At this moment, in the Xundao Coffee Shop, Zhang Yingying was still waiting for Qin Yuhe.
Two hours had passed since the agreed-upon time for the blind date. Zhang Yingying had seen neither Qin Yuhe nor Song Xinya.
When Li Cuirou arranged the blind date, she deliberately placed Zhang Yingying and Song Xinya in the same coffee shop, aiming to use Song Xinya as a foil to make Zhang Yingying look better.
Having a two-hundred-pound fat girl sitting next to Zhang Yingying would only highlight her own beauty.
Zhang Yingying looked around the empty coffee shop. She felt disappointed at missing Qin Yuhe and anxious that he might not show up at all. A bellyful of anger simmered inside her.
So, she called Song Xinya: "Hey, Miss Piggy, why aren't you at the coffee shop yet?"
Song Xinya: "Fly Yingying, your daddy's business is none of your concern."
Zhang Yingying scoffed, her tone dripping with a sense of superiority. "Are you afraid to see me? It's fine, I completely understand your mentality. After all, I'm so pretty. A big fat person like you standing next to me would naturally feel inferior."
Song Xinya also scoffed. "I'm afraid that if we meet, you'll be the one feeling inferior."
Zhang Yingying laughed loudly and mockingly. "Song Xinya, look at you, bragging without shame. With the way you look, fat as a pig, how could I possibly feel inferior seeing you? That's hilarious."
Song Xinya: "I know you're shallow and uneducated, and probably haven't heard the saying that a person can change completely even in just three days."
Zhang Yingying: "What do you mean?"
Song Xinya: "It means you're stupid and mean, long on hair but short on sense. Just because you're a maggot, you think the whole world is a cesspool."
With that, Song Xinya hung up the phone.
Zhang Yingying hadn't managed to vent her anger and ended up even more furious.
...
Song Xinya walked into the office. The boss sitting in the opposite office immediately stood up. His figure resembled a roly-poly toy with two legs, his round belly looking as if it might burst out of his tight white shirt at any moment.
He walked up to Song Xinya, his face covered in a wide smile that squeezed his already small eyes into mere slits.
"Teacher Song, aren't you off today? Why did you come to the company?"
Song Xinya: "I have no other hobbies. I don't like being an enslaved citizen, but I do enjoy being a slave to money."
The boss: "What are you saying, Teacher Song? Are you short on cash?"
Song Xinya sat in her chair and looked up at him, her eyes sharp. "Yes. When will this month's salary and bonus be paid? It's ten days late."
The boss: "Your Brother Wang here has money, lots of money."
Song Xinya: "If you have so much money, why do you still owe us hard-working people our blood-and-sweat money?"
Boss Wang laughed awkwardly and scratched his head.
His eyes roamed back and forth over her body, reluctant to even blink.
This Song Xinya didn't look like much when she was fat, but who would have thought she'd be so beautiful after losing weight.
Actually, Song Xinya wasn't ugly when she was fat either. Her skin was incredibly fair, resembling a Tang dynasty ceramic doll in a museum, possessing a plump, radiant beauty.
But because she had too much fat on her face, her naturally fine features were squeezed, making them look less delicate and lacking a woman's charming allure.
Furthermore, because she was quite tall, she gave off a sturdy and clumsy impression, lacking lightness and agility.
In an era that universally pursued the pale, youthful, and skinny aesthetic, Song Xinya became an anomaly. Big fatty, greasy, burly, pig-like—these derogatory terms were like mountains pressing down on her one after another.
Coupled with the instigation of the mother-daughter duo Li Cuirou and Zhang Yingying, Song Xinya, a motherless child, endured endless neglect, eye-rolls, and mockery.
Even when the Song family hosted banquets, she was not allowed to attend. They locked her in a small room in the backyard, forbidding her to come out, claiming she would ruin the Song family's image.
This world is always too harsh on women's appearances and figures. Not being pretty or thin enough makes one a target for ridicule.
The unfair treatment received due to appearance and figure wasn't just evident at home; it was equally present in the workplace.
For example, the students Song Xinya taught showed the fastest grade improvements, she had the best reputation, and her professional abilities ranked first in the entire company. Yet, she wasn't qualified to show her face in online classes because the company boss, Mr. Wang, said she looked like a dinosaur and would scare the students to death with her ugliness if she appeared on camera.
Now, Mr. Wang was standing shamelessly in front of Song Xinya, stammering with a lovesick look on his face, eagerly asking her, "Teacher Song, are you free at noon? Let me treat you to lunch at a Western restaurant."
Song Xinya turned on her computer and stared straight at the screen. "Not free."
Mr. Wang looked thoroughly disappointed. "Why?"
Song Xinya: "I look like a dinosaur. Eating with me would scare you to death with my ugliness."
Mr. Wang: "..."
"That was in the past. Teacher Song is not ugly at all now."
Song Xinya: "Mhm."
Mr. Wang: "Teacher Song wasn't ugly before either. You were chubby, like a New Year picture doll, very cute."
He kept pestering her, saying, "Teacher Song, no matter how busy work gets, you still need to eat. If you don't want Western food, I'll treat you to Chinese food. Don't you like spicy food? How about I treat you to Sichuan cuisine?"
He took out his phone and opened a dining app. "I've already checked. A new Sichuan restaurant recently opened in the CBD food center. I'll book a private room right now, and we can eat alone in the private room."
Song Xinya: "Book the private room if you want, but I definitely won't eat with you."
It was the first time Mr. Wang had begged a woman to eat with him like this, and she gave him absolutely no face.
He felt embarrassed but also unwilling to give up.
Looking at Song Xinya's curvy figure, her waist so slim yet her chest so well-endowed, and her skin so fair, she was simply his dream lover.
The anger of being rejected didn't ignite; instead, it transformed into a deeper greed.
Mr. Wang: "Teacher Song, I did say some unpleasant things to you before, and I solemnly apologize to you. I'm sorry. Surely you're willing to have a meal with me now, right?"
Song Xinya: "'I was wrong' and 'I was wrong, okay?' are two different things. An insincere apology is meaningless; rather, it's a form of moral kidnapping that forces others to forgive you."
"Mr. Wang, stop wasting time. I won't dine with a married man. As a man with a wife, you should respect yourself and maintain boundaries with other women. You should also know that the person you really should be accompanying is your wife."
At this time, another instructor walked into the office. Finding it awkward to keep pestering her, Mr. Wang walked out.
Song Xinya clicked into the educational consulting software and began replying to people's paid consultation questions.
She was somewhat famous in this field. Her professional foundation was solid, her abilities were strong, and her reputation spread from person to person. Many people came to her by reputation, consulting her on how to improve scores in a short time and how to fill out college entrance examination preferences.
By the time all the day's work was finished, it was eleven o'clock at night.
In the education and training sector, the base salary was the minor part, while bonuses were the major part, rewarding those who worked more.
Due to certain matters, she had many places where she needed to spend money. Song Xinya was short on cash, so she often worked overtime, hoping to earn a bit more.
When Song Xinya left, she was the only one left in the entire company.
She pushed open the lobby doors and walked out, habitually heading toward the bike shed to ride her little Aima electric scooter.
Suddenly, her footsteps halted. She remembered that Qin Yuhe had dropped her off at the company today.
Qin Yuhe...
Her legal husband.
She wondered what he was busy with at this moment.
Did he go out of town on a business trip, or was he still in Jingbei?
...
New York, Wall Street.
Inside the spacious and bright office, the cool tones of black, white, and gray exuded a sense of refined elegance and texture.
Qin Yuhe sat in his office chair reviewing documents. His back was straight, his posture graceful, and the fountain pen in his hand made a soft rustling sound as it glided across the paper.
His fingers were slender yet powerful, his penmanship bold. His signature flowed across the paper with striking elegance and commanding force.
The loud, clamorous ringtone of his phone suddenly broke the cold silence of the office.
Old Madam Qin's voice came through: "Hehe, how did the blind date go today?"
Having not received any news from him, Old Madam Qin had been muttering in her heart that this time must be just like the previous ones—another complete failure.
She had introduced him to so many blind dates, every single one of them boasting a gorgeous face and a stunning figure, more beautiful than flowers, yet he hadn't liked a single one.
Old Madam Qin had even once suspected that her precious grandson liked men.
At the mere thought of Qin Yuhe being gay, Old Madam Qin would become overwhelmed with worry, her waist aching, her legs hurting, everything hurting.
Qin Yuhe spoke up: "Grandma, I got my marriage certificate. I am married."
Old Madam Qin: "Alright, I know, the blind date failed again..."
Wait a minute.
Old Madam Qin's voice pitched up: "Hehe, you got your marriage certificate?!"
Qin Yuhe's tone was calm: "Yes."
Instantly, Old Madam Qin's waist didn't ache, her legs weren't sore, and she felt absolutely fantastic all over!
"You married the little girl from today's blind date?"
Qin Yuhe: "Correct."
Old Madam Qin: "Then why didn't you bring this little girl home to show Grandma?"
Qin Yuhe: "I originally planned to bring her home, but there were some matters in North America that needed to be handled, so I came to New York."
Old Madam Qin: "Who leaves their wife behind in the country and goes abroad on the very first day of marriage? What is your wife going to think? She must feel so disappointed in her heart."
Qin Yuhe: "She won't."
Before getting the certificate, he had made things completely clear to her: they would treat each other with respect but not interfere in each other's lives. She had accepted this.
Moreover, he could sense that she wasn't a clingy girl, and she was very busy with her own work.
Old Madam Qin: "Regardless of whether the girl minds or not, you are in the wrong here. It wasn't the right thing to do. You must remember to apologize to her."
"Also, hurry back and reunite with your wife."
A bright and captivating face surfaced in Qin Yuhe's mind. With just a light touch from him, she would blush deep red.
In the past, whenever Old Madam Qin told Qin Yuhe to interact more with a certain woman, he would outright refuse, using his busy work schedule as an excuse.
This time, he curled his lips into a slight smile and replied, "Okay."
