Volume 1, Chapter 31: Pressure from Home to Marry

Lin Feifei finally told me she wanted spicy hot pot. I offered to take her out, but to my surprise, she insisted on going home to prepare it herself. Although we had agreed that I would treat her, the fact that she ended up ordering the ingredients made me feel a bit guilty.

When we arrived at her place, the ingredients had already been delivered. Checking the time, it was already past three in the afternoon. I gave a wry smile and said, "It looks like your afternoon tea is turning into dinner."

Lin Feifei smiled enchantingly, "Is that just an excuse you’re using to stay at my place?"

"In that case, I’ll go buy a crate of beer. We’ll drink plenty tonight, and while I’m at it, I’ll have an excuse to stay the night, too."

Lin Feifei rolled her eyes at me with a charming glint in her beautiful eyes. "You’re so cheeky! Go and get dinner ready!"

Though she complained about my cheekiness, the corners of her mouth, curled upward and impossible to suppress, betrayed her true feelings.

I busied myself in the kitchen. Before long, Lin Feifei came running in, her dainty, snow-white feet bare against the floor.

"Is there anything I can help with?"

She batted her bright, sparkling eyes at me, making it impossible for me to refuse.

I thought for a moment and said, "Do you have an apron? Could you grab one for me?"

"Sure, wait a second."

Lin Feifei hopped away and returned with an apron. I looked down at the one she handed me and said with a grin, "Could you tie it for me? My hands are covered in oil."

Lin Feifei froze for a moment, appearing conflicted, but my excuse was too good to pass up. She nodded and stepped forward to tie the apron. As she leaned in, a delicate, elegant fragrance wafted toward me. She accidentally brushed against my waist, and that unintentional touch sent a ripple of excitement deep within me.

"What’s wrong?" Lin Feifei sensed my change in demeanor and asked softly.

Her voice was sweet and tender. Combined with her proximity, I couldn't help but feel my face flush and my heart rate accelerate. I took a deep breath, thinking, *What a bewitching siren she is!*

"Nothing, just that you accidentally brushed against my abs."

I meant to tease her, but to my surprise, her eyes suddenly lit up.

"Really? That’s great, let me see."

"..."

"Alright, I lose."

"Hmph! Trying to tease me!"

Lin Feifei cast a flirtatious glance at me and turned to leave.

While I was busy in the kitchen, Lin Feifei didn’t sit idle. She kept helping me out, darting in and out of the kitchen. Although she was mostly just getting in the way, I found myself thoroughly enjoying it.

Having drifted in the big city for so many years, I had always longed for a harbor to drop my anchor. Kuang Li had once given me such a hope, only to shatter it with her own hands. Sometimes, despite giving my all, even living as an ordinary person felt like a distant dream.

Just as I finished up, Lin Feifei handed me my phone. "Your phone is ringing."

I took it and saw who it was, my brow furrowing immediately as my good mood evaporated. It was my father. He never had anything good to say when he called, and not wanting to spoil the mood in front of Lin Feifei, I didn't answer.

I let it ring, but he was persistent. I hung up and sent him a message saying I’d call him back later, which finally put an end to his "harassment."

I was distracted throughout the entire meal. Lin Feifei noticed something was wrong, but seeing that I didn't want to talk about it, she didn't press me. I left shortly after we finished eating, and as soon as I stepped out of her apartment complex, I called my father back.

The moment he picked up, his irritable voice boomed through the phone, "Why did it take you so long to call back?"

I walked toward the subway station, replying, "I told you, I was busy."

He had been bottling up his anger and finally let it explode. He roared, "Busy, busy, busy! You’re always the busiest, yet I never see you bringing any money home! And now you’ve even lost your wife."

A lump formed in my throat, and I couldn't help but offer a bitter laugh. In my memory, my father’s defining trait was belittling me. Even though I was used to it, a profound sense of bitterness welled up inside.

I took a deep breath. "What is it you actually want?"

"What else could it be? Arranging a blind date for you!"

I was stunned. "A blind date?"

My father grunted, "What else can we do? You’re thirty already. If you don't go on blind dates, how are you ever going to find a wife?"

"I just turned thirty. In a big city like this, there are plenty of people who aren't married or in relationships at my age."

My father exploded like a powder keg. "Do you really think of yourself as a city person? Look at you—you’ve been out there for so many years, have you made anything of yourself?"

"..."

My chest felt tight, as if something were lodged in it. I lit a cigarette and listened to his relentless scolding while I smoked.

"I’ll send you that girl’s WeChat shortly. Add her and chat. The matchmaker says she’s a good girl—honest and not one for many words."

I let out a cold laugh. "You can believe a matchmaker? Maybe she’s just 'old' and doesn't have many 'true words' to say?"

Irritated by my retort, my father snapped, "You should be grateful someone is even willing to introduce you! You’re thirty and still have no one. People your age back in the village already have kids old enough to run errands. All my friends back home are grandfathers already."

I rubbed my temples, overcome by a sense of powerlessness. It seemed that in their eyes, since graduating college, I was merely a mass-produced commodity. Finding a job, dating, buying a house or car, marrying, and having children—everything had to be compared to others. It felt as if the only purpose of my existence was to propagate the next generation.

I took a few deep drags of my cigarette. The smoke grew thick, but the bitterness in my heart deepened. The red glow of the ember flickered, much like the fragile heart hidden beneath my tough exterior.

A moment later, my father continued, "Oh, right, the girl has been divorced and has a child, but don't worry—the kid stayed with the father, and she won't see them again. It won't affect your life together."

"What the hell!"

I was incensed. "I haven't even been married once, you know!"

My father dismissed my concern impatiently. "At your age and with your situation, this is the best you can get. You already have a divorce certificate yourself! With your circumstances, you’re lucky if you're even good enough for her. Stop being picky; you’re too old to be choosy."

He paused, then continued on his own, "She’s five years older than you. They say an older woman is like a mother; she’ll take care of you. Even though her child is eight, it stays with the father, so you don't need to worry about any baggage."

An uncontrollable rage flared in my chest. Whether she was divorced or not wasn't the point; the point was my father’s attitude—he had never once considered my feelings.

I took a deep breath, holding back an outburst, and ground out through gritted teeth, "Tell the matchmaker there's no need. I just broke up with Kuang Li; I'm not in the mood for this."

My father flew into a rage, cursing, "You’re still thinking about that wicked woman? Don't you know why she left you?"

Before I could respond, he hung up.