1 – Blind Date
In Beijing, the midsummer sun scorched the earth, and waves of heat rushed at your face. Walking outside, your eyes could barely stay open from the glare.
Chi Wanwan walked in the shade of the trees along the sidewalk. Only the lush, verdant trees could slightly block the dazzling sun.
Today was another day without any work. With nothing to do at home, she went out to the vegetable market to buy groceries, planning to make herself something good to eat in the evening.
Just as she was walking forward carrying two bags of groceries, the phone in her bag buzzed with a “buzz buzz buzz.”
Chi Wanwan stopped in a cool, shaded spot, took the phone out of her bag, and glanced at it. It was a call from her mother.
She pressed the answer button, put the phone to her ear, and called out first, “Mom…”
On the other end of the line, Gu Jinlan asked softly, “Wanwan, are you busy right now?”
“I’m not busy right now. Go ahead,” Chi Wanwan replied.
“It’s like this. Your grandfather went out last night to meet with his old war buddies. Old Master Shen brought up that matter again…” Gu Jinlan paused there.
Chi Wanwan knew what her mother meant by “that matter.”
It was the matter of the two families joining by marriage.
Her grandfather and Old Master Shen were war buddies. Back on the battlefield, Old Master Shen was ambushed by someone, and it was her grandfather who saved him.
However, her grandfather’s arm was hit by a bullet, leaving him disabled, and his right hand had been inconvenient to move ever since. Because of this, he was discharged from the army early due to his injury.
It was at that time that Old Master Shen made a pact that in the future the two families would definitely become in-laws.
Originally, this marriage should have fallen to her father, but her grandfather had only one son, her father.
Unfortunately, on Old Master Shen’s side, all three children were sons, so it had to be put aside for the time being.
Now that it had come to the grandchildren’s generation, the Shen family had a grandson and the Chi family had a granddaughter, so the matter was brought up again.
Seeing that her daughter still had not spoken, Gu Jinlan continued, “Wanwan, I heard from Old Master Shen that his grandson is very good at making money. He has a car and a house in Beijing, so his conditions aren’t bad. How about you go meet him? No matter how it turns out, at least you’ll have an explanation for your grandfather.”
Chi Wanwan looked at the heavy traffic on the road and hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, “All right, Mom. Send me his phone number, and I’ll contact him.”
“Okay, I’ll send you the number in a bit. Wanwan, even though this is a match your grandfather favors, don’t force yourself too much. If you really don’t like him, we won’t force you.”
Gu Jinlan had originally not been very much in favor of blind dates. What era was this? Blind dates were too old-fashioned.
But over these years, Chi Wanwan had not found anyone she liked. Although she devoted herself wholeheartedly to her career, she had not made much of a name for herself in the entertainment industry.
She was really afraid that in the end, her daughter’s career and marriage would both be delayed.
Now Chi Wanwan was already 26 years old.
“Mom, I know.”
“Then I’ll hang up first. You young people can contact each other yourselves.”
Chi Wanwan waited until her mother hung up before putting the phone back in her bag.
Walking east along the sidewalk for more than ten minutes, Chi Wanwan returned to the apartment she rented.
It was a small apartment of about thirty square meters. As soon as you entered, there was a kitchen and cabinets. Next to the kitchen was a small square dining table.
Farther in, there was a two-seater sofa and a glass coffee table. In the vase on the coffee table were two champagne roses. Next to the sofa was a wardrobe against the wall.
The large log bed was placed next to the balcony door. When the glass balcony door was pushed open, it was completely filled with flowers and plants that Chi Wanwan had grown herself.
Whenever the sunset spilled across the balcony, Chi Wanwan would feel that this was the happiest moment.
The first thing Chi Wanwan did when she got home was put the groceries into the sink. Today she had bought a few crabs and some large sea shrimp, planning to eat them for dinner.
She changed out of the dress she had worn outside and into comfortable loungewear. Only then did Chi Wanwan remember what her mother had told her over the phone.
Her mother had already sent the number over. Looking at the string of digits on her phone, Chi Wanwan felt a bit conflicted. Should she just call directly?
It seemed a little strange. She did not know what to say.
After agonizing for a few more minutes, Chi Wanwan decided to add the other person on WeChat first.
She entered his phone number into WeChat, and Shen Yu’s WeChat contact card popped up in the search box.
Chi Wanwan vaguely remembered her grandfather mentioning that one of Old Master Shen’s grandsons seemed to be named Shen Yu.
She typed a line in the friend request note: Hello, I’m Chi Wanwan.
After sending the friend request, Chi Wanwan casually placed her phone on the sofa. She walked over to the fridge and took out a can of soda water.
“Fizz~~”
She opened the can and took a few sips. The icy soda water slid down her throat, smoothing away the summer heat and irritability.
Just then, the phone she had set aside lit up.
It should be Shen Yu accepting her friend request.
Chi Wanwan picked up her phone and opened WeChat, but what she saw was… The other party rejected your friend request.
“What kind of person is this? He actually rejected it.” Chi Wanwan muttered softly.
If it were any other time, Chi Wanwan definitely would not send a second request.
But her grandfather had brought this up many times, and since she had agreed this time, she should see it through.
She tapped the friend request a second time. This time she wrote in the note: Hello, I’m Chi Wanwan. Grandpa Shen asked me to add you on WeChat. [smile]
A few minutes later, Shen Yu accepted the friend request.
Chi Wanwan: Hello, Mr. Shen. I’m Chi Wanwan.
Shen Yu: I know. You’ve introduced yourself three times already.
Chi Wanwan pursed her lips. It seemed that this Shen Yu also did not want to go on a blind date with her.
That was just fine. They could just have a casual meal and be done with it. That way, they could answer to both sides’ elders.
Chi Wanwan got straight to the point: Mr. Shen, when are you free?
Shen Yu: Tonight.
Tonight??
Chi Wanwan’s gaze swept toward the kitchen sink. Those crabs she had bought—if she did not eat them tonight, it would be a shame.
Frozen crabs seriously affected the texture and taste.
Chi Wanwan: Could we change it to tomorrow?
Shen Yu: Starting tomorrow, I’ll be on a business trip for half a month. I won’t be in the country.
This made things a bit difficult.
Chi Wanwan also did not know when she would have to join a film crew.
As a small unknown extra like her, whenever the company got a job, she had to set out to join the crew at any time.
As for the blind date, she wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.
Fine, tonight it is!
Steeling herself, Chi Wanwan replied on WeChat: If you don’t mind, come to my place for dinner. I bought fresh seafood, and it’s not convenient for me to eat out tonight.
Shen Yu opened WeChat and was stunned for a moment. Who ever held a blind date at their own home, and with just a man and a woman alone at that?
Chi Wanwan sent her location on WeChat: Jinghui Apartment. One look was enough to tell it was a singles apartment.
So Shen Yu was very certain that Chi Wanwan lived alone.
What exactly does she want? Is she that eager to marry into the Shen family?
Shen Yu’s slender fingers typed a few words on the screen, replying to Chi Wanwan.
Shen Yu: Okay, I’ll be there at seven.
He called his grandfather and asked for information about Chi Wanwan over the phone.
In addition, he told his grandfather to conceal the Shen family’s true wealth, and to tell others only that he runs a small company and is in the startup phase.
Grandpa Shen was naturally unwilling: “Chi Wanwan’s grandfather is my savior. How can you treat them like that?”
“These are my conditions for going to the blind date. If you don’t agree, I won’t go,” Shen Yu replied calmly.
“I’ll do as you say, alright?” Grandpa Shen had gone to great lengths to persuade Shen Yu to agree to the blind date, and now he could only compromise.
In Grandpa Shen’s view, family background didn’t matter. What mattered most was that the two of them could live well together.