"I'm helping you cut off the idea of having an affair; don't thank me." Mi Jing said with a big smile.
"Hmph, rest assured, I am absolutely loyal to my husband." Li Bao'er raised her round chin, her tone as resolute as her expression.
"I know you well, you have the will but not the courage." Mi Jing pinched Li Bao'er's chin, her smile full of teasing.
"Mi Jing, I think you'd better show me some respect today. Auntie just called me, asking for a detailed report on your blind date." Li Bao'er gently brushed off Mi Jing's hand, winking and looking rather smug.
Li Bao'er was Mi Jing's high school classmate, college friend, and a very close confidant. This coffee shop was jointly opened by the two of them.
Since high school, Li Bao'er used to frequently visit Mi Jing's house for meals, so she was very familiar with Mi Jing's family.
"Don't try to threaten me!" Mi Jing took out a photo of Fang Zheng from her bag and said, "This is the twelfth blind date my mom found for me. Take a good look so you don't mistake him later."
"Sigh, this guy is just so-so, nothing special to look at." Li Bao'er glanced at the man in the photo and sounded disappointed.
"You should tell that to my mom."
"Dream on, I'm Auntie's strongest supporter!" Li Bao'er rolled her eyes at Mi Jing, her gaze swept over a handsome face, and she suddenly had an idea, "Jingjing, how about considering that handsome guy? I see he often goes on blind dates too. You should strike up a conversation; who knows, it might work out!"
Li Bao'er only had eyes for handsome guys, a fact Mi Jing had known since they first met. At this moment, the handsome guy sitting by the window was someone Bao'er had taken fancy to the first time he came to the shop. Every time she saw him, she gazed at him like an art piece, completely mesmerized, with hearts in her eyes.
To prevent Li Bao'er from going crazy over handsome men again and randomly setting her up, Mi Jing quickly found an excuse to escape, "Bao'er, I'm going to the kitchen to learn how to make pastries with the chef. Let me know when Fang Zheng arrives."
"Wait..."
Before Li Bao'er could finish her sentence, Mi Jing had already run off. Li Bao'er watched Mi Jing's disappearing figure around the corner, sighed, and then continued to admire the handsome guy while looking after the shop.
"Hello, is Mi Jing here?" A male voice suddenly pulled Li Bao'er's attention back. She turned to the source of the sound and, seeing the man's face, her eyes twitched a few times.
Was this guy too shocking to look at? Li Bao'er was dumbfounded on the spot.
"Miss, sorry to bother you, but is Mi Jing here?" The man asked again.
"Uh, may I ask who you are?" Li Bao'er's face stiffened a bit, her eyes avoiding contact with the man's face.
"I'm Fang Zheng."
Fang Zheng? Li Bao'er glanced at the photo and compared it with the real person. Oh no, they were not the same at all!
"Oh, please find a seat first, I'll contact Mi Jing for you." Saying that, Li Bao'er waved to a female staff member and instructed, "Xin, come to the counter. I need to make a call."
Li Bao'er hurried into the kitchen and shouted to Mi Jing, "Jingjing, where did Auntie find such a character? Is she deliberately messing with you?"
"Fang Zheng is here?" Mi Jing pressed the oven switch and then turned to look at Li Bao'er.
"Yes, but I advise you not to go out, or you'll definitely regret it!"
Mi Jing didn't listen to Li Bao'er's advice. Even though Bao'er had described Fang Zheng as extremely ugly, she still decided to meet him. Because if she didn't, her mom wouldn't let her off. Besides, she was curious to see if Fang Zheng was really as toad-like as Bao'er described.
Mi Jing had seen many handsome men, but none with such unique features.
She tidied her clothes and hair in front of the reflective tile pillar. Her fair face was makeup-free, her short hair chic, and she was dressed in a casual style, looking like a fresh college student. You wouldn't have guessed she was already considered an older single woman.
"Bao'er, where is Fang Zheng sitting?" Since Fang Zheng looked very different from his photo, Mi Jing was too lazy to search and directly asked Li Bao'er, who had already seen him.
"He's sitting next to the handsome guy at the adjacent table, his face full of acne, quite recognizable."
Upon hearing this, Mi Jing looked towards the direction Bao'er indicated. Due to the distance and her mild nearsightedness, she couldn't clearly see Fang Zheng's face.
"What do you think? If you back out now, it's not too late." Li Bao'er reminded.
"I can't see clearly; it's hard to say. I'm going over."
Saying that, Mi Jing stepped towards Fang Zheng's table. With each step closer, the pimples on Fang Zheng's face became clearer, densely covering his entire face—red, swollen, and full of craters, quite alarming. Besides, his eyes were somewhat bulging, making him indeed resemble a toad.
"Hello, Miss Mi, I'm Fang Zheng." Seeing Mi Jing approach, Fang Zheng stood up, extended his hand politely, and introduced himself.
"Hello." Mi Jing gracefully shook his hand, greeted with a smile, and then withdrew her hand, seating herself across from him.
Fang Zheng's gaze followed Mi Jing closely, even after she sat down, his eyes stayed fixed on her face.
Mi Jing felt uneasy under Fang Zheng's stare, but she didn't show it and calmly asked, "Mr. Fang, have you eaten?"
"Yes, I have." Fang Zheng replied with a smile.
"Would you like something to drink?" Mi Jing asked, handing Fang Zheng the beverage menu.
"A latte, please." Fang Zheng ordered his coffee of choice.
Mi Jing called a server over, ordered Fang Zheng's latte, and a cup of honey tea for herself.
"Miss Mi, I heard you've been learning painting since you were young. Are these paintings on the wall done by you?" Fang Zheng's gaze moved to the paintings on the wall, glancing at them briefly, then his eyes, like strong adhesive, stuck to Mi Jing again.
"Yes." Mi Jing nodded, her attitude lukewarm.
"Your technique is excellent." Fang Zheng praised and then asked, "Miss Mi, do you have any specific requirements or standards for your future partner?"
Of course, I do! The critical requirement is not to be scary. But Mi Jing didn't want to hurt Fang Zheng's feelings, so she said tactfully, "I really like Ku Tianle and want someone like him as my partner. Does that count as a specific standard?"
"Who is Ku Tianle?" Fang Zheng asked, puzzled.
"A very handsome and famous actor." Mi Jing concealed her inner surprise and stressed the words "very handsome" and "very famous."