Preface

  Quiet, the sudden quiet, in the afternoon coffee shop, is so quiet that they can hear their own heartbeat. Her smile on her face converged, staring hard at the person speaking in front of her. The two have known each other for seven years and have been together for five years. Both families tacitly consent to the relationship between them, and they only wait for an opportunity to get married impulsively.

  "Qian Yi, I've known you for seven years and have never seen you accomplish anything good. Think about it yourself, every day you're just muddling through life, eating and drinking without a care. The people around you are all the same as you, with no prospects. I used to think that you were still young, but now you're 25 years old and still don't have a proper job. All you do is assistant work, assisting your older cousin, only occasionally accompanying him to social events when his wife can't make it. Assisting your older sister, all you do is take her to the beauty parlor once a week."

  "Your siblings are all capable people, how did your family produce someone as useless as you?" Qian Yi still remembered the first time she met the person in front of her, who was not as bad at talking as she had imagined. He was so good at teaching people. Why didn't he become a soul engineer, the greatest profession for humanity, but instead chose to be a businessman? The afternoon sun shone on the bustling streets outside, with people hurrying to and fro on the sidewalks. Qian Yi looked out through the glass window, taking in the scene outside. The Qian family, probably only she was unworthy of this surname, while the other capable people were worthy of the honor of this surname.

  The person opposite, has started talking from the day they first met. Qian Yi listened to his words with a somewhat mocking gaze. That year, this person had also praised her in front of people who knew both of them, saying she was a rare woman like Yang Chun Bai Xue (a Chinese idiom for a talented and beautiful woman). It was because of these words that Qian Yi noticed this person who usually remained silent in the crowd. Qian Yi thought carefully about the things that had happened since they met, and after thinking repeatedly, she felt that in the seven years, there were only memories of the two of them eating together. She wanted to find some beautiful memories, but no matter how hard she tried, it all came down to memories of the two of them eating together in crowded or quiet places.

  Qian Yi looked at the man in front of her, feeling a bit speechless. She had thought that by now, she would have had a good romantic relationship, but somehow it had all ended up with them just being friends who occasionally met for meals. Qian Yi gazed at the man across from her, thinking about how they had held hands and kissed before, but due to various reasons, they could never take their relationship further. She had originally thought that after getting married, everything would fall into place naturally. Qian Yi found him pleasing to the eye, most importantly, he treated her differently in front of others and when they were alone, taking care of her dignity and feelings in every way.

  Qian Yi turned her head to gaze at the sunlight outside, then looked back at the person in front of her with a deep and bitter expression. She listened to his words, which flowed like the Yangtze River. She lowered her eyebrows, feeling that it was better to let him continue speaking, after all, they had shared many delicious meals together, no need to make things difficult at the last moment.

  Qian Yi secretly glanced at the slender fingers under the table, thinking that after this incident, she would lose a nominal boyfriend and an actual food friend. Qian Yi thought to herself, it seemed that she too would have to embark on the long and winding road of blind dating. No wonder she had run into her brother, who happened to be returning home to fetch some documents, just as she was about to leave the house.

  "He said with a profound meaning: 'Yi, don't waste other people's time, and don't let others continue to waste yours. He is becoming busier and busier, choosing this time is exhausting. We Qian family members can take it up and put it down. Tonight when you come back, brother, I'll pour you a drink, we siblings will have a few drinks and chat about the beautiful future prospects.' Qian Yi only felt that her own brother was so tired that he was dizzy, that's why he would say such dazed words. Normally when he saw her, his face was full of hatred, as if he wanted to stuff her back into their mother's womb again, often saying in front of their parents that she was the rare freak of the Qian family."

  Qian Yi patted her brother's forehead, and under his mocking gaze, she calmly said: "Brother, you're not feverish, it's rare for you to be so close to me like this." Qian's brother left with a dark face, and Qian Yi followed behind him, softly trying to appease him, saying that next time she would definitely respect her elder brother's dignity. The man in front of Qian Yi finally stopped, looked up at her expression, saw her dazed look, and immediately softened, saying: "Qian Yi, as long as you're normal with others, working from 9 to 5, we can still continue."

  Qian Yi listened to his words, took a deep breath and said: "Let's just do as you said before, the two of us will part ways here. As Hong Ren would say, I'm fine, take care." Qian Yi stood up, put her share of money on the table, thinking that since they wouldn't have another chance to meet, it was better to settle the account clearly. She walked out with big strides, and when she reached the door, turned back to glance at him. With a faint smile, she thought to herself: Tonight, I'll gather my friends and we'll have a good time together. She wouldn't go talk things over with her brother; she could give her family something to laugh about and despise, but there wasn't one person in her family who could bear the humiliation of being looked down upon by others.

  Qian Yi came back at 12 o'clock, opened the door and saw her brother with a dark face staring at her. She immediately realized that she had missed an appointment. With a hint of drunkenness, she smiled and hugged her brother's arm, saying: "Brother, I'm free! Hehe, I came back before 12 o'clock and guarded the family gate." After being given two cups of water, Qian Yi looked at her brother with clear eyes and said: "Brother, why didn't you remind me? I don't have as deep feelings for him as I thought. Maybe there was some excitement at first, but after a long time, we're just like friends who eat together. This week you treat me to a delicious meal, next week I'll treat you to another delicious meal."

  "Hmph!" Qian Yi said with a burst of laughter, shaking his head: "I think you're enjoying yourself, besides, having something to tie you down, you also have a goal to strive for. If he can continue to tolerate you and let you live such a lazy life, I also think that the two of you getting married wouldn't be a bad thing. Unfortunately, he's a man with ambition after all, even if he likes you very much, he'll still choose another path. It's better this way, you're still young, our family has leftover grain, there's no need for you to struggle for a living, just find someone who is also without ambition and live life together."

  You, from young to old, never had to worry about anything, but you're not someone who is easy-going either. All these years since graduating from university, you've never had a proper job, but you've also never squandered the family's money. You spend your own occasional earnings and wear clothes bought by your siblings. Your parents have saved up some money for you, and with your carefree personality, that amount can last you a lifetime. Luckily, you were born into our family, so we can afford to indulge you. Now that mom and dad are getting divorced, the Wang family doesn't need to worry about covering for that kid anymore. That kid thinks he's grown wings and can fly high now, let him be."

  Qian Yi heard the implication in his tone and curiously asked, "Does he have a new target? I think my eyes aren't that bad, he wouldn't act so tastelessly. At least he should wait until the news of our breakup spreads before making a move." "Pfft" Qian Yi's head was slapped, and her brother, who was laughing, said: "You not coming out to help me with things is really wasting your intuition. Someone is pursuing him, I think he's been attracted by that woman's conditions. If I didn't see that you weren't interested in him and thought of testing him, I wouldn't have let someone else steal him right in front of me."

  Months later, Qian Yi was on a blind date with someone. After the matchmaker left, the two of them were at a loss for words and felt extremely awkward. A friend called her to ask if she knew that her ex-boyfriend had gotten married. Qian Yi was taken aback but then thought that this person would forever be gone from her life. After this unsuccessful blind date, Qian Yi spent some time thinking about her future. She thought children were very cute and that her own child would definitely be even more adorable. Getting married became a hurdle she knew she had to overcome. During the New Year's holiday, Qian Yi went with friends to a remote mountain area where there was a temple. It was said that after visiting this place, one's marriage prospects would flourish.