Staring at the awkwardly angled selfie in the small chat bubble—an image as cringe-worthy as the middle-aged uncle she had met in person—she felt no desire to reply and even found it a bit of an eyesore.

She promptly turned off her phone.

“Bzzz,” another vibration followed, bringing a second message to the screen.

[Mountain and Stream]: It’s nice weather today, perfect for going out!

Chu Yi: “…”

If she hadn’t met him in person and known that the man on the other end was a straight, hardcore engineer—a guy who immediately wanted to discuss how many children they’d have after marriage and hoped his wife would be a homemaker to better raise the kids—she might have given him a different label:

Gay as hell!

She continued to ignore him, not wanting to respond.

Even though Chu Yi had gone from outright rejection to mild indifference to now complete silence, the other party was still relentless.

[Mountain and Stream]: Want to go see a movie together? [Cute emoji]

“…”

Chu Yi couldn’t hold back anymore.

[Yiyi]: No, thanks.

She typed the response quickly and sent it without emotion. She hovered over the block button for a few seconds, then ultimately gave up with a sigh.

Forget it, that would be too harsh.

After all, the guy was just a bit annoying, popping up occasionally to pester her without doing anything truly harmful.

More importantly, he was the son of her father’s good friend! For the sake of family harmony, Chu Yi wouldn’t dare block him even if she had ten times her usual courage!

[Mountain and Stream]: Really? That’s such a pity! There are several new movies out recently that are quite good! [Image] [Image] [Image]

[Yiyi]: [Smile]

[Mountain and Stream]: The last one has an especially high rating, and people say it’s perfect for couples to watch together [Shy]

“…”

Chu Yi gave up.

She decided to once again be rude.

She directly turned off her internet.

Biting into her bun, she trudged forward, catching sight of the café’s rooftop in the distance.

As Chu Yi thought about the possibility of meeting someone like the guy from “Mountain and Stream” at the café, she suddenly lost all hope in life. Even the delicious taste of the bun in her mouth faded away.

Sorrow welled up in her heart. Chu Yi drooped her head, sniffled, and felt like crying, but no tears would come.

After being single for so many years and experiencing one failed blind date after another, she often had pessimistic thoughts, believing that she might never find love in her lifetime.

Settling wasn’t an option. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed like her fate was to be alone forever.

She wasn’t afraid of being single, just afraid of never finding someone to love.

This café was located on the side of the street, but due to the low foot traffic, it was always quiet and peaceful inside. Chu Yi had been here ten times, and on eight of those visits, she had barely seen any customers.

She often wondered when this café would go out of business.

Despite this, as she pushed open the heavy, high-end glass door, Chu Yi hoped the place could hang on a bit longer. After all, there wasn’t another café within miles that had this kind of ambiance and tranquility.

The daylight was perfect, flooding the entire hall with bright, clean light. The high stools at the bar and the hanging lights above exuded a full artistic vibe.

As expected, the tables and chairs were neatly arranged, and the place was even more spacious and quiet than usual because there was only one customer inside.

Chu Yi didn’t have time to wonder if the café was one step closer to closing down. When she saw that person, her mind went blank for nearly a second, followed by an uncontrollable inner scream.

So handsome!!!

The man sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window was gazing out at the pedestrians on the street. The golden sunlight danced on his black hair, as if gilding him in gold, making even his almost perfect profile look unreal.

He was dressed in a black suit with a tie, and the light blue shirt underneath was crisp, accentuating his outstanding demeanor. His gaze outside the window was cold and stern, so indifferent that it seemed nothing could touch him.

This reduced the visual impact of his remarkable looks, but it also made people instinctively keep their distance while feeling an uncontrollable surge of admiration.

If she had to describe the feeling, it was like seeing a prosecutor in a Korean drama, just after successfully convicting a criminal, walking down the courthouse steps with an air of solemn dignity and an incredibly cool aura. It made people want to kneel before his suit pants.

Chu Yi unconsciously took a breath, feeling like, for the first time in her 26 years, she had been struck by luck.

…

Everything that followed went smoothly.

Chu Yi was actually someone who judged by appearances. The moment she laid eyes on Qiao Anchen, she knew she was done for. As they continued to interact, his flawless personality and upbringing completely broke down her defenses.

The two began to get to know each other in an orderly fashion—eating together, dating, and eventually meeting each other’s parents.

It all took just over a month.

During that time, taking into account Qiao Anchen’s work and overtime, they met no more than ten times.

Just when Chu Yi thought they would gradually get to know each other better and eventually move toward marriage, Qiao Anchen’s grandmother suddenly fell gravely ill. Her dying wish was to see her only grandson settle down.

It so happened that by then, both sides had already met each other’s parents, so they went ahead and registered their marriage.

Chu Yi only thought it over for one night before agreeing. After all, they would get married sooner or later, and since the person was Qiao Anchen—someone she liked—it was already a stroke of luck.

Whether it happened sooner or later didn’t seem to make much difference. Love and marriage were always a gamble. Life was so long, and no one could guarantee that they would grow old together.