Chapter 3

Zhou Zheng sneered, “Not getting married? Who doesn’t get married? What kind of joke is that?!”

Yu Qing’er replied calmly, “You get married if you meet the right person. If not, then stay single. Why force yourself to settle? And even if I do decide to get married, I’d never choose you. What? Upset you didn’t manage to scam my family’s money?”

She blinked innocently. “Why are you so agitated? You have such great conditions, I’m sure you’ll find the right woman to marry you and become your son’s stepmother. Without me, you might even find someone better!”

Zhou Zheng: “…”

If he could really find someone better, he wouldn’t still be single with a five-year-old son.

He had gone on countless blind dates. Most women rejected him outright the moment they learned he already had a child. The few who did agree to meet were usually from poorer families or not conventionally attractive. At first, some of them were okay with continuing after hearing about his stable income, but the moment they heard he gave 10 yuan to his parents every month, they wanted to back out—they weren’t willing to suffer with him.

Yu Qing’er was the most suitable woman he had ever met. Her inability to have children was actually a plus for him since he already had a son.

Her family was wealthy and wouldn’t care about his salary. Naturally, she wouldn’t mind if he gave money to his parents. In fact, he had even thought that after marrying her, he’d just hand over his entire 40-yuan salary to his parents and live off her instead.

After all, a woman who was disfigured and infertile should feel lucky to be with a “great” man like him!

“Eh? Why aren’t you saying anything? Don’t tell me… you actually can’t find anyone better?” Yu Qing’er looked at him with mock surprise, then quickly grabbed her purse and turned to her aunt. “Auntie, let’s go. Look at this guy—rejected by every other woman in the dating market—and you’re introducing him to me? Next time, please keep your eyes open. Even if I were going to support a man using my parents’ money, it sure wouldn’t be this one. At the very least, find me a handsome one!”

Her aunt looked at her in shock. “Qing’er, what’s gotten into you today? Are you sick or running a fever?”

Yu Qing’er said, “Nope, I’m perfectly fine. Let’s go. I’m not staying for this meal. Oh, and since Comrade Zhou’s family isn’t doing well financially, we’ll split the bill, okay? I’ll cover half—it’s like I’m treating you to half a meal. Enjoy it.”

She picked up the bill and walked over to the cashier, saying, “Hi, table A3—we’ll be splitting the check. I’ll pay for half, and the gentleman over there will pay the rest.”

The cashier looked confused but said, “Alright.”

Her aunt, no longer caring about Zhou Zheng’s darkened expression, quickly chased after her. “Qing’er! Wait! What are you saying? Splitting the bill?”

Before they came today, she had already agreed with Zhou Zheng that her niece would be paying. After all, with Yu Qing’er’s background, it was already rare to find someone willing to date her—how could she expect the man to pay?

In all the previous blind dates, she had always paid the bill. Why only half this time?

“Huh? We’re not splitting it? Is Comrade Zhou paying for the whole thing? Alright then.” Yu Qing’er turned back to the cashier. “Never mind, cancel my payment. Let that gentleman settle it himself.”

With that, she walked out of the restaurant without looking back, ignoring her aunt calling after her.

Zhou Zheng stood frozen, stunned. Just as he was about to leave, the waiter arrived with more dishes and blocked him from exiting.

His face was completely dark. Sure, this restaurant was cheap and had good food—but he wasn’t supposed to be the one paying!

Not far away, at the next table, two men who had witnessed the entire scene looked away from the commotion.

One of them, wearing a floral shirt, laughed and said, “Women these days are something else. That one just now—she’s got guts. Kind of interesting. By the way, bro, you still don’t have a wife. Since you got injured on your last mission and can’t have kids, you and that comrade might be a perfect match. Want me to help set you up?”

The man sitting across from him was tall—nearly 1.9 meters. Even sitting down, he exuded an imposing presence. Beneath his white shirt, solid muscles were faintly visible. For some reason, he gave off a restrained, ascetic allure.

He gave the floral-shirt guy a cold look and said, “You talk too much. Just eat.”

Floral-shirt guy replied, “I’m just thinking about your future! You’re always on base—barely any chances to meet women. You’re already 29 and haven’t even dated yet. When are you going to settle down? That woman from earlier was actually pretty. Sure, there was a scar, but you could tell the rest of her face was good-looking.”

“She said if she’s going to support a man, it better be a handsome one. Maybe she’s into good-looking guys? I could go ask her if she likes someone like you. Then you wouldn’t have to risk your life working in the army—you could just live off your face!”

The tall man ignored him and continued eating.

Meanwhile, Yu Qing’er had arrived home, with her aunt still chasing after her. She headed straight to her room.

Bai Yu, her mother, heard the noise and came out to see what was happening, only to find her daughter had locked herself in her room. Before she could knock, her younger sister, Bai Xiang, arrived.

“Jiejie,” Bai Xiang said urgently, “you need to talk to Qing’er! How could she be so rude today? After what she said, how am I supposed to explain things to Comrade Zhou’s family?”

“What happened?” Bai Yu asked. “Qing’er didn’t say a word when she came back—just locked herself in her room.”

Bai Xiang hurriedly recounted the entire story, with some extra exaggerations for effect.

Before Bai Yu could respond, Yu Qing’er opened the door.

At first, Bai Yu had thought her daughter might have gone too far. But when she saw Yu Qing’er’s tear-streaked face, her heart ached. She rushed over and said gently, “Oh baby, why are you crying? Don’t cry, it’s bad for your health. Tell Mommy what’s wrong—Mommy will always be on your side.”

Yu Qing’er pinched her thigh hard, tears falling again. “Wuwuwu… Mom, I don’t want to live anymore. That man I met today—he only wants to marry me because of our money. He looks down on me, resents me for being disfigured and infertile, and still wants me to marry into his family, support his parents, and raise his child!”

“I already can’t have children—just that is hard enough. And now I’m supposed to raise someone else’s kid too? That’s like stabbing me right in the heart! And he kept going on and on about his parents—he’s clearly a mama’s boy! If we had any conflicts after marriage, he’d definitely take their side.”

“Why is my life so miserable? It was so hard just to find someone willing to go on a blind date with me, but it turns out he doesn’t even care about me—he just wants our family’s money. Nobody truly wants me. After being humiliated like that, I’d rather be dead!”