Chapter 7: Could He Really Be Inferior to Those Men?

The man replied just as quickly as before.

“Okay, weekend works.”

Li Yunchu let out a long sigh of relief and quickly typed back.

“That’s great, Dr. Pei. Let’s set it for the weekend then.”

“Mm.”

He responded with a brief acknowledgment.

Li Yunchu put her phone away. She was exhausted today and just wanted to sleep as soon as possible...

*

A week passed swiftly. During that time, she and Pei Siyie hardly communicated, which actually eased a lot of her stress.

She spent the week quietly at her desk.

Should she meet Dr. Pei on Saturday or Sunday?

Maybe she should just ask him.

Li Yunchu picked up her phone and saw a message from her matchmaker sent an hour ago.

She sighed. If she refused to continue seeing Pei Siyie, she would have to keep going on blind dates, nonstop, just like before.

Otherwise, her mother would definitely keep pushing her.

She wasn’t in the mood to check the other party’s messages anyway; she knew she wouldn’t agree, so the messages didn’t matter.

The matchmaker usually scheduled dates on Saturdays, so she decided to invite Pei Siyie out on Sunday instead.

“I’ll come on Saturday.”

After replying to the matchmaker, Li Yunchu messaged Pei Siyie.

“Dr. Pei, can we meet this Sunday?”

Her phone vibrated almost immediately.

“Are you very busy on Saturday?”

The man didn’t answer directly.

Li Yunchu stared at his question.

She wasn’t particularly busy on Saturday—just had a blind date, which always drained her energy.

Besides, she couldn’t just tell Pei Siyie she was going on a blind date.

Last time, Pei Siyie said he thought they were a good match and wanted to see where it could go.

If she said she still needed to go on blind dates, it would probably embarrass him.

He even accompanied her to get a medical checkup before.

If nothing had happened previously, it would have been fine, but now she couldn’t say those words no matter what.

It felt like she was betraying him.

For the first time, Li Yunchu felt that way, even though they hadn’t established any real relationship.

Her finger hovered over the screen as she typed, “I... have something to do. I’m accompanying a friend to a hospital checkup. Dr. Pei, are you free on the weekend?”

*

“I’m free, but I’m curious why you don’t want to meet on Saturday.”

“I just think the weather will be better on Sunday, haha.”

Li Yunchu replied and then put her phone away, too embarrassed to look at his response.

She felt an inexplicable awkwardness.

*

Pei Siyie sat in his office.

He looked at the message from the girl, then opened the weather forecast.

Saturday was sunny; Sunday was rainy.

So... the weather would be better on Sunday?

The young woman couldn’t even lie convincingly.

Thinking that she was still guarding herself made his heart ache.

Knowing he couldn’t get the truth out of her, Pei Siyie still tried to find out her schedule.

She was going on another blind date.

Why would she rather meet those men than spend time with him?

Was he really worse than those other men?

Whatever kind of husband the young woman wanted, he was willing to do everything to fulfill her wishes.

How could she go on blind dates with others?

She didn’t care that his heart was shattered.

He couldn’t let her succeed in these blind dates, nor could he let those men have any improper thoughts about her.

He was a man, too; even with the person he loved, he would have feelings he shouldn’t.

Let alone those worthless guys.

He would never allow any man to covet his girl.

She was his.

*

Saturday.

Li Yunchu changed into more casual clothes and didn’t even bother with makeup.

She was too lazy to prepare herself for a blind date.

Better to be looked down on and rejected.

After arriving, she suddenly regretted not checking the other party’s information more carefully.

“Hey, you’re here!”

Just as Li Yunchu tried to run off, the man called her back.

He hadn’t shaved, his face looked unwashed for days, dirty, covered in pimples.

Li Yunchu braced herself and approached.

“You look much better than your photo. So, what do you think of me?”

Li Yunchu felt a headache coming on.

She felt they weren’t compatible, as if they belonged to different generations.

“Um... you’re... quite good.”

The man chuckled, “See? Girl, these pimples are just teenage acne—they show I’m still young. But you girls aren’t the same. If you’re over 25 and still unmarried, men in the marriage market will be choosy. You’re 26, right?”

“At your age, even if you’re pretty, you don’t get to pick men anymore. But I don’t mind.”

Li Yunchu frowned deeply. What did he mean by women over 25 being picked over by men?

She felt she had nothing in common with this real-life person—they might as well be from different centuries.

Of course, she, a weary and worn-out mule, wasn’t much better.

The man picked up a cigarette, lit it, and started boasting about his past glories.

“Girl, I’m 35—this is the prime of a man’s life. ‘Young and promising’ fits me perfectly.”

“Though I’m good-looking, I’m not shallow. Marriage is about capability. I want you to focus more on my abilities.”

Li Yunchu’s face flushed with embarrassment. She wanted to escape immediately.

The man’s breath reeked of smoke, making her feel nauseous.

Unconsciously, she recalled her last blind date with Pei Siyie.

He smoked too, but maybe it was the type of cigarette.

It wasn’t harsh or choking; the tobacco scent was mild.

Li Yunchu didn’t exactly like the smell but didn’t hate it either.

Moreover, when Pei Siyie supported her a few days ago, she hadn’t noticed any unpleasant odor on him.

“Girl, why aren’t you talking?”

Li Yunchu forced a couple of awkward laughs.

“I’m a little hungry and want to save energy by talking less.”

The man paused, “Ah... you’re hungry.”

He cleared his throat, pressed his index finger against his nose, looking thoughtful.

“Girl, I haven’t had the courage to say this before, but I think you’re a bit overweight.”

“You’d look better if you were slimmer. Otherwise, no one would want you.”

He glanced at the menu on the table. “Alright, let’s get to know each other first.”

“Waiter, two cups of warm water, please.”

Li Yunchu’s mouth twitched.

The waiter brought two cups of warm water, glanced oddly at the man, then at Li Yunchu, before impatiently speaking:

“If you don’t order food, each cup of water costs two yuan.”