By the time Mo Zixin’s cousin Mo Tao arrived, Qian Wei could only be described as having gazed until her eyes nearly wore out from waiting. The moment she caught sight of Mo Tao’s figure not far away, she was so excited she almost burst into tears—finally! Finally this cousin of Mo Zixin’s had come to rescue her from the depths of her legal-code misery!
He really was Mo Zixin’s cousin—Mo Tao’s looks were well above average too. Though not as delicate as Mo Zixin’s, his features were bright and refined, and a pair of soulful peach-blossom eyes shimmered with charm. Being, it seemed, an English major who’d steeped himself in Western culture, his dress sense was quite Westernized and stylish. On a university campus in 2009, someone who could pull off fashion sense that distinctive was truly one in a thousand.
“Bro! Over here!” Mo Zixin waved enthusiastically.
Once Mo Tao sat down, Mo Zixin briefly introduced the two of them to each other.
“Oh no!” Mo Zixin suddenly grabbed her phone. “My roommate forgot her dorm key and got locked out! I need to go back and let her in! Why don’t you two eat first? I’ll step out for a bit!” With that, she snatched up her bag and dashed off.
Though Mo Zixin was pretty and did well in school, Qian Wei had to admit her acting skills left something to be desired—this was far too obvious a setup…
Facing a complete stranger in Mo Tao, Qian Wei felt a bit awkward too. Thinking it over, even counting her previous life, this was truly her first “blind date,” and she couldn’t help feeling a little flustered. She stole a couple of glances at Mo Tao—he really was quite the catch. According to Mo Zixin, he was something of a campus celebrity in the English department. There weren’t many good-looking guys in that major to begin with, and someone of Mo Tao’s caliber, combined with outstanding language ability and authentic pronunciation, had plenty of girls swooning. Confessions never seemed to stop coming his way.
In her previous life, under the crushing weight of working for Lu Xun, Qian Wei had never had the chance to date at all. Now, through some strange twist of fate, she’d ended up on a blind date—she couldn’t help but feel a bit curious.
Compared to her own restraint, Mo Tao seemed quite at ease. “What would you like to order?”
On a first blind-date meeting, a girl should come across as gentle and easy to get along with! Qian Wei recalled the tips Liu Shiyun had once given her, and instinctively smiled. “I don’t have any dietary restrictions—I eat everything. Just order whatever you like.”
Mo Tao looked a bit surprised, but he was clearly impressed by her gesture. Still, out of politeness, he confirmed again: “Really, anything at all?”
“Just order what you like,” Qian Wei kept up her performative smile. “I trust your taste—whatever you like is bound to be good, and I’ll like it too.”
So Mo Tao called the waiter over and began ordering.
“Vegetable tempura, Japanese-style hotplate tofu, fruit salad, Japanese mushroom hotpot, vegetarian hand rolls, avocado sushi…”
Mo Tao was quite generous, ordering a whole spread for their first meeting. But the more Qian Wei listened, the more puzzled she grew: “Um… why did you order all vegetarian dishes? How about we add some sashimi and meat too?”
Mo Tao looked surprised. “Ah, I thought Zixin had told you.” He gave a faint smile. “I’m a vegetarian.”
“…”
Qian Wei’s heart sank straight to the floor… She hesitated, then finally decided to be upfront about it: “I’m sorry! You really are excellent, but… I can’t give up pork, beef, mutton, fish, chicken, pigeon, rabbit, eel, bullfrog, oysters, and Arctic clams for love!” She said it all in one breath, and only then did the tension in her body finally ease. “Even if you might not end up liking me either, I figured it’s better to say this now than mislead you and waste your time—after all, even if you don’t force me to go vegetarian too, the two of us just aren’t going to eat well together, and that’s bound to cause a lot of friction down the road…”
“Pfft.” What answered her was Mo Tao’s low chuckle. The corners of his mouth curved up slightly, and along with it, those handsome peach-blossom eyes crinkled into a smile. “Actually, I wanted to be upfront with you too.” He paused. “I don’t want to date anyone right now. I’m truly sorry—it’s just that Zixin kept insisting you were a great girl and hoped I’d get to know you, and since she meant well, I really couldn’t refuse. So I figured I’d come have this meal with you first, apologize properly in person, and let you know that honestly, I’m not in the mood for a relationship right now.”
Qian Wei looked surprised. “Huh?? Why not??”
Bringing up the topic, Mo Tao looked rather melancholy.
The moment Qian Wei saw his expression, she understood immediately. “You already have someone you like, don’t you?”
Mo Tao blinked, startled. “Is it that obvious?”
“Yeah! Super obvious!” Qian Wei nodded. “You’ve got ‘lovesick young man drowning in his feelings’ written all over you.”
“…”
“But if you like her that much, why not go after her! With how good you look, no girl would say no.”
Mo Tao sighed. “I do want to go after her, but I don’t even need to think about it—she’d definitely turn me down.” He glanced at Qian Wei. “She’s seven years older than me. She used to be my neighbor, and she looked after me a lot when we were kids. She’s genuinely gentle, beautiful, and capable. I’ve liked her for a long time—even my vegetarianism came from her influence.”
Wow, Qian Wei thought, who would’ve guessed—this trendy guy was secretly nursing unrequited feelings for an older woman.
“There’s no obstacle you can’t get past!” Qian Wei thumped her chest. “Go after her boldly! Let this master here strategize for you—I guarantee a direct hit!”
Mo Tao was a year above Qian Wei, just barely twenty this year. The woman he liked was seven years older, making her twenty-seven—younger than Qian Wei had been in her previous life. Qian Wei liked to think she understood the mindset of a twenty-seven-year-old woman quite well.
“But even if she accepted me now, could we really make it to forever in the future?” Doubt filled Mo Tao’s voice. “Society’s tolerance for age-gap relationships like this is so low, and it’s not like I’m just two or three years younger—I’m seven years younger. I don’t just want to date her for a while; I want to spend my whole life by her side.”
“No need to rush—give it a few more years and society will loosen up. Age-gap relationships with a younger man won’t just stop drawing sideways glances, they might even become the new trend and fashion. I think mature older sisters will gradually start falling for younger, devoted guys—there’ll be plenty of celebrities with successful age-gap relationships too. Society in the future will only grow more open-minded and diverse. People won’t judge whether a relationship is suitable based on age anymore, but on whether the two people genuinely love each other.” As she spoke, Qian Wei explained some modern slang terms for youthful, devoted boyfriends to Mo Tao.
Mo Tao was half-convinced. “Really?”
“Really!” Qian Wei nodded solemnly. “Leave it to me!” She rapped the table. “Most of your competitors are probably her peers, so first we need to do a SWOT analysis—list out your strengths and weaknesses against your potential rivals, then tackle them one by one. Your advantage is being young, full of passion and energy, without the calculated, worldly maneuvering of an older man—your feelings are pure. Your weakness, naturally, is that the future holds more uncertainty, and you might not seem mature or steady enough yet, so you’ll need to work extra hard to ease her worries on that front…”
Qian Wei’s analysis flowed smoothly and logically, and Mo Tao listened with rapt attention. Back and forth they went, and by the time the meal ended, Mo Tao and Qian Wei had forged quite the solid friendship-in-arms.
“Listening to you explain it like that really opened my eyes. I’ll start following your advice, and in a few days I’ll treat you to another meal so you can analyze things further for me!”
Qian Wei waved her hand. “No need to treat me to a meal. Let’s just exchange phone numbers and add each other on QQ—from now on, if you need anything, just reach out directly. No need to waste money on dinners, and besides, I can’t get used to your vegetarian food anyway…”
Mo Tao smiled. “Then next time, you eat meat and I’ll eat vegetarian, that’s fine.” He winked mysteriously. “Also, I’d really recommend you keep having meals out with me—it’ll put Zixin’s mind at ease.”
“Why’s that?”
“Based on how well I know her, if she’s this eager to introduce you to me hoping we’ll fall for each other, she’s probably fallen for some guy herself, and thinks you might be her potential rival—so she’s trying to get you out of the running early. If you have regular weekly meals with me, she’ll feel more reassured.” He smiled. “Though she’s my cousin, I won’t take her side blindly. If you’re interested in that guy, go for it boldly—I’ll help cover for you and keep Zixin in the dark. Of course, in exchange, you have to teach me how to win over the person I like.”
Qian Wei sighed. “Honestly, I’m baffled too—why would she see me as a rival? With her looks, shouldn’t beating me be effortless? And I’ve genuinely never had any designs on Lu Xun—he and I are simply not from the same world! I wouldn’t even dare think about it, okay!”
Mo Tao smiled. “You probably don’t realize it yourself, but you have this kind of charm—being around you feels effortless and relaxed, and people can’t help but feel happy without even noticing.”
“Alright, alright, cut it out, stop flattering me. Even without the flattery, I’ll still help you strategize properly.”
“Then let’s plan on regular meals!” Qian Wei decisively locked in the plan. She’d have to work both angles at once, and work them well—she needed to bring Mo Tao and his older love interest together, and also bring Lu Xun and Mo Zixin together!
Mo Tao’s eyes flickered. “In that case, if you don’t mind, I have an unreasonable request to ask.”
“Hm?”
“If you don’t currently have anyone you like, would you be willing to pretend to be my girlfriend?” Mo Tao looked a bit sheepish. “It doesn’t matter whether we pretend to be dating or just something ambiguous. It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but there’s a girl from another department pursuing me relentlessly right now—she swore she won’t give up until I’m taken. I’ve turned her down several times, told her I already have someone I like, but she won’t listen. It’s honestly a little frightening how fixated she is. I figured, since we’ll be having regular meals together anyway, why not use that as cover?” Mo Tao’s manner was quite earnest. “Just enough to make her give up! Really, please, I’m begging you!”
Qian Wei rubbed her chin. Wasn’t her whole plan to bring Mo Zixin and Lu Xun together anyway? If the future lady boss actually saw her as a threat, that would be a major blunder on her part! So helping Mo Tao out with this would kill two birds with one stone, wouldn’t it?
So she nodded. “Then you owe me a really good meal!”