Chapter 1  : Unsold Goods

“Hello, Mom. Uhm… I’m here. I know, I know. I won’t fail this time….”

Sighing, Pei Ge hung up the phone. After all these blind dates, I hope I meet a reliable man this time….

Pei Ge lifted her head and, before her eyes, there stood a tall, sleek coffee house with a hint of perfection.

Blues Coffee.

She opened its bright, glass door and, at the direction of the service staff, Pei Ge found her date very quickly.

“Miss Pei?”

“Yes, hello, Mr. Liu. I’m Pei Ge.” Pei Ge politely greeted the man, who sat comfortably in the deck area and did not even bother to stand, with a smile.

“What the…” The man did not respond to her and merely muttered a sentence softly.

Although the man said it softly and Pei Ge could not hear it clearly, the flash of disappointment in his eyes and the disgruntled look more or less made her figure out what he had just said.

The smile on Pei Ge’s lips also faded for a moment as she fought the urge to turn around and leave. In the end, she took the seat opposite the man.

However, very quickly, Pei Ge realized that her decision to stay was a big mistake.

“So, Miss Pei, how much do you earn a month?”

Hearing the man’s words, the corner of Pei Ge’s mouth twitched. Despite her intolerance to the man’s words, she maintained her cool and softly replied, “Mr. Liu, asking about my salary on our first meeting doesn’t sound too appropriate.”

“What’s the big deal? You asked me the same thing earlier.” the man responded insensitively; his eyes revealing his disapproval.

“I definitely did not ask Mr. Liu such questions.” Impatient, Pei Ge glanced at the rhinestone watch on her wrist.

“What kind of attitude is this?!” Seemingly angered by Pei Ge’s words, the man shot her an angry stare.

Seeing the man’s current state, Pei Ge rubbed her brows and smiled as she said, “Mr. Liu, I think we are not really a good fit, so—”

Before Pei Ge could finish her words, the man interrupted her. “So what are you trying to say, Miss Pei?”

The man looked at Pei Ge with anger, as though he could not believe that she would dare say those words to him.

“What I mean is that we don’t match, and there’s no need to waste any more of our time here.”

Ah… Another failed date. I’m definitely going to be nagged at when I get back home.Hearing her words, the man was enraged and sarcastically said, “Ha ha! Miss Pei, you think you are still an 18-year-old lady? Look at you…

“26 years old, doesn’t have a slim figure, no job, yet still so selective. I mean, if not for the fact that I’m doing your cousin a favor, do you really think I would come here to meet you? No wonder you got dumped—”

Before he could finish his words, a steaming hot coffee splashed all over his face.

“Ahhh!” the man screamed in pain as the hot coffee landed on his face.

“Sorry, Mr. Liu. My hand slipped. Actually, I’ve been meaning to say that you don’t look 29 at all. In fact, you look closer to a 39-year-old man. Also, I have an uncle who is very knowledgeable about baldness. If you wish, I can ask him about it for you.” Pei Ge flashed the man an empty smile.

“You…” The man could feel his face reddening, but he wasn’t sure whether it was due to the hot coffee scalding him or Pei Ge’s words.

Without a care for the man, Pei Ge took out a pouch from her black handbag and retrieved a few red notes within. She then slammed the notes on the table with an air of confidence. “Money for coffee and laundry. Goodbye, Mr. Liu.”

Only when the man saw the back of the woman striding away that he returned to his senses.

“You are almost 30 and still on the shelf; what rights do you have to be picky?! Serves you right that you haven’t found yourself a man yet!”

The man’s angry exclamation caught the attention of the other patrons in the coffee house, causing them to look toward Pei Ge, who was on her way out of the establishment.

“Looks average, yet still picky…”

“Yeah. For a woman to reach this stage is quite a failure.”

“I saw her splash coffee all over that man’s face earlier. Really no class.”

“Serves her right to remain single forever….”

…

Hearing the whispered discussions, Pei Ge kept her gaze forward. She seemed unaffected by the commotion around her, yet the pace of her footsteps increased.

“A thousand years slow moving good?”

In an elegantly decorated box, a handsome man, dressed in blue plaid suit, sat on a black sofa made of real leather. With both hands on the sofa and right leg crossed over his left leg, he appeared cynical of the situation; his interest perked as he viewed Pei Ge’s back view through the frosted glass.

His action was somewhat frivolous, but when he did it, it did not give off that impression. On the contrary, it gave off a certain style.

He was, after all, the capital’s famous playboy – Mu Heng.

What century is this? This term still exists? Mu Heng smiled as he pondered on this thought, his eyes full of amusement.

“Well, if I must say, given my experience with the ladies, that one doesn’t look too bad. She’s definitely of some quality, and although her figure is a little plump, it is of abundance; her touch must feel good…” Mu Heng’s eyes remained fixed on Pei Ge’s back, as he confidently said this to the man sitting on the sofa opposite him.

“….”

The man sitting opposite of Mu Heng on the sofa was wearing a custom-made silver suit, his features more refined and ravishing than Mu Heng’s.

The cool, deep blackness reflected against the sharp glare of light, accompanied by his aloof, handsome features, almost looked sculpted, bringing about an imposing vibe from the man extraordinaire.

The man glanced over at Pei Ge, whose back posture was stiff and straight, with indifferent eyes. “I do like that lady’s personality, but from an observer’s point of view only. Her style, though, I can’t say much. Her features would score an eight, but her bad makeup dropped her to a five.”

Mu Heng could not be bothered by the opinions of those around him or their ridicule of her.

“Ah!” Mu Heng exclaimed, as though he had thought of something, and said, “Zi Ming, doesn’t she remind you of someone?”

Without waiting for the man’s response, Mu Heng turned, the corner of his mouth curling into a smirk, to mock the other, “Don’t you think she looks like that spendthrift princess who threw herself at you?”

…

No wonder she was dumped… Once Pei Ge stepped out of the coffee house, her indifferent face betrayed a trace of bitterness.

She could not help but replay the man’s mocking words in her mind. “We agreed never to leave each other; to stay together forever…”

Suddenly, her phone rang. Pei Ge dismissed the thoughts in her mind and retrieved the phone from her bag.

“Hello, Ge Ge. I just heard from Auntie that you went on a blind date again.”

Hearing her best friend’s voice on the phone, Pei Ge was comforted at once and her initially foul mood took a turn for the better.

“Yeah, I did. Sadly, I met another jerk. Xiaoyu, tell me why I’m this unlucky?” Pei Ge asked depressingly as she complained to Xiaoyu.

“He he… You met another jerk?” Tang Xiaoyu laughed grimly in response to Pei Ge’s question.

“This fellow… reminds me so much of that guy from my fifth blind date – loves to show off, thinks he is very impressive, picky of everything, yet he doesn’t even look at himself in the mirror—”

Without waiting for Pei Ge to finish ridiculing her date, Xiaoyu interrupted, “Wait a minute! Missy! After so many blind dates, haven’t you learned anything? Honestly, not all those guys were jerks, but, in your eyes, how did all of them become one? Ge Ge, you’ll soon be 27. You’re not really thinking of continuing to go on blind dates when you reach 30, are you?”

A hint of impatience could be detected in Tang Xiaoyu’s voice.

“But… this time, the guy was really a jerk…” Feeling wronged, Pei Ge argued as she held the phone tightly.

“Ge Ge, tell me honestly; are you still hung up on that bastard? Still missing him so you reject every guy you’ve been on a date with?”

“Oh! Xiaoyu, I just remembered! It’s Friday! My cousin is flying home today; I have to go home and help my mother prepare for my cousin’s arrival. I better go now; I’ll call you later when I have time.”

“Hey! Ge Ge! Ge Ge! You dare hang up on me—”

Hearing Xiaoyu’s angry shouts, Pei Ge quickly hung up the phone.

Do I still miss him? Pei Ge’s lips curled into a sad smile. She was, in fact, still thinking of him…. Forget it. Stop thinking. Be happier. Today, Cousin is coming back; I better hurry home. Pei Ge stood on the pavement, raised her hand to flag down a taxi, and went on her way home.