CH 2

Pei You found his room in the deep end of the corridor, then pulled out his room card from his pocket and swiped it to open the door. He rubbed his nose in frustration and interrupted the long-winded conversation on the other end of the phone.

“I got it—help with pulling out the chair, don’t order randomly, then pay the bill proactively, right?”

Pei You inserted the room card into the power slot and closed the door with his free hand, switching his phone to the other hand.

“Anything else?”

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, as if the person was trying to think if there was anything else to mention. Pei You’s hand got tired holding the phone, so he switched to speaker mode and placed it on the table, walking to the balcony to open the window.

“Oh, yes!” The clear female voice on the phone seemed to remember something and quickly said, “Don’t mention that you’ve had 32 failed blind dates!”

As the balcony window slid open on both sides, making a slight friction sound, it coincidentally covered up that sentence. Pei You had an initial instinct to ask her to repeat it, but then he thought that hearing it again might lead to another round of earful advice, so he swallowed the question back.

“Um.” Pei You replied vaguely, “Got it.”

“That’s about it.” The other person said, “Good luck, bro.”

“Understood.” Pei You retrieved his phone and added, “Pei Zi, please tell Mom not to arrange any more blind dates for me. I’ve been really busy with work recently.”

“Well, I can’t persuade her.” Pei Zi sighed deeply on the other end of the phone and said earnestly, “Mom said she’s fine with your sexual orientation, but she’s worried that you’ll stay single forever.”

Having open-minded parents was a good thing, but sometimes too open-mindedness could also be troublesome. Pei You’s mother, Mrs. He, was evidently a contradictory figure who combined tradition and open-mindedness. She accepted Pei You’s sexual orientation, but she still believed in the traditional idea of “finding a partner to live your life together” and insisted on finding him a companion.

As a result, even though Pei You hadn’t reached his thirties, he had already experienced many ups and downs in the matchmaking market.

“I know.” Pei You also knew that it would be difficult to persuade his overly enthusiastic mother through Pei Zi alone. So, he compromised, “I will meet this person this time, but please talk to Mom and ask her to give me some time. I’m really busy with new collaborations lately.”

“Alright, I’ll do my best.” Pei Zi chuckled on the phone and said, “But bro, don’t be too pessimistic. Maybe this time it’ll be a perfect match—by the way, what’s the person like this time?”

“Surname Zhou, has a stable job.” Pei You recalled the information the intermediary provided, hesitatingly adding, “I heard he’s…lively and family-oriented.”

Putting those two words together felt somewhat awkward, and Pei You scratched his head, managing a dry chuckle.

“Not bad,” Pei Zi said, “A lively partner suits you.”

Not only Pei Zi, but Pei You himself was also anxious. He had experienced too many failed blind dates, and Mrs. He had exhausted all her resources among friends and relatives. This time, the prospective date was arranged through a matchmaking corner at Zhongshan Park, but he wasn’t sure if the person would be reliable.

After casually dealing with his sister, Pei You hung up the phone, half-kneeling on the floor, and opened his suitcase.

He checked the clothes he would wear the following day while sighing in his heart, feeling like he was the number one victim of his mother’s desperate attempts. Blind marriages and dumb marriages had been abolished for so many years, but he didn’t expect it to be revived by his own mother.

After double-checking his attire for the next day, he hung up the shirt and set an alarm clock before going to bed, so as not to be late the next morning.

That resort had been in operation for more than ten years, and it had undergone renovations and expansions two years ago, with several new activity buildings. The meeting restaurant was located within the new buildings, as it mainly served Western dishes and afternoon tea, so it looked a bit deserted during the morning hours.

The spacious lobby of the restaurant was empty, with only a few waiters stationed at the reception desk. Pei You stepped in cautiously, scanning the area, politely declining the service offered by the staff, and compared the directions on the signs to find Room A3.

The door of Room A3 was wide open, and from afar, Pei You could see the man sitting inside.

The man looked a year or two older than him, wearing a navy blue casual suit, giving off a mature and reliable vibe at first glance, not like someone casually picked off the street.

With one hand supporting his head, he was focused on the flat-screen in front of him, completely unaware of Pei You approaching.

Seeing that the man didn’t raise his head, Pei You hesitated for a moment at the door. He was a little late leaving home that day, and had missed the first piece of advice from Pei Zi. He didn’t have the chance to present himself as a gentleman at the first meeting.

Moreover, the man in front of him was quite different from the impression Pei You had beforehand. He didn’t seem “lively” at all. Pei You hesitated for a moment, not sure if he was his blind date.

So, after weighing his options, he decided to skip that step.

Zhou Qingbai had been looking at the work report for the new quarter and was tormented by the flipping data, causing his eyes to blur. Suddenly, he saw a hand reaching over without any warning, tapping twice on the flat-screen in front of him.

He was startled, and his first instinct was to lock the screen. Then, he frowned and lifted his head, wanting to see who was so impolite.

With just one glance, his heart sank, and he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. The young man in front of him did look good, and he seemed to be about 1.8 meters tall, with a handsome face and deep facial features, a high and straight nose, but not excessively rough, giving off a first glance that made it easy for someone to have a good impression.

However, the problem was that he was dressed way too formally. From the tie to the cufflinks, everything was in place, and he even wore a black suit. If it weren’t for his good looks, he would look like an insurance salesman.

At that time of day, the restaurant had almost no other customers, and Zhou Qingbai looked at the young man for a while, guessing that he should be his “blind date.”

“Excuse me.”

As expected, the next moment, the young man retracted his hand, stood by the table, and asked, “Are you Mr. Zhou?”

“…Zhou Qingbai, the ‘qing’ in the color blue, and the ‘bai’ in cypress.” Zhou Qingbai stood up, cleared his throat, and hesitatingly extended his hand, asking, “And you are…Mr. Pei?”

Pei You made a sound of acknowledgement and shook hands briefly with Zhou Qingbai, then naturally sat opposite him.

His tone sounded somewhat indifferent, complemented by the serious expression on his face, giving off a somewhat cold and solemn demeanor.

Zhou Qingbai was never fond of mature, steady, and aloof individuals, and seeing this, he couldn’t help but curse Ge Xing hundreds of times in his heart. What did it have to do with “prominent but understated elegance”? Zhou Qingbai gritted his teeth in frustration.

It was almost false advertising, and he wouldn’t hesitate to report it to consumer service.

Zhou Qingbai was now increasingly suspicious that Ge Xing might be linked to some dark marriage matchmaking industry, starting from fortune tellers and ending with blind dates, pocketing money for every successful match.

Otherwise, he couldn’t fathom the purpose behind Ge Xing telling blatant lies and commenting on the man in front of him as “prominent but understated elegance.”

While Zhou Qingbai was sizing up Pei You, Pei You was discreetly observing him too.

Zhou Qingbai somewhat resembled his mother, with a handsome appearance and a touch of elegance. His eyebrows and eyes were particularly charming, with the corners of his eyes slightly upturned, giving him a hint of charm even when not smiling.

From a distance, Pei You could only see Zhou Qingbai’s profile, but now that they were sitting down, he noticed that although Zhou Qingbai was wearing a suit, he didn’t have a tie on. The collar of his shirt was unbuttoned, revealing a very thin red string inside, which somewhat softened his business elite demeanor.

Unintentionally, Pei You’s gaze swept over the red string on Zhou Qingbai’s collarbone. Unfortunately, the other end of the necklace was hidden inside Zhou Qingbai’s shirt, making it impossible to tell what it held.

Nevertheless, it was fortunate that Zhou Qingbai didn’t seem unreliable like some rogue or someone deliberately disguising themselves for a marriage scam. Relieved, Pei You’s impression of Zhou Qingbai naturally improved a bit.

From the first impression, Pei You was relatively satisfied with Zhou Qingbai. However, he was a slow-to-warm-up person and had no idea how to initiate a conversation with a blind date even after 32 attempts. So, he cleared his throat awkwardly and tried to recall the “Blind Date Guide” that Pei  Zi had briefed him on earlier.

“Waiter.” Pei You waved at a waiter and gestured for the menu, saying, “The menu, please.”

Pei You treated Pei Zi’s instructions as sacred commandments, and without even looking at the menu, he handed it over to Zhou Qingbai, nervously biting his lips, implying that he should order.

Zhou Qingbai thought, “Since we’re here, I can’t just leave even if it’s a mismatch.” So, he took the menu, politely asked if Pei You had any dietary restrictions, and Pei You, who had already eaten breakfast in his room and wasn’t very hungry, shook his head, saying, “I don’t need anything. Order for yourself.”

Zhou Qingbai: “…”

What’s going on? Zhou Qingbai wondered. Is he not interested in me at all, or is he afraid I’ll make him pay for this meal?

Zhou Qingbai was unsure what to make of the situation and pondered silently. Eventually, he decided to order two desserts and coffee, thinking he should at least show some manners even if things weren’t going well.

“I don’t know if you like sweets,” after the food arrived, Zhou Qingbai signaled the waiter to close the door, then cautiously suggested, “But they make a good chestnut cake here. You can try it.”

Since Zhou Qingbai had ordered, Pei You didn’t feel comfortable declining, so he thought for a moment and decided to accept his kind offer. He took the cake plate and said, “Alright,” then added, as if thinking he had been too aloof, “Thank you.”

Zhou Qingbai: “…”

I get it, Zhou Qingbai confidently concluded. It must be the latter.