Chapter 129: Let's Meet Then

Because they had stayed up too late the previous night, neither Liu Sheng nor Ren Xiadong went home, choosing instead to stay at their own duplex apartment.

Early the next morning, Liu Sheng received a call from his mother, reminding him not to forget about his blind date.

Sitting on the sofa, Liu Sheng was utterly bewildered. Could his parents really not trust him that much? Did they genuinely believe he was incapable of finding a girlfriend on his own, to the extent that they had to arrange a blind date for him?

Ren Xiadong looked at the deep-in-thought Liu Sheng and asked, "What are you daydreaming about?"

"My mother is making me go on a blind date," Liu Sheng replied with a bitter expression.

Ren Xiadong's eyes lit up. "I'm coming too. I want to tag along and watch the fun, it's way too boring at home."

Unable to win against Ren Xiadong, Liu Sheng had no choice but to take him along when he left the house. However, he made Ren Xiadong sit at a separate table and strictly forbade him from acknowledging that they knew each other. Bringing a companion to a blind date—what would the young woman think of him? Would she think he lacked all independence and needed someone else to vet a potential partner for him?

Scene shift.

Inside a Western restaurant, Ren Xiadong sat at a table right next to Liu Sheng's, pretending not to know him at all throughout the entire encounter. Meanwhile, sitting across from Liu Sheng were two young women. At that moment, Liu Sheng thought to himself, *Damn it! Bringing a companion to a blind date—do I have any backbone or not? More importantly, which of the two of you is actually here for the date?*

One of the young women wore glasses while the other did not, but both were quite attractive. Their clothing and grooming both exuded a youthful charm, and just looking at them from the outside gave off a relaxed vibe.

At that moment, the bespectacled woman asked, "Do you own a house?"

Liu Sheng was somewhat surprised by the question. It didn't sound like something a university student ought to ask. His mother had told him that the blind date was a student at Xinghai University of Economics, and in the same academic year as him.

Liu Sheng thought to himself, *Are women nowadays all so materialistic? Regardless of age.*

Suddenly, Ren Xiadong sent Liu Sheng a text message. Liu Sheng picked up his phone and read, *"Haha, who can blame them when the current dating market has far more men than women? As a woman, of course she has to shop around and be picky. Because she's female and breathing, she has the leverage."*

Seeing that Liu Sheng remained silent, the bespectacled woman spoke up again, "I asked you a question. Can you show some basic manners instead of staring at your phone?"

Liu Sheng raised his head without speaking and merely shook it, indicating that he did not own a house.

Then the bespectacled woman asked, "Do you have a car?"

Liu Sheng shook his head once more.

"Well, you must at least have some savings, right?"

Liu Sheng still shook his head.

At this point, the bespectacled woman impatiently pulled on the arm of the non-glasses-wearing woman and said, "Forget it, he's not good enough for you. A penniless nobody who owns nothing and still thinks love exists in this world."

Hearing this, Liu Sheng felt rather displeased as well. He looked at the bespectacled woman and said, "Oh! I thought you were the one on the blind date. Just how much trauma have you suffered to not believe in love anymore? Fine, if you choose not to believe in it, that's your business, but you shouldn't ruin someone else's happiness just because of your own past hurts!"

"Hah! A penniless loser like you trying to be with our Mengyao is nothing more than wishful thinking!" the bespectacled woman scoffed mockingly.

Only then did Liu Sheng learn that the girl who was actually on the blind date was named Mengyao. He looked at Mengyao and asked, "Is that what you think too?"

Mengyao gently shook her head, but she was careful not to let the bespectacled woman see. Liu Sheng understood immediately that Mengyao and the bespectacled woman had a very close relationship, and Mengyao habitually followed whatever her friend said.

"Since we're already here, at least let me put on a proper show. Have a meal before you leave," Liu Sheng said, raising his hand to summon a waiter.

At that moment, the bespectacled woman chimed in again, "I bet this is his first time at such a high-end Western restaurant. I guarantee he's going to make a fool of himself when ordering."

Just then, a foreign waiter walked over and handed Liu Sheng a menu written entirely in a foreign language.

The bespectacled woman readied herself to watch Liu Sheng humiliate himself, while Liu Sheng deliberately left the menu flat on the table so she could watch him order with her own eyes.

Before ordering, Liu Sheng asked out of politeness, "Is there anything the two of you would like to eat?"

"We'll eat whatever you order. Can you even read the menu?" the bespectacled woman asked sarcastically.

Liu Sheng ignored her entirely and rattled off his order to the waiter in fluent foreign language. Once the order was placed, the waiter took the menu away.

The bespectacled woman felt a slight shred of goodwill toward Liu Sheng at this, but still remarked, "So what if you know a foreign language? Nowadays, people who study hard are just fools. The main thing is that if you don't have money, you're forced to study hard to try and change your circumstances. People like that usually come from poor families, and after graduation, they realize that in this world, nothing can be accomplished without personal connections and background!"

Liu Sheng could no longer restrain himself. He retorted, "Do you have a car, a house, and savings? If you don't, why do you demand that we must have them? Besides, I'm still a student; the fact that I don't ask my family for money is already pretty good."

"Oh, please, it's just that your family has no money and you're incompetent," the bespectacled woman continued dismissively.

By this time, Mengyao could no longer stand it and interrupted, "All right, stop picking on him. I think he's okay. A house and a car are things a couple can work on together after marriage; striving together toward a goal is a kind of happiness in itself."

"Your mindset is all wrong. Later on, you'll have to bear and raise children, do the laundry, and cook for the man. It's not too much to ask that he has a car and a house!"

Liu Sheng genuinely had no idea how to communicate with the bespectacled woman anymore. In her mind, whatever she said was absolute truth. He thought to himself, *With so many people of your kind around, no wonder there are so many left-over older single women. You want a car and a house—what do you bring to the table? Others might not even deign to look at you!*

When the ordered dishes arrived, the two young women were quite satisfied with the food and ate with great relish. This successfully plugged the bespectacled woman's mouth; if she had continued running it, Liu Sheng was afraid he wouldn't be able to control his temper and would simply smash her with money!

When the bill came after the meal, the waiter handed it over. Liu Sheng frowned slightly at the total of over two thousand yuan, furrowing his brow not because he couldn't afford it, but because he hadn't even ordered much—how could it possibly be this expensive?

"Not enough cash? Do you want the two of us to chip in and help you out? Anyway, this is a farewell meal."

Ignoring the woman's provocation, Liu Sheng looked at Mengyao and said, "No matter what kind of person you think I am, if you don't want to end up an unmarried older woman, you had better not bring this best friend of yours along on your next blind date."

"What do you mean by that?" the bespectacled woman demanded, growing anxious.

Liu Sheng ignored her completely. He pulled out his wallet, took out all the cash inside, handed it to the waiter, and said, "Keep the change as a tip!"

Seeing how generous Liu Sheng was, the bespectacled woman still scoffed, "Oh my, did you just blow your entire living expenses for the year? Is putting on this little act really worth it? Would you like us to pack up the leftovers for you to take back?"

As Liu Sheng stood up to leave, Mengyao spoke softly, "I'm sorry, my friend just has a blunt personality and didn't mean any harm. If she said anything to upset you, I apologize on her behalf."

"What are you apologizing for? A penniless loser! Don't tell me you've actually fallen for him? Let me tell you, there are plenty of wealthy men waiting for you down the line!"

Liu Sheng shot back, "Do wealthy men even want someone like you? You have money this, money that, on the tip of your tongue. Do you think wealthy men don't care about emotional connection? Women without emotional connection are called mistresses, not wives!"

After Liu Sheng finished speaking, Ren Xiadong hurriedly stood up, gestured toward the exit, and said, "President Liu, right this way, please."

Watching the two of them leave, the bespectacled woman refused to let up, snapping, "All for show! He even had to hire a friend to put on an act."

However, seeing Ren Xiadong personally open the car door for Liu Sheng as they drove away, she still muttered, "That car is probably his friend's anyway, or else rented. A guy who puts on such a big act is definitely unreliable."

"Oh, come on. I think he's pretty decent, and he seems quite easy to get along with."

"Mengyao, I'm doing this entirely for your own good. Finding a wealthy man will make your life extremely comfortable; it's infinitely better than struggling alongside some nobody." The bespectacled woman took a sip of her coffee and continued, "Let's go. I've arranged to go singing tonight with Brother Bin and his friends. They're all big bosses with plenty of money. If I could latch onto them, I'd gladly be a mistress—at least they've got cash."

"What the hell kind of nonsense was that! I would've been better off not coming at all!" Liu Sheng complained to Ren Xiadong as he sat in the passenger seat.

Ren Xiadong burst into loud laughter and said, "Why didn't you just smash them with cash? Anyone who worships money like that—you could've thrown enough money at them to make them both end up in your bed, filmed a video of it, and see if they'd ever dare run their mouths again. But seriously, that Mengyao seems all right. At least unlike the bespectacled woman, who makes you sick just looking at her. Someone like that deserves to be passed around!"

"She thinks far too highly of herself, completely oblivious to her own worth! Expecting to hook a rich guy—what on earth does she bring to the table? Why would any rich guy want her? Damn it, I'm furious!" Liu Sheng had never been this angry before. Seeing him so agitated, Ren Xiadong advised, "Relax, let's go find some fun tonight and blow off some steam."

Liu Sheng's temper was burning too hot to wait until evening. That very afternoon, he and Ren Xiadong showed up at a bathhouse. After a thorough soak and scrub, the two of them headed straight to the second floor. Seeing how remarkably young the two men were, the receptionists on the second floor whispered among themselves behind their backs, "With looks like that, they could easily find girlfriends. Why on earth do they come running to a place like this? Aren't they just spoiling the girls here for nothing?"

After an intense round of indulgence, they walked out of the bathhouse into the evening dark. Liu Sheng was wearing a long black down jacket that accentuated his tall, lean, and handsome figure, wrapped in his signature blue scarf while snow began to drift down from the night sky.

"Shall we go?" Ren Xiadong asked, looking at Liu Sheng standing beneath a streetlamp.

Liu Sheng paused for a moment and said, "I don't want to go back yet. I want to go check on Xiaoya's place."

Ren Xiadong drove straight to the building where Xiaoya lived. After a moment of hesitation, Liu Sheng headed upstairs.

*Knock, knock, knock.*

The door was opened quickly. Standing in the doorway was Wang Yu's wife—Xiaoya's sister-in-law. Liu Sheng didn't even know her name, so he simply said, "Hello, sister-in-law."

"Ah, Liu Sheng's here. Come on in," Wang Yu called out from the living room.

During the ensuing conversation, Liu Sheng learned that after Wang Yu got married, their parents had moved out, leaving only Wang Yu and his wife at home. Furthermore, Wang Yu's wife was currently pregnant. Before leaving, Liu Sheng quietly left a sum of money behind for them.

With nothing to do, the two drove at a snail's pace. Neither wanted to return home yet, but neither knew where else to go, until unconsciously, it was already ten o'clock at night.

"Why don't we grab a drink? The two of us haven't had a proper night of drinking in ages."

Liu Sheng was quite receptive to Ren Xiadong's suggestion. "That's a fantastic idea. Let's find a cozy, quiet place and drink properly."

Just as Ren Xiadong stepped on the gas pedal, Liu Sheng's phone chimed with a message: *"Are you around? Can you come pick us up? My best friend drank too much and a bunch of guys are trying to take advantage of us."* It was followed by a location pin.

Truth be told, Liu Sheng was extremely reluctant to go. He felt they had brought it entirely upon themselves, but his soft heart got the better of him. Through gritted teeth, he muttered, "Why is it that every time trouble happens, it's always at a KTV? Is this place cursed or something?"

"What?" Ren Xiadong asked.

Liu Sheng didn't answer. He simply opened the navigation app and said, "Don't ask questions, just follow the GPS!"