Fang Yuming saw Su Minzhi wearing a lotus-pink knit sweater, her long black hair neatly combed—not permed into the trendy “cauliflower” style but left naturally over her shoulders—and a gentle smile on her face.
Niannian wore a pink sweater and was excitedly telling her mother something, her cheeks flushed; it was clear she was in a good mood.
The sight tugged at memories of a happier time when the three of them had been a joyful little family.
Now the mother and daughter seemed to be doing very well—perhaps even more carefree and content than when he had been with them. The realization left Fang Yuming with a sharp pang of loss and a vague, hard-to-name regret.
He hesitated about whether to go over and say hello. After all, he was here for a blind date; if the woman he was meeting saw this scene, it would be extremely awkward.
As he wavered, the restaurant door opened again and a quiet, elegant young woman entered—clearly the blind date he had come to meet.
She wore a plain gray sweater under a dark blue coat, her hair neatly arranged, her face wearing a polite but slightly nervous smile.
“Hello—are you Comrade Fang?” she asked, speaking gently and courteously.
Fang Yuming quickly stood, trying to appear composed. “I’m Fang Yuming. You must be Comrade Li?”
“Yes, I’m Li Huiru.” She sat opposite him and carefully placed her handbag beside the chair.
Before coming, Li Huiru had heard from the matchmaker that Fang Yuming was on his second marriage, and she’d been somewhat hesitant. In this era, the difference between first and second marriages still mattered. But the matchmaker emphasized that Fang had a stable job with steady income and a bright future.
His family’s living conditions were also decent—compared to cramped communal dwellings, the Fang household had their own small courtyard in the lane. Most importantly, though he had a daughter, the child reportedly lived with the ex-wife and wouldn’t be a heavy burden on a new family.
Taken together, these were attractive qualities.
Seeing Fang in person, Li Huiru found him handsome: well-featured, neatly dressed, and polite—exactly the kind of husband she had hoped for.
That eased her reservations and she began to seriously consider the match.
But Fang Yuming’s mind was elsewhere. He couldn’t help mentally comparing Li Huiru to the woman not far off—Su Minzhi.
Li Huiru’s skin wasn’t as fair or delicate as Su Minzhi’s; her eyes lacked Su Minzhi’s brightness; she was noticeably shorter; and her bearing lacked Su Minzhi’s elegance and confidence.
The contrast depressed him, and he even began to doubt whether coming to this blind date had been the right decision.
“By the way, I heard you have a daughter?” Li Huiru tried to break the stiffness and brought up the topic.
Fang Yuming nodded, forcing his voice to sound natural. “Yes. Her name is Niannian—she’s seven this year.” Speaking of his daughter, a tender smile involuntarily crossed his face.
His glance drifted toward his ex-wife’s table, trying to see what Niannian was doing—and at that moment his eyes locked with Su Minzhi’s.
Both of them froze for an instant.
Su Minzhi hadn’t expected to run into Fang Yuming while taking her daughter out for a celebratory meal. This was their first face-to-face encounter since the Fang family’s visit had been rebuffed by her mother after the divorce.
She quickly took in his situation: the young woman sitting across from him and the awkward attempts at familiarity between them. She understood immediately—he was on a blind date.
Su Minzhi decided to pretend not to have noticed. She said nothing and didn’t mention the encounter to the delighted Niannian.
In her view, today was her daughter’s important day, and it shouldn’t be spoiled by an unexpected meeting.
“Can’t ruin someone else’s happiness,” she told herself, and turned her attention back to her daughter.
“How’s the egg tart, Niannian? Is it good?” she asked warmly, as if nothing had happened.
Niannian, focused on tasting the pastry with her little spoon, nodded enthusiastically. “Yummy!”
Seeing her daughter’s innocent smile, the small ripple of unrest in Su Minzhi’s heart quickly subsided.
Meanwhile, at Fang’s table the blind date continued. Li Huiru seemed interested in the earlier mention of a daughter and asked, “So your daughter lives with your ex-wife?”
Fang nodded.
Li Huiru visibly relaxed at the answer and spoke candidly. “To be honest, I’m a kindergarten teacher and I like children, but the idea of suddenly becoming the stepmother to such a big child scares me a bit.”
“A seven-year-old already has habits and opinions; forming a bond wouldn’t be easy. If the child doesn’t live with us, my pressure would be much less.”
Her words were polite but clear—she did not want the burden of raising a stepdaughter.
Hearing this, Fang thought of Liu Xiaolei back home.
He hesitated, remembering the bitter accusation at the time of the divorce—Su Minzhi had called him a liar for deceiving her. The sting of being labeled dishonest lingered, and he didn’t want to repeat that mistake. If he was starting over, he decided to be upfront.
Fang briefly explained Liu Xiaolei’s situation.
Li Huiru’s expression changed instantly.
She had not expected that Fang would have another child requiring care.
“This wasn’t mentioned by the matchmaker,” she said, her tone cooling.
Her mental calculation restarted. One seven-year-old daughter was already more than she’d hoped for—now an eight-year-old son as well. This was beyond her expectations and tolerance.
Li Huiru placed her teacup down, keeping a polite face but speaking more distantly. “Comrade Fang, I think I need to reconsider.”
She paused, then spoke directly and decisively: “I’ve thought it over. I don’t think we’re suitable.”
Fang Yuming felt a swirl of emotions.
To be honest, he hadn’t had strong feelings for Li Huiru anyway—he’d been comparing her to Su Minzhi from the start and found her lacking.
That was one thing. But being rejected so plainly was another. The sting of refusal bruised his pride and forced a clearer reckoning with his current situation.