Today's blind date...

After a full day out, I’ve finally made it home.

I went on a blind date today—how should I put it? It felt rather complicated. In fact, the date wrapped up by noon, and I spent the afternoon at the office making up for lost time.

I headed out quite early, around eight in the morning. Things have mostly returned to normal in the city where I live; there haven't been any new cases for days, and there are even people out on Zhongshan Road again. I put on a casual, stylish outfit and headed out. I graduated from the same university as Xiao Xing; although our majors were different, I’ve been working for nearly three years now. I'm not young anymore; it’s time to find a partner.

My family had brought up this particular person for a blind date quite a few times. From what they told me, a clear image gradually formed in my mind: obedient, sensible, considerate, and pretty.

And then... well, you know how it is. I started letting my imagination run wild.

"Holy cow! Obedient! I wonder if she’d be cute when she gets shy?"
"Sensible and considerate! That’s perfect! I love that! Imagine coming home to a hot meal—how blissful would that be?"
"Pretty! Seriously, did they even need to tell me that? Am I the kind of person who values looks? How shallow! Really now..."

But there was one issue: my family had never shown me a photo. Still, that didn't matter. We were going to meet anyway, and those online photos with beauty filters are never authentic.

So, I arrived at nine, a full half-hour early! During those thirty minutes, I was daydreaming like crazy. Would she be a girl with long hair, cute, sensible, gentle, and considerate? As I thought about it, my expression became comical, and I grew anxious. After all, it was my first blind date, so being nervous was inevitable.

Around nine-twenty-three, she called my phone. I watched as she slowly walked toward me. How should I describe it? She was wearing a white, ladylike dress, her hair was pulled up, and she had on a pair of casual sneakers that matched her outfit quite well. As for her looks... well... they were okay. Although there was a slight (okay, a pretty significant) gap between reality and my imagination, I’ve said it before: I am definitely not someone who only cares about looks! Inner beauty! Inner beauty is what matters most! After all, this is a blind date, and the goal is marriage.

Besides, I’m not exactly drop-dead gorgeous myself (though I did receive love letters back in middle and high school—people stopped writing those in college), so I have no right to make demands.

There was definitely some initial awkwardness, but since I have a rather quirky and cheerful personality, the atmosphere improved quite a bit. As everyone knows, you can’t go to the movies right now, so we just went for a stroll. A good number of shops on Zhongshan Road were open. As we walked, she bought two pieces of clothing, and I bought one of them for her as a first-meeting gift. It wasn't expensive—a little over three hundred. After being a corporate slave for nearly three years, I can afford that much.

By the time it was nearly noon, we went to a Western restaurant. We had our temperatures checked, filled out forms, registered, and went in. Perhaps because I’m quite outgoing, I felt like I had really opened up, and the awkwardness had faded.

Even though I didn't understand the various celebrities she was talking about—and I didn't know much about those romance dramas, like that "Tang Dynasty Forensic Scientist" or "Eternal Love of Dream," or that other one... something sweet... I forgot the name—I didn't interrupt her. She seemed happy talking, though perhaps she noticed I was just listening, so she eventually stopped.

Then we started talking about celebrities, and it turned out she likes those "little fresh meat" idols. I’d heard of them but didn't know much, but since they were her idols, I certainly had to show some agreement. We just kept chatting away, and then, inevitably, the "Big Three" questions came up:

"Do you have a house?"
"Do you have a car?"
"What’s your monthly salary?"

These are standard questions for any blind date. Even though they felt a bit abrupt, I suppose they were normal. My general answers were as follows:

"A house? I don't have one right now." (I’ve been working for less than three years; what kind of house could I possibly have?)
"A car? Does a bicycle count?"
"My salary is... [four digits]."

After hearing my answers, her expression soured:
"Sorry, but I think a house is necessary." (She subtly implied that the man should pay for the house, but her name should be on the deed.)
"Sorry, but a car is also necessary." (She further hinted that I should have a car, and it shouldn't be a cheap one—at least three hundred thousand was the baseline.)
"And your salary... it seems a bit low. I think five digits would be better."

As soon as she finished, I chuckled. I said:

"Miss, about the house, I actually do have one back in my hometown in Jiangxi. It’s in the countryside, with mountains and water behind it. At night, you can even hear the howling of huskies (wolves)—I was just kidding, there aren't any wolves."
"As for a car, I actually have one. It’s a bicycle I bought during college that cost me two months' worth of part-time wages. It was super expensive!"
"As for the five-digit salary, I admit I don't have that. But look at that gentleman over there."

I pointed to a greasy-looking middle-aged man at the next table, probably around forty (no offense intended), who happened to be sitting with a beautiful woman.

"Who is he?"
"To be honest, that’s my boss. He has three houses in the city center, and his monthly salary is definitely over six figures. Don't worry, he’s still single."
"That sounds nice, but he looks a bit old."
"He's alright," I said, taking a sip of tea. "I think he’s fine. The Civil Affairs Bureau just opened a couple of days ago, and he just finished his fourth divorce."
"..."

She wasn't stupid; she knew exactly what I was implying. The atmosphere after that became incredibly awkward—and how could it not?

I, however, was unfazed. My medium-rare steak felt even easier to cut than before. We didn't speak another word; we just ate our own meals. She looked visibly displeased. Halfway through, she seemed unable to take it anymore, grabbed her bag, and stood up.

"Are you leaving?"
"Is there something else?"
"Oh, nothing really." I called out, "Waiter, bill please!"

The waiter arrived. The total was over four hundred. My steak was a little over one hundred, hers was over two hundred, and the rest was for appetizers and service fees. I took the bill and placed it in front of her. "Sorry, my phone is dead, and I didn't bring my wallet. But hey, it’s only polite to return the favor."

Perhaps out of a sense of saving face, she paid the bill with a dark expression and left. She certainly took the clothes I bought her with her—she wasn't a fool, after all.

I stayed in the restaurant and finished my meal. After all, I wasn't full yet. But as I was eating, I suddenly realized: that dress cost three hundred, and my steak was only a bit over one hundred. It seems I lost money on this deal.