The weather in early winter was not too cold yet. The sunlight came through the window, brightening the room and filling it with warmth.
Mi Jing had already woken up. She lay in bed, the warm sunlight enveloping her face like a mother's gentle touch, making her feel nostalgic. Mi Jing closed her eyes, savoring the quiet warmth of the moment.
Ring ring...
The sudden ring of the alarm broke the silence in the room. Mi Jing frowned and turned off the alarm before listening intently for any noise outside the door.
Recently, her mom had been pressuring her to go on blind dates, causing her to come home late and leave early, avoiding her for several days.
Hearing no noise outside the door, Mi Jing felt a bit relieved. She then turned over, grabbed her phone from the bedside table, and dialed a number she frequently called.
"Dad, did Mom go out?" As soon as the call connected, Mi Jing asked eagerly.
"I'm at home, do you need something?"
Hearing the calm voice of her mother, Mi Jing's heart skipped a beat. She quickly laughed dryly into the phone, "Hehe, Mom, you're at home! I thought you went out with Dad..."
"Come out to the living room if you have something to say. You have ten seconds!" With that, Fang Qingru immediately hung up the call.
Mi Jing stared at her phone, gritting her teeth. She quickly checked the call records to make sure she hadn't dialed the wrong number and realized that her plan with her dad, Mi Zhihong, had been exposed.
In most families, the father is the head of the household. But in Mi Jing's family, it was different. Her dad was a genuine henpecked husband, so her mom made all the decisions, including important matters like Mi Jing's lifelong affairs.
Fang Qingru's words were like an imperial decree. Mi Jing dared not waste a second. She put on her jacket, quickly opened the door, and rushed out.
In the living room, Fang Qingru sat straight-backed on a single sofa, not even glancing at Mi Jing, who ran over with her messy short hair.
Like mother, like daughter. Fang Qingru's poised demeanor was a clear sign that she was angry. Mi Jing's heart was pounding. She gave her dad, sitting on the long sofa, a pleading look, hoping he would speak up for her. But just as Mi Zhihong was about to open his mouth, Fang Qingru's piercing gaze stopped him, and he swallowed his words.
Ah, Mi Jing sighed silently once again, confirming that in their house, her dad was always a submissive man in front of her mom!
"Mom, I didn't mean to avoid you. I've been really busy lately, not just with sketching but also running the café. I honestly don't have time for blind dates." Mi Jing sat on the armrest of the sofa, hugging Fang Qingru's arm and shaking it lightly, her face displaying exaggerated distress.
"You get up only after I leave, and you come home only after I've gone to bed. That's not avoiding me? I know, you find me annoying, you don't like me controlling you, and you hate that I make you go on blind dates. Anyway, it's a fact that you hate me." Fang Qingru's tone was ten times more aggrieved than Mi Jing's. As she spoke, she wiped her eyes, pretending to shed tears.
Indeed, the older the wiser. Fang Qingru's act surpassed hers! At this moment, Mi Jing felt a great deal of disdain for Fang Qingru, but on the outside, she maintained a friendly smile.
"Ms. Fang, you are my biological mother. You raised me with great care and always worry about me. How could I possibly hate you? Besides, I really am busy and don't have time for blind dates. You wouldn't believe me, so I had to avoid you. Please, be generous and forgive Dad and me. I promise this won't happen again." Mi Jing lifted her hands to hug Fang Qingru's neck, continuing to act spoiled.
"It's not impossible for me to forgive you, but..." Fang Qingru dragged out her words, her eyes shining with a familiar fox-like cunning.
"But what?" Mi Jing had a bad feeling and braced herself to ask.
"Behave and go on a blind date today."
"Mom! I..."
"Jingjing, you've gone on many blind dates already. One more won't make a difference." Before Mi Jing could finish her protest, Mi Zhihong, who had been silent, spoke up.
Hearing this, Mi Jing looked at Mi Zhihong with a sorrowful expression, silently lamenting, Dad, you're such a reasonable father, but why do you completely obey Mom's unreasonable demands!
"Agree or not? Do you need time to discuss with your dad?" Fang Qingru asked, arms crossed, pushing for an answer.
"Mom, if I don't agree, are you going to make me clean toilets for two months again?" Mi Jing asked.
"Two months would be too lenient. This time, it would be at least six months."
Six months? The tragic scenes of cleaning toilets in the past came to Mi Jing's mind, making her legs feel weak.
"Fine, I agree to the blind date. Send the time and place to my phone." Cornered, Mi Jing could only compromise.
"No need for texts; I've arranged for you to meet at your café at 12:30 pm. Here, look at his photo. He's a nice young man." Fang Qingru, beaming, handed Mi Jing a photo from the table.
Mi Jing took it reluctantly, remarking, "Mom, can you really judge someone just from a photo?"
"Your aunt swears he's nice. He's the son of her friend's neighbor, named Fang Zheng. He's a doctor, has a good job, good character, and decent appearance."
Pulling in even her aunt's friend's neighbor's son, Mi Jing could see how much effort her mom put into arranging these blind dates. Although she truly disliked these dates, finding the process awkward and uncomfortable, the pressure from Fang Qingru made it unavoidable. She had become numb to the numerous blind dates.
"I can only trust Aunt's judgment then," Mi Jing said, standing up with the photo. She turned to Mi Zhihong and added, "Dad, you owe me. I want boiled prawns, pine nut fish, and beer duck today. Don't miss any of them!"
"Sure, no problem," Mi Zhihong agreed readily.
Comforted by the promise of good food, Mi Jing said nothing more. As she turned to head back to her room, Mi Zhihong and Fang Qingru exchanged a satisfied smile.
Time Coffee Shop.
Li Bao'er was leaning on the counter with her cheeks propped up, staring at something and daydreaming. So much so that she didn't notice Mi Jing approaching her.
Following Li Bao'er's gaze, Mi Jing saw, as expected, that extremely handsome guy.
"Bao'er, you're drooling. Wipe your mouth," Mi Jing said seriously, nudging Li Bao'er.
"Ah!" Li Bao'er jolted back to reality with a shriek and hurriedly wiped her mouth.
Both corners of her mouth were dry. There was no drool at all! She immediately bit her lip and glared at Mi Jing, hissing, "Interrupting someone's ogling of a handsome guy is very rude, you know!"