CH 4

Lu Teng leaned back in his swivel chair, staring at his phone in a daze.

Xu Xu’s Moments still remained on three days ago with the announcement that classes will be temporarily paused. Then it seemed as if she had evaporated, there was no more news from her.

Lu Teng was a little conflicted.

He wanted to send a message and ask her, but he thought it might appear frivolous and rude. If he didn’t ask, his heart felt like it was being scratched by a kitten, quite uncomfortable.

He was going in circles staring at the ceiling when the door of the study was flung open with a bang. Not two seconds later, a delicate white face appeared in the air.

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“Cousin! Let’s play!”

Lu Teng kicked him in dislike. “Scram, I don’t have time to play house with you.”

“Cousin, do you not love me anymore? Do you have a little vixen outside? Boohoohoo, I don’t agree!”

Nw Mldt: “…”

Tl xktbv cl xldvyzzu kxrykale.

Nw Fbyd Ubwyd ynvle y sdl xyd pbso sd bkp sod yde oyp iwkvl byrru. “Uswpkd, dlmv vkxl usw yhske y czkde eyvl, esd’v pvyde vblx wr. Qkazp xktbv qkde kv byae kd vlaxp sq qynl. Ebu esd’v usw cakdt xl? R twyaydvll vbspl osxld okzz okpb wp byrrkdlpp vbaswtb vblka vlyap.”

Nw Mldt tzyale yv bkx. “Typ uswa tkazqaklde awd yoyu okvb psxlsdl lzpl? Zsw nyxl blal vs cl pvwrke vs xl.”

Nw Fbyd Ubwyd’p pbswzelap pyttle.

Fbl byed’v awd sqq ulv, cwv vbl pkvwyvksd oyp dsv qya sqq.

“G zshl akhyz byp yrrlyale, yde kv’p y eyxd tkaz.”

Nw Fbyd Ubwyd nswzed’v pvsr sdnl bl tsv tskdt. Tl ekalnvzu xyel bkxplzq nsxqsavyczl sd vbl qzssa yde alzlyple bkp ckvvla nsxrzykdvp. “Slnldvzu, yzz pbl vyzjp ycswv kp vbyv zkvvzl hkmld. Fvwqq zkjl ‘Mlynbla Dw’p eydnkdt kp pwrla clywvkqwz, R oydv vs xyaau bla,’ sa ‘Mlynbla Dw cwxrle kdvs xu vknjzkpb prsv obld pbl blzrle xl okvb vbl caketl vseyu, ps pbu.’ R’hl yzalyeu zspv xu rspkvksd!”

Lu Teng remained lying sluggishly on the swivel chair. Suddenly, he caught some words and jerked up. “Teacher Xu? Which Teacher Xu?”

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“Just that beautiful sister that got cheated out of $22000 by you the other day. I only found out she was Qiuqiu’s dance teacher yesterday too.“

Lu Teng thought to himself for a moment, then hooked his finger at him.

Lu Shan Chuan, who had no long term memory, wagged his tail and rushed over. His neck was immediately hooked. “Chuan’er, the time for a team test has come.”

……

“You want Qiuqiu to find out what Teacher Xu is doing?”

Lu Shan Chuan was originally confused, then that turned to shock. “You fell in love at first sight with the beautiful sister?”

Lu Teng wanted to say that it can’t be considered love at first sight, he just thought that girl was very pleasing to the eyes, and her expressionlessly touching porcelain was a little cute…

He paused, then nodded. “Love at second sight.”

—

Lu Shan Chuan’s mission completion rate was exceptionally high. He came rushing over to Lu Teng’s house with a little notebook the next day. Glug glug glug, he chugged down a cup of cold water and began to report his completed work.

“Reporting to Senior Officer Lu! Teacher Xu is 25 years old this year and unmarried. She has attended seven or eight blind dates already, not one has succeeded. There’s been no news from her recently because the studio is being remodeled. She has gone to travel in Europe. It doesn’t appear that she is accompanied by a boyfriend. End of report!”

Lu Teng thought in his heart, this girl has quite some courage. He nodded. “Good job, Petty Officer Lu. Continue with Teacher Xu’s criteria for a spouse.”

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Lu Shan Chuan’s lips twitched. “Where would I find such fickle and illusory information…”

Lu Teng gave him a meaningful glance and Lu Shan Chuan immediately smiled like a flower. “Thank goodness I’m quick-witted! Isn’t Teacher Xu registered with the matchmaking agency? I happen to have a classmate there, the information is very detailed!”

Saying so, he flatteringly presented the notebook.

There were not many requirements for her other half. She hoped they would be good tempered, kind, filial, and that they could accept getting married within three months, but not expect children for four years.

Lu Teng felt that aside from the last two conditions, the others were rather general matters. How has there been no one suitable for seven or eight blind dates?

Lu Shan Chuan fully made use of his attention to gossip. “It’s not vague or general at all, Teacher Xu is serious. There was a blind date candidate before. They were getting along well, but when he was driving Teacher Xu home, they encountered a speeder. He broke out some swear words and Teacher Xu rejected him on the spot.”

Lu Teng thought of his usual behavior and became silent.

Lu Shan Chuan reasoned with him, “Cousin ah, why don’t we just forget it? Simply looking at temper, you are far from her criteria.”

Lu Teng subconsciously wanted to kick him. When his foot was halfway there, he paused.

After a moment of silence, he raised his head and looked Lu Shan Chuan over. “I seem to remember that you started holding hands with little girls in grade school?”

Lu Shan Chuan immediately became alert, his head turning left and right to see if he was recording on his phone. “What do you want? You’re so angry from your shame that you’re digging up my past? Heaven and earth knows my love for Qiuqiu! Don’t think about sowing discord!”

“…”

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Lu Teng reached out and knocked on the table. “How about this- I hire you as my advisor, and after the matter, save that broken little shop of yours from closing down. How about it?”

Lu Shan Chuan: “Good father! Leave it to me, dad!”

—

Rule #1 of Lu Shan Chuan’s Manual to Getting Girls: For blind dates racing toward marriage, compatibility is the most important.

Thus, he decided to wholly portray Lu Teng as the man that embodies Xu Xu’s requirements.

He picked a little Samoyed that girls like the most and seriously handed it over to Lu Teng.

Lu Teng faintly disliked this howling, cutely barking little guy that was constantly shedding all kinds of hair on his floor at home. He usually let the housekeeper auntie take care of it.

As a result, the housekeeper wasn’t there when he came home today and the little Samoyed was nestled by the stairs, whimpering. The little dog’s eyes were wet and teary, looking pitiful.

Lu Teng frowned as he called Lu Shan Chuan. Lu Shan Chuan shot up from bed, he said, “It might be sick, take it to the vet first. I’ll be over right away!”

What followed was a chaotic night. When things finally calmed down, Lu Teng laid paralyzed in a chair, unwillingly to move a muscle.

He said, “Laozi really believed in your evil!” Xu Xu wasn’t even here, who was he showing kindness for?

Lu Shan Chuan handed him his phone. The first Moments post on top was a shot from the side that he had just snuck. “Deceiving people must start from the minor details, quietly and soundlessly. You don’t understand.”

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Lu Teng thought of how this person normally laid across the couch scratching his feet while watching ball games, but he would look clean and proper every time he went out with his girlfriend, and quietly accepted this theory.

In the next half month, Lu Teng was busy being the Samoyed’s servant and the epitome of the phrase ‘gentle and mild as jade’ on Moments. He was physically and mentally exhausted.

So much so that when he received Xu Xu’s likes, he was taken aback for a second.

When he reacted, he immediately began the next step in his plan of attack.

……

On the night that he was waiting for her reply, it happened to be the Moon Festival. Lu Teng made a trip home.

At the dining table, Father Lu brought up urging marriage as he had before.

“You’re not that young anymore, when will you consider your personal matters?” Father Lu downed a sip of wine, his tone a little desolate. “Before, we were strict because we were afraid you would mess around outside. It’s great now, we’re now suspecting if you even can mess around.”

Lu Teng was silent, he gave Ms. Li a meaningful glance. Ms. Li immediately pulled Father Lu back. “What are you in a hurry for? Lu Teng has some measure in his heart, he will definitely bring your daughter-in-law home when the time comes.”

Just that when that time comes, you might not be able to take it. Ms. Li silently criticized.

After dinner, Lu Teng stood on the balcony, smoking.

In the night sky, the moon was exceptionally round, the moonlight clean and bright.

He lowered his head and turned his phone over to check. Nothing. Except for Lu Shan Chuan that punk, there was no reply yet.

Ms. Li snuck over and cornered him for questioning. “Son ah, why have you been unhappy the whole evening? Did you fight with your girlfriend?”

Lu Teng hummed.

Ms. Li didn’t know if she should be relieved or help her son come up with a plan.

It wasn’t that she thought a woman over thirty was bad, but her son was only twenty eight. This was an age gap of over ten years. No matter which side was older, she felt this relationship wasn’t so steady.

She was pinching her eyebrows, trying to find the words, when Lu Teng’s phone suddenly buzzed.

He took a glance and his face relaxed. His heart, anxious for the whole night, gradually settled down.

He asked: “Blind date meal?”

Half a minute later, the other side replied: “En.”

Lu Teng smiled, typing: “Okay, I got it. You decide the time and location. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival.”

“Happy Mid-Autumn Festival.”

He turned around, put out the cigarette, and patted Ms. Li’s shoulder. “Don’t worry needlessly, I’ll bring the little girl home to see you next month.”

Ms. Li’s brows knotted even more. Calling her little girl so readily, you sure say it smoothly.