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April was a comfortable month. It wasn't too cold, nor too hot. On this day, the weather was great, and the sun was shining brightly. However, Gu Anran was not in a good mood. The design plan that she had submitted yesterday had been returned to her this morning without a reason. The director did not waste any extra words and simply said, "Change it!" He did not tell her what exactly she needed to change and how she was supposed to change it.
Gu Anran placed down the pen and design plans in her hand, somewhat discouraged. She pressed her two hands to her temple and leaned back in the chair.
At this time, the phone on the table rang. When she saw the screen flickering with an incoming call, she furrowed her forehead. She didn't want to answer this call, but she didn't have any other options.
After taking a couple of breaths, Gu Anran pressed the phone and connected the call. "Mom."
"Tonight at Da Cheng Restaurant's first-floor coffee shop, Table 2, Lin Anjie, male, 31 years old, undergraduate degree, civil worker, has a car and a house, height 173, no unhealthy hobbies, does not smoke, does not drink. Go and see him tonight at seven and have dinner together," Lin Xiaofen said, all in one breath. She spoke very fast and did not pause.
"Mom!" Gu Anran drew out the word. She was really about to be defeated by her mother? For an entire week, she had given her one per day without any breaks. She didn't even know where she got all of these "goods"!
"Anran!" Lin Xiaofen sighed. Nobody knew the daughter better than the mother. She knew that she was putting a lot of pressure on her. "You're already 28 years old, not 18. How many years of youth can a woman have? Right now, you can pick someone good. If we wait until next year, then it will probably be other people picking you. Mom is almost 60 years old. I want you to get married and have kids before I'm confused. If I have time, I can help you take care of the kids. If you keep dragging it out, I'll no longer be able to carry them. Also--"
Gu Anran helplessly listened. She could practically recite her mother's words. Her mother said it to her multiple times a day, so it was hard for her to forget it. She interrupted her mother's unoriginal words. "Mom, it's at seven, right? I'll be there on time."
"Okay. After work, go to the bathroom and retouch your makeup. Your date tonight will be introduced by your Aunty Zhang. His qualifications and personality are both good. If he is suitable, you guys can try going out!" Lin Xiaofen exhorted.
"All right, I got it. Mom, I still have designs to draw. Let's drop it for now. I'll arrive on time tonight. Don't worry." After she was done speaking, she quickly hung up the phone and sighed deeply. Before she finished sighing, the phone in her hand once again rang with an incoming call. Gu Anran got scared by it. She looked at the phone number, answered it, and said in a bad tone, "Don't tell me that you also called me because you want me to go on a blind date!"
"Anran, congratulate me. I'm getting married!" Anran's best friend from college, Lin Li, announced in a loud voice through the phone.
Gu Anran was shocked. Then, she immediately responded and happily said, "Your Chengxiang is finally marrying you!" Chengxiang was their classmate from college. Back then, Lin Li had been attracted to the man the second she saw him. Then, she had used a lot of effort before she was able to get him. From the time the two were annoying each other to now, it had been around 10 years.
"We'll be taking wedding photos the day after tomorrow, and we'll have the wedding next month. Note down the fifth of next month and empty your schedule for the day. On that day, you are my bridesmaid."
"So fast!" It was in less than a month.
"Um… I'm pregnant. Chengxiang's family is superstitious. Next month just so happens to be April in the Lunar Calendar. If we don't marry in April, then we will have to wait until August in the Lunar Calendar. How can I wait until then? By that time, my stomach will be huge."
"You're pregnant?!" Anran's voice suddenly became loud.
"Quiet down a bit," Lin Li rebuked. She was a pregnant woman and couldn't be scared.
Anran said, somewhat regretfully, "Why is it that, in the blink of an eye, you're already becoming a mom?"
"Right? I'm already about to become a mom, so why aren't you hurrying up? Let's not talk about marriage. You still need to find someone to date." Lin Li said. She had mentioned this to her multiple times. However, she wouldn't listen to a word and continued to remain single. From the time she graduated from college until now, how long had it been? "Are you still thinking about that heartless rat?!"
Anran's heart suddenly hurt. It felt stuffy and terrible, and she quickly said, "I-I still have designs to draw… L-Let's end it here for now." After she was done speaking, she quickly ended the call.
The man's face became clear in her mind. Occasionally, she would be reminded of the guilt and apology on his face on that day, making her want to hate him but unable to do so.
With her thoughts in turmoil, she picked up the sketch and the pencil. As she fixed the sketch, the turmoil in her heart settled down.
At 6:55 PM, Anran parked her Chery in front of the hotel. She had purchased the car with the bonus she had received from the company last year. She was an idiot when it came to machines. Everything that was mechanical was too difficult for her. Therefore, she was used to drawing all of those designs by hand and rarely used the computer. And, because of her job, if she wasn't staying in the company and drawing designs all day, then she would be visiting the construction sites. Therefore, having a car made things much more convenient for her. However, because of this, she spent a lot of time and effort to get her driver's license.
Before getting out of the car, she took out a makeup mirror from her bag and looked over her makeup. Although she hated continuously going to different blind dates and eating lunch with unknown men, she would always be serious on these dates.
When she entered the hotel, the host brought her to the reserved table. Her date had already arrived. He had a crew cut and wore glasses. His eyes were neither big nor small, his nose neither high nor straight, and he wasn't handsome or ugly. When he saw Anran walking over, he stood up and reached out his hands to shake hers. "Are you Miss Gu? I'm Lin Anjie."
"Gu Anran." Anran nodded as she retrieved her hand and sat in the other seat.
Lin Anjie picked up the menu. Technically, it was a drink menu. There were all sorts of coffee and teas on it, as well as alcohol. Anran ordered a cup of Caramel Macchiato. She was fond of sweets, as well as the taste of coffee. Therefore, she liked to drink Caramel Macchiato.
Lin Anjie asked for a cup of Cappuccino and then gave the menu back to the server.
Anran opened her mouth. In reality, she hadn't yet had dinner. Originally, she had wanted to order food, however, since he did not seem to have that in mind, she closed her mouth, embarrassed to ask.
"What do you work as, Miss Gu?" Lin Anjie said when the coffee came.
"Construction. I currently work at a construction company," Anran said and then she picked up her coffee mug and drank from it.
Lin Anjie nodded and said, "There are very few women who work in construction. Isn't it very tiring?"
Anran smiled. "There's no other way. The expertise required in the construction industry is very high, and it is very hard to change professions." She said as she took another sip of the coffee. Because she was altering the design in the afternoon, she didn't have the time to eat. Having not eaten from morning to now, she was really hungry.
Lin Anjie nodded. He was quite satisfied with Anran. However, her age was a bit high. From her qualifications, she shouldn't be relying on blind dates at this age. "Miss Gu's qualifications are very good. Why is it that you still haven't married? Is it because your sights are too high?"
"No. Normally because I'm too busy working, I don't have the time to care about these things. Therefore, in the blink of an eye, I find myself already at this age," Anran responded.
Lin Anjie smiled and nodded, taking a sip of his coffee and said, "I don't have a lot of requirements for my wife, as long as she has a steady job and can take care of the family. However, after we get married, we must live with my parents. After all, it was not easy for them to raise me through the years. Now that they are old, it should be our turn to take care of them. After we get married, I think that it is best that we hand our salaries to my mother for safekeeping. That way, we will be able to arrange it to be beneficial for the overall plan. Technically, there aren't many places that we would need to use money. We can eat and live at home. If we really need money, then we can ask my mother for it, right?"
Anran smiled dryly and didn't say anything. Leaving aside how they were going to live after marriage, wasn't it too early to be discussing these things?
"Also, my mother has a bad leg. Therefore, you might need to do all of the housework after we get married. Technically, it's not much. Just cooking, cleaning, and washing dishes. It's not tiring. If I have time, I will also help." Lin Anjie continued, not realizing that Anran was acting strangely. "Truthfully speaking, my parents, they--"
"Um…" Anran interrupted his monologue and pointed to her empty cup. "Can I get a refill?"
Lin Anjie looked at her, nodded, and pressed the service button. The server quickly arrived by their side with a smile. "How may I help you?"
"Can you refill her cup?" Lin Anjie said, pointing to Anran's cup.
"My apologies, sir, but we do not refill coffee here." The server professionally smiled.
Lin Anjie wrinkled his eyebrows and, after a while, said to the server, "Then, what won't cost extra?"
"Oh." The server paused and then responded, maintaining his smile, "Water is free."
Upon hearing this, Lin Anjie said to that person, "Then, give us water."
Anran felt that the corner of the server's mouth was twitching. She was also a bit speechless toward him. She really had met a top-notch man this time.
The two continued sitting for a while. Even after Anran was done drinking the water, Lin Anjie was still talking about all of the requests he had for his future wife. Anran excused herself, saying that she needed to use the restroom. In the restroom, she called Lin Lili, asking for help, and then returned to her seat. In less than a minute, Lin Lili's call came. Anran excused herself, saying that there were matters she needed to attend to at the company. Lin Anjie nodded and asked the server for the bill.
If she would have known what would happen next, there was no way Anran would have waited to leave together with him after he paid the bill. She thought that that was the pinnacle of his stinginess, but she didn't think that he would take out a coffee voucher from his wallet and give it to the server. In the end, over the blind date, he only spent 5 Chinese yuan as a tip and then left the hotel under the server's heated gaze.
What Anran didn't know was that in the seat behind her, there were two men who watched the entire process of her blind date. When they left, a playboy laughed crazily while holding his stomach and said to the man across from him, who had his head lowered, looking over a document. "Yicheng, I quite pity that lady."
The man shot a glance at him, the corner of his mouth half ticking. He didn't say anything and continued looking over the document in his hand. He had seen that woman before. Yesterday, at another coffee shop, she had also seemed to be having a blind date.
Anran returned home, somewhat frustrated. Her stomach, which was originally rumbling in hunger, was no longer hungry. Today, she had gained knowledge and experience. She thought that all extreme douchebags were fabricated from movies and novels. The truth was, they all came from life!
When she walked through the doors, Lin Xiaofen was in the living room watching television. A couple of the accounts that she had looked through were placed on the coffee table.
Anran greeted her mom in a low voice. Her scalp felt a bit numb. Recently, it was like that almost every night. She was probably going to be lectured again.
The Gu family was a very mundane and normal family. Gu Anran's mom, Lin Xiaofen, was an accountant at a nationalized industry and was not usually busy. When she was young, Lin Xiaofen was a charming and distinguished beauty. Although she was older now, she still took care of herself. Even though she was almost 60 years old, she did not look old. Her face became simple and elegant with time. Anran's father, Gu Hengwen, was a high school literature and language teacher. He had 30 years of teaching experience and was an excellent teacher. Many of his students had gone to famous schools, and he received love and respect from both his students and his student's families.
When she saw that Anran had returned, Lin Xiaofen shut off the television and nodded at Anran. "Come over here. I need to ask you something."
Anran forced herself to walk over. She placed her bag on the coffee table and then sat down beside her. She looked around and, upon not seeing her father, asked, "Where's Father? Asleep?"
"He is preparing lessons in the study." Lin Xiaofen looked at her, a smile on the corner of her mouth.
Anran felt that there were hidden intentions behind her mother's smile tonight. Her heart felt fuzzy and unsettled. She swallowed and asked, "Mom, what do you want to ask me?"
"How was it? Were you satisfied with that man?" Lin Xiaofen directly said, not beating around the bush.
"He's not bad. However, he and I," Anran paused for a few moments, "might not be suitable…" She wasn't someone who would say bad things about someone behind their back.
When she heard this, Lin Xiaofen's complexion darkened and she said, "What is there to be suitable? It's fine as long as the person is suitable. Ranran, in reality, we care most about a person's personality. His wealth and his appearance aren't important. What is most important is that he is a good person. You must understand this principle."
"No, Mom. I… he and I are really not suitable. We couldn't find anything to talk about between us. Also, h-he might not even like me," Anran explained.
"Stop talking nonsense. Your Aunty Zhang already called and told me that your date felt that you guys are suitable. You guys had a nice conversation. He also likes you and asked me to ask about your thoughts," Lin Xiaofen reprimanded.
Anran's eyes widened, and she thought, "Are all civil workers so efficient nowadays?" It hadn't been very long, and he had already called and notified others to call and ask her for her opinion.
"Mom, he and I are really not suitable. He wants me to transfer my entire salary to his mother. Also, he only spent 5 Chinese Yuan on the blind date dinner tonight. He even bought the coffee with coffee vouchers. It is impossible for me to marry a man who doesn't have his own definite opinions and is so stingy."
Lin Meifen was shocked, but then she quickly reacted and said, "A man is filial if he knows to listen to his parent's words. If he's stingy when it comes to money, then he knows how to conserve for his family. Do you want a man who is not only not filial to his parents but also wasteful?"
"Mom!" Anran was a bit anxious, and her voice was a lot louder than it was before. She stood up and said, "Do I really obstruct your vision at home so much that you must marry me away?"
"I think that you have forgotten about that Mo Fei." Lin Meifen also stood up, a bit agitated, her face incredibly cold.
Anran froze, as if she was jabbing at her sore spot. She bit her lip, trembling.
"Why are you so stubborn? I've raised you up, and yet, you're tormenting yourself over a man, and you're prepared to not marry in this lifetime for him. Are you treating your father and me fairly? Anran, a person cannot just live for herself. You must also consider your father and me. A person also cannot just live in the past; you need to face forward!" Lin Xiaofen shouted. Because she was angry, her chest was moving up and down furiously.
The two stood there, looking at each other. Truthfully speaking, Lin Xiaofen's heart hurt for her daughter. She had watched the entire process of her daughter's love in the past. Her daughter had always been the person she couldn't part with the most. The more she was hurt, the more distressed her heart was for her. However, a person cannot always live in the past and still needed to have a future. Her marriage had been delayed from that time until then, and couldn't be delayed any longer. Which parent wouldn't want their children to have a good life?
"What are you two arguing about in the middle of the night?" The door of the study opened, and Gu Hengwen walked out. His hair was half white, and he wore a pair of spectacles and had the aura of a scholar.
Lin Xiaofen angrily sat back down on the sofa. Because she was angry, her chest was moving up and down.
Gu Hengwen looked at his wife and then at his daughter. He had somewhat overheard their argument while he was in the study. He walked toward Anran, patted her shoulder, and said, "Ranran, your mom wants the best for you. Perhaps her methods are rather anxious, however, you must understand her intentions."
Anran felt her eyes prickling with heat. She tried hard not to let her tears fall, and she apologized to Lin Xiaofen, choking back a sob. Then, she grabbed her bag from the coffee table and ran to her room. Her door closed with a bang.
Gu Hengwen looked at the tightly shut door and shook his head, sighing. Then, he turned around to look at Lin Xiaofen, who was on the sofa. He sat down beside her and reached out to put his hand around her shoulder, pulling her over so that she was leaning on his shoulder, and sighed. "Stop being angry. Ranran's heart is also suffering."
Lin Xiaofen leaned into her husband's arms, unable to stop her tears from falling. "How could I have given birth to such a stupid daughter? So stubborn, so stupid, so troublesome… I'm so angry!"
Gu Hengwen lightly laughed. He patted her shoulder and said, "Ranran is like you. Her stubbornness is also like yours."
Lin Xiaofen pulled herself out of her husband's arms. She looked at him and said, "I'm afraid that she won't be as lucky as me and won't be able to meet a man like you."
Gu Hengwen softly laughed, pulled his wife back into his arms, and said, in a small voice next to her ear, "That won't happen. Ranran will meet one."
In the room, Anran crouched on the floor, leaning on the door. Her head was in her knees as she sobbed. Her heart hurt so much. Her mom was right. It was already six years and she still couldn't forget that man. He was the man that had once given her a beautiful love that was pure and unadulterated, and then cruelly hurt her.
She cried for a long time. After Anran felt that all of the tears that she had held in over the years had all flowed out, she stubbornly wiped her face. Mom was right. She had to let her past go. She still had her parents, and she needed to look forward.
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