32: Chapter 32 Blind Date

"No! Absolutely not! Don't even think about it!" Zhu Qingxi rejected it outright.

Yang Qin was taken aback, not expecting her daughter to have such a strong reaction.

She had assumed that since her daughter was already a sophomore in university, dating was perfectly normal. Even if she wasn't dating, surely she wouldn't object to just meeting the boy.

"Daughter, he is the son of the Provincial Party Secretary. Can't you at least try to get to know him? If it really doesn't work out, you should still go and meet him."

To not even meet him would be too disrespectful.

Perhaps understanding her mother's difficult position, after a long struggle, Zhu Qingxi finally nodded reluctantly. "Fine, I'll go and meet him, but only for a meeting."

After agreeing to the meeting, she felt like crying. The image of Qin Chuan couldn't help but surface in her mind. She took out her phone and looked at his contact information, wanting to call him, but ultimately held back.

A girl should be a bit reserved.

Even if she had feelings for him, it was only their first meeting; calling him abruptly wouldn't be good. It would be best if he called her first.

For the first time ever, Vice Governor Zhu Shihua actually found the time to return home.

As soon as he entered, he asked impatiently, "Wife, how is it? Is our daughter back?"

"She's back, she went upstairs," Yang Qin said. "Your daughter is completely unwilling. I tried to persuade her every which way, and she only agreed to go and meet him."

"What! How can that be!"

Vice Governor Zhu Shihua had originally had a rather important meeting, but after receiving a call from his wife saying that Secretary Qin's wife had reached out to try and set up her son with their daughter,

he had agreed in his heart almost without a second thought upon hearing about it.

If his daughter could marry the son of the Provincial Party Secretary, what was there to hesitate about?

Although Vice Governor Zhu Shihua was a Vice Governor and considered a big shot in the eyes of ordinary people, he knew himself that compared to those top-tier families, he was lacking.

The Zhu family had once been glorious, but after the passing of Old Master Zhu, the situation had gone from bad to worse, and it was now incomparable to how it was back then.

Although Vice Governor Zhu Shihua was a Vice Governor, he was not a member of the Standing Committee. To enter the Standing Committee, relying solely on the Zhu family's influence was slightly insufficient.

Therefore, he was actively aligning himself with Secretary Qin, hoping that Secretary Qin would help him when it came to entering the Standing Committee.

And wasn't this the opportunity he had been waiting for?

If his daughter could date Secretary Qin's son, then entering the Standing Committee would be a sure thing. Hearing that his daughter actually disagreed, he felt a bit anxious.

He hurried upstairs and pushed open the door to his daughter's room. "Daughter, I heard from your mother that you don't really want to date Secretary Qin's son."

"Dad!" Zhu Qingxi almost wanted to cry, looking very aggrieved.

Seeing his daughter like this, Vice Governor Zhu Shihua felt heartache, but thinking about how many great families engaged in arranged marriages, this wasn't really selling his daughter. Thus, he tried to persuade her with earnest words.

When he left, he didn't forget to give her some final instructions.

He was very busy, and it was rare for him to even find the time to come home like this, so he rushed off to work again.

Naturally, the matter of his daughter's blind date was left to Yang Qin.

Soon, the two families agreed on a time: four in the afternoon at a certain cafe.

As for Qin Chuan, he didn't know that his family had already arranged a blind date.

He had very smoothly signed the agreements and documents with the Provincial Committee of the Communist Youth League. Naturally, he had to have a good meal at noon. Qin Chuan paid for the treat as a way to thank Secretary Zhang Yuntao.

And so, during noon, the two parties were eating and drinking together.

When they were almost done eating and drinking, Qin Chuan received a call from his mother.

"Son, you're out socializing, right? Come back once you've finished eating. I have something to tell you."

"Okay, I'll be back after I finish eating."

Qin Chuan arrived home around two in the afternoon.

Smelling the alcohol on Qin Chuan, Luo Rong gave him a gentle push. "Go take a shower quickly. You reek of alcohol. I'll tell you something in a bit."

Boys take showers quickly; in just over ten minutes, Qin Chuan had finished, and he had even changed his clothes.

Luo Rong looked at her son with satisfaction, thinking to herself, My son is so handsome. If he walks out like this, who knows how many girls he will charm.

She felt very confident about the upcoming blind date. The guy is handsome, the girl is beautiful—they are a match made in heaven.

Zhu Qingxi won't be able to escape; she is definitely going to be our Qin Family's daughter-in-law.

"Son, I have something to tell you."

"Mom, go ahead, what is it?"

Luo Rong said, "There is a very nice girl, the daughter of Vice Governor Zhu Shihua. I've arranged a meeting with them at a cafe at four o'clock."

"What!" Qin Chuan looked at his mother in disbelief.

No way, you called me back just to make me go on a blind date?

"Mom, can I not go?"

Luo Rong said, "Son, trust your mother's judgment. That girl is really great. Not only is she beautiful—she's the campus belle of Handong University—but she also has a good personality, the gentle and virtuous type. If you marry her, you definitely won't lose out."

"Fine, I'll go meet her."

He would just deal with it to satisfy both sets of parents, and then make an excuse that it wasn't a good fit, or that he didn't like her. Yes, that's what he would do.

Having made up his mind, Qin Chuan felt much more relaxed.

He even arrived at the agreed-upon cafe ten minutes early. Of course, since it was a first blind date meeting, both mothers had to come along, and Luo Rong accompanied Qin Chuan this time.

During the few minutes waiting for the girl's side to arrive, Qin Chuan thought to himself, My mom says the girl is very beautiful, I wonder if she is as beautiful as the girl I met running this morning.

No... Qin Chuan quickly realized something.

Vice Governor Zhu's daughter... that means the girl coming for the blind date will also be surnamed Zhu, and the girl I met running in the morning is named Zhu Qingxi.

It can't be that much of a coincidence, right? Is the girl I'm having a blind date with actually Zhu Qingxi!!!

Qin Chuan was surprised himself, then asked, "Mom, is the girl I'm having a blind date with named Zhu Qingxi?"

"Yes, her name is Zhu Qingxi."

Luo Rong quickly reacted, slightly surprised, "Son, how did you know the other party is named Zhu Qingxi?"

She hadn't told her son the girl's name yet.

Having received confirmation, Qin Chuan smiled slightly. The world is so small; to think he would be having a blind date with Zhu Qingxi here.

He just didn't know if she knew that the person she was having a blind date with was him.

If she didn't know, that would be interesting.

Just as he was thinking this, his phone dinged. He received a text message. He picked it up to look, and it was actually from Zhu Qingxi.

"Qin Chuan, sorry for sending you this text. Am I being a bit rash? But I've been driven crazy. My parents are making me go on a blind date. I'll be at the meeting place in a few minutes. What do I do? I'm so anxious."

After reading this text, a smile appeared on Qin Chuan's lips. He was inexplicably happy; the fact that Zhu Qingxi could take the initiative to text him meant she considered him a friend.

Being able to be friends after their first meeting showed that this girl really had a good impression of him. Hmm, dating a girl like this didn't seem so bad.

He picked up his phone and composed a text message to send back.

The content was, "You can come over without worry. I've also been set up on a blind date by my family. I just found out that the person I'm being set up with is you."