Chapter 26.3

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Qiao Ziman quickly snapped out of her thoughts and subtly sized him up. He was fairly handsome, pale, and… Qiao Ziman chose a very diplomatic word to describe him: delicate.

Mr. Liu pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and, with his pinky raised, meticulously wiped down the chair, armrest, and table. “My mom says things outside are dirty.”

Qiao Ziman froze, a bit stunned. She thought, Chi Yin also has a cleanliness streak, but I’ve never seen her act this over-the-top.

As soon as Mr. Liu sat down, he suddenly exclaimed, “Oh no! My mom says it’s impolite to start eating before everyone arrives.”

Qiao Ziman rolled her eyes hard.

Mr. Liu added, “But my mom also says a man should be generous.”

This is unbearable—another weirdo. Qiao Ziman decided she’d finish her meal as quickly as possible and leave.

She started eating faster, but Mr. Liu kept going. “My mom says girls should be mindful of their image, especially when eating—you should chew slowly and elegantly.”

“My mom says I should find someone with equal social standing…”

Qiao Ziman, already exhausted by the conversation, mentally sighed, Please, just let this end quickly.

“My mom says…”

“My mom…”

Qiao Ziman couldn’t take it anymore. She slammed her chopsticks down, snapping, “Your mom says this, your mom says that. If your mom has so much to say, why doesn’t she come here and say it herself?”

“You—!”

As expected, the date didn’t end well.

Qiao Ziman wasn’t bothered at all, but He Cuizhen certainly didn’t feel the same. The moment she heard the news, she immediately called.

“Qiao Ziman! What’s wrong with you? How did you end up insulting someone again?” He Cuizhen was on the verge of losing it. “What was wrong with him? He’s 1.8 meters tall, has a master’s degree in finance, works for a Fortune 500 company, has a house, a car, and most importantly, he’s filial!”

Qiao Ziman, completely indifferent, replied, “He Cuizhen, I don’t care. I did what I promised. You said this was the last blind date, so I’m not going again. If you want to keep going, you do it yourself.”

“What do you mean, ‘do it myself’? Are you saying I should find myself a stepdad? Blah blah blah…” The next five hundred words were an endless string of complaints and scolding.

Qiao Ziman felt dizzy from the constant barrage of words.

As He Cuizhen continued her tirade, Qiao Ziman’s mind flashed back to Ji Yun’s suggestion about “pretending to have a girlfriend,” as well as the conversation between the two girls at the neighboring table earlier.

He Cuizhen, still fuming, yelled, “I think you’re just looking for trouble, Qiao Ziman! Are you doing this on purpose? Let me tell you something—I’m not giving up. If you don’t want to go on blind dates, fine. You can either become a nun or make enough money to hire a dozen caretakers to look after you for life. Then I’ll leave you alone.”

Qiao Ziman was taken aback. Alright, you asked for this, she thought. Deciding she had had enough, she went for the nuclear option. “Mom, how’s your health been lately?” Qiao Ziman asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

“Don’t try that on me!” He Cuizhen snapped, her voice strong and steady.

Good, Qiao Ziman thought, that’s a relief. Taking a deep breath, she said, “Mom, you might want to brace yourself for this.”

“What do you mean?” He Cuizhen demanded.

“Actually… I like women.”

Silence. It spread thickly, filling the air.

Did I overdo it? Qiao Ziman wondered, her heart starting to race. She was just about to tell her mom the truth when—

“I knew it!” her mother suddenly exclaimed.

Qiao Ziman: “???”

“Wait… what do you mean, ‘I knew it’?”

He Cuizhen, completely unexpected, replied, “You think us old folks don’t use the internet? We’ve suspected you weren’t straight for a while now. Otherwise, why haven’t you dated any guys? It’s fine, really—man or woman, as long as it’s a good person. Mom supports you.”

Wait, what? Qiao Ziman was stunned. This was definitely not how she imagined things would go.

“So, do you have a girlfriend? If not, do you want me to introduce you to someone?”

Girlfriend blind dates too?! The thought of endless matchmaking sessions—even for women—filled Qiao Ziman with dread.

“Your second aunt’s daughter’s classmate, or maybe your uncle’s son’s sister-in-law…”

Qiao Ziman: “!!!”

Just then, a WeChat notification from Ji Yun popped up on her phone:

[All done? There’s a bed scene in the movie, super hot. Should we invite President Chi too?]

Bed scene? Chi Yin? Damn it! Just when she’d managed to forget about the dream, Ji Yun’s message threw it back into her head, and now the images were playing on loop again.

But, this also gave Qiao Ziman an idea. Since Chi Yin barged into my dream yesterday, maybe using her as a temporary shield today isn’t too much to ask, right? After all, no one needed to know about the dream—it would stay buried inside.

Having made up her mind, Qiao Ziman decided to go for it. “Actually, I already have a girlfriend. She’s rich, has a big chest…” She checked off the list in her head. Yeah, big.

Qiao Ziman continued, “She’s my boss—yeah, the one you’ve met before. Pretty, right? But she has a bad temper. A bit of a sadist. She’d definitely beat me up, so I’d advise you not to provoke her.”

Feeling quite pleased with herself, she ended the call, ready to share her little victory with Ji Yun. But just as she was about to do so, she felt a burning gaze behind her. A sense of dread crept over her. No way… it can’t be happening again, can it?

Stiffly, she turned around, and sure enough, standing right there was the so-called “girlfriend” herself… Chi Yin.

Chi Yin glanced down at her own chest, then raised an eyebrow, her expression full of meaning.