Chapter 1: He Must Be Good-Looking, Tall, and Well-Off, or He’s Not Good Enough for Me

“Weiwei, Aunt Hongmei found another match for you. In a couple of days, let’s find some time to have dinner and chat with him.” said a plainly dressed middle-aged woman to the young woman beside her who was watching TV.

“Mom, I really don’t want to go on another blind date. I’m not in a hurry. I’m still young—there’s no need for it.” Bai Wei said, frowning as she continued watching TV.

Her mother, Shen Juan, replied: “Silly girl, blind dates need to happen early. The earlier you start, the more options you’ll have. If you wait until you’re older, it’ll be them choosing you!”

Bai Wei responded with confidence: “No way. I’m good-looking, I have a nice figure, my education isn’t bad, and I have a respectable job. Even if I hit thirty, I’ll still be the one doing the choosing.”

Shen Juan said: “What are you thinking? Once a woman is past twenty-five, people start hesitating. Think about it—you don’t just get married right after meeting someone, right? You date someone at twenty-two for a year or two, and maybe get married at twenty-three or twenty-four. Then if you have a child, you’ll be twenty-five already. And that’s assuming you hit it off with the first one! What if you have to change partners?”

“And just look at you now—how many blind dates have you been on already? You haven’t liked a single one. Who knows when you’ll actually start a relationship? Maybe we can lower the standards a bit. The important thing is finding someone whose personality matches yours, someone you can build a life with.” Shen Juan said.

But Bai Wei didn’t agree. “Mom, if it’s just about building a life with someone, why would I need to marry a man? Isn’t living with you and Dad also ‘building a life’? And it’s really not that I’m too picky—your daughter is at least a high school graduate, right? I’m good-looking, I’ve got a good figure, and I have a decent job. But those guys on the blind dates… don’t even get me started.”

It was worth noting that the world Bai Wei lived in was still the 1980s. At that time, being a high school graduate already counted as quite a good level of education.

“The first one wanted a male child for the firstborn. If I didn’t have a boy, he said he’d rather be fined and just keep having kids until there was a boy. That kind of blatant preference for sons—how is that even allowed these days? The government’s against that now! And yet he had the nerve to say it!”

“The second one didn’t even finish elementary school. He’s been doing some small business these past couple of years, hasn’t made much money, but acts like he’s some big shot. He was even picky with me. He should look in the mirror—he’s as ugly as a deformed melon!”

“The third one was a total mama’s boy. We agreed it was just the two of us for dinner, but he brought his mom along. And that mom—ugh—looked at me like I was rotten cabbage. Like being with her son was some kind of blessing for me. Her son couldn’t even order food without asking for her opinion. Who wants a man-child like that?”

“The fourth one said his younger brother was still in school and had excellent grades. He hoped that after we got married, we could support his brother’s education together. Oh, and I was also expected to help pay for the brother’s future wedding. Is this a blind date or a request for poverty alleviation?”

“The fifth one was more like a woman than I am. He showed up with makeup on, all dressed up, fingers held daintily, and even spoke in a flirtatious tone. I suspect he likes men. I’m not about to be someone’s beard!”

Shen Juan: “…” She had only just brought up the topic, and already her daughter had rattled off so many complaints—with so many strange terms too. What even was all this?

“What exactly do you want before you’ll agree to go on a blind date? The matchmaker already found you a new guy.”

Bai Wei thought for a moment and said: “I’ll go on the date, fine—but I’m really picky. He has to be good-looking, tall, and not poorly paid. Otherwise, he’s not good enough for me. Of course, even if he meets those basic standards, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s good enough.”

Her mother Shen Juan had already prepared for this. “Don’t worry about that. The matchmaker said this young man is very handsome, tall—over 1.8 meters—comes from a decent family, has had an education, is very promising, and has already made something of himself in his career.”