Aunt Xu quickly brought the news.
Su Man was a bit troubled. “Auntie, I don’t really want to go on blind dates yet. Wouldn’t that be inappropriate?”
But Aunt Xu didn’t take it seriously at all. “That young man is called Wang Tao. His brother-in-law is in charge of recruitment at the food factory this time. Just go meet him first—you said you were looking for a job, right?”
“Anyway, you and Regiment Commander Qi haven’t become a thing yet. Even if you really go on a blind date, no one can say anything about it. You can also take a look around; there’s nothing wrong with that. A woman should still marry a man who likes her—that way she can live well.”
Su Man understood that Aunt Xu meant well for her, but she was living inside a book. She had no reason to give up the large fortune right in front of her.
Besides, Qi Xiaoyuan’s face was genuinely outstanding—it also perfectly matched her aesthetic preferences. Even if he were just placed at home, simply looking at him every day would be enough to lift her mood.
However, there was no need to tell Aunt Xu any of this. After thinking it over, she nodded and agreed to the meeting.
On the training ground.
Before the end of training time, Wang Tao was already somewhat distracted. The moment it was announced that training was over, he immediately rushed out.
But he suddenly bumped into someone.
“What are you rushing off to do, kid?”
Wang Tao looked up and saw that it was Regiment Commander Qi. He scratched his head awkwardly. “Regiment Commander, I’m rushing off to a blind date. Qin Dajun introduced her, said she’s very pretty.”
Qi Xiaoyuan patted Wang Tao’s shoulder. “Then hurry up. Good luck on your date—hope you marry a wife soon.”
Wang Tao ran off happily.
To show sincerity, Wang Tao chose a restaurant with very good food near the Military Unit for the meeting.
When he saw Su Man, even though he was mentally prepared, Wang Tao was still completely shocked. He had never seen such a beautiful girl before.
Seeing him blush so badly that he was completely uneasy, almost moving awkwardly like his hands and feet didn’t belong to him, Su Man couldn’t help but laugh. “Let’s go inside.”
After sitting down at the table and ordering dishes, Wang Tao still blushed and didn’t dare to look at Su Man.
Su Man brought up the main purpose of today’s meeting and also talked about her own situation. Only then did Wang Tao gradually relax.
“Yes, my brother-in-law is in charge of recruitment. You graduated from high school—that’s an advantage. However, this recruitment prioritizes Military Dependents. You—”
Wang Tao dragged out his words and didn’t say it directly, but his meaning was already very clear.
Su Man understood, and she wasn’t surprised. After all, it was a food factory under the Military Unit, so prioritizing employment for Military Dependents was very normal.
Wang Tao lowered his head, thinking about something. Then he mustered up the courage to look at Su Man, but when he met her gaze, he immediately started stuttering. “I, I—”
“I’ll go buy soda.” He stood up and ran out quickly.
When Wang Tao came back with two bottles of Beibingyang soda in hand, he was still secretly annoyed at how useless he was. He absolutely had to be braver later and say it!
After adjusting his mood, just as he was about to go in, he was stopped by a voice.
After the entire day, Qi Xiaoyuan didn’t know whether Su Man had considered what he wrote on the note. After finishing training, he had planned to go find Su Man for dinner, but she wasn’t there.
Passing by here, he unexpectedly saw Su Man sitting by the window, smiling brightly at someone across from her. Looking again, the person opposite her was actually Wang Tao!
Thinking of Wang Tao saying earlier that he was going on a blind date, Qi Xiaoyuan’s gaze darkened.
“Regiment Commander Qi? Why are you here?” Wang Tao asked casually. “Have you eaten yet?”
He originally thought it was just polite small talk and he could go in, but unexpectedly Qi Xiaoyuan placed an arm over his shoulder. “Not yet. Do you mind if I join you for a bite?”
Wang Tao was stunned. Even after sitting down at the table, he still hadn’t reacted. Since when had their Regiment Commander Qi become so thick-skinned?
Su Man was very surprised to see Qi Xiaoyuan sit across from her. No matter how she looked at it, something felt strange.
But thinking about their slight unpleasantness from last night, she said nothing. She simply pretended not to know him. When Wang Tao introduced him as “This is our Regiment Commander Qi.“ she smiled and greeted him, then stopped speaking.
With Qi Xiaoyuan there, Wang Tao also found it inconvenient to continue what he hadn’t yet said.
So, this table became the quietest place in the entire restaurant.
It wasn’t until after the meal that Wang Tao felt he could no longer delay. “Su Man, as long as we get married, you’ll become a Military Dependent. I… I hope you’ll consider me.”
As he spoke, he lowered his head, nervously waiting for Su Man’s reply.
Su Man was stunned for a moment before realizing he meant that becoming a Military Dependent would allow her to pass the recruitment.
She smiled. Although she wouldn’t decide something as big as marriage after just one meeting, she could still feel the young man’s sincerity and enthusiasm.
Seeing the two of them completely treating him like air, Qi Xiaoyuan’s face darkened so much it looked like it could drip water.
“Wang Tao!”
“Yes!” Wang Tao instinctively responded.
“I just remembered, Deputy Regiment Commander Xie is looking for you. He said you should go immediately after dinner.”
Wang Tao reluctantly said goodbye to Su Man, paid the bill, and left.
Only Qi Xiaoyuan and Su Man remained.
“I’ll walk you back.“ Qi Xiaoyuan said.
“Mm.“ Su Man replied.
The atmosphere stayed silent for a long time.
Suddenly, Qi Xiaoyuan asked: “What do you think of Wang Tao?”
Su Man thought for a moment. “He’s pretty good.”
The young man was already a Battalion Commander at a young age. Someone who easily got shy should be quite kind. According to Aunt Xu, his family conditions were also quite good—he was a very suitable blind date candidate.
Qi Xiaoyuan choked for a moment, then said: “Marriage is a big matter. Two people have to spend their whole lives together, and even have children. It can’t be treated lightly.”
Su Man suddenly understood. So this was why Qi Xiaoyuan was resisting her.
She looked at his face under the night sky. The dim streetlights added a layer of depth and mystery to his features.
“Don’t worry.“ she said. “I’m very serious about marriage. Extremely serious.”
After all, she had made this decision after carefully considering the original story’s plot. The person in front of her—she was definitely going to win him over.
Her pale face was slightly tilted upward, her eyes dark and moist, her expression earnest and serious.
So this was her answer to him?
Even after reading that note, she still decided to get married.
Because she had broken off the engagement with him, she was going to go on a blind date with someone else, so she was cold toward him today, pretending not to know him at the restaurant, and had no words to say to him all the way back?
Was she trying to avoid suspicion with him?
“Alright, I’ve arrived. Thank you for sending me back.” Su Man smiled politely. “And about the accommodation fee, thank you as well.”
This morning, Ye Aihua had already returned the money to Su Man and mentioned that Qi Xiaoyuan had paid for the next week’s accommodation in full.
Qi Xiaoyuan’s voice was slightly dull. “This is what our Qi Family should do.”