On the day Song Fengwan entered the capital, it was raining.
There was a saying on the streets that there was rain when dragons flew and wind when tigers prowled[1]. Song Fengwan felt that it was inconvenient to travel in the rain since it was muddy and slippery, and she still had a pile of luggage with her. But Qiao Aiyun felt that it was a good omen and would bless her to have smooth examinations.
Qiao Wangbei knew how to drive, but he rarely drove long distances. He was also afraid of heights and couldnât take planes. From Yuncheng to Beijing, there was no direct high-speed rail. The two of them took the green-skinned train (Chinaâs slow train) for two and a half hours and then changed to a high-speed train, tossing from side to side for an entire day.
They only arrived at the Beijing high-speed railway station at 7: 20 p.m.
Since her grandson had returned home, Old Madam Fu would naturally order him around if she had anything to do. So the task of picking them up naturally fell on Fu Sinian.
This made Fu Chen feel unhappy from the bottom of his heart. But he couldnât voice it out loud and could only make insinuations to Old Madam Fu indirectly.
So an hour before Fu Sinian picked them up, he was still having a blind date at a restaurant.
***
The person on the blind date was the same age as him. According to the traditional Chinese calendar, she was also thirty years old. She studied human resources, had a masterâs degree from overseas, and had a good family background. Naturally, her standards were high.
She didnât want to find a man younger than her, but her age was a little awkward, so she had been single the whole time.
When her parents introduced her blind date partner, they only said that he was in the computer industry and had a good family background. They didnât mention the specifics, and the matchmaker didnât say anything either. She just said that he had an uncommon family background.
It was mainly because she couldnât be bothered to listen to it as well. When she thought about IT guys programming, her impression was that they were all fat geeks who wore glasses, had greasy hair, and looked dirty. Since they stayed up late at night for long periods of time, they might even have acne on their faces.
In short, her first impression was bad.
So on the day of the blind date, she dressed up exquisitely. Her lips were bright red, and she looked a little aggressive. She kept wanting to show off her strength to this âfat geekâ.
She looked down at the time. The appointment was at half past six, and it was already six twenty-five, but no one came.
She lowered her head and sent a message to her mother. [If heâs late, Iâm leaving immediately.]
The other party immediately replied. [Wait a while more. Itâs raining outside.]
[If heâs sincere, he would definitely have come early.]
Just as she sent the message, a tall silhouette suddenly enveloped her. When she raised her head, she was stunned for a moment. âYouâ¦â
âFu Sinian.â
The man in front of her was tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. He looked noble and educated. Even the way he pulled the chair out was casual and graceful.
âSir, Miss, do you need to order?â
âNo need for now. Please give me a glass of water.â Fu Sinian casually adjusted his glasses, and the unintentional flash of the watch on his wrist made her eyes light up a few degrees again.
She looked at Fu Sinian with practically shining eyes. She hurriedly lowered her head and sent a message to her mother. [This man is very good. Iâm very satisfied.]
âMr. Fu, are you in the computer industry?â She smiled brilliantly.
âYes.â
There was a long silence, and it was a little awkward.
âLooking at your figure, do you usually work out?â
âYes.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âI like working out too. We can go to the gym together when we have time.â
âI always work out at home.â Fu Sinian took a sip of water. There was no emotion on his face, but out of respect, he still looked at her when she spoke.
This man was good-looking. Just by staring at her, his deep gaze was enough to make her heart palpitate in nervousness.
At home?
She couldnât possibly say that she wanted to go home with him the first time they met, so this topic ended in an instant.
âThen, what do you usually like to do?â
âWork.â
â¦
The conversation progressed very awkwardly.
âExcuse me. I still have something to do later, so Iâll be leaving first.â Fu Sinian saw that it was about time.
âWhere are you going?â The woman stood up immediately, a little anxious now. He was about to leave, and she didnât even manage to add him on WeChat or get his phone number.
Fu Sinian looked at her indifferently, making her feel a little awkward.
âI was just asking casually. I didnât mean anything else.â
Fu Sinian paid the bill, and the two of them walked out of the restaurant. The cold wind was accompanied by a light drizzle, making people shiver.
âItâs quite cold.â The woman rubbed her arms. Girls liked to look pretty. Even in winter, they couldnât look bloated, so she wore very little.
âYeah.â Fu Sinian nodded, seeming not to hear the meaning behind her words. He reached out and buttoned his coat, having no intention of taking it off for her. âItâs such a cold day. Iâll get going first.â
The woman was stunned for a few seconds.?Heâs leaving?
He took out his car key from his pocket, and the lights of a Jaguar parked not far away flashed twice, making the eyes of the person beside him shine again. This car looked expensive.
âItâs such a cold day. Is it convenient for you to give me a ride? I live nearby. Itâs very close, so it wonât delay you.â
Fu Sinian turned his head and glanced at her. âWhen I entered the restaurant just now, I saw your car key beside your phone. You probably drove here.â
The woman was instantly so embarrassed that she was unable to show her face. Nowadays, blind dates were almost the same as negotiation battles. You had to show your worth first, for fear of being looked down upon by the other party.
Showing your car key was a disguised form of âdemonstrationâ.
âMy car is almost out of gas,â she said, her voice trembling slightly. She clearly hadnât expected him to be so sharp.
âYour house isnât far. Youâll reach it in a few steps.â Fu Sinian was already rejecting her outright in this manner.
It made her feel inexplicably embarrassed. But if she missed out on this high-quality specimen in front of her, she would probably never meet someone like him again in her life. She gritted her teeth. âMr. Fu, if itâs convenient, can you leave your phone number?â
Fu Sinian turned his head to look at her, his eyes dark. âI didnât intend to go on a blind date. Coupled with the weather not being on my side today, perhaps even the heavens might think that weâre not fated to be together. Iâm sorry. Iâm in a hurry.â
Then he turned around and leftâ¦
The woman was dumbfounded.?He left just like that?
***
Beijing high-speed railway stationâ¦
Qiao Wangbei had met Fu Sinian before. Moreover, he was very eye-catching. As soon as he got out of the station, he saw him.
âUncle Qiao.â Fu Sinian walked over and took the suitcase smoothly.
âItâs raining so heavily. Sorry for troubling you to make a trip.â Qiao Wangbei sized him up. Fu Yuxiu and he were cousins, but the difference between them was enormous.
âItâs what I should do.â
âThis is my niece, Song Fengwan,â Qiao Wangbei introduced with a smile.
âHello.â Fu Sinian glanced at her and tried to take the suitcase from her, but she declined.
âItâs okay. This isnât heavy. Iâll carry it myself.â Song Fengwanâs first impression of him was that he was cultured. Because he was wearing glasses, but his words were cold, it was probably not easy to get close to him.
Fu Yuxiu, this idiot, had complained to her about Fu Chen before, and he had naturally mentioned this big brother as well.
He was a little afraid of him because this eldest grandson of the Fu family was too harsh and demanding. No matter how important or trivial, he was meticulous and precise about everything.
Fu Sinian looked at her a couple more times. Because she had just stepped out of the station and was carrying luggage, her tiny face was rosy, and she had the vitality and dynamism of a student. Especially when she smiled, her eyes curved, and she looked obedient and likable.
But in his opinion, she was just a child.?Arranged marriage?
This feeling is too strange.
On the way back, Qiao Wangbei chatted with him. When he was young, he had practiced archery for a period of time and won the National Gold Award. His school results had been excellent, and when he went to Beijing University, he had majored in computer science. Now, he had his own team and developed apps.
Song Fengwan listened quietly and finally had some understanding of him.
There was already a lot of traffic in Beijing. Coupled with the rainy weather, the original half-hour drive took an entire hour.
***
Old Fu residenceâ¦
Old Madam Fu was currently busy in the kitchen because she couldnât stay idle for a moment. Meanwhile, Fu Chen and Old Master Fu had played two rounds of chess.
Until the phone rangâ¦
Fu Chen was close to it, so he picked it up in passing.
âHello, this is the Fu familyâ¦â
After about a minute, Fu Chen hung up with a dark expression.
âWhatâs the matter? Who called?â Old Master Fu lowered his head and reset the chess pieces.
âAre Wanwan and them arriving soon?â Old Madam Fu was full of joy.
âNo, it was Sinianâs blind date tonight. She called to complain.â
âWhat did this kid do again? Heâs gone on a few blind dates, and he either caused the other party to cry or run away in anger. Iâve taught him a lesson before. What kind of trouble did he cause this time?â Old Madam Fu was a little angry.
If this continued, no one would dare to matchmake him.
âHe didnât send her back on a rainy day and let the young lady go home in the rain.â
âThis silly thing. No wonder heâs still single at thirty. He doesnât know how to be considerate of others.â Old Madam Fu sighed.
âThis time, he pushed the blame to the heavens. He said that since it was a rainy day, even the heavens objected to this marriage and rejected her.â Fu Chenâs tone was gentle.
Old Madam Fu exploded right away. âThis ridiculous brat! Because I didnât allow him to speak too presumptuously, he directly threw the blame to the heavens? When he comes back, Iâll beat him to death for sure.â
Old Master Fu reached out and knocked on the chessboard. With a push of his fingers, he moved the pawn forward one space. âThird Son, has Sinian irritated you recently?â
âNo.â
âThen, youâ¦â
âHeâs already thirty, yet heâs still not married. As his uncle, Iâm anxious.â
Old Master Fu snorted lightly.?Youâre not young yourself either, yet you still have the cheek to talk about others? When youâre bullying your juniors, why donât you mention that youâre an uncle? Now, youâre putting on airs.
[1] This means that there are always signs before things happen.