Chapter 62: Blind Date?

After getting out of the taxi, Lin Chuan, together with Wang Yue and Lin Yiyang, entered a restaurant. It wasn’t mealtime yet, so there were only a few scattered patrons inside.

As soon as they stepped in, a smiling waiter approached them and led them to an empty table.

“What would you like to eat?” The waiter handed over a menu with a polite smile.

Wang Yue glanced at it, frowned slightly, and passed it to Lin Chuan. “You order. I’ll just have whatever.”

Lin Chuan didn’t stand on ceremony. He quickly scanned the menu, pointed to a few pictures, and said to the waiter, “This one, this one, and this one. Oh, and a fruit salad as well. That’s all.”

“Understood.” The waiter took back the menu, jotted down the order, and left.

Once the waiter was gone, the three of them sat in silence. Wang Yue only asked Lin Chuan a few things about the competition, to which he responded vaguely and didn’t elaborate.

Especially regarding Qin Xiyao coming to sing with him—he didn’t mention that at all.

Before long, the same waiter came over carrying a plate of salad. Lin Yiyang had absolutely no resistance to fruit. Before Lin Chuan could say a word, the little one eagerly grabbed a piece and started eating.

Seeing Lin Yiyang’s satisfied expression, Lin Chuan smiled, and Wang Yue smiled as well.

Soon after, the rest of the dishes were brought out one after another.

“Miss Wang, what’s the occasion for inviting us to dinner today? Did you win the lottery?” Lin Chuan asked, stuffing a piece of meat into his mouth as he spoke.

Wang Yue shot him a look and retorted, “Can’t you stop talking while eating? Do I have to win the lottery to treat you to a meal?”

“Heh, I was just curious,” Lin Chuan replied awkwardly.

As they chatted, Lin Chuan suddenly caught sight of a figure entering the restaurant—he was facing the entrance and saw clearly.

It was a woman, dressed fashionably, her long black hair flowing behind her, with perfectly done makeup.

Lin Chuan only glanced her way. He froze for a moment, then began to rise from his seat.

But just then, Wang Yue reached over and pressed him back down, her brows knitted as she shook her head and whispered, “Don’t move. Pretend you don’t know her.”

“What’s going on? Are you and Tang Qinru at odds?” Lin Chuan was puzzled.

The woman who had come in was indeed Wang Yue’s close friend, Tang Qinru.

Wang Yue didn’t reply, lowering her head to focus on her food. Lin Yiyang sat quietly, devouring his fruit salad, seemingly oblivious to Tang Qinru’s arrival.

Tang Qinru, in her high heels, first glanced around the restaurant. When her gaze passed over Lin Chuan and Wang Yue, she didn’t linger at all but moved on immediately.

Lin Chuan was even more perplexed.

Soon, Tang Qinru’s eyes landed on a table by the window, and she finally smiled and walked over briskly.

Because of Wang Yue’s earlier warning, Lin Chuan didn’t greet Tang Qinru. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Tang Qinru make some subtle gesture as she walked past.

“What’s going on? What happened between you two?” Lin Chuan asked in a low voice.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” Wang Yue replied with a smile—a mysterious smile that was impossible to decipher.

Lin Chuan scratched his head. Clearly, this dinner wasn’t really about treating him. There was definitely something going on.

Tang Qinru sat down at another table, facing a middle-aged man in his forties, whose figure had grown portly.

The man was almost bald—just a few strands left—and his beady eyes darted about the moment he saw Tang Qinru.

“Heh, you must be Miss Tang? Hello, I’m Wei Hai,” the man said, grinning.

Tang Qinru nodded, maintaining a polite smile. “Hello, sir.”

Watching their awkward introductions, Lin Chuan seemed to understand. He turned to Wang Yue. “Is Tang Qinru here for a blind date?”

“So what if she is?” Wang Yue replied impassively.

“Um… The guy seems way too old. At least find someone closer to her age. He could be her father,” Lin Chuan said with a wry smile.

“Closer in age? Why don’t you introduce someone yourself?” Wang Yue raised an eyebrow.

Lin Chuan was speechless.

Just like in his previous life, the proliferation of the internet had made many young people addicted to the online world, with little face-to-face interaction.

As a result, social circles shrank while online friendships flourished. Especially for someone like Tang Qinru, who since graduating from university had hidden away at home playing games, with almost no male friends left.

So, pressured by her family to find a boyfriend, she had no choice but to accept a blind date arranged by others.

The table where Lin Chuan sat was far from Tang Qinru’s, so he couldn’t hear their conversation. Not wanting to draw attention, he didn’t dare turn around and look.

For him, this was pure torment.

Time ticked by as Lin Chuan and Wang Yue made idle conversation, both waiting to see whether Tang Qinru would accept this middle-aged man who could easily pass for her father.

Suddenly, a loud curse rang out.

“Bastard!”

There weren’t many people in the restaurant to begin with, so everyone turned toward the commotion.

Lin Chuan and Wang Yue were no exception.

They saw Tang Qinru standing, a glass of water in her hand, which she promptly flung into the middle-aged man’s face, her expression furious.

The whole restaurant gasped. A few young men even clapped and cheered, evidently thinking the middle-aged man was no match for the beautiful Tang Qinru.

“What just happened?” Lin Chuan stared, stunned.

The incident had happened so suddenly, he could barely react.

By then, Tang Qinru had already turned on her heel and was storming out of the restaurant, with Wang Yue immediately rising and hurrying after her.

“Daddy, are we leaving too?” Lin Yiyang asked, blinking up, a little bewildered.

“Let’s go.” Lin Chuan gave a dry laugh and stood up with Lin Yiyang.

But just as they were about to leave, the waiter hurried over, smiling. “Excuse me, sir, but you haven’t paid the bill yet.”

“Paid?” Lin Chuan froze for a moment, then smiled bitterly, pulling out his wallet and counting out a few bills.

Wasn’t this supposed to be Wang Yue’s treat? How did he end up footing the bill?

Once he’d paid, Lin Chuan didn’t linger. He took Lin Yiyang and quickly left.

Outside, he found Wang Yue and Tang Qinru standing by the roadside. Tang Qinru, in particular, was laughing so hard she was doubled over, unable to straighten up.

“Brother Chuan, you’re here too? How was it just now? My acting wasn’t bad, was it?” Tang Qinru asked, her laughter unrestrained.

“What exactly happened?” Lin Chuan was still dazed.

“Hahaha, here’s what happened…” Tang Qinru replied between fits of laughter, recounting the entire story.

Listening as an outsider, Lin Chuan felt his heart pounding with anxiety. By the end, he was drenched in cold sweat.