The weather in April in Jiang City is delightful. The spring breeze is gentle, carrying a pleasant warmth, and the sunlight overhead is always bright and cheerful.
On the street outside Left Bank Cafe, a jujube-red BMW is parked by the side. Jin Xiaoling inside the car is peering at a man sitting by the window within the café through her military binoculars. She asks, "Are you sure it's him?"
Gu Shengxiao, seated in the driver's seat, looks over at the man, then back at a photo in his hands. "Yes, it's definitely him!"
Upon hearing this, Jin Xiaoling puts down the binoculars and pulls down the mirror to check her appearance, making sure there's nothing wrong with her makeup. She then pulls the mirror back up and prepares to get out of the car.
Gu Shengxiao reaches out to stop her, looking a bit worried. "Commander Jin, do you really plan on going in?"
Jin Xiaoling looks at him and after a bit, she says, "Well, do you plan to go in yourself?"
Gu Shengxiao hesitates; logically, she should be the one to go in. After all, she's the protagonist of this blind date.
Seeing her hesitation, Jin Xiaoling leans back into her seat and teases, "If you don't mind your family's Lin Yixiang finding out--"
"You... you should go in quickly." Hearing Lin Yixiang's name, Gu Shengxiao capitulates and advises Jin Xiaoling. "Ying Jinyan is 33 years old, the youngest son of the Ying family. That's all I know. Good luck with the blind date!"
"What an attitude." Jin Xiaoling is both exasperated and amused. She decides not to tease Gu Shengxiao further and heads straight for the café door.
Upon entering the café, Jin Xiaoling spots Ying Jinyan sitting by the window. His dignified posture gives her a feeling of déjà vu.
Pulling her clothes straight and taking a deep breath, she makes her way over to the window seat.
When Jin Xiaoling reaches the predetermined location, Ying Jinyan is reading news on his phone. Sensing her presence, he raises his head and stares at her intently.
"Ying Jinyan?" Jin Xiaoling keeps standing, viewing him closely without sitting down.
Upon closer inspection, Jin Xiaoling realizes his complexion is somewhat darker than average, akin to someone who has been exposed to the sun for many years. His nose is notably high, giving his face a very defined and distinct look. Coupled with his standard crew cut, he might not be strikingly handsome, but fits the typical "forward-looking" boy-next-door charm. However, a certain sense of robust masculinity and righteousness seem to emanate from him, more than most.
Ying Jingyan nodded and stood up from his seat, politely extending a hand to her, "Hello, Miss Gu."
Jin Xiaoling extended her hand in response and then finally took the seat across him.
Ying Jingyan also sat down, looking at Jin Xiaoling without uttering a word.
In fact, after turning thirty, his family had been constantly pushing for his marriage. Every time he would come home, attending blind dates had almost become a required task for him. Each time, the elders and his older sister at home would select suitable girls for him. The only thing left was for him to nod in agreement and confirm one of them.
Jin Xiaoling had never been on a blind date; hence she really didn't know what to say. But aside from attending this blind date on behalf of Gu Shengxiao today, her main aim was pretty clear: to win over the man sitting in front of her!
Just as Jin Xiaoling was pondering over how to break the ice, the waiter came over with a tray of water, "Miss, what would you like to drink?"
As he asked, he also extended the menu he had been carrying towards her.
Without even flipping it open, Jin Xiaoling pushed the menu back towards him and stated, "A vanilla latte will do, nothing else."
"Sure, please wait a moment." The waiter retreated with a smile.
Upon the waiter's departure, Jin Xiaoling nervously brought her glass of water to her lips and took a sip.
Seeing her nervous appearance, Ying Jingyan looked at her and asked with a trace of amusement, "Miss Gu, is this your first time on a blind date?"
Hearing him ask this, Jin Xiaoling responded instinctively, "By the sound of it, Mr. Ying, you've been on quite a few of these, haven't you?"
Ying Jingyan shrugged, letting out a chuckle, but chose not to delve deeper.
In reality, after posing such a question, Jin Xiaoling felt that she had been a bit harsh. She collected her glass and couldn't help but take another sip of water. Feeling a bit awkward, she shakily touched her hair. Looking at Ying Jingyan, she said, "I, I mean, Mr. Ying, you are at an age where you should already be married."
Upon hearing her words, Ying Jingyan retorted, "So, Miss Gu believes that I'm too old, is that it?"
Jin Xiaoling honestly felt her intelligence quotient today was in the negatives. Since the start, it seemed like she hadn't said a single thing right.
She felt somewhat shy to make eye contact with him. Once the words were spoken, they were like water splashed out; obviously, she couldn't take them back. Since she couldn't retrieve her words, she could only forge ahead and say, "I just think mature men are more appealing."
Ying Jinyan had to suppress his laughter, not because she praised him, but because he found her efforts to smooth over her words rather amusing.
Seeing him laugh, Jin Xiaoling finally felt relieved. She didn't want to mess up their relationship the moment they met. After all, her goal in substituting Gu Shengxiao in this blind date today was to win over this man as soon as possible.
The café wasn't crowded at this hour. The soothing music seemed particularly suitable for a blind date. When Jin Xiaoling was wondering how to start a conversation while holding a water glass, the server brought their coffee. Without further ado, the server placed the coffee in front of Jin Xiaoling, told her to enjoy, and then quickly left.
Looking at the coffee in front of her, Jin Xiaoling was a straightforward person and found beating around the bush not to her liking. She couldn't think of any more euphemisms, then directly looked at Ying Jinyan and asked, "Mr. Ying, do you have any specific requirements for your future partner?"
Hearing her question, Ying Jinyan put down his coffee cup and replied, "Nothing in particular, really."
"Do you think I'm suitable?" Jin Xiaoling looked at him, her big eyes blinking in anticipation.
Her directness left Ying Jinyan stunned. He hadn't expected her to be so blunt.
Seeing his silence, Jin Xiaoling further pushed, "Am I not suitable? If there's anything unsuitable about me, I can change!"
The eagerness reflected in her demeanor was somewhat surprising to Ying Jinyan. He wondered if he had been in the military for too long, not encountering women for a prolonged period, and now girls were all this straightforward?
Clearing his throat, Ying Jinyan looked at Jin Xiaoling and said, "Is it too soon to discuss this matter? After all, this is only our first meeting, isn't it?"
Undeterred, Jin Xiaoling said, "Isn't the purpose of a blind date to find a spouse? If our goal is the same, why should we be oblique in the process?"
Left speechless by Jin Xiaoling, Ying Jinyan had to admit her logic was sound, yet something about it seemed off.
Seeing him speechless, Jin Xiaoling leaned forward, looking straight into Ying Jinyan's eyes, and proposed, "Well then, shall we just get married?"
