WRA CH2

Chapter 2: Meeting a Husband on a Blind Date

Three days later.

Xiang Zhen had just finished working a night shift. He couldn’t fathom why humans, after thousands of years of rising with the sun and resting at dusk, had abandoned that rhythm. Xiang Zhen didn’t get it, nor did he like it, but failing to work the night shift meant getting fired.

At nine in the morning, stepping out of the front doors of the office building, Xiang Zhen received a phone call.

“Hello, is this Miss Xiang Zhen?”

“Ah—oh.” Xiang Zhen yawned, looking up to see the sun wedged between two skyscrapers. As sunlight hit his pupils, his spirits revived. “Hello, this is Xiang Zhen.”

“Hello! You previously registered for a community charity blind dating event. After screening and matching by our volunteers, we have found several suitable male candidates for you. Would you have time to meet them one by one?”

Hearing it was about blind dating, Xiang Zhen cooperated enthusiastically: “Yes, absolutely! I’m free during the day today!”

“Great, I will contact them on your behalf and call you back shortly.”

Hanging up, Xiang Zhen walked along the edge of the street, deliberately picking paths bathed in direct sunlight. He strolled lazily back to his rented apartment. Just as he inserted the key into the lock, his phone rang again.

Coincidentally, one of the male candidates was also free in the afternoon. The volunteer had arranged for them to meet at Yuanqi Coffee at 3:00 PM.

In early May, the Zhoufu Group convened its AGM. The financial figures presented in the meeting were nothing short of astronomical.

By the time the meeting adjourned, it was already noon.

Breaking free from numbers so endless they had lost all meaning, Zhou Sicheng waved off his driver and drove out of the underground garage alone.

The green belt of the roundabout at the intersection had been refreshed with expensive, seasonal spring blossoms. Many drivers rolled down their windows while waiting for the red light to admire the limited-time scenery.

Two white cars waited side by side for the light to change. The passenger window of the car on the left was wide open, while the driver’s side of the car on the right was cracked open just a sliver.

Sitting in the passenger seat on the left was a man around thirty, his face sallow, dark, and irritable. Frowning as he answered a call, he spoke to the driver: “Driver, change of plans. Don’t go to Yuanqi Coffee anymore, head to Luyuan Community instead.”

The driver acknowledged, “Weren’t you going to the café for a blind date? What could be more important than settling down?”

“Going would be a waste of time anyway. The match is a customer service rep making just three thousand a month. I have no idea how anyone survives on that here. If things worked out, I’d have to support her. Her profile said she likes cake and milk tea—ha! An afternoon tea with a slice of Holiland cake would cost a whole day’s salary…”

The man crumpled the blind date profile into a ball and tossed it out the window.

The light turned green.

The two white cars—with a hundredfold price difference between them—brushed past each other.

Zhou Sicheng glanced at the crumpled paper caught on his windshield wiper. It was a photocopy of a date profile. The name “Xiang Zhen” was wrinkled, yet the strokes were written with clear, relaxed precision.

Nobody in this world will ever love you again. Give up on all your foolish, laughable fantasies. No one will ever look past your wealth to love you for who you are.

Those curse-like words surfaced in his mind, and his fingers tightened slightly against the leather steering wheel.

At two-thirty, Xiang Zhen took the bus to Yuanqi Coffee. The volunteer had mentioned he could go to the charity center in advance to pick up the other party’s paper profile, but the detour would cost two extra yuan in bus fare. Xiang Zhen was too stingy to spend it; since they were going to meet face-to-face anyway, he had a mouth and could just ask himself.

On the way, Xiang Zhen frantically looked up some blind date guides, terrified of exposing his lack of common sense.

“‘100 Questions for a Blind Date: housing, car, career, salary, housing fund, net height, parents’ pensions, siblings, smoking, drinking, single weekend day off or both days off…'”

Mmh—human blind dates are pretty complicated. Xiang Zhen recited the list all the way there. Arriving at the café, he closed his cheat sheet webpage, sat upright with a slender, straight back, and ordered a full-sugar latte.

This café was a designated blind date spot for the charity, featuring a dedicated table with a big heart-shaped balloon tied to it. Sitting here meant one cup of coffee was completely free.

Sipping his latte, Xiang Zhen kept his eyes on the entrance—looking over whenever a woman entered, and doing the same whenever a man stepped in. After all, the volunteer hadn’t told him the match’s gender.

By 3:15 PM, no one had approached his table.

Xiang Zhen’s latte was nearly gone. He held the very last sip in his mouth, rolling it between his cheeks twice before swallowing it with lingering satisfaction.

Having finished his free drink, he prepared to head home and sleep.

The second he stood up, the glass door pushed open. A man roughly 1.9 meters tall entered, dressed in a dark gray three-piece suit. He held the door with one hand without stepping all the way in, his posture poised to turn and leave at any second.

Zhou Sicheng glanced indifferently across the café, immediately spotting… a beautiful, honest-looking blond guy, and the tacky balloon floating beside his table.

It was actually a young man.

Conveniently, Zhou Sicheng didn’t care.

Pivoting slightly, Zhou Sicheng pushed the door open wider and strode toward Xiang Zhen. His deep, pool-like eyes narrowed slightly. “Xiang Zhen?”

From the moment the man appeared, Xiang Zhen’s entire soul was captivated by that handsome face—dazzling, breathtaking, utterly intoxicating.

This was the best-looking human he had ever seen. Tall, stunning, with deep-set features and a high nose bridge. He felt like the blazing midday sun, shining down upon all of a sunflower’s tender leaves.

Xiang Zhen couldn’t tear his eyes away. Just like a sunflower turning its head to track the sun, his gaze followed Zhou Sicheng until the man took a seat opposite him.

How can a man look like this! It’s too bewitching for a Yao!

“Are you here for a blind date with me?” Xiang Zhen snapped out of his dazed state of staring into the sun, pinching his thigh under the table so his oddness wouldn’t be noticed.

“Yes. I am Zhou Sicheng.” Zhou Sicheng waited a moment. No waiter came to take their order; there was only a yellowed QR code sticker on the corner of the table, instantly killing his appetite.

Xiang Zhen, watching Zhou Sicheng closely, chimed in at once: “Do you want a drink? Blind dates get one free order!”

Zhou Sicheng: “No need.”

Xiang Zhen’s eyes lit up: “Then I’ll drink it for you! I want to try the one with chocolate.”

Xiang Zhen briefly split his attention to the chocolate coffee. Finishing off his first cup, he poured half of the new drink in, took a sip, and purred, “It’s delicious, you should try some too.”

Looking at the price board on the wall, Zhou Sicheng felt no obligation to evaluate a 19.9-yuan coffee: “I’m allergic to coffee.”

Xiang Zhen regretfully gathered both cups into the crook of his arm, the corners of his lips curving up to reveal two faint dimples.

Zhou Sicheng disliked the coffee for stealing Xiang Zhen’s attention. He was accustomed to being the sole focus of people’s gazes.

Feeling nervous while staring at Zhou Sicheng’s face, Xiang Zhen forgot every blind date technique he’d read, skipping straight to the final step: “Do you have WeChat?”

Zhou Sicheng took out his phone.

Xiang Zhen successfully added him, seeing the contact name sent over was “Zhou Sicheng”—a very nice name.

Unlocking his phone, his eyes caught the “100 Blind Date Questions” webpage again, instantly reminding him of the proper procedure.

“My name is Xiang Zhen. I work in customer service, earning three thousand a month. No house, no car. I have a mother in the countryside and no other relatives. What about you?”

Zhou Sicheng remained expressionless. He never had to introduce himself.

Seeing his hesitation, Xiang Zhen assumed he was nervous, unlike himself, who had rehearsed a cover story on the way: “It’s fine. I ask, you answer, that works.”

Xiang Zhen: “Do you own a house?”

Zhou Sicheng: “No.”

Xiang Zhen peeked at his phone, reading verbatim: “Do you have savings?”

Zhou Sicheng: “No.”

Xiang Zhen empathized deeply: “Oh, oh, saving money here is really hard. Do you have a car?”

Zhou Sicheng: “Yes.”

Xiang Zhen: “What is your profession?”

Zhou Sicheng’s eyes flickered, as if it were inconvenient to state openly.

Xiang Zhen, however, proved very clever: “I’ve got it! You have a car, so you’re a ride-hailing driver, right?”

Zhou Sicheng: “…”

Xiang Zhen analyzed: “Your name is Zhou Sicheng. Si means to manage or control, and Cheng means to gallop a horse at full speed. Managing a galloping horse translates to a ride-hailing driver in modern times.”

Because his date was so handsome, Xiang Zhen showed off a tiny bit of his literary knowledge.

Zhou Sicheng: “Yes.”

It was the first time in his life he learned he had been born to drive for a ride-hailing app.

Since ride-hailing drivers had unpredictable incomes, Xiang Zhen thoughtfully skipped asking about salary, moving on: “Education level?”

Zhou Sicheng: “Master’s degree.”

Xiang Zhen was shocked. He never expected the charity to match him with someone tall, handsome, and highly educated: “I never went to school. Do you mind?”

Zhou Sicheng: “I don’t.”

Xiang Zhen: “What about family members?”

Zhou Sicheng: “No comment.”

Could two men even get married and meet the parents?

Every family had a hard-to-read scripture; human family dynamics were notoriously complicated. Xiang Zhen didn’t mind Zhou Sicheng evading the topic. Crinkling his eyes, he asked, “Alright, I’m done asking. I like you very much. Shall we get married?”

He had definitely fallen in love with Zhou Sicheng at first sight. The Guide to Adulthood warned that humans were prone to missing their chances and were extremely fragile—a missed meeting might mean finding out they had a terminal illness next time. A Yao had to take this as a cautionary tale.

When you meet someone you like, you marry them.

“…” Zhou Sicheng asked in return, “What do you like about me?”

Xiang Zhen: “I just like you as a person!”

Zhou Sicheng narrowed his eyes. Was it possible for someone to like… a penniless version of him? Was that even conceivable? Perhaps Xiang Zhen had seen his photo on the official Zhoufu Group website.

Xiang Zhen added: “If we get married, we can live together and save on one rent payment, and cooking at home is more economical. Would you consider it?”

Zhou Sicheng: “I have no house, no money, and no formal job, and my lease is about to expire. Are you sure you want to marry me?”

Xiang Zhen felt Zhou Sicheng was suffering from an inferiority complex: “You do have a job! You’re a ride-hailing driver! Your income must be higher than mine. Your lease is ending, and I just rented a place, so you won’t need to pay rent.”

Zhou Sicheng stared steadily at Xiang Zhen, his gaze sweeping across that silky golden hair. Among all the superstar celebrities he had ever seen, none could dye their hair as beautifully as Xiang Zhen’s; it looked entirely natural, as if he were born with it.

“All right.”

It was unbelievable.

Xiang Zhen could hardly believe his luck—he had found a human husband so quickly! He would treat his husband exceptionally well, ensuring he would never suffer hardships while following a Yao.

“Did you drive here? I’m off today, so I can help you move!”

Zhou Sicheng didn’t even have a rental apartment. He calmly declined: “No need. I’ll drive you back first. I don’t have much luggage, so I’ll move my things over tonight myself.”

Xiang Zhen showed understanding. The evening rush hour was approaching, peak time for hailing rides.

“Making money is important, but remember to eat your meals.”

Zhou Sicheng: “…”

There was no nearby parking around this café. For the first time, Zhou Sicheng realized parking could be this difficult, wasting fifteen minutes and ruining his punctuality. Fetching the car required another ten-minute walk.

In the massive parking lot, a white Maybach flashed its lights discreetly.

“After you.” Zhou Sicheng pulled open the passenger door. Acting as someone’s driver for the first time, his manners were impeccable.

Filled with novelty, Xiang Zhen slipped inside, looking left and right. Beauty was in the eye of the beholder; he felt this car was vastly superior to Sun Youzhi’s.

Seeing him observing the interior, Zhou Sicheng figured that no matter how slow-witted someone was, they would know this car was priceless. He sought to distance himself: “This car belongs to a friend—”

Wanting to flaunt his knowledge, Xiang Zhen offered proudly: “This must be a BYD!”

Zhou Sicheng: “…A friend’s BYD. Mine is in the shop for maintenance.”

That evening, Zhou Sicheng purchased a genuine, bona fide white BYD.

It was truly absurd.