Love Has Fireworks - Chapter 76

Chapter 76: Yao Jingjing's Side Story (Part I)

After celebrating her latest birthday, Yao Jingjing suddenly realized she was already twenty-seven years old. It hit her all at once—if she didn't start looking for a partner soon, she might end up spending her twilight years as a nun at Mount Wutai.

She immediately began begging her managers, colleagues, and friends to keep her in mind if they came across any single men between the ages of fifteen and thirty-five.

Upon hearing this proposed age bracket, her best friend, Qian Fei, expressed grave concern. "Aren't you being a bit shameless? You won't even spare a fifteen-year-old child? At least start from eighteen! At the very least, an eighteen-year-old is legally an adult!"

Yao Jingjing decided that made sense. She blamed her sudden, desperate urge to escape singlehood. In her excitement, she had focused so hard on finding a young, energetic boyfriend that she had temporarily overlooked the law.

So, she adjusted her plan and raised the lower limit from fifteen to eighteen.

Qian Fei continued to roast her. "You really have no shame. Finding an eighteen-year-old means he's nearly a decade younger than you. By the time he turns twenty-eight, you'll be pushing forty! Once your youth has faded, do you really think he'll stay with you? He'll dump you sooner or later!"

Yao Jingjing solemnly countered her argument. "My approach is actually scientific, okay! Look at it this way: when he's twenty-eight, I'll be thirty-seven. He'll be in his prime, and I'll be in my peak years of desire. He will satisfy me perfectly. Do you think you and Wang Ruohai are a good match just because there's only a year between you? By the time you reach your peak years of desire, he'll be dealing with a receding hairline and night sweats, completely unable to keep up with you!"

Not long after she said those words, Wang Ruohai actually cheated on Qian Fei with another woman, and they broke up. Yao Jingjing nearly slapped herself for having such a big mouth.

She realized she was a bit of a jinx.

●︶3︶●

After finishing her morning meeting, Yao Jingjing was packing up her things to leave when her supervisor called her name and told her to stay behind.

Once everyone else had gone, the supervisor asked her, "Aren't you practically begging on your knees for a blind date? I happen to have someone right now. Do you want to give it a try?"

Yao Jingjing thought about it seriously and asked, "How old is he?"

The supervisor replied, "Around forty or so. He's never been in a relationship."

Yao Jingjing clicked her tongue in amazement. "So pure? He's a rare gem among mortals!" Then she asked, "Is he good-looking?"

The supervisor said, "No."

Yao Jingjing let out an "oh" and said, "That's fine. Once the lights are off, dark is dark, and everyone looks like Sean Lau anyway." Pausing, she asked, "Does he have a thick head of hair? I prefer a thick mane, it's sexier!"

The supervisor looked at her sideways and said, "Not thick. His hairline is actually receding a bit."

Yao Jingjing let out another "oh" and asked, "Is he tall?"

The supervisor replied, "Not tall."

Yao Jingjing asked, "Is he educated?"

The supervisor said, "He probably finished his nine years of compulsory primary and junior high education, but I'm not sure if he actually has a graduation certificate."

Yao Jingjing asked, "One last question: is he rich?"

The supervisor answered, "He's an absolute, through-and-through wealthy country bumpkin."

Yao Jingjing slapped her thigh. "I'm going on this date! Even if we don't work out as a couple, I can treat it as finding a sugar daddy! If I manage to sell him some of our products, I can earn a nice commission! These days, when it comes to flaunting wealth, even an actual heiress can't compete with someone who has a rich benefactor!"

Yao Jingjing asked her supervisor for the man's name, and the supervisor replied that it was Tian Duan.

Yao Jingjing burst out laughing. When the supervisor asked what was so funny, Yao Jingjing said, "Nothing, it's just a pure and pleasant surprise. I never expected to hear such a clear, rustic, and unpretentious name in today's chaotic and vain society. It's truly rare! I can almost smell the fragrance of nature!"

The supervisor's lips twitched. "Just say you think his name sounds tacky. Why rattle on with all that nonsense!" Pausing for a moment, the supervisor added a parting shot, "Your name is basic, and his name is tacky. In that sense, you two are a perfect match!"

Yao Jingjing's smile turned vicious. She suddenly felt like quitting her job.

●︶3︶●

Yao Jingjing got stuck in stop-and-go traffic all the way there, which left her head spinning. By the time she finally arrived at the location, she was feeling a bit lightheaded.

She walked unsteadily into the ultra-luxurious five-star restaurant, trying hard to recall the meeting spot her supervisor had given her: the third table by the window.

She cast her gaze over the row next to the windows and saw a man already sitting at the third table, his back to the entrance.

Clicking her high heels, she strode over and sat down directly across from the man.

Then, she froze.

This man's appearance didn't match the rumors at all. He was way too incredibly handsome...

Like a laser gun, her eyes scanned him from head to toe in just two seconds.

His shirt was Armani, his watch was Patek Philippe, and his shoes were Berluti...

He certainly was a wealthy man!

Yao Jingjing smiled, making her voice sound incredibly sweet. "Are you Tian Duan?"

The cold, handsome, wealthy man maintained an expressionless face. "I am Lu Ze."

Yao Jingjing blinked in confusion.

No wonder he was so handsome. This wasn't the right guy at all...

After blinking a few times, she started turning her head to look around. She spotted a balding, middle-aged man around forty sitting at the table behind them.

She counted the tables. If she counted from the back to the front, that older man's table was also the third one.

Yao Jingjing immediately turned back to the cold, handsome man and said, "I'm so sorry, I sat at the wrong table!" With swift efficiency, she stood up and immediately moved over to the table behind them.

She moved so fast that she completely failed to notice a flicker in the handsome man's eyes or the slight twitch of his lips, as if he had wanted to say something but didn't have the time...

●︶3︶●

Yao Jingjing sat down heavily across from the balding man and said apologetically, "I'm so sorry, the traffic was terrible, and I just sat at the wrong table. I've kept you waiting, haven't I?"

The man raised his balding head, looking at her with a face full of confusion.

However, when he saw her take off her coat, revealing a hint of her beautiful cleavage shifting slightly at her neckline, the confusion vanished from his eyes.

Yao Jingjing mentioned her supervisor's name. The man nodded and mumbled a couple of times, which made Yao Jingjing certain that she had found the right person this time.

The man didn't seem very articulate. To avoid an awkward silence, Yao Jingjing began to chatter away to keep the conversation going. As she rambled on, her professional habits kicked in—she began enthusiastically pitching her company's products with animated gestures.

Just as she was excitedly explaining how their after-sales service was the absolute best in the universe, a roar like a lioness suddenly erupted beside them. "Duan Fugui, what do you think you're doing! I told you to come here just to save a table and order food, and in the short time I was gone, you're already fooling around! Who is this woman!"

Yao Jingjing froze. She looked up and saw a plump, fair-skinned woman around forty years old staring down at her with furious, wide eyes.

"Duan Fugui?!" Yao Jingjing was completely bewildered.

●︶3︶●

The situation quickly devolved into a mess.

To prove his innocence, the balding man swore up and down that Yao Jingjing had approached him entirely on her own, using her looks to aggressively pitch products to him.

The plump, fair-skinned woman refused to believe him, sharply insisting that the two of them were definitely having an affair.

Yao Jingjing felt a massive headache coming on. She had mistakenly identified the wrong person yet again!

She stood up, intending to leave, but the plump woman slapped a hand onto her shoulder and shoved her back down into her seat.

"Don't you dare leave! You think you can just slip away without explaining yourself? No way!"

Yao Jingjing's temper flared up.

Who had she offended today to deserve such terrible luck, mistaking people twice in a row? And this older man was incredibly wicked, acting as if he actually knew her supervisor!

She decided to slam her hands on the table and stand her ground.

But before she could slam the table, a deep, masculine voice rang out.

"Excuse me, I believe this young lady simply sat at the wrong table. She was supposed to be looking for me."

Yao Jingjing looked up and discovered that the cold, handsome wealthy man from earlier had actually walked over to rescue her from the predicament.

●︶3︶●

Dressed in luxury brands, the cold and handsome Lu Ze helped the utterly bewildered Yao Jingjing up and guided her back to his own table to sit down.

Yao Jingjing picked up the water glass on the table and downed it in one gulp. Wiping her mouth, she said, "Thank you for helping me out just now." After speaking, she grabbed her coat, ready to leave.

Lu Ze called out to stop her.

"Miss Yao Jingjing, correct?"

Yao Jingjing froze.

She didn't recall telling him her name, so how could he possibly know it?!

Confused, she sat back down.

"How do you know who I am?"

Lu Ze leaned back in his chair, looking at her as he said, "It's like this. I am indeed not Tian Duan, but I am Tian Duan's friend. He asked me to come here on his behalf to inform his blind date that he found his true love yesterday."

Yao Jingjing's eyes went wide.

What on earth was going on?

"Why didn't he come and say that himself?"

Lu Ze replied, "He said he felt very guilty and didn't know how to face you, so he asked me to apologize on his behalf."

Hearing this, and thinking about the ridiculous embarrassment she had just endured, Yao Jingjing could no longer contain her fury.

She slammed her palm onto the table and stood up abruptly, her voice rough and packed with rage. "Excuse me, but is that guy out of his mind? He's quite up there in age, so can he stop acting so ridiculously dramatic? Couldn't he have just called me directly to say he found his true love! I would have given him my blessings! Was it really necessary to go to such roundabout lengths? If he hadn't been so dramatic, I wouldn't have suffered the embarrassment of mistaking people today!" She paused to catch her breath, then glared at Lu Ze and continued her tirade. "And you, mister, you're quite something else too! You knew all along that I had the wrong person, yet you just sat here coldly watching me chatter away to that guy. You certainly got a cheap source of entertainment today, didn't you? Didn't even have to pay admission!"

Faced with her explosive anger, Lu Ze merely raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were getting along quite well with him, and that you might actually manage to sell a product package by the end of it. I was afraid of getting in the way of your business, so I didn't have the heart to interrupt you right away."

At this point, Yao Jingjing threw all care for her image out the window and spat out a curse. "Holy crap! Fine, you win!"

She glared at the stone-faced man across from her, the frustration burning hot in her chest. Suddenly, a wave of reckless anger took over, and a wicked smile spread across her face. "Lu Ze, right? Since you came here on someone else's behalf, you have to fulfill the duties of a blind date proxy, don't you?"

Lu Ze narrowed his eyes slightly. "What do you mean by that?"

Yao Jingjing said, "Don't worry, I'm not going to take advantage of your body, so don't act like I'm lusting after you! But I've had quite a scare today, and you got to enjoy a good laugh for a while. Next, I want to take advantage of your wallet, so you'll just have to deal with it, right?"

Without waiting for the stone-faced wealthy man to respond, she raised her arm and snapped her fingers to call over a waiter. "Excuse me, I'd like to order. Please bring me one of each of the top ten most expensive items on your menu!"

●︶3︶●

After a short while, the lavish courses began to arrive at the table one after another.

Yao Jingjing glared at Lu Ze and said, "You're paying for this meal!"

Lu Ze shrugged. "Fine by me."

With that confirmation, Yao Jingjing rolled up her sleeves and began to eat like a woman possessed.

As she kept eating, she realized she might have ordered a bit too much.

She looked up, chewing on a piece of sea cucumber, and said to Lu Ze, "Hey, mister, you can eat too. Don't just sit there watching. You're paying anyway, so you're the host. Eat if you want to, don't hold back!"

The corner of Lu Ze's mouth twitched ever so slightly. He picked up his chopsticks and began to pick up food with immense, refined elegance.

Yao Jingjing couldn't help but criticize him in her mind.

Is that really necessary? Putting on such pretentious airs just to eat a meal.

She roughly extended her chopsticks, scooped up a large pile of food, and stuffed it into her mouth.

She felt she needed to show him what real life looked like. Life meant not putting on airs when you eat. Picking up a single cashew nut at a time—when would you ever get full that way? Real life required taking massive bites of meat until your lips were covered in oil.

However, she took a bit too large of a portion with her chopsticks this time. When she stuffed it into her mouth, she could barely close her lips.

She chewed and swallowed with all her might.

She noticed that the person across from her had set down his chopsticks.

She continued to struggle to swallow.

She heard the man across from her speak.

"Actually, I'm still single. It suddenly occurred to me that perhaps we could try going on a real blind date."

The very next second, Yao Jingjing's eyes bulged, her neck stiffened, and she choked terribly on her food.