My Life with Narration-Chapter 202 - 201: Blind Date, Third Round

The son is rebellious, and even the family dog adds to the chaos, then just fight!

Su Qing and Da Huang’s successive catches left old Su a bit embarrassed, but also reignited his long-lost competitive spirit.

A father’s motivation to maintain dignity in front of his children is immense. In the past, when fishing with Li Maoquan, coming up empty-handed was a common occurrence; neither mocked the other. But today, with a change of company, the contrast was stark.

Though the ideal was robust, the reality was rather skeletal. The father and son sat by the wild river until three in the afternoon before heading home, and old Su’s yield could be chalked up as complicated.

Just two small silver carp, not to mention that one compared to Da Huang’s big carp; even in Su Qing’s bucket, such fish were abundant enough to irritate old Su nearly to the point of breaking the fishing rod.

Especially Da Huang, who, with a splash, could catch a fish just like that—big or small, leaving old Su staring in amazement. With Da Huang around, would he ever need to go to the supermarket for fish when he came up empty-handed?

Empty-handed? Absolutely not possible to be empty-handed.

Conversely, Su Qing seems to have discovered a new world, where fishing doesn’t seem difficult at all; it could even be considered very simple, evoking an addictive impulse in him.

The hours passed by, and what initially seemed especially boring turned interesting after catching the first fish, making him a bit excited.

The father and son took the opportunity to talk about many work-related issues, such as stocks, claiming that Shen Yi recommended trying short-term investments because they believed in that stock.

Old Su gladly accepted this perspective, although he still had doubts about his son, but he had some trust in the judgment of someone capable of starting a company.

Ever since realizing yesterday that his son had grown up, Su Hongye was angry with his ’rebelliousness,’ but deep down, he was pleased. After all, how could parents not be happy when their child shows promise? Mainly, it was his pride getting in the way.

Through the fishing trip, father and son also communicated, knowing that since Su Qing became sensible, he hadn’t opened up to his parents for a long time.

Old Su even asked him about his future plans, but at this age, what life plan could there be other than earning more money?

This didn’t exceed old Su’s expectations, making him feel that as an old father, there’s still much to teach his children, and then he felt better.

When the two and the dog got home, it was rare for old Su to hold his head high and proudly, much to his mother’s shock, carrying about half a bucket of fish.

To prevent old Su from getting upset due to his shouting to abdicate, he feigned integrity and acknowledged most of these fish were caught by his dad, which delighted the old man to no end.

Though Da Huang looking muddy made Zhou Hui twitch at the corner of her eyes, old Su naturally took on the task of bathing the dog.

Then his mom took him aside for a stream of admonitions, giving him a girl’s WeChat, recounting how difficult things were for her, and how rare and valuable this opportunity was, telling him to seize this chance firmly.

Not until six-thirty in the evening did he drive old Su’s car out.

Just as he left, Su He returned from driving practice, though this time she had a plucked duck in hand.

"Dad, where’s my brother?"

"Your brother went to a matchmaking meeting, but you... did you swap ducks today? Well, we’ve had enough lamb; a change of taste is good."

Su He: ...

Though it was only two short days, the elderly couple at home knew their daughter’s story—it was a trip to learn driving, wasn’t it? No, it was a visit to the vegetable market to stock up for the house.

In a somewhat elegant restaurant, Su Qing had already been waiting for half an hour. The restaurant had a good ambiance and wasn’t cheap, suggested by the girl.

Anyone who’s been through matchmaking knows that, in such situations, a man hardly has room to refuse, so he didn’t protest.

While waiting, he was texting his mom.

Empress Dowager: "Has the girl arrived yet?"

Su Qing: "Not yet!"

Empress Dowager: "Wait a bit more; Aunt Wang said she’s about to arrive."

Su Qing: "Mom, she’s already half an hour late."

Empress Dowager: "Oh my, what girl doesn’t wear makeup when they go out? Wait a little longer; she’ll be there soon!"

Su Qing: "I’ll wait another ten minutes, and if she doesn’t come, I’m leaving!"

Empress Dowager: "You child, don’t leave, you hear?"

Honestly, this was probably his first matchmaking experience, after all, the last one was his mom’s online dating match. Online dating is free love, entirely different from matchmaking; Shen Yi had even found several videos online for him to watch beforehand, which were filled with matchmaking tactics.

She also told him that if things went awry, to run if he could, and if not, send her his location for assistance.

"Hello, are you the one introduced by Aunt Wang?" At this moment, a girl approached, dressed in cool shorts and stylishly, asking this.

The girl had a decent figure, quite slim, and her look was delicate, though the makeup on her face was visibly heavy. Nonetheless, she could be considered a beauty.

"Ah, hello, I am. You’re introduced by Aunt Wang, right? I’m Su Qing!" Su hurriedly stood up to introduce himself.

Shen Yi’s matchmaking video had said the first meeting requires politeness.

"I’m Tan Qianqian, you can call me Abby."

Su Qing: ???

Why give a name together with English, unaware of my poor English?

Also, what kind of person would have an English name? If you say it’s your nickname, that’s fine too.

"Please sit down! You haven’t eaten yet, right? Order something!"

Tan Qianqian sat down, first giving him a quick once-over with a satisfied nod, then took the menu and ordered six dishes in a row, which made Su Qing frown.

It wasn’t that he cared about the money, but this woman gave him a slightly uncomfortable feeling, an air of superiority. Or maybe it was just his imagination.

Compared to the girl his mother set him up with online last time, the impression here was significantly worse. She was over half an hour late and didn’t even apologize upon arrival. Is this what a blind date is supposed to be?

This was his first time on a proper blind date, so he didn’t know if this was normal.

While waiting for the dishes, the two exchanged small talk, although the girl’s hand kept fiddling with her phone. Yet, she kept chatting with him non-stop, and soon the dishes arrived. They chatted while eating, getting a general understanding of each other.

"By the way, what do you do for a living?" Tan Qianqian asked.

Hearing this, Su Qing was puzzled, "Didn’t Aunt Wang tell you?"

"She did. She said you make short videos. Are you an Internet celebrity? How come I don’t know you?"

To this, Su Qing thought it would be surprising if you did know him, as he never appears on camera.

"No, I’m not really an Internet celebrity. I just earn some hard money through views."

"Hard money? That’s not right, is it? I heard from Aunt Wang that you make quite a bit; in just over a month, you could earn a few hundred thousand. That’s a big Internet celebrity! Don’t pretend!" Tan Qianqian said with disbelief, as if she already knew his condition.

Hearing this, Su Qing sweated inwardly. While what she said wasn’t entirely wrong, he felt that his mom was boasting a bit too much. Even a woman he had just met knew about his situation, showing that his mom had been putting in some effort behind the scenes.

"In our line of work, income is unstable. If you become popular, sure, there’s money, but the bottom line could be low. Who knows when it might go bust," Su Qing said modestly.

He didn’t mind attracting women with his conditions but wouldn’t deliberately flaunt it. After all, there were many rich people around him, and his money always felt insufficient.

"True, instability is a problem. By the way, I heard from Aunt Wang that you had 500,000 in savings a year after graduation?" Tan Qianqian inquired.

Su Qing frowned, thinking it was inappropriate to ask such personal questions.

Even though he wasn’t very old, he knew that topics like savings were very private, but he still nodded.

Then the girl nodded in satisfaction, her tone calm but somewhat assertive:

"Just perfect, I have an online loan of 300,000. You can help me pay it back, and with the remaining money, we can go on a trip. I’ve always wanted to go to Tibet."

At that point, even he realized that this woman was out of her mind.

"I don’t think that’s a good idea."

"What’s not good about it? Are you unwilling?"

Su Qing: (・_・)

Isn’t that obvious? Who are you anyway, asking me to pay off your 300,000 online loan the first time we meet? Who do you think you are? And asking if he is unwilling, who would give their money to others for no reason? Do you take him for a fool?

"No, beauty, you can deceive my feelings, and you can deceive my money, but at least go through the motions, right? Who comes straight to the point like this? You seem more precise than a college entrance exam tutor."

Hearing this, Tan Qianqian was stunned, as she didn’t expect such a response, "You really speak bluntly. Who talks like this? I’m giving you an opportunity here."

"Besides, I don’t even care about your little savings. You can’t even bear to part with this amount. How would we live if we got married, given your unstable income? I have a stable job, and after marriage, I can’t go to work. We haven’t even factored in the cost of the wedding yet."

Upon hearing this, Su Qing’s eyes widened. Honestly, he knew such people existed, but this was his first time encountering someone like this in real life. How could she say such things so confidently? This wasn’t just a question of being thick-skinned; she genuinely believed her views were rational.

"I heard from the matchmaker, and I know you’re a nurse with a stable job. But if you don’t want to work after marriage, what’s the difference whether you have a job or not?" Su Qing asked.

"What are you talking about? How is there no difference? I..."

But before she could finish, Su Qing raised a hand to interrupt, "Alright then, just tell me your conditions for marriage. If I think they are acceptable, we can continue. If not, let’s stop wasting each other’s time."

Actually, he had already dismissed her in his heart, but he was suddenly curious about what conditions such a woman would have for marriage. If she was already so bizarre just dating, what would marriage be like—might it be even more astonishing?

Thinking of this, he actually felt a bit excited.

Upon hearing this, Tan Qianqian looked at him in disbelief, thinking that this man was different from anyone she had met before. Is he insane?

But considering he looked decent, was her type, and made a decent income, she laid out her demands, which unsurprisingly didn’t disappoint Su Qing.

"My mom said the betrothal gift is 280,000, the wedding gift is 380,000, which totals 660,000 for good luck. The house must be purchased in full, in a new city development, no less than 120 square meters, with my name on the deed. The wedding jewelry cannot be less than 50,000, the introduction fee is 66,000, the car gift allowance is 8,800, and of course, your Honda Accord is not acceptable. The car must be at least over 400,000 and registered in my name. That’s about it, though the rest is just small change."

Hearing this, Su Qing couldn’t help but laugh; compared to this, his mom arranging an online romance seemed more reliable.

"Why are you laughing? Is there a problem?"

Su Qing nodded:

"Do you need a grave too? I can add your name to it!"

Tan Qianqian:...

...