"Stop sighing!" The sleazy young man sitting next to Jiang Qi, named Xie Buchen, was one of Jiang Qi's good buddies at the company. At this moment, he spoke to Jiang Qi with a serious face, "You need to buck up! You still have to pay the mortgage next month."
Jiang Qi glanced at his buddy and pursed his lips, helplessly saying, "You don’t understand the pain and sorrow in my heart."
"What pain and sorrow..."
"You are so handsome, and so many young girls chase after you, but look at me..." Xie Buchen shook his head, his face filled with bitterness and sorrow, muttering to himself, "If only I could be as handsome as you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Buchen suddenly thought of something and said mysteriously, "Jiang Qi... are you short of money?"
"Uh?"
"Do you have a way to make some money?" Jiang Qi asked with a puzzled look.
"Do you remember the club we went to yesterday?" Xie Buchen said sleazily, "There’s a rich woman who took a liking to you... She asked me to give you a message, saying that if you can spend the night with her, the money will be substantial."
Jiang Qi rolled his eyes, not amused, "Daydreaming. I, Jiang Qi, am an upright person and will not sell my soul."
"Oh come on..."
"Don’t be so rigid... This is also a way to make a living using your talents, and besides, making money is nothing to be ashamed of." Xie Buchen shrugged his shoulders, earnestly saying, "Let me tell you... if you miss this chance, there won’t be another one. You have to seize it!"
"Forget it."
"Although it’s easy money, the waters are too deep, I can't handle it." Jiang Qi pursed his lips, looking at Xie Buchen seriously, "Stop involving me in these shady deals in the future. We are straightforward men, that just won't do!"
Xie Buchen awkwardly smiled, casually saying, "I was just speaking off the cuff. Since that's the case, I’ll just reject her then... Hey, what are the plans for tonight? Want to go out for a late-night snack, then I can arrange a small gig for you?"
Just as Jiang Qi was about to speak, his phone rang by his side. He glanced at the caller... it was from his mother.
"Shh... it's my mom calling." Jiang Qi made a quiet gesture and then answered the call.
"Hello?"
"Mom... what’s up?" Jiang Qi asked.
"Oh, my dear son!" A woman's voice came through the phone, cheerful, "Are you busy right now?"
"Not too busy."
Jiang Qi nonchalantly asked, "Mom... what’s the reason for your call?"
"It’s about matchmaking."
"Mom has found a wonderful girl for you, oh my, she’s very beautiful and quite charming, very elegant, and comes from a very good family background." Jiang Qi's mother chuckled, "Really... this time I’m not kidding, I’ve seen this girl many times, she’s truly the perfect daughter-in-law in my eyes."
Hearing his mother's words, Jiang Qi’s mind inadvertently recalled experiences that weren’t his, yet felt so vividly personal. He opened his mouth to speak, then swallowed his words back, bitterly saying, "Mom... you said the same in the past, and what happened?"
"They all went well, it’s your own issue, don’t blame me." Jiang Qi’s mother retorted irritably, "I’m telling you... you must take this matchmaking seriously this time, dress up a bit, don’t look sloppy. She’s my best friend’s daughter, if you mess this up... see if I don’t break your legs."
Ah... it’s her old friend’s daughter again.
But thinking about it, it made sense, all the time spent in the mahjong room, and gradually... the number of these old friends just grew.
"Oh..."
"Got it." Jiang Qi could only reluctantly agree to the matchmaking.
Then, Jiang Qi's mother gave him the specific time and place, and soon after, she hung up the call.
"What’s up?"
"Going on a blind date again?" Xie Buchen asked curiously.
Jiang Qi nodded, then stared blankly into space, pondering philosophical matters.
...
...
As it neared the end of the workday, Jiang Qi left the company early, hurrying to the appointed place.
Despite his extreme reluctance, this was a mission from his mother, and he had no choice but to fulfill it... Before long, he arrived at the designated restaurant, finding a spot on the side, and sat there alone waiting for his blind date to arrive.
This being his first blind date after traversing time, he was quite nervous, yet also somewhat looking forward to it. Sometimes blind dates are like opening a mystery box, never knowing what’s inside until you open it, akin to quantum mechanics... Schrödinger’s blind date.
Just then, a woman appeared in the restaurant, dressed in a black professional suit, paired with a white shirt and black high heels, her slightly curly brown hair and a cool yet alluring makeup accentuating a mature, intellectual charisma.
The woman looked around, then walked towards Jiang Qi.
In an instant, Jiang Qi began to panic; clearly, this was not his blind date. While she looked young and beautiful, the aura about her did not seem typical of someone his age. If he wasn’t mistaken... this must be the mother of the girl he was supposed to meet, coming to check on him on her daughter's behalf.
Is she really a friend of my mother?
"Are you Ya Ling's son?"
The woman approached Jiang Qi, asking emotionlessly.
"Um..."
Jiang Qi nodded his head, respectfully saying, "Hello, Auntie. My name is Jiang Qi."
...
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