20: Iron lock covered in gold dust

He Ting hadn't wanted to come to this blind date in the first place.

Her so-called Maternal Aunt, Huang Hui, lived a rather mediocre life.

Clearly lacking any real ability, she loved to show off in front of relatives.

From head to toe, she exuded a strained desperation to climb into the petite bourgeoisie.

But no matter how she dressed up, she couldn't shake off that deep-rooted rural housewife vibe.

What kind of outstanding blind date could such a relative possibly introduce to her?

Only her mother would believe her Maternal Aunt's nonsense.

Saying things like she had achieved success in Shenzhen.

And that as soon as she returned to Gannan, people were rushing to give her houses and cars!

It was simply a joke.

She was a Relationship Manager at a private bank.

Those she served were the truly wealthy of Gannan, individuals with a personal net worth of over ten million.

Her ex-boyfriend's family assets were even close to a hundred million!

If it hadn't been for her uncooperative womb failing to conceive at that critical moment...

...she would have long since been a legitimate Wealthy socialite!

Why would she need to come to such a bizarre blind date?

But as a former "half-step socialite" and current private bank Relationship Manager, if nothing else, her eye for things had been well-trained.

It was incredibly sharp.

She sized up the man before her.

Chen Qiu's entire outfit, from top to bottom, cost five or six hundred yuan at most.

It wasn't even a fraction of what her trench coat cost!

Most importantly, his wrist was empty.

Not even a decent watch.

This counted as "young and promising"?

He Ting thought to herself that of all the things her Maternal Aunt had boasted about, perhaps only "handsome appearance" barely matched reality.

But can good looks put food on the table?

"I heard that as soon as you returned to Gannan, someone gave you a house and a car?"

He Ting took a sip of the lemon water the waiter had poured and spoke first.

Her tone was flat, yet it carried a condescending sense of interrogation.

"May I ask where the house is and what kind of car it is?"

Chen Qiu put down his chopsticks.

"A house in the Haitang Bay Residential Area."

He Ting's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Haitang Bay?

Although that residential area was popular and highly hyped in Gannan...

...in her eyes, what truly wealthy person would live there?

The largest floor plan was only 158 square meters.

It was just a slightly larger pigeonhole.

It didn't even have decent luxury flats, let alone detached villas that prioritized privacy.

"As for the car, it's a Xiaomi SU7."

Hearing this, He Ting was momentarily stunned.

Then, the undisguised contempt at the corners of her mouth almost overflowed.

"Is there a problem?" Chen Qiu asked.

"Nothing."

He Ting shook her head, picked up a napkin, and wiped the corners of her mouth.

"I just saw how much hype that car was getting online; I didn't expect anyone to actually buy a Xiaomi car in real life!"

As if remembering something, she added another sentence.

"Oh, I almost forgot, your car was a gift."

She now seriously doubted the authenticity of the "gifted house and car" her Maternal Aunt had mentioned.

Maybe he was just posturing and had bought them on loan.

And then conspired with others to make up this story just to inflate his value on the blind date market.

She had seen this kind of routine many times.

That being said, Chen Qiu could clearly feel it.

This woman seemed to have already completely categorized him as a "loser."

"I don't know what Miss He's income is like yet..."

Chen Qiu timely showed a hint of dissatisfaction after being offended.

He Ting slightly lifted her smooth chin.

She noticed the subtle change in Chen Qiu's expression.

"Losing your cool already?"

She sneered inwardly.

This caused her rating of this blind date prospect to plummet to rock bottom!

What great things could a man who can't even manage his emotions achieve?

He Ting no longer bothered to save face for a low-level individual with whom she was destined to never cross paths again.

"Mr. Chen, to be honest."

She leaned back against the chair, arms crossed over her chest.

"A man of your caliber—if it weren't for the sake of my Maternal Aunt, I certainly wouldn't have come to meet you today!"

"Looking at it now, my premonition seems to have been correct."

"This kind of blind date is a pure waste of my time!"

Chen Qiu was stunned.

Then, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Finally... it was time to get to the point!

"Miss He, are you saying that you feel I don't meet your criteria for a partner?"

Chen Qiu asked calmly.

He Ting laughed.

The corners of her mouth curved into undisguised disdain and contempt.

"Criteria?"

She acted as if she had heard the world's biggest joke.

"Let me put it this way."

"My ex-boyfriend's family assets were nearly a hundred million."

"When I was with him, I lived in a 280-square-meter luxury flat in Boyue Mansion."

"Oh, right, he has several villas too. I used to switch between them depending on my mood!"

"The cars I used for daily travel were at least in the million-yuan class."

"As for that Xiaomi you mentioned..."

She shook her head contemptuously.

"I'm sorry, I never ride in Android cars!"

As if to prove her words...

...she gently rolled back the cuff of her trench coat.

...revealing an exquisite lady's watch shimmering under the lights.

"Just this watch on my wrist alone—a Vacheron Constantin, Patrimony series. It's worth eighty thousand!"

She then pointed to the orange bag sitting on the adjacent seat.

"And this, a Hermès Kelly. You should have heard of it, right?"

"Besides, you might not know."

Her chin rose even higher.

"I'm not the kind of ordinary bank teller you see everywhere handling transactions at the counter."

"I am a private bank Relationship Manager!"

"The people I deal with every day are all tycoons with a net worth of over ten million!"

"You're also a private bank Relationship Manager?"

Chen Qiu's brow twitched slightly.

He thought of Xu Jia, whom he had met last night.

He wondered if these two were at the same bank.

Could they actually be colleagues?

However, Chen Qiu didn't quite understand her logic for a moment.

She said all that, but wasn't it all her ex-boyfriend's?

No matter how much wealth the clients have, what does it have to do with you, their Relationship Manager?

Could it be that a lock once turned by a golden key, dusted with a bit of gold, could suddenly demand a higher price?

But...

...these thoughts weren't important to Chen Qiu.

What mattered was that this was all good news!

"So, Miss He, your requirement for a partner is that they must meet your ex-boyfriend's standards?"

Chen Qiu was a bit excited.

He Ting didn't notice the man's unusual excitement.

She thought he was completely intimidated by her words.

She spoke flatly, as if passing judgment.

"Well, it doesn't have to fully reach my ex-boyfriend's level."

"But at the very least, your personal net worth must meet the entry threshold for CMB Private Banking!"

"Before marriage, you must provide me with a million-yuan luxury car for my personal use."

"A luxury flat in the city center."

"And a villa."

"As for the bride price..."

She thought for a moment, her tone showing little concern.

"...just give a symbolic 880,000."