“I’m acquainted with a very sweet girl,” Old Madame Wei declared as she grinned from ear to ear. “She’s only 25. A fashion design graduate who completed her course last year. She started her studio during her college years and has since established her designer brand. Now her focus is to grow her brand. I’d say she’s doing a pretty good job.”
Wei Zhiqian listened quietly, and Old Madame Wei continued, “This girl is quite a looker. As a fashion design graduate, she has an excellent aesthetic sense. Furthermore, her temperament is as remarkable as her fashion sense.”
“Grandma, are you…trying to arrange a blind date for me?” As Wei Zhiqian spoke, he was parking his car in the office’s parking lot.
Seeing that the cat was out of the bag, Old Madame Wei blurted out, “Are you going to go on it then?
“You’re already 27. We’re now almost halfway through the year. You’re going to be 28 next year. Others may not know this side of you, but I know you’re a reticent man. Knowing you, it would be a pipe dream that you would marry someone after only dating her for a few months. You’ll take at least one to two years to understand her thoroughly.
“So that means if you start dating someone now, give it another one to two years, you’ll be 29 by the time of the marriage. That will still be acceptable for me.” Old Madame Wei was winded after she had had that huge conversation.
I’ve honestly made a huge compromise, she was thinking.
“I mean, look at your current situation. You won’t be finding yourself a girlfriend if you go on with your life like this.” Old Madame Wei counted off with her fingers and added, “Even if you start going on blind dates now, there’ll be no guarantee that you’ll find your match after the first attempt, knowing how fussy you are.”
Upon hearing that, Wei Zhiqian felt a little dumbfounded. He got out of the car, closed the door, and locked it. Then he asked, “Do I come across as a picky person?”
“Oh, aren’t you? If my memory serves me right, I don’t remember ever seeing you dating any girl. Anyone of your age who has never been in love is a finicky person.” Old Madame Wei expressed her dissatisfaction and continued, “I wouldn’t be calling someone hypercritical if they had been in a relationship before, but to remain single until now…
At that, Wei Zhiqian was at a loss for words.
“Knowing your personality, I would even try my luck with the lottery if you had a successful blind date.” As his grandmother, Old Madame Wei knew Wei Zhiqian down to the ground. “Besides, it will take time to go on blind dates. By the time you find a suitable match, one year might pass.
“Finding a match and building a closer relationship all need time. Things often don’t go our way. As your relationship grows, you may feel that you are not suitable for one another and go separate ways. If you find a compatible partner, you can plan for your future marriage after you date and familiarize yourselves with each other.
Old Madame Wei became increasingly troubled after she ran the numbers with her fingers. “But whatever the outcome is, it’ll take a lot of time. I would be thankful if you could even get married by 30.
“In any case, my bottom line is you getting married by 30. No more compromises,” Old Madame Wei declared. “You’ll not get off scot-free if you’re not married by then.”
Wei Zhiqian was dumbstruck at her statement.
“I didn’t say that I’m not going,” Wei Zhiqian answered in a composed manner as he walked toward his office.
A moment later, he exited the elevator and sauntered along the walkway on his office floor.
Just then, he turned his head and glanced outside the window of the corridor where he was strolling.
It was cloudy that day. A few layers of cumulonimbus clouds covered the sun.
The grayish sky resonated with his mood at that time.
For that reason, he did not resist his grandmother and was unmoved at the mention of the blind date.
His impassivity was like the serenity of a sunless sky filled with dark clouds.
“This girl is…” As Old Madame Wei was trying to persuade him, she suddenly lost her train of thought after hearing Wei Zhiqian’s words.
Rooted to the spot, she blinked in bewilderment. After a while, she questioned him in disbelief, “What did you say?”
“Didn’t you say you wanted to arrange a blind date for me?” Wei Zhiqian replied.
Only a few people had come to work as it was Sunday. Not a single person could be seen on the floor where he was.
It had been his spontaneous decision to be there that day, so he had not called in Zhou Jingan as there really was no work to be done.
His footsteps echoed throughout the empty floor.
Wei Zhiqian replied without a second thought as there was no one around him. The likelihood of someone overhearing him was nonexistent.
“Do you…you agree to go then?” Old Madam Wei queried in astonishment.
“Yeah.” Wei Zhiqian nodded. “I have to get married eventually. Since I don’t have a crush on any woman, a blind date might be an ideal place to find a suitable partner. Moreover, it is also a way of getting to know a member of the opposite gender. I don’t see anything wrong with it.”
Old Madame Wei’s jaw dropped after hearing that. She was stupefied.
Her mind went blank.
“What’s her name? When shall we meet?” Wei Zhiqian asked. “I’ll leave the arrangements to you. Set the date and time as you deem fit. I don’t think we should get each other’s contact information as of now. We can always get it later if we want to have a next meeting. It could be unwanted trouble if we found the other party unsuitable after adding one another on social media.”
“All right…” Old Madame Wei nodded as if in a daze. “Well…I’ll get to it then.”
“Thank you,” Wei Zhiqian responded.
Old Madam Wei was completely flabbergasted in the face of his prompt response.
She had been playing cat and mouse with him for years over this matter. Until today….
She was not used to having him comply with her requests without any argument.
HMMM! “…Okay.” Old Madame Wei muttered. “I’ll give you a heads-up once I’ve finished with all the arrangements.”
“Got it.”
Old Madame Wei’s mind was blown. After ending the call, she turned to Old Mister Wei and questioned him, “Was I dreaming?”
“What’s wrong?” Old Mister Wei was puzzled. “What’s with your peculiar response? Why that long face?”
“He agreed…” Old Madame Wei answered.
“Then what are you still upset about?” A thought suddenly crossed Old Mister Wei’s mind. This woman is so hard to please.
She would be furious if he had refused to go on a date.
Yet now she was upset because he had gone along with her suggestion.
“It’s not what you think,” Old Madame Wei responded. “I just wonder why he agreed to it so quickly today?”
“Quickly?” Old Mister Wei disagreed with his wife. “Didn’t you give him a long pep talk as a prelude to the conversation?”
“What do you mean? I reckon that he didn’t even listen to a single word I said just now. He must have considered going on a blind date long ago.” Old Madame Wei pinched her cheeks and asked her husband again, “Say, am I dreaming?”
“Take a sip.” Old Mister Wei served Old Madame Wei a cup of tea.
After taking the teacup, she paid no attention to the contents inside as her mind was preoccupied with Wei Zhiqian’s matter.
She took a gulp of tea.
“Why is this so lukewarm and bitter? How long has this tea been sitting here?” Old Madame Wei scrunched up her face.
“I filled up your cup before you called Zhiqian. Who would’ve thought that you’d talk for so long? After sitting there for such a prolonged period, the tea would obviously become lukewarm and bitter,” Old Mister remarked.
“Then why did you give it to me?” Old Madame Wei pouted. “You did it on purpose, didn’t you?”
“Bitter, you say? That means you’re not dreaming.” Old Mister Wei chuckled. “Isn’t that right? Are you feeling awake now? Can you remain clear-headed and taste bitterness vividly in your dream?”
Old Madame Wei winced at the bitterness in her mouth.
