However… 

Lu Xi’s thoughts drifted. 

When he’d spoken the first half of what he said, a face had vaguely appeared in his mind. 

Lu Xi had come out after graduating from university, but his sexual orientation had awakened in high school. 

Undeniably, sexual orientation doesn’t suddenly awaken on its own; most people have an initial fantasy object. 

Lu Xi was no exception. 

So when his mother asked, Lu Xi subconsciously described that person in the first half of his answer. He only realized later what he’d said, worried that his mother would actually find someone who fit the description, so he added and embellished his preferences, throwing everything in. 

Of course, when talking to his mother, Lu Xi, the well-behaved child in front of his elder, didn’t use the same blunt and suggestive language he used during the live stream. At most, he said things like “often works out, has strong muscles, and a reserved personality”— keeping it subtle. 

Why am I suddenly reminiscing about my youth? 

Lu Xi rubbed his temples, pulling his attention back to the live stream. 

After chatting with the barrage in the live stream for a while, Lu Xi glanced at his smart bracelet. 

In an hour, it would be time for dinner with his childhood friend. 

“Alright, that’s it for today’s live stream. The recording will be uploaded to the platform later. First come, first served!” 

【Yes, wife, thank you, wife】 

【Bye, wife!】 

【See you tomorrow, wife!】 

Amidst the rapidly scrolling barrage of “wife,” Lu Xi smiled, closed the live stream, and put his drawing tablet in the drawer. 

He had just stood up to stretch when his wristband buzzed. 

Lu Xi looked at the “Mother Dearest” displayed on the bracelet screen and touched his twitching left eyelid. 

“Hello? Xi’xi, Mom has found a blind date for you. This Saturday at 2:30 pm, go meet them and have a good chat, okay?” 

Lu Xi answered the phone only to be directly issued a blind date ultimatum by his mother, and it took him four or five seconds to realize what he’d heard. 

“Mommy, didn’t I say…” 

“Mommy knows! Mommy found someone exactly according to your requirements! They’re perfect, and our families are well-matched! Oh, it’s true! You have to trust Mommy’s judgment!” 

Lu Xi heard the sound of mahjong tiles colliding on the other end of the phone and sighed helplessly. “Mommy, you should know that even if we meet, it won’t work out if we’re not compatible, right?” 

His mother was unhappy. “What are you saying! Your picky tastes are inherited from me! I fell in love with your father at first sight! Okay, I’m not talking to you anymore, I’m about to win.” 

“I’ll send you the time and address later, remember to dress up nicely!” 

“Mom…” 

Before Lu Xi could finish his word, the call was mercilessly hung up. 

Lu Xi: “.” 

Lu Xi knew his mother. Although she sometimes acted impulsively, his mother’s taste and reliability were quite trustworthy. 

But… 

Lu Xi thought of the series of absurd and demanding requirements he’d given his mother, his expression subtle. 

No way, does the ideal type who dances to his preferences actually exist? 

Not only is he well-matched, but his sexual orientation is also the same? 

Standing by the window, Lu Xi looked out suspiciously, making sure the wind was calm, and the sun wasn’t in an unusual position. 

…Is this real? 

Because this blind date came so suddenly and absurdly, Lu Xi complained about it fiercely while having barbecue with his childhood friend. As soon as he got home, he saw a package from his mother at the entrance. 

Inside the box was a suit that wasn’t too formal, but conveyed a sense of importance, in Lu Xi’s size. 

Lu Xi twitched his mouth. It seemed this blind date was unavoidable. 

He picked up the note on top of the suit. It listed the details of the Saturday blind date, and the name and contact information of the blind date. 

Ji Kongqing. 

Lu Xi stared at the name for a while, his expression subtle. 

This name… 

…No way? 

【Bro, I’m coming to find you at school!】 

【A rather incomplete family meeting, lacking the main character, with a serious tone, has just ended somewhat unpleasantly at home.】 

【DM me fifty, get the most exclusive inside scoop on the meeting summary!】 

【Let me tell you, bro, this is something you absolutely don’t want to miss! Guaranteed authentic information!】 

Having just left the classroom, Ji Kongqing glanced at the messages on his phone screen. 

【I’m here, come on.】 

Professor Ji’s reply to his brother was concise, not even adding an extra word or omitting a period to end the conversation, unlike his replies to student emails. 

His phone continued to bombard Ji Kongqing’s WeChat, but the professor had the composure to remain calm despite the incessant vibrations. 

Of course, this was also because he knew the sender’s style well enough. 

Ji Kongqing opened the office door, took a cup, and filled it with water from the water dispenser. 

As he raised his hand to drink, his Adam’s apple bobbed, and the muscles of his arms, encased in restrictive fabric, were slightly outlined beneath his broad shoulders. 

Sure enough, two minutes later, the phone stopped vibrating. 

Ji Kongqing put down his cup, pulled out his chair, opened his already booted computer, and continued to browse the unread emails he’d temporarily put aside due to class. 

The office was quiet for less than two minutes before a knock came. Ji Kongqing said calmly, “Come in.” 

The person pushed open the door and closed it behind them. 

Ji Kongqing didn’t look up. “Have a seat.” 

Ji Tiandong, holding coffee, sat down in the chair in front of his older brother’s desk. 

Ji Kongqing paused his mouse movement, turned his head slightly, and looked at Ji Tiandong, who had familiarly brewed himself coffee after entering the office. 

“It’s afternoon, drink less coffee.” 

Ji Tiandong yawned while drinking his coffee. “Brother, you know I don’t get much use from coffee, I’ll sleep well tonight.” 

“Oh, I have a meeting later, let’s talk business.” 

“Brother, Mom is serious this time.” Ji Tiandong held his coffee cup in one hand and gave a thumbs-up with the other. “She’s screened sixty-seven blind date candidates for you, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:3, all shapes and sizes, and a wide variety of types.” 

Ji Kongqing’s gaze returned to the computer screen. “I’m not interested in these.” 

In the eyes of Ji Fu and Ji Mu, their eldest son was an emotional insulator. 

As time went on, Ji Kongqing seemed destined to remain single, and while Ji Fu was fine, Ji Mu couldn’t sit still, holding family meetings every now and then, with the blind date profiles for Ji Kongqing piling up on the table. 

But it was all to no avail. 

As the perpetually absent protagonist of the family meetings, the professor didn’t cooperate with the blind dates. 

The Ji family had a clean reputation. If Ji Mu really wanted to force her eldest son to go on blind dates, it wasn’t impossible—after all, with Ji Kongqing’s upbringing, he wouldn’t deliberately stand up someone knowing he had an appointment. 

But Ji Mu also knew that if she couldn’t persuade her son to willingly go on blind dates, the blind date would just be a meeting, ending with her son’s polite but cold apology. 

“If you can’t handle the bitter stuff, don’t force yourself.” Ji Kongqing saw his brother’s disgusted expression as he put down his finished coffee. He opened a drawer, found a lemon candy given by a student last week, and pushed it towards Ji Tiandong. “Not busy at the company lately?” 

“I can’t have my business partners drinking coffee while I have hot milk with sugar, that will make me, CEO Ji, look bad.” 

Ji Tiandong smiled when he saw the lemon candy, quickly peeled off the wrapper and popped it into his mouth, mumbling, “Busy is busy, but brother, your matter is more important.” 

Seeing Ji Kongqing not responding, Ji Tiandong, with lemon candy in his mouth, coughed heavily, trying to regain his brother’s attention. 

Ji Kongqing ignored him. 

Ji Tiandong raised an eyebrow and spoke slowly, dragging out the ending. “Ah, spring is a good season~ Those who are planning to go on blind dates are all spreading the news~” 

Ji Kongqing remained unmoved. 

“Mom wants to set you up on blind dates every year, it’s nothing new, but this year, the Lu family is also looking for blind dates, which is rare~” 

Ji Kongqing didn’t look up, but the mouse cursor on the screen facing away from Ji Tiandong stopped. 

“Lu Zong has a boyfriend, though not in the circle, but it’s said that their relationship has been stable, just short of engagement and marriage, so…” 

Ji Kongqing’s eyes flickered. 

Ji Tiandong forcibly suppressed the upturn of his lips and deliberately drawled out each word: “This time, the Lu family wants to set up their young master, the one who’s supposedly incredibly popular and likeable.” 

Ji Kongqing looked up at Ji Tiandong, and after a moment, smiled inexplicably. 

The bloodline suppression exists in every family with older siblings. The closer the relationship between siblings, the more obvious this bloodline suppression is. 

Compared to his calm and composed brother, who excels in everything he studies, Ji Tiandong genuinely enjoys the sense of control and excitement in the business world. So when Ji Kongqing discovered this and talked to Ji Tiandong, he admitted it without reservation. 

Later, the two brothers persuaded their family and the board of directors, and the succession of heirs was completed peacefully and smoothly. 

However, even after becoming CEO Ji from Second Young Master Ji, Ji Tiandong, who had his homework supervised by his brother since childhood, still deeply respected his older brother. 

Occasionally… he would also be a little bit apprehensive. 

But Ji Tiandong knew a big secret about his brother that only he knew. 

His brother’s desk drawer held a photograph. 

The photo showed a boy in a school uniform. The uniform of the same school as Ji Kongqing seemed to carry an endless youthful vitality on the boy, who smiled beautifully in the sunlight. 

That’s what Ji Tiandong had accidentally seen. 

And he had seen it more than once.