CH 4

The complaints on the phone seemed like a continuous barrage of gunfire, making Gao Xing’s ears ache. He couldn’t help but move the phone a little away from his ear and put it on speakerphone on the coffee table.

“Tell me honestly, Gao Xing,” Zhou Qingbo took a deep breath and asked, puzzled, “Where did you meet this person? Is he reliable, or did you just randomly find him on the street and introduce him to me?”

Gao Xing lay on the couch, rolling around with laughter, unable to speak. His face turned red from holding back the laughter, and he finally managed to say, “Well, to be honest, I’m not very familiar with him.”

“Then why did you introduce him to me!” Zhou Qingbo became agitated instantly, “Are you really my friend!”

“Don’t worry.” Gao Xing suppressed his laughter and spoke in a loving and gentle tone, “But I know his mother well; we’re close friends despite the age difference. So, I know a bit about this guy.”

Zhou Qingbo: “…”

“At the matchmaking corner in Zhongshan Park, his mother is a VIP booth staff member.” Gao Xing thought for a moment, then said, “And she is open-minded and gentle, very willing to accept new things. She looks like a model mother-in-law—”

Zhou Qingbo: “…”

“Get lost!” Zhou Qingbo couldn’t help but interrupt him, “You actually found a match for me at the matchmaking corner!”

At that point, Zhou Qingbo no longer suspected that Gao Xing had an underground deal with that fortune teller. With Gao Xing’s persistence in being a matchmaker, he had more determination than any money-hungry businessman

A man going to the matchmaking corner in Zhongshan Park to find a match for another man, infiltrating the middle-aged and elderly community, showed a terrifying level of determination.

If it were ancient times, he would be comparable to King Goujian of Yue.

Biting the bitter gourd, resorting to any means necessary.

“I lost, bro.” Zhou Qingbo surrendered completely. Although Gao Xing couldn’t see his actions on the phone, he gave Gao Xing a thumbs-up through the air.

“May I ask, bro,” Zhou Qingbo asked sincerely, “Do you have any criteria for matchmaking? Like, if you pull enough red strings, will a destined partner descend from the heavens?”

“Not really,” Gao Xing wasn’t the first person to ask that question, so he already had a standard answer prepared. He said nonchalantly, “At most, they’ll put a banner of ‘a hundred families’ happiness’ on my future tombstone.”

Zhou Qingbo couldn’t do anything about Gao Xing’s cunning and slyness. He couldn’t argue with him no matter how much he complained, so he could only hold his breath and take the blow.

But Gao Xing seemed to be afraid of angering him too much and offered him a way out, “Hey, it’s okay. If this one doesn’t work out, we can find another. It’s difficult to start something, but maybe the next one will be even better—”

“Don’t bother,” Zhou Qingbo quickly interrupted him, still trembling, and said, “Blind dates are too awkward; I don’t want to go through that again.”

Gao Xing wanted to persuade him further, but Zhou Qingbo seemed to anticipate his moves and hurriedly said, “Starting from today, I’ve decided to fast, bathe, burn incense, and pray for blessings. Then I’ll go back home and take over the family business and devote myself to my career for a lifetime. Don’t try to persuade me, my mind is made up.”

He rattled off this long speech like a machine gun and didn’t give Gao Xing a chance to argue back. He decisively hung up the phone and set Gao Xing’s number on “Do Not Disturb” mode.

Jokingly, Zhou Qingbo thought to himself that Gao Xing was a top-notch brainwasher; if he listened to him for a few more minutes, he might end up getting sold again.

He hung up the call, then called the front desk to get a car. He was about to comfortably find another place to relax and unwind, but his phone rang again.

Zhou Qingbo looked at the caller ID and almost wanted to go back in time three minutes to shut his own mouth.

“Speak of the devil,” Zhou Qingbo thought, “In this life, one really can’t be careless with their words.”

The name “Zhou Cangshan” jumped on the phone screen, and Zhou Qingbo winced in pain as he took a deep breath. He felt like the phone in his hand had turned into a hot potato, as if it was a call of doom.

Zhou Cangshan had a somewhat old-fashioned nature and was a typical tough guy. He rarely used gentle words to discuss brotherly matters with Zhou Qingbo. When he called, there was always something serious to discuss.

Zhou Qingbo wasn’t keen on answering, so he pretended not to hear and let the phone ring continuously.

Knowing his brother’s habits, Zhou Cangshan probably wouldn’t insist if he didn’t pick up the call once. However, that day, he surprisingly persevered. Zhou Qingbo was already in the car, and the phone was still ringing incessantly.

“Mr. Zhou,” the driver glanced at Zhou Qingbo through the rearview mirror and hesitated, “Your phone is ringing.”

“I heard it,” Zhou Qingbo said in frustration, “I’m not deaf.”

Seeing his annoyance, the driver tactfully changed the topic, “Where shall we go now?”

Zhou Qingbo had originally planned to find a place for a massage and then return home to relax and play games with some friends. But now, with Zhou Cangshan’s call, his relaxing vacation seemed to be completely ruined.

“Forget it,” Zhou Qingbo said, “Just head to the city center.”

He made a shushing gesture to the driver, signaling him to keep quiet, and then answered the phone himself.

The driver had been working at the resort for several years and knew the guests’ habits. Seeing the situation, he raised the partition, leaving the space behind for Zhou Qingbo.

“Hello, big brother,” as soon as the call connected, Zhou Qingbo instinctively sat up straight and awkwardly explained, “I didn’t hear the phone ring just now; I didn’t ignore it on purpose.”

Fortunately, Zhou Cangshan was naive enough to be easily fooled in certain situations. He didn’t doubt his brother’s words and just responded with an “Mhm.”

“How’s your foot?” Zhou Cangshan asked, “Can you walk now?”

Zhou Qingbo shook his ankle and felt it. He was still slightly limping, but the pain was gone if he didn’t exert too much force. However, knowing Zhou Cangshan, he knew that that question was more than just a concern for his younger brother; there must be something serious behind it. So, he answered cautiously.

“It’s better,” Zhou Qingbo said, “but still a little painful.”

Sure enough, after two seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, Zhou Cangshan’s voice took on a questioning tone.

“It’s been so long, and it’s still not healed?” he asked.

“Bone and muscle injuries take a hundred days,” Zhou Qingbo chuckled, trying to brush it off, “So I need to take good care of it. It’s what the doctor ordered.”

“No time for that now,” Zhou Cangshan understood his brother well and naturally didn’t buy his excuses. He continued, “Get yourself together. On Monday morning, come to my office first thing after work.”

Zhou Cangshan was strict and didn’t give him a chance to argue. He simply laid down the order, “Their team leader will come to report on Monday. You’ll be responsible for receiving him.”

“No way, big brother, why do I have to receive him? Don’t you have a vice president?” Zhou Qingbo grumbled reluctantly, “Moreover, even if the VP is busy, aren’t you in the company? You can go meet him instead. I’m willing to pass on this glorious mission to you.”

Whenever work was mentioned, Zhou Qingbo got a headache. He may have looked polished and sophisticated, but in reality, he was just like Cinderella after midnight. His “social elite” mode could only last for eight hours a day, and beyond that, he felt uneasy.

Other people’s brothers might compete and fight to assert dominance, even pulling each other’s pants down, but Zhou Qingbo’s life dream was to be a free, gossiping salted fish. He would only take a few steps forward when Zhou Cangshan cracked the whip from behind.

“Zhou Qingbo,” Zhou Cangshan’s tone turned slightly serious, and he said softly, “Do you want to be a supervisor your whole life?”

As soon as Zhou Qingbo heard that tone, he knew his brother was displeased. His back reflexively straightened, and he hesitated for a moment before vaguely replying, “It’s not that bad…”

“You’ll come to my office at 8:30 AM on Monday,” Zhou Cangshan didn’t give him a chance to argue back and firmly stated, “After work, come and see me first.”

Zhou Cangshan was not a man to be trifled with, and Zhou Qingbo dared not disobey him. Since he was young, Zhou Qingbo had been mostly raised by his brother. He treated him like a father figure, and compared to his biological father, Zhou Jiankun, Zhou Qingbo was more afraid of his elder brother.

He had a headache and banged his head against the car window, sighing heavily. He told the driver, “Let’s not go anywhere else; just take me home.”

That day was Saturday, with one day to buffer before Monday. However, Zhou Qingbo had lost interest in going out and just wanted to hurry home and sleep.

Coincidentally, right after Zhou Qingbo stepped inside his home, Pei You sent him a WeChat message, asking if he had arrived home safely.

Pei You’s message was as concise as he was in person, without any warm greetings or fancy emojis. The plain text appeared on the screen, making it seem somewhat cold.

His WeChat profile picture matched his nature a bit, showing a picture of a night time starry sky, with countless stars spread across the dark night. Only when zoomed in could one see the details.

Zhou Qingbo thought to himself that Pei You was not a bad person, just a bit odd, and they were not compatible.

He knew what it meant when his blind date sent a message after the meal, but after considering for a moment, Zhou Qingbo felt that there was no need for further acquaintance between them.

Their personalities didn’t match, and Zhou Qingbo wasn’t in the mood for romance. He didn’t want to waste Pei You’s time, so he decided not to reply.