The next day, after Ding Ruzhi finished eating, she was about to head to work when Mrs. Ding stopped her.

"I’ve already called your uncle. You’re not going anywhere today. You’re coming with me on a blind date."

Ding Ruzhi glanced at her father, but he kept his eyes downcast, avoiding her gaze. She felt a surge of indignation but didn’t dare protest.

Since she couldn’t go to work, she simply went back to her room.

A short while later, Mrs. Ding came in.

She stared at Ding Ruzhi’s outfit for a moment. "Change into that blue dress we bought last time. And let your hair down."

Ding Ruzhi sat motionless.

Unfazed, Mrs. Ding opened the closet herself, found the dress, and was about to change Ding Ruzhi into it herself.

Ding Ruzhi shot to her feet. "What are you doing? I like this outfit. Do I need your approval for everything I wear?"

Mrs. Ding’s voice was grim. "Yes. I don’t like what you’re wearing. It’s so frumpy. What terrible taste. You will change into this. Are you going to do it, or do I have to dress you myself?"

Ding Ruzhi had no choice but to take the dress. She then looked at her mother.

Mrs. Ding stared back. "What are you looking at me for?"

Ding Ruzhi said, "Could you get out? I need to change."

Mrs. Ding was incredulous. "I gave birth to you. You think I can’t watch you change your clothes?"

Ding Ruzhi rolled her eyes. "No. Please get out."

Seeing that her daughter was willing to change, Mrs. Ding didn’t press the issue and left the room.

A moment later, Mrs. Ding came back in. Seeing that Ding Ruzhi was ready, she nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright, let’s go."

Ding Ruzhi made one last, desperate attempt. "Mom, can I please not go?"

"No. Let’s go. Now."

When they arrived at the Red Square Cafe, Mrs. Ding immediately spotted the man who was there to meet Ding Ruzhi.

"Xiao Li, have you been waiting long?"

The man shook his head. "Not at all, Auntie. I just arrived myself." He then turned his gaze to Ding Ruzhi.

Ding Ruzhi’s eyes darted everywhere—left, right, anywhere but at the man in front of her.

Annoyed, Mrs. Ding pinched Ding Ruzhi sharply on the waist.

"Ow, ow, ow..."

When Mrs. Ding noticed others looking their way, her expression stiffened. She quickly let go and shot Ding Ruzhi a warning glance.

"Honestly, child. What are you shouting about? Don’t make a scene."

Then, she turned to Xiao Li. "I’m so sorry. My daughter is very... straightforward. Please forgive her."

Xiao Li smiled. "It’s no problem, Auntie. I think it’s rather cute."

Mrs. Ding beamed, satisfied.

Ding Ruzhi rolled her eyes at his comment.

Mrs. Ding said, "You two young people have a nice chat. I’m going to go wander around for a bit."

"Of course. Take your time, Auntie."

Before she left, Mrs. Ding gave Ding Ruzhi another shove, her eyes filled with a clear warning.

Taking the hint, Ding Ruzhi didn’t try to sabotage the meeting by acting out like she had before. Instead, she sat down with the man.

Once seated, Ding Ruzhi finally started to size him up.

’He’s pretty tall, but looks a bit thin. Tsk, probably not very strong. Doesn’t give off a sense of security.’

’He wears glasses... hmm, bad eyesight.’

’His looks are average. He can’t compare to He Zichen at all.’

The man smiled. "Ms. Ding, are you satisfied with my appearance?"

Ding Ruzhi pursed her lips. "You’re okay, I guess."

The man didn’t seem offended. He just introduced himself. "My name is Li Yanfei. I’m twenty-nine, and I work for the tax bureau."

Ding Ruzhi just grunted, "Oh."

Li Yanfei smiled. "And you’re Ding Ruzhi, correct?"

"You already know that."

In truth, both of them had been briefed on each other’s basic details before the meeting.

Li Yanfei chuckled. "Yes, I do. I was just wondering, what are your hobbies, Ms. Ding?"

Ding Ruzhi said, "I like spending money. Anything that involves spending money, I like it."

Li Yanfei paused for a beat. "Well, it’s normal for a girl to enjoy shopping."

"If you want to buy anything in the future, you can let me know. I’d be happy to go with you."

From that remark, Ding Ruzhi knew he was interested in her.

She felt a flicker of irritation.

She was about to say something, but she caught a glimpse of a figure outside the window and held her tongue.

Her patience for conversation had worn out. She simply let him do all the talking.

"Is something about me bothering you, Ms. Ding?"

"Huh?" His question pulled Ding Ruzhi back from her thoughts, which had drifted miles away.

Li Yanfei looked at her and repeated, "Is something about me bothering you? Or did I say something you didn’t like?"

Ding Ruzhi shook her head. "No, not at all."

Li Yanfei replaced Ding Ruzhi’s coffee with a hot one.

"I saw you were distracted, and I started to wonder if I’d said something wrong. I know I can be a bit boring, so if you have any issues, please feel free to tell me."

Ding Ruzhi shook her head.

"Sorry, I was spacing out just now. It wasn’t your fault."

Li Yanfei’s heart sank.

"It seems I’m not really your type, Ms. Ding. Since that’s the case, let’s just call it a day."

With that, he stood up.

"I’ve already paid for the coffee. Goodbye."

As soon as Li Yanfei left the cafe, Mrs. Ding hurried back inside.

She entered to find Ding Ruzhi staring at the steaming cup of coffee before her.

Mrs. Ding sat down across from her.

"Well?"

Ding Ruzhi pressed her lips together. "It was what it was."

Mrs. Ding frowned. "What does ’what it was’ mean? Did Xiao Li take a liking to you?"

Ding Ruzhi looked at her mother. "How would I know? You’d have to ask him."

Stung by the retort, Mrs. Ding was momentarily speechless before asking, "Well, did you take a liking to him?"

"No," Ding Ruzhi said bluntly.

Mrs. Ding shot her a look, confused. "Don’t tell me he didn’t like you either? How could that be? I saw him looking at you the entire time. It was obvious he felt good about you."

Ding Ruzhi said nothing.

"Did you say something you shouldn’t have?" Mrs. Ding demanded.

Ding Ruzhi waved her hands in a show of innocence. "I didn’t! Weren’t you watching me from outside? I wouldn’t dare say anything out of line. Maybe he just wasn’t into me. I’m not a goddess, you know. Not everyone is going to like me."

"Is that really it?"

Ding Ruzhi nodded. "Mhm."

Mrs. Ding finally let it go, though she felt it was a shame. The young man had seemed quite nice, and he spoke with such easy confidence.

On the way home, Ding Ruzhi worried that he would complain to her mother about her behavior. To her surprise, he had simply told Mrs. Ding that it just "wasn’t meant to be."

Ding Ruzhi breathed a sigh of relief at his words, but Mrs. Ding was thoroughly dejected.

"What does he mean, ’it wasn’t meant to be’? You met, didn’t you? Isn’t that ’meant to be’?"

"Mom, it’s just a polite excuse because he wasn’t interested. He said it that way so he wouldn’t hurt my feelings."

Mrs. Ding shot her an exasperated look.

"Honestly. Such a good catch. How could he possibly not have taken a liking to you?"

The corner of Ding Ruzhi’s mouth twitched. She quickly escaped to her room.

’If I stay any longer, I’m just going to get another lecture.’

Since the blind date was a failure, Ding Ruzhi went to work that afternoon.