Nine Failed Blind Dates

My home is on the second floor of an old apartment complex.

As I stood at the door, nervously rummaging through my bag, the sound of someone being scolded drifted over from across the hall.

That voice, that intensity—no less fierce than my mom's.

Sigh! What a coincidence!

"If you come home alone again, don't even think about entering!"

Looks like my mom's not that bad after all. At least I can still come in. Hehe!

hey-hey!

I spared two seconds of sympathy for the poor soul across the hall.

Just as I was about to open the door, I saw the door across from me open and then slam shut.

The CEO got a face full of dust and was almost pushed to the ground.

Quickly, I reached out to steady him.

After regaining his balance, the CEO gave me a dignified nod, showing no embarrassment at being kicked out.

Perhaps because of my good looks, he gave me another glance.

Our eyes met.

Coincidentally, at that moment, I saw a bright, shining five million floating above his head.

Driven by impulse, I blurted out, "Why don't you consider me instead?"

The CEO froze for a second.

Then, he nodded quickly.

I was elated. As expected of a CEO—decisive!

So fast!

Wait!

Did I just sell myself?

"Um, I..."

I hesitated, trying to explain.

But my mom, being the person she is, was a step ahead of me.

She opened the door with the same angry voice that rivaled the one across the hall.

"Why did you come back?"

The CEO gave me a sympathetic look.

Sympathetic?

If I hadn't saved you, you'd be the one needing sympathy right now!

I completely forgot I had intended to explain myself before my mom opened the door.

"Didn't you tell me to come back?" I muttered under my breath in response to her roar.

"Are you talking back to me?"

"Huh? You're already 27! You're not getting any younger! If you keep messing around, who's going to want you?"

"How much longer do you think you can keep this up?"

It was the same old lines—I'd heard them so many times my ears were about to sprout calluses.

The CEO awkwardly coughed twice, clearly intending to escape the scene.

But given how big he is, there's no way I could miss him.

Wait a minute!

Isn't this a ready-made boyfriend?

Following the principle of self-preservation—not at the expense of others but in the spirit of mutual assistance—I grabbed the CEO, who had already reached the stairwell.

I clamped his hand tightly under my bare armpit, smiling sweetly as I spoke.

"Mom, what are you saying? Your boyfriend's right here!"

"Boyfriend? Pah! My boyfriend!"

In the CEO's astonished gaze, I shoved him into my apartment and quickly shut the door.

On the couch, the CEO sat between my mom and me. My dad was still out playing chess and hadn't returned yet.

"So, Winnie, is this your boyfriend? What's his name?"

I could actually hear a hint of nervousness in my mom's voice.

As expected of a CEO.

My mom used to be a fashion designer when she was younger, and she had seen plenty of handsome young men. Her standards for a son-in-law are quite high.

Yet, even with all that, the CEO still managed to captivate both of us.

Yes, that's right. I was captivated too.

I felt a twinge of regret before coming in, but now that regret had flown out the window.

The CEO must have dressed up for today. He wore a plain black T-shirt with a small white logo on the chest, matching black trousers, and polished leather shoes.

His hair was styled with gel. He truly was meticulous down to every strand.

I wondered if it was hot wearing leather shoes in the summer?

Yikes~

My daydream was interrupted again.

The CEO had actually pinched my thigh!

Don't judge a book by its cover!

I glared at the CEO sitting beside me.

The CEO glanced sideways, raising an eyebrow.

Wow!

If I had come to my senses a second later, my mom would have exploded!

The phrase "furious" was not an exaggeration at all.

My mind raced. What was the CEO's name?

This is beyond my knowledge!

No, I know!

That sentence popped up in my mind again.

"William Smith, you're going too far! Five million? What do you think of me?"

"William Smith! Yes, William!"

I looked at the CEO excitedly and signaled with my eyes.

"Right! Brother!"

My mom gave us a suspicious look. "Winnie, you didn't just pull this guy off the street, did you?"

My mom was gearing up for another lion's roar.

We're doomed! He might as well have been picked up off the street!

"Auntie, my name is William Smith. Winnie and I have been together for a while now."

Thud!

It seemed that background music played in my ears, and the CEO seemed to glow with a soft halo.

Ah! A savior of the helpless!

For the rest of the time, my mom and the CEO carried the conversation while I played the role of a flower vase—nodding, smiling, and agreeing with everything.

The CEO managed to charm my mom so much that she immediately called my dad, urging him to buy groceries and come home to cook.

She then left us in the living room to chat while she happily headed to the kitchen.