhu Xing got a job in a municipal public institution through my mother's connections, and he just happened to become my colleague. However, he is an unstaffed employee."
Zhu Liushuang understood immediately: It seems that her aunt was offering herself up as a favor.
"Oh, I see..." she said, feigning surprise. "Why didn't my aunt explain this to me clearly?"
"It's okay, let me reintroduce myself. My name is Wang Shaojun, and I'm... My family's house was demolished, so we have several empty apartments, which are currently rented out. I was married for six months, but we separated because my wife had a bad temper, was lazy, and didn't respect my parents."
Wang Shaojun poured himself some water and then openly discussed his personal situation. When talking about his ex-wife, the disdain in his eyes was impossible to hide.
If the girl was so terrible, why would you choose to marry her?
As Zhu Liushuang listened, she rolled her eyes at Cui Li in her heart: a demolition household who had a short marriage and no children and who belittled his ex-wife, yet his character was impeccable.
She took a tactical sip of water and said with an awkward smile, "My aunt has probably told you about my situation. But there's one thing she might not have mentioned: my family is quite superstitious. Your zodiac sign and mine just don't match, so it's a bit of a shame..."
“I remember Miss Zhu was born in the Year of the Rabbit, right? I was born in the Year of the Pig, so we are a good match…” Wang Shaojun clearly did not accept Zhu Liushuang’s statement. “Are you bothered by my brief marriage? You don’t need to worry at all. I have no connection with my ex-wife now.”
Unexpectedly, Wang Shaojun was knowledgeable about the Chinese zodiac. Zhu Liushuang could only make up an excuse with a bitter face: "I'm sorry, Mr. Wang, my mother had my fortune told and said that I must marry someone born in the Year of the Dog, otherwise the marriage will not last."
Using the excuse of incompatible zodiac signs is merely a way to refuse politely and avoid giving others cause for gossip.
But Wang Shaojun persisted: "You can just listen to the fortune teller's words and forget about them. I didn't expect Miss Zhu to be so feudal and superstitious at such a young age?"
"So, we... might not be a good match." Zhu Liushuang said with difficulty, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed on her pretty oval face, looking particularly sincere.
Wang Shaojun was very satisfied with Zhu Liushuang's appearance, so he did not intend to give up. He said, "I heard that Miss Zhu's family is not well-off. If you are willing to date me, I can give you this amount every month."
He proudly held out one hand and said, "Five thousand." His eyes revealed a sense of certainty.
It turned out to be five thousand. She thought Wang Shaojun was going to say fifty thousand! Zhu Liushuang thought to herself: What kind of melodramatic novel plot is this? Does he think he's some kind of domineering CEO?
“Mr. Wang, I’ve already made my reasons very clear. Our zodiac signs aren’t compatible, so it’s best if we don’t contact each other anymore.” The hot dishes were served, and Zhu Liushuang stood up without even touching her chopsticks. “I have hands and feet, and I can earn my own money, so you don’t need to worry about me. I wish you find a good match.”
"The food is all served, why don't you finish eating before you leave? Give me face!" Wang Shaojun, feeling embarrassed and losing face, pleaded with him to stay.
Zhu Liushuang sighed and said, "To tell you the truth, this so-called blind date was actually tricked into coming here by my aunt. I don't have any plans to be in a relationship right now. Also, I can't eat spicy food, so you'll have to keep the dishes for yourself..."
Having poured out all the words that had been weighing on her mind, Zhu Liushuang felt instantly much better. She picked up her small handbag and prepared to leave, but Wang Shaojun grabbed her wrist again.
“Zhu Xing said your family is short of money, and you’re in a hurry to find someone to marry and rely on… Is five thousand too little? How about five thousand eight?” Wang Shaojun asked anxiously.
Is adding 108 for good luck and a lucky start? Zhu Liushuang couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Please let go..." she said forcefully, pulling her hand away angrily, "Then I'm afraid you've been fooled by my aunt and cousin too..."
After saying her last meaningful words, Zhu Liushuang fled from this place of trouble as if she were escaping.
I missed dinner and even had to spend extra money on two taxi rides. This "blind date" was a complete loss.
However, for Zhu Liushuang, it was still a gain. At least, she figured out why her aunt was being so attentive, and she also helped her mother shatter her dream of getting back the 30,000 yuan debt.
When Zhu Liushuang got home that evening, she threw herself into her mother Gu Chunling's arms and cried incessantly, "Mom—I've only been out of school for two years, and I haven't even been in a relationship yet, and my aunt actually introduced me to a divorced old man! What was she thinking...?"
After crying for a while, she stared at her mother with teary eyes, feeling extremely aggrieved: "That old man even said he wanted to take care of me... Waaah, what kind of person does he take me for? I was so angry that I ran back without even eating!"
Gu Chunling felt heartbroken looking at her daughter's tear-streaked face. She kept apologizing to Zhu Liushuang, regretting that she shouldn't have agreed to Cui Li's request so easily.
After this incident, she finally saw through Cui Li's true colors and lost all hope in Zhu Xiangqian's family.
Zhu Liushuang heard her mother cursing Cui Li in her heart, and secretly turned her head to cover her mouth. There was no sadness in her tearful eyes.
————
The rain stopped at night, and Zhu Liushuang fell asleep with her phone as her pillow.
Before going to bed, she left another long comment on the "Human World" radio station.
I got tricked into going on a blind date today, so I'm not in a good mood. But listening to your show has made me feel much better. Is the flower on this issue's cover a crape myrtle? There are two rows of them planted downstairs at my office, but they're all pinkish-red, not as pretty as the purple in the photo. I heard the crape myrtle is also called the "itchy tree," I'll have to tickle it sometime and see if it trembles.
The air conditioner's outdoor unit ran continuously, its buzzing sound drifting into the bedroom, but it did nothing to disturb Zhu Liushuang's sleep. She drifted off to sleep, and in her dream, a tall, handsome man sat on the sofa, intently watching his phone screen.
Suddenly, the man let out a soft chuckle, so soft that she thought she was hallucinating.
She gradually approached him, and the man raised his head, revealing a vivid and handsome face.
It is He Ming.
She reached out her hand without thinking, and just as her fingertips were about to touch his face, a flash of white light appeared, and she was plunged into another dream.
The man Zhu Liushuang longed for in her dreams was currently sitting on a single sofa in her bedroom.
He held the phone in his hand, and the "Yueyin FM" icon was visible at the top of the screen.
He lowered his head and silently read the latest comment from the stranger girl, a fleeting smile playing on his lips.
Speaking of blind dates, he happened to sit in on one that wasn't very pleasant today.
A note from the author:
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Those who are destined to meet will meet no matter where they go.
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