Xu Rui's Blind Date

Zhang Yujie had been kept awake all night by her troubles. On top of drinking two bottles of beer outside earlier, she was now sleeping even more deeply, completely unaffected by the intense noises coming from the living room.

Half an hour later, the entire room finally returned to peace once more...

"Come on, let's take a shower together," Li Yang said gently and thoughtfully.

"Mm... I don't want to move. How about you carry me there?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Yang exerted both hands and easily lifted Li Meijiao into his arms, carrying her into the spacious, brightly lit bathroom.

"I'm leaving for Shanghai tomorrow. Will you miss me?" Li Meijiao lifted her head, her eyes carrying a trace of reluctance and anticipation as she softly asked Li Yang.

"Of course. I'll miss you every day," Li Yang said.

You're such a bad man. Why didn't you come into my life sooner? Li Meijiao felt both love and hate at that moment.

She really had liked Li Yang at first sight. Otherwise, she never would have let him have his way so easily. A woman's heart was always the most honest thing; no matter how stubborn her words were, only she herself knew how to make her choice.

Li Yang had exhausted all his patience and wisdom before finally managing to gradually calm Li Meijiao's restless, agitated heart. In the end, Li Meijiao's emotions were effectively brought under control. She looked at Li Yang gratefully, her heart full of warmth and emotion.

After showering, Li Yang escorted her to the bedroom door. Li Meijiao, now in pajamas, took the initiative to kiss him goodbye before going into the room to sleep.

At eight thirty in the morning, after the three of them washed up, Li Meijiao wanted to have one last taste of Luoyang's authentic specialty beef soup before leaving.

So Li Yang took the two women to a famous soup restaurant in the Old City, where they ordered three ten-yuan bowls of beef soup, plus three yuan's worth of Fried Crispy Meatballs. They also got some Clay Oven Rolls and shredded flatbread, and naturally, Haibi Soda was a must.

After finishing that bowl of soup, along with Li Yang's outstanding performance last night, Li Meijiao felt incomparably relaxed in both body and mind.

It could also be considered a way to make up for the many regrets before she left.

At ten in the morning, with the help of the other two, Li Meijiao packed up two suitcases. She could not take that much by herself, so she only picked out the clothes she needed most, along with some toiletries. Even so, many beautiful clothes had to be left behind. She told Zhang Yujie to pick through them and see whether she could make use of any.

"Yujie, go downstairs and buy me two packs of sanitary napkins. I can take them with me on the road."

Smiling, Li Meijiao took out her wallet, intending to give Zhang Yujie the money.

"Come on, sister. Why are we being so polite with each other? Wait for me." With that, Zhang Yujie headed downstairs on her own.

The moment the security door closed, Li Meijiao threw herself into Li Yang's arms and, without a word, sealed his lips with hers...

The instant they heard the door move, the two quickly separated. With perfect tacit understanding, they pretended to be packing other things, leaving Yujie, who had just entered, unable to spot anything unusual.

"Look what else I bought you." Zhang Yujie smiled and shook the large bag of snacks and drinks in her hand.

"Thank you, sister. I'm so touched. Hug me!" Li Meijiao excitedly stretched out her arms, hugged Zhang Yujie tightly, and spun her around. The two sisters made their final farewell.

A moment later, Li Yang took on a man's responsibility, pulling the two suitcases as he escorted them all the way to the train station.

Li Meijiao's train ticket was for twelve o'clock.

By the time they reached the station, it was already after eleven. Li Yang bought two platform tickets and personally saw Li Meijiao onto the train.

Li Yang helped her stow her luggage. Seeing that the announcement was about to urge passengers to depart, Li Meijiao reluctantly gave them both one last hug.

"Remember to miss me. Call me," Li Meijiao whispered into Li Yang's ear as she hugged him.

Finally, Li Yang and Zhang Yujie stood beneath the train, continuously waving at Li Meijiao by the window. Only after the train's retreating figure vanished from sight did they slowly leave the station.

"What are we going to do with the stuff?" Zhang Yujie asked Li Yang worriedly.

"Come on. I'll figure something out," Li Yang reassured her calmly. Then the two returned to Li Meijiao's rented apartment.

Li Meijiao had already completed the move-out procedures with the landlord. The lease did not expire until May 1, and it was only April 29. Once they moved everything out and handed over the keys, it would be over.

Li Yang went to a hardware and sundries store and bought three simple red-and-white striped woven plastic bags.

Back at Li Meijiao's rental, they packed the quilt, pillows, remaining clothes, and some small dishes and other items from the bed into the bags.

They left the large items behind in the room.

After they finished packing, Li Yang carried two bags while Zhang Yujie took the lightest one. They finally moved everything to the entrance of the residential complex, then called the landlord and handed over the keys.

They did not even have time for lunch. They hailed a taxi by the roadside, loaded all the luggage into it, and rushed back without stopping to Zhang Yujie's rented place in Tang Village.

It took a great deal more effort to carry everything into the room. They were both so exhausted that they lay on the bed, panting. Li Yang had no mood to watch anything at that point either. He had put in plenty of effort with Li Meijiao last night—where would he find the energy now?

Just then, the phone rang. Li Yang picked it up and saw that Xu Rui was calling, so he quickly answered.

"You didn't go home last night?" Xu Rui's booming voice was loud enough for even Zhang Yujie beside him to hear.

"No. What's up? Is something wrong?" Li Yang replied weakly.

"After work, I'm going on a blind date. I want you to come with me and give me some advice," Xu Rui said, sounding a little excited.

He was twenty-five this year, two years older than Li Yang, and still a pure, inexperienced virgin.

Because he was somewhat overweight and did not know how to win girls over, he had remained single until now. His family was anxious too, asking every aunt and relative they knew to find a matchmaker for Xu Rui.

Xu Rui had met a few girls before, but after the first meeting, none of them ever followed up. It troubled him greatly, but there was nothing he could do. After all, he had no particular advantages—his family circumstances were average, and he also had a younger brother still in school.

"Sure, no problem. We'll meet after work and talk then. I'm hanging up."

"I'm hungry," Zhang Yujie said, turning around and urging him with a pout.

"Come on, let's go eat." Li Yang sat up and looked at her.

"Bring something back for me. I don't want to move." Zhang Yujie began acting coquettishly.

"Fine. Who told me to be such a living Lei Feng?" Li Yang said as he lazily stretched.

Before leaving, he glanced at Zhang Yujie, grinned, and then ran out at top speed.

"Li Yang, you bastard!" Zhang Yujie lifted her head, her little face slightly flushed as she laughed and cursed at his retreating figure. Unfortunately, he had already run off.

Li Yang ate a serving of Oil Splash Noodles himself, then bought her a serving of egg fried rice and a bottle of iced black tea before returning to the apartment.

"Get up and eat, Yujie." Li Yang set the food on the small round table in the room. Zhang Yujie's single room was on the second floor. Outside was a long corridor, with three rooms on each floor, all laid out the same way. Each floor had its own bathroom, which also served as the shower room.

The clothes rack in the corridor was filled with girls' colorful underwear, stockings, and skirts. There were practically no men's clothes. It seemed that most of the tenants were young women working nearby. They mostly came from surrounding counties and cities and could not conveniently return home, so the Urban Village rental houses around here were nearly all full, with hardly any vacant rooms.

Standing in the corridor and looking at the distant, disorderly, dirty streets, Li Yang felt a headache coming on. Public security was poor at night too. Reports of petty theft, harassment, and stolen underwear were common, and the police station received no shortage of such trivial public security cases.

"Aren't you going to rest?" Zhang Yujie had been starving. In just a few minutes, she cleaned out every last bite of the food Li Yang had brought back.

After letting out a satisfied burp, she came out as well. "Have some," Zhang Yujie said, handing the half-finished bottle of iced black tea to Li Yang.

Li Yang turned his head and looked at Zhang Yujie without immediately taking it.

"What's wrong? You think I'm disgusting?" Zhang Yujie looked at him playfully.

"You're asking for it." Li Yang gave Zhang Yujie a light smack, then took her drink and began drinking it.

Zhang Yujie smiled without getting angry, then went back into the room and started arranging the luggage they had brought back.

Li Meijiao's quilt had been bought not long ago, so it was perfect for Yujie to use. Some of the clothes fit her while others did not. Too lazy to lock the door, she merely left it ajar and began trying on the clothes Li Meijiao had left behind.

"Li Yang, hurry up and come in!" Zhang Yujie called out to Li Yang, who was outside looking at the scenery.

"What is it?" Hearing her call, Li Yang walked in.

"Look. Isn't this charming?" Zhang Yujie looked like a noble black swan before him. She had changed into a tight black dress, as though it had been tailored specifically for her, perfectly accentuating her fair, delicate, silky-smooth skin. She gave off an alluring fragrance that left Li Yang utterly captivated and staring blankly.

"Yeah." Li Yang did not know how to describe it, so he could only nod.

"Then I'll wear it. I'm not taking it off." With that, Zhang Yujie took out her own stockings and put them on in front of Li Yang.

Before long, both of them were unbearably sleepy. The weather in Luoyang was getting hotter and hotter, and the Peony Flower Festival was in full swing.

Zhang Yujie ignored Li Yang, took off her shoes, lay down on the bed, and fell asleep wearing Li Meijiao's dress.

Li Yang did not stand on ceremony either. He closed the door and casually lay down beside her to sleep.

No one knew how long they had slept. When Li Yang woke up, Zhang Yujie had somehow curled up in his arms.

Li Yang carefully pulled over the sheet beside them and gently covered Yujie with it. Seemingly half-conscious, Yujie snuggled closer into his arms and continued sleeping.

Just then, someone suddenly knocked on the door. The two were instantly startled, and Zhang Yujie casually asked,

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Wang Peng." A reply quickly came from outside.

"Oh no." Zhang Yujie immediately jumped up. Her boyfriend had come.

Then Zhang Yujie relaxed again. What was there to be afraid of? She was going to break up with him anyway. Today was the perfect time to make things clear.

As she spoke, she put on her shoes and opened the door.

When Wang Peng saw Zhang Yujie dressed so sexily, he was about to step forward and greet her warmly. But then he glanced inside and saw Li Yang sitting on the bed.

"Who is he?" Wang Peng stared at Yujie in disbelief.

Yujie wore a stern expression as she replied impatiently.

"I was just about to tell you. We're breaking up. I have someone I like now. Sorry."

With that, she turned her head away and stopped looking at him.

Wang Peng grabbed Zhang Yujie excitedly and shouted, "Why? We've been together for almost two years. Are you really going to be this heartless?"

"Why? Don't you know the reason yourself? Do I really have to spell it out? I'm a normal girl. I don't want to start living like a widow while my husband is still alive. Do you understand?"

"We're already together. You saw it yourself. Let's part on good terms." Zhang Yujie threw the spark onto Li Yang.

"Hey, man..."

"Shut up!"

Li Yang had just been about to explain when Zhang Yujie sharply cut him off.

"Fine, fine, fine. I wish you happiness." Wang Peng looked as though his soul had left his body as he weakly turned and walked away.

The room instantly fell silent.

Zhang Yujie stepped forward, locked the door from the inside, and lay back down on the bed.

"Um... just now..." Li Yang was about to speak...

Zhang Yujie threw herself into Li Yang's arms and boldly began kissing him...

After around ten minutes, Zhang Yujie stopped kissing him and refused Li Yang's desire to continue.

"I'm sorry. I'm not mentally prepared yet." Zhang Yujie lay in Li Yang's arms, frowning slightly.

"It's okay. I understand." Li Yang replied, breathing heavily.

"Thank you, Li Yang. Give me some time. When the time comes, if you still want me, I'll give myself to you." Zhang Yujie looked at Li Yang with tender eyes.

"Okay, stop thinking so much. I'll go out for a walk with you," Li Yang suggested.

"Okay, let's go." The two tidied themselves up and headed out.

The two walked around Peony Park for a while before Zhang Yujie's mood finally calmed down. Under Xu Rui's urging, Li Yang took Yujie home, then left on his own.

Xu Rui's blind date worked as a saleswoman at a nearby specialty store. Her family was from Yichuan. The matchmaker had only given him her phone number and said nothing else.

After Xu Rui made the call, the two stood at their agreed meeting spot and waited for the girl to arrive.

"Hello, are you Xu Rui?" Suddenly, a girl with a Sassoon haircut beside them asked Li Yang.

The girl wore a white shirt and a black business skirt, with stockings on her legs and black high heels. She was far too thin, not Li Yang's type.

"I'm Xu Rui." Before Li Yang could speak, Xu Rui's chubby body moved over and blocked him from view.

The girl's eyebrows twitched slightly. Though it was not obvious, the observant Li Yang noticed it.

"Oh, I got it wrong. Sorry. My name is Yue Xiaodan, I'm twenty-two. Hello, both of you." As she spoke, she politely greeted Li Yang and Xu Rui.

"Then let's go eat." Xu Rui had a very good impression of Yue Xiaodan. If she was willing, Xu Rui had practically already imagined where they would get their marriage certificate.

Xu Rui happily led the way in front. Yue Xiaodan watched the road while repeatedly turning to study Li Yang beside her.

This is what I imagined the boy I wanted would be like. But when she looked at Xu Rui ahead of them, a wave of disappointment rose in her heart. Then she let it go. How could ideals and reality ever be the same? Xiao Dan began consoling herself inwardly. Maybe I'm simply not destined to have that kind of life.