After exchanging a few words with Gu Liancheng and sensing no potential, Jiang Zhen promptly excused herself and continued her search for other blind date candidates.  

Before Gu Liancheng could even gather his thoughts, his eldest sister, Gu Jiaoxia, pulled him aside and scolded him: “Last night, I coached you word by word—how could you still mess it up?”  

Gu Liancheng was burdened with too many secrets he couldn’t reveal. “Eldest Sister, Brother-in-law is about to be transferred. You really don’t need to worry about my affairs.”  

Gu Jiaoxia was furious: “How can I leave with peace of mind if you don’t get married? What does the An family think they are, pushing their messy family matters onto us? Just wait—I’ll track down the eyewitnesses from back then!”  

Gu Liancheng didn’t want to waste time on these tangled disputes. The An family’s claim of gratitude as leverage had been investigated by him multiple times, but given how long ago it all happened, every lead had gone cold.  

Still, he had to attend the matchmaking event. ‘Eldest Sister, I’m going to a blind date now. I’m a grown man—you don’t need to follow me around, do you?'”

Gu Jiaoxia’s words had mostly been venting. But one thing was clear: An Qihui wanted Gu Liancheng to wait a year so her sister could have time to regret things and come crawling back. The An family couldn’t be allowed to take advantage like this. Today, she was determined to see her brother settled in marriage, cutting off any opportunity for the An family to interfere.  

“Fine, go ahead. I won’t watch, but you must make a decision today.”  

“You’re really not going to observe?” Gu Liancheng relaxed slightly. As long as his sister wasn’t hovering, he could freely voice his conditions.  

Gu Jiaoxia sighed regretfully: “No matter who I see, none will be as suitable as Jiang Zhen. I don’t want to watch anymore.”  

…

Gu Liancheng took the blind date seriously. With his good looks and high salary, several young nurses boldly cast flirtatious glances his way, but he deliberately ignored them.  

With his sister gone, he felt free to make his own choices. He approached Director Wan, one of the organizers of the matchmaking event, to review the registration forms.  

“I’m looking for someone who is divorced or widowed, with children—preferably two.”  

Gu Liancheng stated his requirements outright. At first, his sister had assumed he rejected Jiang Zhen because she had two children and that he wanted an unmarried partner. But that wasn’t the case. He didn’t want to drag Jiang Zhen into his abnormal life. His demands weren’t something an ordinary person could accept.  

Director Wan immediately thought of Jiang Zhen: “Nurse Jiang would be perfect. She was just here and told me she’s looking for a divorced or widowed partner with two children. Why don’t you go talk to her?”  

“Comrade Jiang won’t do.”  

“Why not?” Director Wan couldn’t understand—their conditions matched perfectly. What was the problem?  

After a long silence, Gu Liancheng decided not to trouble Director Wan further. “I’ll go take a look around the venue myself.”  

…

Jiang Zhen’s stated criteria had already driven away two blind date candidates: one married without children, the other unmarried with a child.  

The more polite one said: “Comrade, you have two children—be realistic. No one will agree to such outrageous demands.”  

The ruder one sneered: “So what if you’re pretty? With two burdens in tow, you still dare to make all these demands? Any man who agrees must have been kicked in the head by a donkey.”  

Jiang Zhen wondered to herself: *Were the demands I made really too much for the men of this world?*  

Next door, another blind date was underway. From the voices, it was Gu Liancheng. Jiang Zhen had already seen two tall, beautiful women go in—only to storm out in frustration.  

*What on earth did Battalion Commander Gu ask to make those young ladies so angry?*  

Curious, Jiang Zhen pressed her ear to the partition wall as a third woman—this one with two children—entered, eager to eavesdrop on the blind date in progress.  

…

She heard Battalion Commander Gu ask his blind date partner: “Comrade, how many children do you have at home?”  

The woman on the other side was clearly thrilled with Gu Liancheng. Jiang Zhen could practically hear the delight in her voice, as if she’d struck gold.  

The blind date partner answered shyly: “Two—a boy and a girl. But they’re older now and can help with chores. You… you really don’t mind marrying someone with two children to start a family?”  

Then Jiang Zhen heard Gu Liancheng add details he hadn’t mentioned in previous blind date sessions: “Yes, I’m specifically looking for a single parent with children. My eldest brother is in training, and my eldest sister and brother-in-law are about to be transferred. My brother’s two children live with me. That means there’ll be four children after marriage.”  

“Y-yes, I’ll treat them all equally.”

The woman was very satisfied with Gu Liancheng as a potential match and, afraid he might reject her, laced her tone with obvious eagerness to please.  

Jiang Zhen curled her lips in disdain. *Her* conditions matched his too, yet Gu Liancheng was willing to go on blind dates with others but not her. *He* was the one who’d been kicked in the head by a donkey.  

Afraid of misleading the other party, Gu Liancheng quickly clarified: “Don’t rush to decide yet—I haven’t finished stating my conditions. I’ll cover all household expenses after marriage, and we won’t have children for the next ten years. On top of that, I’ll give you thirty yuan a month for personal use—you can spend it however you like.”  

Hearing this, Jiang Zhen was instantly filled with regret. *If only I’d known he was this suitable, I would’ve been more proactive in talking to him!*  

But to her surprise, the woman on the blind date with Gu Liancheng—just like the previous ones—reacted with displeasure: “Comrade Gu, something’s not right here. What you’re looking for isn’t a wife but a *live-in nanny*—one bound by marriage so she can’t quit easily. You’re *way* too calculating. Have you no shame?”  

Jiang Zhen thought, *How is this calculating? He’s being upfront about his terms and offering more than enough money. Someone covering household expenses *and* giving thirty yuan a month as personal allowance?* If others didn’t want this deal, *she* would gladly take it!  

…