9
I didn’t dwell on it and went to work as usual.
Later, just before the end of the workday, my mom called.
“I’ve already set up the blind date. I’ll send you the restaurant and address in a bit. You better not stand him up!”
“Got it, I’ll save it in my calendar right away.”
I replied as I walked toward the company entrance.
When I got to the door, I was surprised to see Chu Yun and Pei Jinzhou waiting there.
I instinctively hung up and walked over.
“Brother, what brings you here?”
“We just finished a business meeting nearby and thought we’d…”
“It’s just about dinner time, so we thought we’d pick you up and eat together—plus, it’s a little celebration for closing the deal,” Chu Yun said.
Pei Jinzhou’s gaze never left me, burning with an intensity that was hard to ignore.
But I deliberately avoided looking at him, refusing to meet his eyes.
Even when getting into the car, I chose to ride with Chu Yun instead.
Pei Jinzhou looked displeased but didn’t say anything.
At the restaurant, just after we finished ordering, Chu Yun suddenly remembered something. He raised his eyebrows and teased,
“I heard Mom’s setting you up on a blind date and already picked the time. Are you really going to go?”
As soon as he said this, Pei Jinzhou’s hand trembled as he held his cup. He looked at me in shock.
“What blind date?”
I ignored his question and looked at Chu Yun instead.
“Yeah, it’s all set. Did you think I was joking before?”
Pei Jinzhou let out a bitter laugh, as if he’d given up, and said directly,
“Chu Zhi, I’m not dead yet—why are you going on blind dates?”
Chu Yun looked confused.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Zhizhi’s blind date has nothing to do with you.”
“She’s my girlfriend—don’t you think it has something to do with me?”
He stared at me, hoping I would go along with his claim.
But I said nothing.
Chu Yun, now flustered, snapped,
“What the hell are you talking about? How come I never heard you two were together?”
He turned to me,
“Zhizhi, is what he’s saying true?”
Looking at the two men about to erupt in front of me, I shook my head.
“No, there’s nothing between me and Pei Jinzhou.”
As soon as I said this, Pei Jinzhou shot to his feet, eyes full of disbelief.
“Chu Zhi, you can be mad at me, but how can you say something like that?”
Chu Yun, still in shock, tried to make sense of it all.
“Wait, if you say you were together, show me some proof.”
At this, Pei Jinzhou froze.
We didn’t have a single photo together from when we were dating.
He always said he didn’t like taking pictures.
Once, I secretly snapped a photo of our shadows, but when he saw it, he got angry and made me delete it.
Whenever we went out, he always kept two meters away from me, afraid of being seen by someone he knew.
Even our online chats were always me asking and him answering.
There really was no evidence of us being together.
Seeing him standing there speechless, unable to provide proof, Chu Yun rolled his eyes.
“I know Zhizhi is pretty and popular, but don’t you think your imagination is getting out of hand?”
“Pei Jinzhou, maybe you should get checked at the hospital if this keeps up.”
Pei Jinzhou’s eyes reddened with anger as he shouted,
“Zhizhi really is my girlfriend—we’ve been together for seven years!”
Then, turning to me with a coaxing tone, he pleaded,
“Zhizhi, please tell him the truth. Everything I said is real—you’re my girlfriend.”
But I just shook my head.
“Jinzhou-ge, please stop saying such nonsense. It’s not good to let people misunderstand.”