Marriage First, True Love Later

作者: Mo Suo

章 1: Extreme Douchebag

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.

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