He still had a shoot to join, not a jail cell

Eight o'clock.

Wei Zisu arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau on time.

He had never thought marriage was a particularly big deal, so he did not ask much of an alpha. As long as he could find one who was easy on the eyes and had reasonably decent character, that would do. He did not care about their occupation or family circumstances.

However, Cui Xiangxiang had told him that most alphas available for matching had flaws. They were the leftovers nobody else wanted, because any alpha of slightly better quality was already engaged and had no need to be assigned a partner by the state.

Xiangxiang had also said, "Look, even scum like Sun Liang has people fighting over him. You can imagine what kind of duds those alphas who need state-arranged marriages must be. For a specific example, see my first ex-husband."

Wei Zisu had fallen silent. He thought that if he went through three batches and still could not find an alpha who met even those few standards, he would have to grit his teeth and borrow money or take out a loan to pay the fine.

In short, he did not ask much of a marriage partner, but he absolutely would not accept some inadequate substitute or lower himself into settling.

The Civil Affairs Bureau had meeting rooms specifically arranged for "blind dates," on the second floor of the main hall.

Led by a staff member, Wei Zisu entered the room, where two alphas were already waiting.

One looked barely past twenty, with dyed blond hair and stud earrings, still very much a kid. Reluctance was written all over his face, as though he had been forced to come. When he looked up and cast a sideways glance at Wei Zisu for the first time, he froze briefly before returning to his earlier spoiled, unruly air.

The other looked much more mature, with both his clothes and hairstyle looking quite presentable. Not only that, he was fairly good-looking, with thick brows, deep-set eyes, and a high, straight nose. However, the moment Wei Zisu entered, he sprang to his feet, his gaze darting away as though he did not quite dare meet Wei Zisu's eyes. Only after Wei Zisu took a seat did he sit back down.

Sitting opposite the two men across a long table, Wei Zisu asked the staff member, "Weren't there supposed to be four?"

The staff member wiped away a cold sweat, still unsure whether today's battlefield would result in any casualties.

"Yes, but when one of them heard you were meeting four alphas at once, he felt it was... rather disrespectful, so he declined."

Wei Zisu nodded. Good. One eliminated right at the start. That saved him more time.

"What about the other one?"

"He should be here soon..."

The staff member had barely finished speaking when an obese man who looked to be in his thirties, wearing glasses, came running over, panting. The heavy flesh on his face and his huge belly bounced up and down in rhythm.

"Traffic was bad. I'm late."

He plopped down beside the blond and deliberately slapped his car keys, bearing the BMW logo, onto the table.

"Mr. Wei," the staff member said, "everyone is here. Would you like me to introduce them?"

"No need," Wei Zisu said. "We can talk among ourselves."

At that, the staff member let out a sigh of relief, hurried out, and shut the door.

The meeting room immediately fell silent, the atmosphere a little chilly.

Wei Zisu swept his gaze over the three men and spoke first. "Hello, everyone. My name is Wei Zisu. I'm twenty-seven, and I'm an actor."

He had intended to introduce himself first, then get to know them one by one and judge from their conversation whether they were suitable.

But the moment he finished speaking, the late-arriving fat man's eyes lit up. Pushing up his filthy black-framed glasses, he exclaimed in surprise, "An actor? You're a celebrity?! What have you been in? How come I've never seen you?"

"The shows I've appeared in haven't aired yet," Wei Zisu said flatly.

The fat man's gaze as he sized up Wei Zisu gradually grew sleazy and blatant. He even said, "No wonder you're so pretty. You're a celebrity, huh? Heh heh, lucky me."

Wei Zisu frowned slightly.

The fat man kept fiddling with his car keys as he continued, "Now, I'm very particular about choosing a wife, because my family is very traditional. Your profession, frankly, makes you just a performer. It's a little lowly, right? I can just about accept it, but my family might not."

Under the table, Wei Zisu clenched his hands tightly, distinctly feeling his own civility plummeting. He told himself over and over, No hitting people, no hitting people. I still have a shoot to join, not a jail cell...

The fat man seemed to have forgotten there were two other alphas in the room. Or perhaps he was so confident, so certain Wei Zisu would be his, that he actually began planning their married life.

"How about this? Once we're married, either you stay home, behave yourself, have children, and take good care of my parents and the two sons my ex-wife gave me. If you act more like a virtuous wife, they might accept you. Or you can keep acting, but let's be clear up front: no scenes with hand-holding, kissing, or hugging. Our family is very traditional. We can't accept a promiscuous omega. Also, you'll have to hand all your acting pay over to me for safekeeping..."

Unable to listen any longer, Wei Zisu interrupted him. "Then I don't think we're a good match, Mr..."

Suddenly remembering that the man had yet to introduce himself, Wei Zisu could only address him in his own way. "Mr. Unnamed Fat Man."

At those words, the fat man's eyes widened in anger. The young blond scoffed, but finally looked at Wei Zisu properly. The fellow who did not dare meet his eyes rubbed his nose, probably concealing a snicker.

Wei Zisu continued, "I can't meet a single one of those requirements. Also, when you state your requirements, could you take a look at what you have to offer first?"

The flesh on the fat man's face twitched. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, even leaving inner qualities aside, your looks alone fall below my minimum standards. Your features look like they never consulted each other, each growing its own way, completely at random. And that belly of yours-hasn't it kept you from seeing your own feet for years?"

The fat man flushed red and stood, pointing at Wei Zisu. "What gives a bottom-tier little celebrity like you the right to be so arrogant? Why's your mouth so vicious?"

Wei Zisu gave a scoffing laugh. "You've thrown away all shame. Why should I hold my tongue?"

With that, Wei Zisu pointed toward the door, indicating that he could leave.

The fat man stood up and walked to the door, cursing. He did not forget to flaunt the BMW keys in his hand with another shake, snarling, "An omega whose engagement was broken off isn't even worth as much as a beta. What makes you think you're so superior? If you can find someone with more to offer than me, I'll take your surname!"

Wei Zisu said, "I'm not planning to adopt a son just yet, thank you."