Volume 1, Chapter 19: Blind Date Immediately After a Breakup

Hearing his accusatory tone, I lifted my gaze to find Fu Yunshen staring at me, his dark pupils flickering with a hint of suppressed affection.

"I’m sorry, but I don't love you anymore."

As soon as I spoke, the air turned deathly quiet.

Fu Yunshen laughed for a fleeting moment. "Xiaoyu, don't joke around. It’s not funny."

I continued, "I’m not joking."

A trace of sorrow appeared on his face. "Do you really not love me anymore?"

To prevent him from seeing through my facade, I forced myself to meet his eyes, standing my ground to prove I wasn't lying. Yet, upon touching that glimmer of sorrow, my own heart ached faintly.

"Fine! As you wish, let’s break up."

Fu Yunshen’s face darkened. As he turned to leave, I added, "I don’t want the job or the car. As for the house, I’ll move out tomorrow."

Fu Yunshen said nothing as he walked upstairs, and I took his silence for consent.

The next morning, I woke up naturally before my alarm even went off. I used to set an alarm every morning to cook breakfast for Fu Yunshen, hoping to win his heart through his stomach. Now that I no longer needed to, I still woke up at the same hour.

After some hesitation, I got up, washed, and went downstairs to prepare breakfast for him—a final farewell. I made oatmeal.

When Fu Yunshen came downstairs, I had just placed it on the table. I looked at him and said, "I made oatmeal. Eat before you go to work."

He didn't answer, simply sitting down at the table. I served him a bowl.

"You can continue living here. I’ll pay you a salary as my nutritionist."

My spoon paused. "I’m moving out today! You should hire someone else."

The doctor had told me my diet needed to be as light as possible, or my condition would only worsen, shortening my remaining time. Besides, Fu Yunshen would eventually bring a girlfriend home, and I didn't want to witness that.

Fu Yunshen lowered his head, his expression unreadable. "As you wish."

After finishing his meal, he left. I packed my clothes and luggage, calling a ride-sharing service to pick me up around noon. I had contacted my previous landlord yesterday and, upon learning the apartment was still vacant, had rented it once more.

Before leaving, I took one last look at everything in the villa. I had hung every decoration myself, and now, I would never see them again.

I sent Fu Yunshen a message: "I’m leaving. Goodbye."

***

There was no reply.

Returning to my old, cramped apartment, I found the layout unchanged. I didn’t have many belongings, and having lived here before, I knew exactly where everything belonged. I finished unpacking in no time.

With the housing situation settled, I rested for a while before heading out to meet the first candidate named Fu. Because this involved the "heartbeat value" of my target, I dressed up carefully.

The meeting place was a well-known restaurant, and I arrived a few minutes early. A moment later, a man walked in wearing fur-lined slippers and a thick cotton-padded coat. He sat down across from me.

He looked at me with a gaze of pure amazement. "Are you the one I’m supposed to be meeting for a blind date?"

I asked tentatively, "Mr. Fu Yunshen?"

He nodded. "Yep, that’s me."

When I made the calls, I had used the excuse of a blind date to avoid suspicion and rejection.

The man started rambling: "I’m very satisfied with you. If you agree, we can get married by the end of this year, have a baby next year..."

He continued his rapid-fire monologue, and I barely managed to keep a straight face. I asked "Xiaobai" in my mind, "Well? Is he the target?"

Xiaobai replied: "Probably not. He seems infatuated with you, but the heartbeat value is zero, so it’s not him."

Having my answer, I looked at the otaku across from me. "Sir, I’m sorry, I’m not interested. Please excuse yourself."

The man had been deep into his vision of our happy future. Upon hearing my rejection, his expression turned sharp. "You... you could have said that earlier... you’re crazy."

After he left, I went to meet the second candidate. He was already married. Pass.

The third was an honest, middle-aged man, unmarried at thirty-five. He was quite taken with me, but Xiaobai detected no change in the heartbeat value. Pass.

The fourth was an ordinary office worker, two years older than me, with rather refined features. Compared to the others, I felt there was a high probability he was the target.

"Hello, my name is Lu Xiaoyu."

I extended my hand generously, and he gave it a brief, polite shake before letting go. He seemed like a gentleman.

As I spoke with this Fu Yunshen, he kept a stoic face, making it impossible to tell if he felt anything for me.

Xiaobai suggested in my mind, "Try flirting with him."

I seized the moment, leaning forward. "Sir, don't move. You have something on your hair; let me get it for you."

The man sat still, looking up into my face, and for a split second, I saw him blush.

"There, I got it. It was just a white thread."

I pinched a white thread, barely the size of a fingernail, between my fingers. In truth, it was something I had just plucked from my own clothes.

The man turned bright red. "Thank you!"

Just as I was about to ask Xiaobai if the heartbeat value had changed, someone sat down next to me and interlaced their fingers with mine.

I stared in shock at the suddenly arrived Fu Yunshen. "Why are you here?"

My seat faced the door; if he had walked in, I would have seen him. I hadn't seen him enter since I arrived. Had he been inside the restaurant the whole time?

The man across from me, seeing me being intimate with someone else, looked at me with dissatisfaction. As he left, he muttered, "Slut."

Me?

Once the man was gone, Fu Yunshen let go of my hand and looked at me, confused. "You break up with me, only to run off to a blind date?"

I was speechless. He really had been here the whole time. I wondered how many of the previous meetings he had witnessed.

"Are you in such a hurry? You met three people in one go—are there more waiting in line?"

I was stunned. He had seen everything.

Fu Yunshen continued his interrogation, his eyes filled with dissatisfaction and anger. "And look at the ones you met. None of them are as handsome as me, or as rich as me."

I thought about it; he was right.

Seeing me remain silent, Fu Yunshen grew truly angry. "Lu Xiaoyu, speak!"

I was dazed, not knowing what to say. Glancing at the time on my phone, I said, "Mr. Fu, please don't delay me from meeting the next one."

I had been out for two hours; I had to meet at least ten today.

Seeing my attitude, Fu Yunshen was absolutely furious. "Lu Xiaoyu, you are truly blind and heartless."

As he walked away, I took the opportunity to ask Xiaobai about the previous candidate.

Xiaobai: "He wasn't the target."

I felt a sense of relief. If he had been, after such a scene, how would I have ever managed to win him over?

With that thought, I dialed the number for the next candidate.