Xia Jiao was eating hotpot with her friends when she received a call from her family urging her to go on a blind date.

Due to the impact of the pandemic, Xia Jiao decided not to return home for the Spring Festival holiday this year.

She wasn’t lacking friends in the capital. Jiang Wanju had just returned to the country and was staying in the capital for a few days. After discussing it, they decided to go skiing at a nearby ski resort.

It wasn’t too close, but it wasn’t far either. Although the town was in Hebei, it only took a little over an hour to get from Qinghe Station to Taizicheng Station by high-speed rail, and there were shuttle buses waiting at the train station. Jiang Wanju, being a year ahead of Xia Jiao in school, had helped her secure her current job. Unfortunately, Xia Jiao knew she was too shy and couldn’t be as relaxed and outgoing as Jiang Wanju. After working for a year, she was constantly thinking about how to resign—or should she bear it for the sake of the year-end bonus.

They had hot pot for lunch, not expecting much from the resort’s food. But in winter, nothing beats hot pot or barbecue for a gathering with friends.

Jiang Wanju had worked at the Paris headquarters for two years and now returned with a promotion. She couldn’t quite understand why Xia Jiao wanted to quit. After some thought, Xia Jiao finally said, “It’s just too exhausting.”

It wasn’t just the job that was tiring, her heart was tired too.

Xia Jiao half-jokingly said, “I don’t even want to interact with people anymore. It would be great if there was a job where I didn’t have to communicate with people.”

Jiang Wanju picked up a thin slice of marbled beef and dipped it into the hot pot.

She replied, “A job with no communication? Well, the only option would be the funeral business, where customers definitely don’t need to talk.”

Xia Jiao laughed but was interrupted by the ringing of Jiang Wanju’s phone.

Jiang Wanju’s phone rang several times. Xia Jiao accidentally peeked at it and saw the note on the screen was “Brother XX”, three words. The second word looked like a “Ren” (仁) , or it could be a “Ren” (刃).

Jiang Wanju declined the call three times, then continued to drink tea and chat with Xia Jiao without changing her expression.

Xia Jiao had been to this place once during team building and thought it was okay, so Jiang Wanju made plans and came here this time.

When the phone rang for the fifth time, Jiang Wanju  could no longer hold back. She set down her chopsticks, apologized to Xia Jiao, and went to a quieter area to take the call.

Xia Jiao looked down at her phone, but there wasn’t much to see—just package delivery codes and promotional messages from various online stores. She found it too much of a hassle to delete them one by one but leaving them there was also annoying. Deciding to delete them tomorrow, she swiped a few times and frowned when she saw messages from her previous blind date matches.

It was strange. Back when Xia Jiao was in middle school, high school, and even college, her family was strict about preventing her from dating. They treated men like dangerous floods, guarding her like loyal sentinels, keeping her safe in her ivory tower.

But the moment she graduated, they started dropping hints—it was time to find a boyfriend. He didn’t have to be particularly good-looking, as long as he was stable. After all, good looks didn’t get you far, and those with secure jobs were preferable…

These talks gave Xia Jiao a headache. The first year was tolerable, but by the second year—this year—her family began arranging all sorts of blind dates.

The quality of the blind date candidates varied wildly, and Xia Jiao had no idea where her parents and relatives found such a collection of oddballs.

One man, who was rather stout, immediately began lecturing her on not aiming too high and suggested she quit her job to take the civil service exam, constantly repeating the phrase, “A good woman is worth no more than a hundred.”^[1]This phrase reflects a traditional and somewhat derogatory view of women’s value, suggesting that there are limitations placed on how society views women’s worth. It implies that a … Continue reading

There were also seemingly refined men who, after finishing their meal, split the bill with Xia Jiao as usual. Two hours later, he suddenly sent her a text message—

“The white peach juice you had last night was freshly squeezed, and I didn’t have a sip.”

“That bottle costs 35 yuan. We shouldn’t have split the bill evenly—you owe me 17.5 yuan.”

Xia Jiao politely transferred him 35 yuan and declined his invitation for a second meal.

It wasn’t that there were no decent people, but Xia Jiao had never been good at dealing with strangers, especially in the awkward setting of a blind date. Occasionally, she met men who barely spoke. If the man didn’t say anything, neither would she, and the meal felt heavier than a funeral.

This time, Xia Jiao simply said “OK, OK” perfunctorily. When she looked up, she saw Jiang Wanju coming over.

Their relationship was quite close. Jiang Wanju put down her phone and asked, “Still being pressured to marry?”

Xia Jiao made a gesture of helplessness.

“Blind dates,” Xia Jiao said, feeling a headache coming on. “Let’s put it this way, I’d rather run three kilometers with a husky than go on a blind date for a meal.”

Jiang Wanju chuckled at her words and said softly, “You’re talking nonsense.”

She gently tapped her freshly done nails on her phone, the tiny red kitten design on the tips sparkling like rubies.

Lost in thought, Jiang Wanju suddenly recalled something and asked Xia Jiao, “I happen to know someone who’s also worried about blind dates… He is very handsome, do you want to give it a try?”

Xia Jiao looked up, her eyes bright with curiosity. “How handsome?”

Jiang Wanju replied, “As handsome as your paper husband.”

Xia Jiao is a typical social phobic.

She was so socially anxious that she never ordered hand-pulled noodles at Hai Di Lao. Even if there was a hand-pulling show, she would just bury her head in eating and drinking, never daring to look up and follow the instructions of the noodle master.

When dining at a restaurant, she needed a few minutes to gather her courage before she could call the waiter, even if she had a specific request.

She absolutely couldn’t make eye contact when talking to strangers, even occasional glances would be quickly averted.

During job interviews, she had to pump herself up to make it through, and even after starting work, it took at least a week before she could communicate normally with her colleagues.

Let’s not even talk about holidays—most of the time, she just stayed cooped up at home. During festivals, when relatives and guests came to visit, Xia Jiao would hide in her room, only coming out if she needed to use the bathroom.

However, online, Xia Jiao could chat easily with any stranger, engaging in lively conversations. She confidently declared her love for her paper husband on Weibo and bragged about it. But in real life, she would immediately shrink back, feeling nervous even when talking to the opposite sex.

This was also one of the reasons Xia Jiao wanted to quit her job.

She believed she wasn’t suited for a position that required being personable and insightful.

Jiang Wanju was extremely efficient, she directly gave Xia Jiao her WeChat to book a reservation.

Just after leaving the resort town, Xia Jiao went to meet the guy that evening.

The meeting place was chosen by Jiang Wanju. As the intermediary, she came along. The restaurant was hidden in an alley, giving it a feel of being a well-concealed gem in the city. The entire courtyard was elegant and clean, even showcasing costumes worn by Mr. Mei.

However, Xia Jiao was too preoccupied to appreciate the decor and costumes. She and Jiang Wanju arrived two minutes late.

Xia Jiao was always punctual, so she felt a bit guilty, though she didn’t care much about the guy’s looks.

Just from a distance, she saw a man in a black shirt sitting at a table. A cluster of green potted ferns blocked his upper face, obscuring her view. The greenery created a hazy effect, but the lower half of his face was quite handsome—his skin was fair, resembling a piece of fine jade, warm and refined.

He was drinking tea, and his long, clean hands reminded her of new bamboo swaying in a light rain, graceful and delicate.

Xia Jiao moved closer.

Without the ferns in the way, she finally saw his face clearly.

He had a high nose and deep-set eyes, looking both handsome and elegant.

Xia Jiao was taken aback.

She took small steps to her seat, sitting up straight and carefully placing her hands on top of each other.

Like a student responding to a teacher’s question in class, she respectfully said to the man in front of her, “Long time no see.”

“Hello, Teacher Wen.”

**

🌟 Translator’s Note 🌟

I’m back with a new translation project! This time, it’s a slice-of-life healing story that I hope you all will enjoy. Your support means the world to me, so don’t forget to follow me on my Ko-fi page for real-life updates. (୨☆^▾^☆)୨