“I teach art, so I generally prefer to ‘do it rather than talk it out.’ Besides, whether you talk a lot or a little depends on the occasion and the person you’re talking to. A thousand cups of wine are not enough when you meet a kindred spirit, but even half a sentence is too much when you don’t get along with someone,” Ruolin said eloquently.
"You didn't even give me a chance to communicate, so how do you know we don't see eye to eye?"
"..." Ruolin didn't know how to answer.
"Is this your first blind date?" Han Haoxuan asked.
Ruolin was taken aback. He could even see that? She thought to herself that she had met a master this time, and that she was no match for this man at all.
"Yes," Ruolin confessed honestly.
"No wonder..." Han Haoxuan said with a look of sudden realization.
"Um, talking while eating can easily cause indigestion and other symptoms. Can we talk after we finish eating?" Ruolin was eager to divert Han Haoxuan's attention, and she was also afraid that the more questions he asked, the more flaws she would reveal.
"Okay." Looking at Ruolin wolfing down her food across from him, Han Haoxuan couldn't help but laugh. After so many blind dates, this was the first time he had met such an interesting girl who didn't care at all about maintaining a ladylike image in front of men.
However, while Xin Yu thought Ruolin's outfit today was rather rustic, like a cabbage, Han Haoxuan found it refreshingly elegant, pure and simple, possessing a rare, pristine beauty found in an urban castle. Compared to those heavily made-up, glamorous women, Han Haoxuan preferred this kind of girl who was naturally beautiful and sweet without makeup. It reminded him of his first love—a touch of youthful awkwardness, yet an irrepressible sweetness.
After finishing her meal, Ruolin wiped her mouth with a napkin and was about to make an excuse to leave when Han Haoxuan spoke up first: "It's still early, how about I treat you to coffee?"
Huh? Xinyu only mentioned a free dinner, not a free coffee? Wasn't it supposed to be at most an hour? She'd already wasted so much time on this pointless thing today, so Ruolin decided to refuse Mr. Han's offer.
"I'm sorry, I have to prepare lessons when I get home tonight. Let's reschedule for another day," Ruolin politely declined.
"Are you this busy even on weekends? Then I'll take you home."
"No need," Ruolin quickly waved her hand.
"I'm worried about letting such a beautiful girl like you go home alone tonight," Han Haoxuan said with a smile.
"It's okay, I'm used to being alone." Of course, Ruolin wouldn't let him take her home, otherwise she'd be exposed.
As they spoke, the two had already left the hotel.
"Then I'll help you flag down a taxi." Han Haoxuan said as he reached out and hailed a taxi for Ruolin.
Ruolin got into the car and said goodbye to Han Haoxuan.
Han Haoxuan only went to the parking lot to get his car after Ruolin's taxi disappeared from sight.
Chapter Three
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Han Haoxuan went straight home after leaving the hotel.
He hummed a song as he entered the house, changed his shoes, then ripped off his striped tie and tossed it casually onto the sofa.
"Haoxuan, why are you so happy today? Are you satisfied with that girl today?" Xu Ling, who came to the living room to get a drink of water, was puzzled by her son's unusual reaction today.
"Hmm. The one today was quite nice." Han Haoxuan smiled, the corners of his mouth turning up.
Xu Ling almost thought she had misheard. She knew her son very well; he was always incredibly picky, so his "not bad" meant he was quite satisfied.
"Is that the university professor your father's classmate introduced you to?" Xu Ling asked.
"Hmm." Han Haoxuan's mind began to conjure up the image of the girl he had seen today blushing, and his smile deepened.
"It's rare to meet a girl you like, so you should seize this opportunity. I heard that the girl comes from a good family, is a university teacher with a stable job, and is well-educated and reasonable. You two should get to know each other better, and if you're satisfied, both sets of parents should arrange a meeting so that the marriage can be finalized as soon as possible." Xu Ling had been worried about her son's marriage, and now that her son had finally met a girl who suited his taste, she naturally wanted to persuade him to get married as soon as possible.
"I might consider it," Han Haoxuan said after a few seconds of contemplation. Since that girl seemed quite interesting, he might as well give it a try and get to know her. Besides, it would be better to settle on a "fiancée candidate" sooner rather than later, rather than being forced by his family to go on endless blind dates.
Although Han Haoxuan gave a somewhat uncertain answer, it still made Xu Ling secretly happy.
She hadn't expected to persuade her stubborn son to get married so quickly. He had always said it was too early to get married and didn't want to be tied down by marriage so soon, but now he said he could consider it. Someone her son wanted to date at first sight must be quite something, right?
Xu Ling began to take an interest in the girl her son had met on a blind date today. She wondered if she could take some time to visit the girl's school and see who she was.
Ruolin's phone rang as soon as she got home.
I glanced at my phone screen: Mr. Han. It was the Mr. Han I'd just met on our blind date.
While wondering why he would call, Ruolin answered the phone: "Hello."
"Are you home yet?" Han Haoxuan asked gently.
"Yes, I just arrived."
"I had a great time dining with you today, how about you?"
"..." No way? He's really happy? Ruolin deliberately made a mess of her eating to annoy him. And he's still happy?
"What's wrong? Are you unhappy?" Han Haoxuan asked tentatively when Ruolin didn't speak.
"No...no..." Ruolin quickly denied. Of course she was happy to have a free dinner.
"So you're very happy?"
"Mmm." Ruolin regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth. Why didn't she deny it? Would he misunderstand and think she was interested in him? So Ruolin quickly added, "It's true that I'm very happy, but please don't misunderstand, you're not my type of man."
What Ruolin didn't know was that, in the eyes of the always arrogant and confident Han Haoxuan, these words were utterly blatant and self-deception.
"Oh? What type of man do you like?" Han Haoxuan immediately perked up.
"Um... I like handsome men who aren't ostentatious, and excellent men who aren't arrogant." When Ruolin said this, she couldn't help but think of her high school classmate Mu Jingyan, the boy who made her heart flutter for the first time.
"Am I not handsome enough, or not good enough?" Han Haoxuan asked.
"We've only met once, and I don't know you well enough to draw any conclusions."
"It's okay, I'll wait for you, let you get to know me gradually. By the way, are you free tomorrow?"
Could this be a "naked" date? Could he actually be interested in me? Ruolin was puzzled. Perhaps it was because she was so "special" today that she left a deep impression on him? No way, didn't Xinyu say his family was wealthy? Maybe he's just a playboy who likes to chase girls because his parents are rich. It's best to stay away from people like that.
"I'm sorry, I have to accompany my students on an outdoor sketching trip tomorrow," Ruolin explained, revealing the reason why Xinyu couldn't go on her blind date today. She felt proud of herself for being so quick-witted.
"Isn't everyone saying that university professors have a relaxed schedule and plenty of free time? Besides, you're an art teacher, which is considered a less popular subject..."
“Mr. Han, please don’t belittle my profession. As a beautiful teacher, I’m very popular with students at school. Is there anything wrong with that?” Ruolin interrupted Han Haoxuan.
"Yes, that makes sense. I apologize for my inappropriate words earlier." Han Haoxuan had unknowingly apologized twice in one day to this blind date he had only met once, something that would have been impossible before. "However, can I ask you for a favor?"
"Speaking."
"Could you please stop calling me Mr. Han and just call me by my name from now on?" The title "Mr. Han" made Han Haoxuan feel distant.
"..." What was his name again? Ruolin tried hard to remember, but she couldn't recall it at all. Xinyu had told her Mr. Han's full name, but when she entered it into her phone, she only entered his surname. What was she going to do now? She didn't even know his full name!
"You don't want to?" Han Haoxuan asked, somewhat dejected. This was the first time he, who had always been popular with women, had suffered a setback in front of one.
"Yes, I don't want to," Ruolin said fiercely. Since they were going to never see each other again anyway, why bother about a name? Ruolin decided to go all in.
"Okay... I won't force you if you don't want to. I'll wait."
Ruolin was almost going crazy. She originally thought that her "I don't want to" would put Han Haoxuan's "bad ideas" in the cold palace. She thought he would say "If you don't want to, you don't want to, who cares?" or "Then I'll leave you alone, bye-bye." Who knew that he was not only not angry, but also said "Okay" with great helplessness, and then said "I will wait" in the most gentle way.
"I'm very busy, so call me less often, or better yet, don't call me at all. I have to go prepare my lessons now, goodbye." Before Han Haoxuan could say anything, Ruolin quickly finished speaking and hung up the phone.
Ruolin had just hung up the phone when it rang again. She answered it without even looking at the screen and yelled, "Didn't I tell you not to call me? I'm busy."
"Ruolin, what's wrong with you? It's Xinyu."
"Oh, it's Xinyu. You're back from sketching?" Ruolin quickly resumed her gentle tone.
"Yeah. Who did you think was calling just now? Why were they so aggressive?"
"Oh, it's nothing. I thought it was some pervert harassing me." Poor Han Haoxuan was labeled a "pervert" by Ruolin.
"Who is it? How dare they harass our Ruolin? Tell me, and I'll find some brothers to take care of them," Xinyu said, patting her chest.
"No need, I can handle it myself. By the way, what's up with calling me?" Ruolin quickly changed the subject.
"About the blind date. I heard that Han Haoxuan was very satisfied with your performance. My advisor called me so late and said that Han Haoxuan's mother told her that Han Haoxuan was overjoyed as soon as he got home, saying that you are very good, that he is very satisfied with you, and that you are a good marriage prospect."
"What? A really good marriage prospect?" Ruolin was stunned. Let alone "marriage," even the word "love" seemed far removed from her. She always felt love was a luxury for the rich; she was currently struggling to make ends meet and had no time for it. Besides, her ideal marriage partner was someone like Mu Jingyan.
"What's the deal with that Han Haoxuan?" Xinyu asked.
Oh, so his name is Han Haoxuan.
"He's quite handsome and has good manners. He's probably the kind of man you like. I think you should have gone by yourself today." Ruolin felt sorry for Xinyu.
"Really? But she seems to have feelings for you now, so why don't you make the most of it?"
"Xinyu! Don't joke with me like that, okay? I'm way too good for a man like that. I think he's a perfect match for you."
"Oh? Really? I haven't met a man who's a good match for me yet."
"I'm not trying to be mean, Xinyu, but your standards are just too high."
“No way!” Xinyu retorted. All she wanted was a handsome, gentle, considerate, humorous, and successful man, but reality often falls short of expectations.
"Getting back to the point, I don't want to have anything to do with this Han Haoxuan. Quickly help me think of a way to get rid of this hot potato."
"Are you still thinking about your Brother Mu?" Xinyu asked.
"...No, I don't want to think about relationships right now." Ruolin's expression was somewhat somber. At a gathering last year, Mu Jingyan had brought a strange girl with him. Ruolin guessed that she must be his girlfriend. Her so-called love was nothing but unrequited love, a one-woman show performed entirely by herself. So she decided it was better not to think about it. She changed the subject, saying, "The most important thing right now is to find a way to make Han Haoxuan hate me and prevent him from having any further contact with me."
“That’s easy…” Xinyu rattled off a list of methods to make men hate women.
“But I’m afraid I can’t do what you’re saying. I almost never lie…” Ruolin was a little troubled.
“My dear Miss Ruolin, you’ve already lied today, so you might as well continue lying. Besides, neither of us wants to be bothered by that man, right? Although I keep saying I want to get married, I’m actually a little reluctant to say goodbye to my single life so soon. Moreover, that man is interested in the current fake Xinyu and real Ruolin, so you have to find a way to get rid of him as soon as possible… Ruolin, our bright future depends entirely on you.” Xinyu’s last sentence was quite earnest.
After hanging up the phone, Ruolin threw her phone aside, lay back on the bed, and sighed, "These days, it's so hard to be a kind person who helps others!"
Chapter Four
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Just as Ruolin was about to fall asleep, her phone rang again, unwilling to be left out.
It was none other than that persistent ghost, Han Haoxuan!
Ruolin stared sleepily at the "Mr. Han" message flashing on her phone screen, hesitating whether to answer or not.
What's meant to happen will happen eventually, so let the storm rage on! Ruolin seemed to be facing death with a resolute spirit, steeling her heart, gritting her teeth, and pressing the answer button.
"Hey, it's so late, why are you disturbing people's rest? Don't you know any manners?" Before the other person could speak, Ruolin preemptively said.
"I'm telling you, Ms. Chen Xinyu, you're the one who lacks manners. You lied to me today, didn't you?" the voice on the other end of the phone said calmly.
"..." Ruolin was startled, her drowsiness vanishing instantly. Could it be? Did he already know so quickly that the person he was going on a blind date with today was a fake Xinyu? Ruolin was speechless for a moment.