Hearing the blind date partner’s dissatisfaction, Gu Liancheng gave up hope. His demands *were* excessive—he couldn’t blame her. “My apologies. Then let’s end the discussion here.”  

The woman hesitated, reluctant to let go. *All expenses covered, plus thirty yuan a month…* That meant someone would help raise her children while giving her extra money. Realistically, it *was* a good deal.  

Suppressing her frustration, she asked, “Do you have… any other conditions?”  

Gu Liancheng wasn’t keen on continuing. If she was unhappy from the start, even minor conflicts later would blow up into chaos.  

But since they were talking, he had to be completely transparent.  

“I won’t casually bring up divorce. But if you ever mistreat the children, I *will* hold you accountable. If, after ten years, you’re still here, I’ll hand over my entire salary for you to manage. At that point, we can have as many children as you want. But until then, I hope we can agree on a partnership focused on raising the kids.”  

Jiang Zhen’s heart raced. *Gu Liancheng’s terms were perfect for her.*  

But his blind date partner clearly didn’t feel the same. Jiang Zhen heard the sharp *splash* of tea being thrown in someone’s face, followed by a furious curse.  

“Today, I’ve heard the biggest joke of my life! Good looks don’t excuse shamelessness, Comrade Gu. Let me make this clear—only a *lunatic* would agree to your conditions!”  

Gu Liancheng smiled bitterly. His demands *were* unfair to women. In this post-liberation era, what woman didn’t want a stable, loving marriage? The co-parenting arrangement he proposed—no sane person would accept it.  

Once these blind date candidates spread the word, his reputation would be ruined. Finding a partner would become near impossible. *Fine. Maybe I’ll just hire a part-time nanny to take care of Gu Pan and Gu Hui.*  

He decided to sit quietly for a while and leave once the crowd thinned.  

Then, suddenly, he overheard a conversation from the neighboring blind date booth. Earlier, the voices had been too muffled to make out, but now they were deliberately loud—as if meant to be heard. The voice sounded like Jiang Zhen, the woman his sister had been so eager to set him up with.  

…

Hearing footsteps approaching her booth, Jiang Zhen quickly sat back properly.  

Just in time—Dr. Qi walked in, looking awkward.  

Dr. Qi was an obstetrician who got along well with the hospital staff, though his old-fashioned masculinity sometimes grated on Jiang Zhen.  

Back when Gu Liancheng was still engaged and his sister had been matchmaking, she’d suggested Dr. Qi as an option to help Jiang Zhen settle her residency. But since Jiang Zhen’s Ex husband had also worked in obstetrics with Dr. Qi, the latter had declined.  

“Dr. Qi, have you changed your mind?”  

Jiang Zhen mentally compared him to Gu Liancheng. Professionally, Dr. Qi had more time for family. Morally, Gu Liancheng was more dependable. Now, it came down to who offered better financial terms.  

A pragmatist at heart, Jiang Zhen wanted to weigh her options—so she decided to hear Dr. Qi out first.  

Dr. Qi flushed. He hadn’t wanted to come, but Nurse Jiang was *stunning*—in all his years at the hospital, he’d never seen anyone so beautiful. He couldn’t help but be tempted.  

“Comrade Jiang, I have a few conditions. I wonder if you’d accept them.”  

“Go ahead.” *Of course* he could state his terms. Jiang Zhen would state hers too—*loudly*, so Gu Liancheng next door would hear.  

…

Dr. Qi thought to himself that the divorce couldn’t entirely be blamed on Nurse Jiang. During the transition between the old and new societies, similar cases were common. Before liberation, wealthy families often had concubines, but after liberation, everyone had to adapt to the new monogamous system.  

Jiang Zhen and her ex-husband had never registered their marriage before liberation. After liberation, her ex-husband and his current wife had promptly obtained a marriage certificate under the new regime. The matter could only be condemned morally—Dr. Yan was the one at fault.  

“Comrade Jiang, the main issue between us is the matter of raising children. Your ex-husband mentioned that Jiang Zhao was a child you picked up. Could you send Jiang Zhao to an orphanage? After marriage, we could send Jiang Tang to my parents to raise, and we could have our own child. I like children—ideally, we’d have five.”  

Jiang Zhen’s knuckles cracked under the table from how tightly she clenched them. “Anything else?”  

“No major principles beyond that. Do you agree?”  

*Agree?* Jiang Zhen would rather beat him to a pulp than agree to such nonsense.  

She had already mentally crossed Dr. Qi off her list, but curiosity made her ask one more question: “How much household allowance would you provide after marriage?”  

Dr. Qi quickly replied, “Your salary would cover living expenses, and mine would be saved as family reserves.”  

Jiang Zhen countered, “How about *your* salary covers expenses, and *mine* gets saved?”  

Dr. Qi seemed taken aback by her assertiveness. If he refused now, his earlier arrangement would sound hypocritical.  

“Fine, but *I* would keep the savings account.”  

He added, “It’s not that I don’t trust you, but women tend to be impulsive. It’s more appropriate for a man to manage finances. Take Dr. Qian in our department—his wife secretly gave money to her family, and now they’re getting divorced. We must prevent such things in advance. You have two children, so naturally, you’d prioritize them. But *I* have to think about our future family. I hope you understand.”  

Jiang Zhen *didn’t* understand. She proposed a compromise: “Then how about this? We split household expenses equally, divide chores equally, and keep the rest of our money separate.”  

Dr. Qi rejected it outright. “If a couple lives like roommates, what’s the point? We might as well not marry at all.”  

…  

*So even he knows it’s better not to force things.* Jiang Zhen was so furious she wanted to hit him. But she reminded herself—*this isn’t the apocalypse. You can’t just punch people for disagreeing.*  

Since Dr. Qi saw no issue with his demands, Jiang Zhen felt justified in stating hers—*loudly*, so Gu Liancheng next door could hear.  

“Dr. Qi, you’ve stated your conditions. Now, may I state mine?”  

“Go ahead. If it’s reasonable, we can discuss it.”  

Dr. Qi was confident. Jiang Zhen urgently needed residency, so he assumed the negotiation would revolve around the children. Jiang Zhao had to go to an orphanage—why raise a child with no blood relation?  

Jiang Zhen said, “For me, this matchmaking isn’t about romance it’s about raising children and building a life. I hope my blind date partner also has children that’s only fair.”

“If we must have a child together, we can discuss it. I might agree to one, but only after both our existing children are adults. Given my children’s ages, that means no biological child for you within the next ten years. And Jiang Zhao? My blind date partner must accept him. Dr. Qi, I’m not the right match for you.”  

…

In the next booth, Gu Liancheng listened intently. *So this was Jiang Zhen’s plan all along?*  

Her conditions aligned *perfectly* with his. If they had sat down to talk earlier, they might already be ironing out the details.  

Restless, Gu Liancheng willed Dr. Qi to back off so he could step in. He could only hope that when it was *his* turn, her demands would stay the same.