Jiang Ning said, "All we talk about is money, calculating right from the start to the end."
Guo Ran slightly wistful, "Actually, the essence of a blind date is mutual calculations."
She was driven crazy by all the urging during Chinese New Year, becoming increasingly indifferent to blind dates.
Jiang Ning finished his cup of coffee and got up to ask the front desk for a cup of hot water.
On his way back with the hot water, he noticed a man in his thirties enthusiastically greeting Guo Ran, "Hello, hello, you must be the one introduced by Aunt Li, no wonder you didn’t send a photo, so pretty!"
The man’s eyes were filled with amazent, lavish with praise; to et a woman of this caliber on a blind date was unexpected.
While Guo Ran was puzzled, Jiang Ning patted him on the shoulder, "Bro, you’ve got the wrong person, she’s over there?"
The man froze for a bit, followed Jiang Ning’s finger pointing toward a short and pudgy lady, who was on her phone.
Only then did the man realize his own phone was vibrating.
The man hung up and left the café silently.
Jiang Ning laughed, "Mr. Guo, see what you’ve done? Another blind date ruined."
Guo Ran speechless, "It was already dood anyway, okay!"
Blind dates are supposed to be about compatibility, but really they hinge on looks; soone who looks outstanding, as long as they’re not picky, can always find soone soon.
"Also, what do you an by ’again’?" Guo Ran puzzled.
Jiang Ning, mysteriously, "Just watch."
They stayed in the café for a while longer, and Guo Ran finally understood. Every guy who ca for a blind date stole glances at her, even the probing interactions with their dates beca absent-minded, including one guy who answered the lady’s hobby questions with completely absurd responses.
Guo Ran quietly packed her bag, "Let’s go."
Jiang Ning chuckled.
Guo Ran bumped him with her bag, annoyed, "Still laughing!"
Leaving the warm café, the two strolled down the street, with music echoing from afar.
Jiang Ning and Guo Ran reached a brand-new comrcial street, its entrance housing a splendidly decorated Golden Tower, teeming with a crowd at the door, won in red danced to string music on the second-floor pavilion.
Guo Ran, surprised, "Quite a spectacle indeed!"
Jiang Ning’s Divine Sense scanned the crowd center, "Let’s check it out."
Guo Ran worried, "Isn’t it a bit crowded?"
Jiang Ning, "No big deal."
Just about to move forward, soone shouted, "Ranran!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Guo Ran thought sothing wrong and hurriedly clung to Jiang Ning’s arm, "Let’s hurry!"
After only walking a few steps, a woman blocked their path.
"Qinqin..." Guo Ran felt awkward, a hint of embarrassnt on her face.
Qinqin was about the sa age as Guo Ran, around twenty-three, but her deanor was sharp and bright-eyed, suiting the image of a city girl perfectly.
Actually, indeed this way, Le Qin and Guo Ran took different paths; Guo Ran went to an unknown Yuzhou, whereas she stayed in Beijing as a talented lawyer, enjoying life.
Le Qin, angry, "Alright Ranran, yesterday I asked you to accompany to the gold shop, you said you’d be ho writing a lesson plan today, did you write it?"
A girlfriend ditching her for a guy... hmm? Seems familiar?
Le Qin scrutinized Jiang Ning, gradually furrowing her brow with suspicion.
Suddenly, her eyes widened, stamring, "You’re... a martial arts expert!"
Contrary to Le Qin’s reaction, Jiang Ning upon seeing her instantly recalled the sumr vacation; during a trip with Tongtong to Hu City, staying at a hotel when soone mistakenly broke into his room to catch her husband’s affair, and he ended up teaching her a lesson.
At that ti, she was in a suit, being a lawyer.
Jiang Ning raised his brow, "Lawyer?"
Le Qin, emotional, "Yes, that’s !"
To this day, she never forgot Jiang Ning’s deanor, never thinking they’d et again, as a friend of her girlfriend.
Guo Ran bewildered, "What are you talking about?"
Le Qin recounted the incident, leaving Guo Ran slightly surprised, "Are you really that capable?"
Jiang Ning chuckled, "Go ask around in Class 8."
Guo Ran nonchalant, Class 8 was one she taught personally, nothing special?
Le Qin, as a lawyer, often socialized and greeted people from various sectors, thus did well in perceiving nuances and detected an undercurrent between them.
She knows but doesn’t say anything.
Guo Ran tries to change the subject: "Qinqin, didn’t your mom set you up on a blind date today?"
Compared to Guo Ran’s fear of blind dates, Le Qin couldn’t understand why: "I’m amazed, it’s been so long at ho, my mom has only introduced to 18 n, wrapped it up in two days. So are too ugly, so too fat, so too short, and others boast, but won’t speak when asked so questions."
"I keep nagging my mom to introduce to soone, but she’s holding back, and now I’m idling away while kids my age are already in kindergarten. And ?" Le Qin complains.
"...It’s outrageous." Guo Ran: "Wasn’t it just the day before yesterday your mom introduced you to a tall and handso guy?"
Le Qin sighs: "Auntie doesn’t understand at all, handso he may be, but he was expecting to move into our ho. Does my family’s condition allow for that?"
Guo Ran doesn’t know what to say.
...
What can relieve worries, nothing but gold. Led by dear sister Le Qin, Jiang Ning and Guo Ran dive into the crowd.
The gold shop is hosting an opening event, not only offering discounts but also hosting a challenge activity.
"Grabbing gold?"
The middle-aged woman in work attire is the store manager, holding a microphone: "This piece of gold bar weighs 25KG, valued at 7 million. If soone can wear gloves and lift it up, then you can freely pick from these accessories outside! We have a notary present, so no worries about backing out!"
The female store manager’s voice is passionate, but the custors’ eyes are not on her but focused on the table in front of her. A solid wood table covered with red cloth, on the cloth, a rectangular block, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, shines money-gold under the sunlight.
On both sides of the gold are glass barriers. Next to the table, four strong security guards with rubber batons ensure no one snatches the gold.
A sign is placed in front of the table detailing the rules: [Palms facing up, lift the gold single-handedly, hold for more than 10 seconds to win a prize].
In front of everyone present, a big and burly man shouted: "I’m in!"
The female store manager said: "No need to emphasize the rules, right?"
The surrounding elder praised: "This guy is big, impressive!"
"May I ask your profession?" The middle-aged woman routinely asks.
The man smiled broadly: "I’m a gym coach, deadlifting 260KG!"
So didn’t understand what level this was in the fitness world, but hearing 260KG was still astonishing—over 500 pounds!
"Alright, alright, let’s have the challenge!" The middle-aged woman as the store manager showed no anxiety.
The man stepped forward, wearing specially prepared disposable gloves.
Le Qin said: "Those gloves aren’t simple, surely very slippery kind."
The gym coach, with gloves on, approached the wooden table slowly, grabbed the gold bar single-handedly, and lifted it.
"It’s moving, it’s moving!" The crowd began to shout as their hearts hung in anticipation...
In the next second, the gold bar slipped from his hand, landing with a heavy "clang"!
The hearts of the onlookers dropped accordingly.
"No way, no way!" People sighed in relief and lant.
"Really, no one can hold it up, right?"
"Exactly, the gold shop won’t let you benefit!" Soone said knowingly.
Le Qin’s logic was very straightforward: "Single-handedly flat-grabbing 25KG, I rember the Guinness World Records aren’t much higher than this, and you have to wear slippery gloves."
She then cursed quietly: "These gold shops will do anything for gimmicks to attract custors."
"Yo, another try!"
A middle-aged man covered in dust and mud stepped into the center.
The female store manager asked: "May I ask your profession?"
The middle-aged man’s skin was dark, full of vicissitudes: "I’m a rebar worker at the construction site."
"Heard the strongest at the site are rebar workers, stronger than carpenters or bricklayers," Le Qin murmured to herself.
The rebar worker donned the gloves, grabbed the gold bar single-handedly, lifted it fiercely, but again couldn’t sustain for two seconds, "clang" and it fell again.
Sighs erupted from the crowd.
Having watched for a while without success, soone mocked the gold shop as petty, claiming to blacklist this store; the scene seed to spiral out of control.
Seeing the situation, the store manager intended to change the rules to save the day.
Le Qin’s eyes sparkled, looking at Jiang Ning: "Hey, master? You?"
Guo Ran got the hint, expressing disbelief: "Him?"
"Qinqin, are you joking?"
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