Gu Jing moved the menu to obstruct her vision of Zhen Lang who sat at a table in front of her table.
‘The match maker asked me the same questions you asked me before. They told me about your special conditions before they let me meet you,’ Di Ruan Wei said.
‘Oh… ok,’ Gu Jing said.
Gu Jing reminded herself she needed to stop looking at Zhen Lang, because she needed to pay attention to her third blind date.
‘I think a woman like you who has special conditions knows what she wants. I love women who are decisive and I requested to meet you. But it’s my first blind date and I was nervous. That’s why I came earlier to see if you looked decent. If you didn’t look decent I would have left. I’m sorry I made you wait,’ Di Ruan Wei said.
Gu Jing watched Zhen Lang read a book and she wondered why he didn’t make any moves.
‘Oh… ok,’ Gu Jing said.
Gu Jing drank a sip of coffee.
Di Ruan Wei saw Gu Jing didn’t open any sugar packets. ‘Miss Gu, do you like to drink bitter coffee?’
‘Um,’ Gu Jing said.
Gu Jing glared at Zhen Lang who drank a cup of coffee she knew wouldn’t taste bitter.
‘Not many women like to drink bitter coffee. Miss Gu, you’re not an ordinary woman,’ Di Ruan Wei said.
Gu Jing wanted to curse – ‘Of course I’m ordinary! I forgot to put sugar in my coffee because the jinx is acting suspicious.’
Gu Jing watched Zhen Lang sit like a mountain. She caught him smiling and eavesdropping!
Gu Jing chanted to herself – ‘Don’t look at the jinx.’
Gu Jing propped her hand on a cheek to stop herself from looking at Zhen Lang.
‘Miss Gu, the match maker gave me your profile. On your profile you wrote you never experienced love before, is it true?’ Di Ruan Wei said.
Gu Jing nodded her head. ‘Something like that.’
During elementary and high school Gu Jing obsessed over how to get on the national Taekwondo team. During college she obsessed over how to deal with Zhen Lang. In the last three years she and Peng Cheng Gui focused their energies on the studio. In Gu Jing’s life, love didn’t exist. Not even a peac.o.c.k or c.o.c.kroach showed interest in her.
‘I lived a simple life for twenty-five years. There isn’t going to be anyone significant in my life,’ Gu Jing said.
‘What are you saying? Xiao Long Nu waited sixteen years for Yang Guo,’ Di Ruan Wei said.
In that moment Gu Jing felt she could die happy without regrets, because someone praised her as Xiao Long Nu’s counterpart in the modern era.
Gu Jing heard Zhen Lang spat out coffee and he coughed. She didn’t need to look at him, because she knew he had a mocking smile on his face. She wished she had Xiao Long Nu’s martial arts skills then she could extend her hidden long sash and slap the smile off Zhen Lang’s face.
‘Miss Gu, are you waiting for Yang Guo?’ Di Ruan Wei asked.
Gu Jing glared at Zhen Lang. She heard his laugh. She wanted to ask him – ‘Did you laugh enough? You laughed for a whole minute already!’
‘I’m waiting for Zhen Zhi Bing,’ Gu Jing said carelessly.
Gu Jing saw Zhen Lang spat out coffee. He didn’t smile but his shoulders shook.
Gu Jing reluctantly looked at her third blind date. She silently cursed the jinx for distracting her and causing her embarra.s.sed state.
‘I didn’t mean it in that way… I… I didn’t meant it… I…’ Gu Jing said.
Gu Jing didn’t know how to explain her careless words. She wisely closed her mouth and she smiled stiffly.
Gu Jing heard Zhen Lang’s phone rang.
‘h.e.l.lo aunty Gu,’ Zhen Lang said.
Gu Jing maintained her stiff smile and she eavesdropped on Zhen Lang and her mum’s phone conversation.
‘Aunty, she didn’t pick up your calls?’ Zhen Lang asked.
Zhen Lang looked at Gu Jing and he smiled. She patted her dress for a small pocket and she frowned because she forgot her phone.
‘She forgot her phone,’ Zhen Lang said.
Gu Jing panicked. Before her mum left, her mum warned her not to go on anymore blind dates. She nodded her head because she didn’t want to hear her mum nag her.
‘Where did she go?’ Zhen Lang asked.
Gu Jing pressed her palms against her table. She didn’t want Zhen Lang to expose her. If her mum knew she placated her mum then her mum would return to the city and punish her for her deceit.
Gu Jing looked pitifully at Zhen Lang and she silently begged him not to expose her. He gave her a be-my-housemaid look. She reluctantly nodded her head as a promise to be his housemaid and to do all housework without breaking anything.
Zhen Lang nodded his head. ‘She’s with me at a restaurant. She just went to the bathroom. When she comes back I’ll tell her to call aunty.’
Gu Jing saw Zhen Lang hung up his phone and she exhaled gently. He didn’t expose her, but she felt more nervous and restless.
‘Miss Gu! Can I take you somewhere else for lunch?’ Di Ruan Wei said.
‘Oh… ok,’ Gu Jing said.
Gu Jing looked away from Zhen Lang and she struggled to pay attention to her third blind date.
Gu Jing a.s.sessed her third blind date. He was handsome, confident, he had a straight nose and a charming smile but his eyes twinkled like a player. He gave her his business card – ‘Di Ruan Wei, lawyer.’
On Di Ruan Wei’s business card he wrote his personal phone number on it for Gu Jing. Gu Jing looked at Zhen Lang and she smiled triumphantly. She finally found a potential boyfriend and after she got married she would shake her big b.r.e.a.s.t.s in front of Zhen Lang.
Gu Jing heard Zhen Lang’s phone rang again and it broke her daydream.
Zhen Lang looked at Gu Jing, he smiled and he put his phone on speaker. ‘Aunty Gu, did you forget to say something before?’
‘Are you certain Gu Jing is with you at a restaurant? Then remember to tell her to call me when she comes back from the bathroom,’ Mrs Gu said.
‘She’s not back yet. Aunty, if it’s urgent you can tell me and I’ll pa.s.s on your message to her,’ Zhen Lang said.
‘Tell the little girl summer is here and she shouldn’t run wild outside. She should stay home and do more housework like washing dishes, mopping the floor and cleaning the bathroom. You shouldn’t dote on her and you should let her do all the housework,’ Mrs Gu said.
Gu Jing gritted her teeth because her mum turned her into a free housemaid, it meant she was adopted.
‘If she doesn’t learn how to do housework then in the future no one will want to marry her. Lang Lang, remember not to indulge her. If you go buy bags of rice remember to let her carry them for you. Let her do all the housework and you can rest,’ Mrs Gu said.
Gu Jing fisted her hands and her lips trembled.
‘Remember to tell her to wash her bras and underwear. You can give her your underwear to wash too-’ Mrs Gu said.
Gu Jing stood and she strode to Zhen Lang’s table. She grabbed his phone. ‘Mum, why didn’t you tell me to wash his body and spoon feed him food and drinks? Is there anything else you want to say?’
‘You actually went out to eat with Zhen Lang? Then tell him to eat more nutritious food and tell him to take better care of his body. Remember you shouldn’t bully him. You should do all the housework and remember to wash all his clothes-’ Mrs Gu said.
‘Mum, stop nagging. I know! I’ll wash his feet and his bottom too, satisfied?’ Gu Jing said.
‘Little girl! How dare you say I’m nagging you-’ Mrs Gu said.
Gu Jing threw Zhen Lang’s phone onto Zhen Lang’s lap. ‘Out of battery.’
Zhen Lang pointed a finger behind Gu Jing. She turned around and her third blind date looked back and forth suspiciously at her and Zhen Lang.
On the inside Gu Jing cursed herself – ‘What did I say before? Heavens, please send a lightning bolt to strike me dead!’
Gu Jing pulled up Zhen Lang’s arm and she forced both of their hands to wave at her third blind date. She smiled sweetly at her third blind date. ‘He is my big brother.’
End of Chapter Nineteen