’The Huang Family is pretty loaded, huh!’
Zhang Zhe suddenly remembered something from when he was twenty-eight, the first time his parents had pestered him about getting married.
He had put them off by saying:
"It’s not that I don’t want to get married, it’s just that trying to make it on my own is too exhausting. I just want to find an eighty-year-old rich widow and be set for life. If a rich old lady really threw herself at me, you think I wouldn’t marry her?"
His real intention was to use a ridiculous excuse to get his parents to stop nagging him about marriage.
He never expected that two years later, his words would come back to bite him.
’The boomerang came back around.’
Zhang Zhe was sure that his mom, who could haggle for half an hour over a pound of bok choy, had definitely already investigated this girl’s family situation.
’So, she’s a rich girl.’
And it was very likely his mom had specifically picked her out as a blind date for him.
The reason was probably that one thing Zhang Zhe had said back then.
’Too bad Mom still doesn’t get it.’
’If the rich lady isn’t eighty, her actual net worth is seriously diminished. Not to mention, this one is clearly a leech, completely dependent on her family.’
Zhang Zhe sighed internally. ’The right answer is to find an eighty-year-old rich widow and have her sixty-year-old heir take care of me in my old age.’
Seeing Zhang Zhe was a bit quiet, Huang Meimei took the initiative to speak:
"Actually, your mother already knows all about my circumstances."
"Since you were out of town, it was like your mom had a preliminary blind date with me."
"She said she has no objections."
"I have a pretty clear understanding of your situation, and I’m quite satisfied with it."
"If you don’t have any other questions, when would be a good time for me to have my parents come out so we can all meet?"
"That fast?" Zhang Zhe was taken aback by her enthusiasm.
’What kind of sweet-talk did my mom use on her? How did things move so fast?’
"It’s not fast at all." Huang Meimei nodded. "We’re at that age where we should be a bit more realistic. Our circumstances match up quite well."
"Let’s not rush. We should talk more. My mom didn’t fill me in on a lot of things."
A blind date wasn’t something to be careless about. She understood his situation, but he still knew next to nothing about her.
’Where’s the system?’
’Didn’t it say it would have my back?’
’Why has it gone silent?’
Zhang Zhe quickly recalled the two pieces of intel from before.
Judging purely by color, the red intel should be the more important one, like an alarm.
’Comparing the two, just being older shouldn’t warrant a red warning.’
’It’s hard to say what’s more important: "five years older" and "fake degree," or "a dowry of two properties, a car, and 880,000 in cash."’
Sometimes, as long as the dowry was big enough, it didn’t even matter if you were marrying a human.
’Could it be because...?’
’An unexpected pregnancy?’
Zhang Zhe suddenly had a bold guess.
Pretending he wanted to know more about her family, he asked, "I don’t think I know how many people are in your family. Are you an only child?"
"No, I have a younger brother."
"A bro-ther?" Zhang Zhe raised an eyebrow. ’Could it be?’
"That’s right, my biological brother."
"How old is your brother?"
"He’s already in high school." Huang Meimei’s face lit up with a happy smile as she talked about her brother. "He’s a handsome young man, and his grades are great. He should be able to get into a top-tier university, maybe even a 211 school like you..."
The moment he heard about the brother, Zhang Zhe felt something was off.
Based on his age, this brother must have been born around the time Huang Meimei came of age.
’If a family wanted a second child, they would have had one much earlier. You’re supposed to start a ’smurf account’ early.’
’What a coincidence. Could Huang Meimei have also had an unexpected pregnancy around that same time?’
’Maybe...’
Suddenly, a red light flashed before Zhang Zhe’s eyes.
Just as he thought, the red intel had arrived!
[High-Value Intelligence]
[Huang Meimei’s younger brother is actually her biological son. To protect her and the family’s reputation, her parents paid to have him registered on the household registry as her brother. Since she told everyone she was studying abroad at the time, not even the Huang Family’s relatives know about her secret childbirth, and even the boy himself is unaware.]
???
!!!
This piece of intel left Zhang Zhe utterly gobsmacked.
He felt like he’d seen this plot in a movie or TV show somewhere.
It seemed like similar things had happened in the entertainment industry too.
And now it was happening to him?
The system’s intel was very specific: even the Huang Family’s own relatives didn’t know about this.
So, Zhang Zhe was certain his mother hadn’t dug up this bombshell.
Otherwise, she would have never let him sit here on this blind date today.
And she wouldn’t have wasted her energy talking him up to the woman sitting across from him.
His mom wanted to hold a grandchild, but definitely not a teenage step-grandson who appeared out of thin air...
This whole thing... TSK TSK. The more he thought about it, the more twisted it seemed.
Zhang Zhe really didn’t understand people like this. Couldn’t she just live her life quietly? She already had a son to support her in old age, so why was she still going on blind dates?
If she really planned to use her dowry to hook a son-in-law, she shouldn’t have hidden the fact that she had a son. There would always be someone willing to accept it for the money.
There’s no shame in making a buck, after all.
He could accept an eighty-year-old lady, so what was the big deal about gaining a bonus son?
However, Zhang Zhe was definitely not one of those people.
For this little bit of dowry, he didn’t need to put himself through that.
As it stood, the woman was a total fraud, and her parents were no better. Who knew how many other dirty secrets they were hiding?
Watching Huang Meimei ramble on and on about her "brother," Zhang Zhe suddenly interjected with a question:
"With your little brother’s grades being so good, you as his mother must be very proud of him, right?"
"That’s right." Huang Meimei’s mouth moved faster than her brain. Only after answering did she realize something was wrong. "You misspoke. I’m his older sister."
"Is that so? Do you even believe that yourself?"
"Hm? What do you mean by that?"
"My meaning is, since you’re out here on a blind date, you should be a little more honest," Zhang Zhe said very seriously. "A brother is a brother, a son is a son. You can hide it for a while, but you can’t hide it forever."
"Right?"
"What are you talking about? I don’t understand."
"That’s my brother, where is your mind going?" Huang Meimei frowned, trying to argue her way out of it.
"Really? Then how about we get a paternity test done?"
"..." Huang Meimei fell silent.
After a long moment, she finally squeezed out, "Even if you’re not satisfied with me, you don’t have to slander me like this, do you? And dragging my brother into it."
"I’m not slandering you. I was just asking..."
"Asking what? Who asks questions like that? My brother is my mother’s son, it’s written clear as day on the household register." Huang Meimei stood up, grabbing her bag as if to leave. "Let me be honest with you. If your mother hadn’t begged me, I wouldn’t have come on this blind date with you in the first place."
"Do you really think you’re some kind of hot commodity? With a mind that twisted, no wonder you’re still single at your age!"
"Uh... Are you getting flustered?" Zhang Zhe blinked. He hadn’t expected her to get worked up so easily.
"I’m not flustered! Your lies are what’s making me angry."
"Is that so? Then if one day, the truth of this matter comes to light, can you come back and apologize to me?"
"You’re being so rude now, what will you do when the boomerang comes back around?"
"You don’t really think everyone is an idiot, do you?"
Zhang Zhe’s string of questions instantly deflated Huang Meimei’s bravado.
A person with a guilty conscience is like a paper tiger, easily punctured with a single poke.
She stammered, unable to come up with an explanation.
Zhang Zhe shook his head. Even though he stood up after her, he was the first to walk out of the coffee shop.
’You should still be civil on a blind date. It’s like doing business—if you can’t reach a deal, you just let it go.’
The moment he stepped outside, he heard a DING.
A system notification popped up:
"Congratulations, Host, on completing this blind date."
"Evaluating blind date results."
"This blind date subject, [Huang Meimei], is a Class-B risk. Her family is well-off and she is skilled at deception. The Host’s family has already been deceived and holds her in high regard."
"The Host was able to complete the blind date, cut his losses in a timely manner, and avoid conflict. This is worthy of encouragement."
"Reward: [Happiness Points] x1."
"Current accumulated Happiness Points: 1."
"Redeemable Item: Primary Body Building Pill."
"Primary Body Building Pill: Can enhance the user’s physique and reduce the probability of death from overwork. It is the top choice for corporate wage slaves. It also has a certain effect in treating kidney deficiency and lack of virility."
’A mystical pill?’
Zhang Zhe looked at the system message and thought, ’Where did this even come from? Is this still the modern world?’
’Is spiritual energy making a comeback in this world?’
’Better not. If everyone has superpowers in the future, people will ask:
—"Zhang Zhe, what’s your superpower?"
—"Don’t ask. You’ll find out after you go on a blind date with me."
’That’s just too ridiculous.’
Zhang Zhe thought about it carefully and could roughly guess the reason the system rewarded him with a Body Building Pill.
A perfect marriage, of course, had to be perfect in all aspects, including one’s private life.
But a man’s physical functions decline with age.
Whereas a woman’s needs are the opposite.
That’s when strengthening one’s body becomes very useful.
’Not bad, not bad.’
However, Zhang Zhe didn’t need it right now. He had been abstinent for many hours and was currently full of vigorous energy.
’I’ll save these Happiness Points for now.’
The urgent task at hand was to get his mom to help him find a couple more blind dates.
Zhang Zhe had already figured it out. Only by constantly going on blind dates could he get rewards from the system.
And only by constantly failing at blind dates could he constantly go on blind dates.
So his plan now was to go on as many blind dates as possible while his mom was still willing. Otherwise, after too many failures, his mom would exhaust her mahjong-buddy connections, and he’d have to spend money to hire a Matchmaker.
Just as he was thinking this, Zhang Zhe’s phone vibrated.
His mom was calling to demand an explanation!
"Zhang Zhe, what is wrong with you? Why did Miss Huang tell me you insulted her character? She was so angry she deleted me on WeChat. Did you do it on purpose?"
"Mom, I’ll explain it to you later."
"Why can’t you explain it now? Are you that busy? Don’t tell me you’re off to an internet cafe to play games again?"
"No, no, no! Quick, help me get in touch with some others. See if there are any other girls who want to go on a blind date." Zhang Zhe said impatiently, "I’ve found my blind-dating groove. I’m terrifyingly good right now."