The place Mom Xiang arranged for Xiang Kun meet Aunt Qiu's niece at was a Maan Coffee at 3 PM.
Xiang Kun maintained his habit of arriving half an hour early and sitting in the coffee shop looking at his phone. He had just received a message from Xia Libing.
There wasn't a single word; it just repeated the image of a panda begging with a bowl.
But the meaning is very clear...
Xiang Kun couldn't help but smile wryly. It seemed that if he returned to Citong City this time and left without cooking a meal for Lao Xia, he might really be resented.
Although he didn't recall Lao Xia ever being angry, he was curious about what it would be like. If it were someone else, like Tang Baona or Yang Zhen'er, who angered Lao Xia, he would probably be excited and gossipy, waiting to see the show, but he didn't want to be the "guinea pig."
After all, the closest Lao Xia ever came to losing her temper was when she beat up two human traffickers. Just thinking about her powerful groin kicks at the traffickers made Xiang Kun want to clench his thighs.
"Do you have a place to cook here?" Xiang Kun replied in his message.
"Yes, when? What dishes do you need?" Xia Libing replied immediately.
Xiang Kun thought for a moment and said, "Send me the location of where you live later, and I'll buy the groceries before I go there." Anyway, according to the plan, he won't be taking the bus back until tomorrow afternoon, so he can still cook two meals for his parents. After the blind date tonight, he can cook a meal for Lao Xia first.
Xia Libing sent an OK emoji, then sent a location address.
At 3:02, a stylish, tall woman walked into the coffee shop.
Although Xiang Kun was looking at his phone, he was subconsciously paying attention to and gathering information about the coffee shop through his sense of smell and hearing. He was also keeping an eye on the doorway out of the corner of his eye. Judging from the time and his mother's description of Aunt Qiu's niece, it was most likely her.
Less than two seconds after the tall woman entered the coffee shop, Xiang Kun made his initial judgment based on the various sensory information he had gathered:
The clothes, shoes, and bags were all the kind of products that didn't look flashy but had a certain design sense. Although Xiang Kun couldn't recognize most of the brands, he could tell that the prices weren't low.
She wore delicate, light makeup, her nails were painted with white, curved nail polish, and her perfume had a fresh, natural scent.
Apart from a pair of small earrings, she wore no other jewelry.
Her clothing, makeup, and accessories were all perfectly coordinated. If her looks and figure were a 6 out of 10, her styling and makeup would elevate her to at least an 8.
This is a stylish urban white-collar worker who has certain requirements for quality of life. According to what my mother found out, she used to be an assistant to the president, so she should be quite capable at work.
Judging from her micro-expressions, heartbeat, breathing rhythm, and body odor, she is currently feeling a little nervous and a little expectant.
As Xiang Kun drew his initial conclusion, the young woman dialed the phone number her aunt had given her—the number Xiang Kun had called.
Xiang Kun picked up his vibrating phone, but didn't answer. Instead, he stood up and waved to her.
Xiang Kun clearly saw that the woman's expression stiffened slightly the moment she saw him. Judging from her micro-expression, it was obvious that her expectations were about to collapse and her enthusiasm had greatly decreased.
Xiang Kun chuckled inwardly, concluding that her disappointment must stem from her appearance; her mother probably hadn't told Aunt Qiu she was bald, so she didn't know beforehand. Secondly, judging by her attire, she likely wouldn't appreciate Xiang Kun's Uniqlo + GAP + Anta combination.
"Hello, Ms. Yang, I'm Xiang Kun." Xiang Kun greeted Ms. Yang Xiang Kun politely as she approached.
"Hello, have you been here long?"
"It won't be long. Would you like something to drink?"
After ordering and sitting down, the two started chatting about the city where Xiang Kun used to work.
Xiang Kun noticed that Ms. Yang glanced at his Redmi phone on the table, which had been dropped and was covered in dents and had a cracked screen, and her brows furrowed very slightly.
He knew that it wasn't necessarily because Ms. Yang thought his phone was too cheap, but rather because, judging from Ms. Yang attitude towards her appearance, she was someone who cared about her image. It was normal for her to be somewhat disgusted by the "sloppy" and "tragic" state of Xiang Kun's phone.
Of course, the Xiang Kun of the past wouldn't have noticed these subtle changes in expression. Overall, this Ms. Yang was very polite from the moment they met.
Previously, Xiang Kun had seen some posts or jokes about blind dates online, including when some colleagues in the casual chat section of technical forums complained about their troubles. They mentioned some "materialistic blind date women" who would immediately ask how many houses they owned, what kind of car they owned, how much they earned annually, how much they had in savings, etc., which made people feel uncomfortable about blind dates as if they were doing business or negotiating a transaction.
Xiang Kun guessed it was because the people introduced to him were all friends or relatives. Although he had been on many blind dates, he had never encountered this situation before. Regardless of the final outcome, the conversations were always relatively normal. Even if there was awkward small talk, the conversations always centered around hobbies, work, and life.
The material conditions or the person who made the introduction have already been communicated privately, or the other party may make their own judgment through other topics.
Ms. Yang chose to start with a topic related to work. She inquired about Xiang Kun's work situation, then talked about his major in college, the city where his college was located, his college life, and then about her own college life, her work, the situation of her previous company, and why she resigned and left.
To be honest, Ms. Yang's behavior was very appropriate and normal. As expected of someone who had worked as an assistant to the president in a large company with thousands of employees, she never let the conversation fall into an awkward silence and always found a way to keep the topic going.
But compared to that first meeting with Tang Baona a few months ago, Xiang Kun felt more at ease.
Although he didn't intend to pursue anything further either time, the experience was definitely different.
If Xiang Kun hadn't spent any time with her and was only choosing someone based on looks, the shallow Xiang Kun would definitely have chosen Ms. Yang, the tall, beautiful white-collar worker. But once they've met, the result would be completely different.
Even considering only their first meeting, he felt much more relaxed with Tang Baona. They could chat about things he knew absolutely nothing about, and still have a great time. In contrast, he felt awkward and uneasy around Ms. Yang, as if he didn't dare to be presumptuous.
As the two were chatting, Xiang Kun, who had been keeping a close eye on everything, suddenly noticed a familiar figure push open the door and walk into the coffee shop.
Standing nearly 1.75 meters tall, she wore LeBron 17 basketball shoes, a style rarely seen on women, along with slightly loose jeans that still accentuated her long legs. She wore a loose white T-shirt with a rabbit print, a black G-SHOCK digital watch, and a slightly swaying ponytail. Her features were delicate and beautiful, with a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth that seemed to convey a smile, yet also a cold and aloof expression...
Isn't that Lao Xia?
Upon entering the coffee shop, Xia Libing subconsciously scanned the area and quickly spotted Xiang Kun —after all, he was too conspicuous.
From the indifferent yet slightly dazed expression on Lao Xia's face, Xiang Kun knew that she hadn't expected to see him here.
Only Lao Xia could express surprise by looking completely stunned...
Xiang Kun recalled that he first met Lao Xia at Maan Coffee. This girl had a habit of going to coffee shops to read and do things.
But what is she doing at the coffee shop at this time? Doesn't she have to work?
Did you take the day off early just to go grocery shopping with yourself?
As he rapidly processed various pieces of information in his mind, Lao Xia, standing by the door, glanced at Ms. Yang across from him, then gave him a normal wink before walking towards the bar.
"You guys keep chatting, I won't go over to say hello." -- Xiang Kun actually understood the meaning behind that wink.
Why do I understand? Her blinking didn't seem like she was deliberately making any expressions! It wasn't Morse code either! Uh, am I misunderstanding something?
Xiang Kun himself was somewhat surprised.
Even when he saw Lao Xia, he didn't stare directly at him, and his expression didn't change, so Ms. Yang didn't notice anything unusual.
"Mr. Xiang, do you have any specific plans for your future career development?" Ms. Yang suddenly asked a rather HR-oriented question.
Xiang Kun thought for a moment and said, "I actually plan to come back and open a rabbit farm."
He kept an eye on Lao Xia out of the corner of his eye. After ordering, he took the number plate and sat down at a table not far from him, facing them directly.
Ms. Yang asked, "Oh? You like rabbits?"
Xiang Kun immediately replied, "Yes, I really like eating rabbit. Rabbit meat has a protein content as high as 70%, which is higher than most meats. This low-fat, low-cholesterol meat is very nutritious. It's good for children's brain development and learning, helps the elderly prevent Alzheimer's disease, and nourishes women's skin! Moreover, the feed conversion ratio is very high. If raised well, it can be as high as 3:1 or even 2.5:1, which is more efficient than raising pigs..."
Ms. Yang couldn't hold back any longer and interrupted Xiang Kun, who was talking animatedly about rabbit farming. "Are you planning to find a place to open a rabbit farm on the outskirts of Citong City?"
"No, no, it's hard to find on the outskirts of the city. I don't know if you've heard of Tongshi Town, it's north of Jianzhou City. I went to Tongshi Town yesterday, and then went to Tongshi Town Chongyun Village, which is more than 20 kilometers away, to check out a site. I plan to open the breeding farm there. The scenery there is really beautiful, and the people are very hospitable and speak very nicely..." Xiang Kun said earnestly. "But I haven't told my family about this yet, Ms. Yang, please don't tell Aunt Qiu either."
"Don't worry, I won't tell." Ms. Yang had no intention of continuing the conversation. She had originally been willing to get in touch with someone based on her aunt's introduction, who had worked in the IT industry in a first-tier city for seven years, had already bought a house, and had his own career foundation, technical skills, and network of contacts.
But now, this person has become someone who is determined to build a rabbit farm in the countryside and mountain villages. So, further contact would be a waste of time. As the saying goes, those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. Their visions and goals for the future are different, so it is naturally impossible for them to come together.
Xiang Kun immediately deduced from her micro-expressions, body language, heart rate, and other data that she had lost interest in continuing the conversation and had no expectation of developing a relationship with her. He believed that with her language skills, she would be able to find a very appropriate reason to tell her aunt Aunt Qiu the two of them were not suitable for each other.