Shang Xinglu went back and thought carefully.

She felt that this meteorite could very well be a gift from Lin Heng.

Last time when she sent him home, maybe this was his way of returning the favor.

But as a return gift, this is a bit too extravagant, isn’t it?

Her colleagues all assumed that someone was pursuing her, but Shang Xinglu’s thoughts were quite different.

There was no contact information in the gift box.

If it were really a pursuit, exchanging contact information would be the first thing, right? Even if they didn’t exchange information, at least they would leave their name.

What if she mistakenly directed this goodwill toward someone else?

That would be a waste of effort!

So Shang Xinglu believed that Lin Heng simply wanted to express his gratitude and didn’t want any further contact.

He probably didn’t want her overthinking things, which is why he sent the gift anonymously.

As for why he gave such an expensive gift…

It was probably because Lin Heng was especially rich.

With that in mind, Shang Xinglu found it reasonable, and it strengthened her resolve to return the meteorite.

However, before she could plan how to return the meteorite, her mother intervened.

Her mother said, “There’s a matchmaking event this weekend, are you going?”

Although she said, “Are you going?” it sounded more like a tyrant’s gaze of, “If you don’t listen to me, you’ll be in trouble.”

Shang Xinglu replied, “No.”

She wasn’t scared.

Her mother responded, “I’ve screened him. His conditions are good. But that’s not all. Secondly, you’re single now, and you’re young—it’s important to date more. Or are you still hoping for something with Shen Wang?”

Shang Xinglu: “I’m not hoping for anything. I just think anyone who comes to a matchmaking event is probably not worth my time, so I don’t want to waste it.”

Her mother: “Didn’t you go to a matchmaking event too? Aren’t you a ‘good catch’ either?”

Shang Xinglu furrowed her brow, “I didn’t go. I’m actively resisting. I’m a good catch…”

But her resistance was futile.

If she didn’t go, her experienced mother would subtly suggest that Shang Xinglu just couldn’t let go of Shen Wang. But with how his family treated her, why was she still chasing after him?

Shang Xinglu was speechless.

What did that have to do with the stupid dog, Wang Cai?

A breakup is a breakup. True, she and Wang Cai had known each other for many years, and he took good care of her when they studied abroad, so that bond couldn’t just be cut off.

But her mother was difficult to deal with.

Who knew what kind of trouble they’d have after marriage? Shang Xinglu felt that her feelings for Shen Wang weren’t strong enough to overcome all difficulties.

Especially the mother-in-law problem. A centuries-old dilemma.

In the end, Shang Xinglu was defeated by her mother’s strong logic and had to go. However, she wasn’t entirely unprepared. She passively resisted—she didn’t even look at the matchmaking materials and arranged for her friends to “rescue” her. She even had two plans in place!

That day, her mother dragged her to a beauty salon to do her hair and makeup. During this time, her mother explained that the other person was the new executive president of some big group, an excellent person who even founded a company while still in school. Shang Xinglu tuned it out, not really listening.

In the end, she thought, the people at these matchmaking events couldn’t be that great. She was biased, hmph.

She changed into a little black dress in the style of Audrey Hepburn, simple and elegant, with a natural makeup look.

Her mother took her to a French restaurant with a four-person table reserved.

Although Shang Xinglu was annoyed, she maintained a polite smile. Inside, she felt confident since she had prepared two plans with her friends! Two plans! Nothing could go wrong.

The matchmaking subject and the introducer had already arrived. The lighting in the restaurant was soft and dim, and from afar, Shang Xinglu could only make out two blurry figures.

As they walked in, the matchmaking subject and introducer stood up.

After some pleasantries, Shang Xinglu absentmindedly raised her head. Upon seeing the person across from her, she immediately covered her mouth and stifled an exclamation.

Her mother noticed something was off and asked, “What’s wrong?”

At this moment, Lin Heng intervened, saying, “What a coincidence, Miss Shang and I have met a few times before. I didn’t expect to run into her here again.”

Lin Heng’s introducer was Gu Wanyu.

Gu Wanyu knew exactly how this matchmaking had come about but still played along and asked, “A few times?”

Shang Xinglu explained, “We met twice at a banquet, and last week Mr. Lin’s car broke down, and I gave him a ride.”

The two mothers put on an acting display.

They immediately showed expressions of envy and relief, saying, “What a coincidence.”

The hidden meaning was understood by everyone.

Shang Xinglu actually had questions for Lin Heng, but since her mother was present, she suppressed her curiosity.

However, she thought, after getting his contact information, she would be able to ask if he was the one who sent the meteorite. So running into him today wasn’t so bad.

Even better, Lin Heng’s face was pleasing to the eye. Just looking at his face, Shang Xinglu felt like she could enjoy a second serving of the main course!

Since she was there, she decided to make the best of it.

Her friends would be coming to rescue her soon. They had been close for years—there was no way anything would go wrong.

The four of them sat down.

Silence.

Lin Heng had never been on a blind date before. Neither had Shang Xinglu.

Neither of them knew what to do.

Both had always thought they were the type who would never need a blind date, but now reality was slapping them in the face.

Thankfully, both mothers were social experts. After some light chatter and a few well-chosen topics, the awkward atmosphere eased up.

Meanwhile, Shang Xinglu’s friends had split into two groups. They had already arrived at the restaurant and taken strategic positions.

At this moment, they were all pretending to be nonchalant while secretly observing Shang Xinglu’s table. And then… in a group chat that included everyone but Shang Xinglu, chaos erupted.

Shi Rui was the first to exclaim: “I knew it was Lin Heng!!! After that day, I looked up the guest list from the banquet. I don’t know all of them, but I recognize about 80%. The only person there who can match Shen Wang in looks is LIN HENG!!!”

Xue Shaoying: “Honestly, even though Louise is terrible at storytelling, if you think about it… their encounter was kind of like a romance novel.”

Jiang Lexuan: “What did Louise say before coming here? ‘Please, you HAVE to rescue me from this unattractive guy!’ But if even Lin Heng is considered unattractive, then… is there anyone in this world who isn’t??”

Shi Rui: “Who does she expect to marry, a literal deity?! Or is she still thinking about Shen Wang?”

Xue Shaoying: “What if he’s just good-looking but has a terrible personality?”

Jiang Lexuan: “So… are we still going through with our ‘rescue mission’ or not?”

One faction insisted they had to stick to their plan and not betray their sister’s trust. The other faction felt like they should call it off because this blind date seemed to be going really well.

So while keeping an eye on Shang Xinglu’s table, they first had an internal battle in the group chat.

Of course, Shang Xinglu had no idea any of this was happening.

---

Midway through the meal, the two mothers excused themselves and left.

That meant Shang Xinglu and Lin Heng were left alone.

Shang Xinglu didn’t mind. She had some questions for Lin Heng anyway.

Even if she didn’t have anything to ask, she realized she actually didn’t mind being alone with him…?

As soon as that thought hit her, she nearly collapsed in shock.

Am I really just this much of a shameless looks-obsessed idiot?!

Just as she was about to speak, Lin Heng calmly answered her before she even asked:

“You want to ask about the meteorite? Yes, I sent it.”

Shang Xinglu let out a dumbfounded, “Huh?” She wasn’t exactly surprised—it was just that she couldn’t figure out his intentions.

So she quickly stated her position:

“That gift is way too expensive. That day, giving you a ride was just a small favor—I can’t accept something like this. If you wanted to thank me, just a single rose would have been enough.”

Lin Heng had never been particularly good at choosing gifts for women.

He had given gifts before, but it was always his assistant who picked them out—usually handbags, jewelry, or similar items.

This time, he had considered those options. But when he saw Shang Xinglu that day, she wasn’t wearing any jewelry except for a watch, which didn’t give the impression of someone obsessed with accessories.

So, he consulted his assistant, Yuan.

Yuan was surprised by how much thought his boss was putting into this and pulled up a recent auction catalog to carefully review the options.

They didn’t find anything particularly suitable.

Then, based on Lin Heng’s descriptions, Yuan picked out a Patek Philippe celestial watch worth over a million yuan.

Lin Heng glanced at the auction catalog but didn’t nod. Instead, he pointed to a rare lunar meteorite and said, “This one.”

Now that Shang Xinglu was refusing the gift, Lin Heng remained unbothered.

He said, “To me, the meteorite is just a rare rock on Earth. I can’t truly appreciate its value, and I don’t particularly like it. I figured it would be better in the hands of someone who does.”

And that was fair enough.

The meteorite wasn’t particularly beautiful, couldn’t be used for anything practical, and couldn’t be turned into jewelry. To most people, it was just an unusual rock.

Shang Xinglu did like it, but she didn’t think it had any real use in her hands.

So, in her usual straightforward manner, she said, “Mr. Lin, thank you. I really do like it. But I think instead of keeping it as a plaything, it would be better donated to a research institute… How about this? I’ll donate it in your name so they can use it for study. Does that work for you?”

Lin Heng: “……”

For the first time, he was at a loss for words.

He hadn’t expected her to give the meteorite away.

From the way her eyes lit up when she talked about it, she genuinely loved astronomy—this wasn’t just polite flattery.

Lin Heng couldn’t help but smile slightly.

He said, “It’s already yours, Miss Shang. You can do whatever you want with it.”

Shang Xinglu grinned. “Then, on behalf of the entire research institute, THANK YOU!”

As she spoke, she even grabbed Lin Heng’s hand and shook it up and down—as if she were the director of the institute herself.

Lin Heng: “……”

…Why did this moment suddenly feel strangely endearing?

---

With the main topic settled, Shang Xinglu kind of wanted to leave.

Not because she disliked Lin Heng—if anything, the opposite.

He was just too perfect.

She had only met him a few times, yet each encounter had left an incredibly good impression.

They had been strangers, but when she lost control of her emotions, he had been patient. He had offered guidance without preaching or looking down on her.

He was so perfect… it felt dangerous.

So, she secretly sent a message to her best friends:

[Mission ready. Call me now.]

She was waiting for her phone to ring, ready to make a swift exit.

Then, she saw Team One—buying the check and leaving.

Then, Team Two—also paying and leaving.

At first, she thought they had just stepped out to call her.

She waited. And waited. And waited again.

…Still no call.

Shang Xinglu: “???”

What happened to the foolproof, two-team rescue operation?!

…Was this what betrayal by your closest friends felt like?!