By Zephyria 
Episode 6: Having to Go on Another Blind Date
Xie Qingcheng had come after hearing in advance that the other party placed a significant emphasis on a man’s income. Yet, for some reason, even after he revealed that his salary wasn’t particularly high, her passion showed no signs of cooling.
Bai Jing gave a beaming, eye-curving smile.
“Professor Xie, you’re truly humble, just as an intellectual should be. Oh my, it’s so hard to find such a sincere man these days.”
“…….”
“You also seem to possess such elegance. You’re the type who values lifestyle, aren’t you?”
Xie Qingcheng frowned.
“No, I—”
“I can tell just by looking at your clothes.”
“…….”
He sat there, bewildered and clueless. That is, until Bai Jing, unable to contain herself, spoke up.
“That t-shirt Professor Xie is wearing is an authentic piece from my store. There are only about five or six of them in all of Huzhou, and it’s a limited edition that doesn’t even come with private delivery. You’re far too humble.”
The atmosphere of this blind date felt wrong. Xie Qingcheng realized that this was all because of the clothes he had borrowed from He Yu.
As he chewed over the woman’s words, he recalled He Yu’s indifferent voice.
—You don’t have to give them back. I don’t really like wearing clothes others have worn. They’re old anyway, so just wear them until they’re worn out and then throw them away.
“…….”
What a wicked capitalist.
Bai Jing said with a smile, “Professor Xie, isn’t the venue for this date a bit too much? That t-shirt alone is probably worth a normal person’s annual salary. It’s a series that’s even hard to find domestically. With that kind of wealth, you’re buying me a single cup of coffee?”
“You’re mistaken. I borrowed these clothes from a friend.”
“You borrowed them?”
Bai Jing’s eyes widened in an instant.
Following that, a somewhat awkward conversation ensued. Once the beaming luxury store cashier learned the truth, this blind date returned to reality.
Bai Jing’s interest in Xie Qingcheng cooled noticeably. She seemed to pull him in forcibly to take one photo, then snapped pictures of the cake and drinks, switched the camera to take selfies, and spent the rest of the time frantically taking photos. In the middle of it, whenever customers contacted her, she openly replied via voice messages.
“Mrs. Zhang, please don’t worry. That limited bag has, of course, been set aside for you. Oh, you really don’t need to give an additional reward. I’m truly sorry.”
Bai Jing’s neglect continued.
“CEO Wang, the skirt you reserved last time has arrived; when would you like to visit? Yes, the piece tailored to your size. I lowered the hem by two centimeters from the largest size. Don’t worry, I remember everything.”
And so, the incredibly uncomfortable blind date came to an end. After paying the bill, Xie Qingcheng bowed his head and glanced at Bai Jing. She was a girl around the same age as the students he taught. Since he had only come to this date to grant Auntie Li’s wish and had no sincere feelings for the other person, he remained indifferent to the girl’s rude behavior. In fact, as if to prove he was a patriarchal old-school type, he went a step further and said:
“I will catch a taxi for you.”
“Great, great.”
Bai Jing did not decline.
“Then I’ll leave it to you, Professor Xie.”
The problem was that this was one of the busiest streets in Huzhou. It was peak rush hour, and even after waiting for a long time, only taxis already carrying passengers passed by.
Xie Qingcheng sighed.
“If you don’t mind, let’s walk forward a bit. It’ll be easier to catch one once we turn the corner up ahead.”
“I don’t mind, but I have a live stream at 8:00. Since it’s a broadcast with a set time, my fans will be disappointed if I break the promise right before. Will that be okay?”
He had no interest in live streaming, but since Xie Xue enjoyed watching certain broadcasts, he had a rough idea of what they were like. At Bai Jing’s words, he asked without much thought.
“Do you do live streaming as well?”
“Yes. I’m working hard at it, so I might become famous soon. Heehee.”
Xie Qingcheng nodded.
“It’s a good thing to have a dream. Let’s go, I’m fine.”
“Thanks, Oppa. You’re not rich, but your face is really handsome.”
Bai Jing followed behind him with a smile.
“Oh right, I’m going to film you for a bit later, is that okay? Everyone goes crazy for a handsome guy.”
“……Do as you wish.”
Ten minutes later, Xie Qingcheng sincerely regretted the words he had spoken ten minutes prior.
Being far behind the times, he hadn’t known that the live streams the younger generation liked these days took this form. Bai Jing pulled a pink selfie stick from her bag, waving it around while reciting meaningless lines. She babbled for a long time, and he couldn’t for the life of him figure out what specifically she wanted to say.
“We’re in the hottest district in Huzhou, and as you can see, it’s crawling with handsome men and beautiful women. Wow, did you see the bag that person was carrying? It’s an S-grade replica, I can tell at a glance. If you’re curious about how to tell a real from a fake, don’t forget to follow!”
Then, as if suddenly remembering, she continued.
“Ah, right! The person next to me is a handsome guy I met today. He’s an intellectual professor with a million-dollar annual salary and a powerful aura. See this discontinued limited edition t-shirt he’s wearing? Ah, that’s right. He bought me dinner today. Now he’s taking me home. Thanks for the congratulations! Thank you!”
Xie Qingcheng wondered if he had gone deaf. Just as he turned his head to refute her, Bai Jing quickly switched the camera and pressed the mute button.
“Sorry, Oppa. It’s hard for me to make a living too, so please don’t rain on my parade.”
“…….”
He could not understand why people existed who posted fake happiness on the internet and tempted viewers with bloated materialism.
But what could he do? At the very least, he didn’t want to raise his voice at the girl.
Normally, this would have been a blind date that passed quietly and unnoticed. —But the situation changed when he encountered a certain person.
The person in question appeared at a three-way intersection.
At that moment, Xie Qingcheng and Bai Jing were waiting for a taxi on a deserted roadside they had reached after walking for about ten minutes. Bai Jing was smiling brightly, introducing popular luxury items by season to her viewers.
It was around the time she had finished introducing the products. Suddenly, Bai Jing noticed a blurry figure captured behind the selfie screen. The person seemed to be hesitating, circling the same spot unsteadily.
At first, she ignored it without much thought. But soon, something unexpected happened. The figure approached Bai Jing at a rapid pace. Only after the face of a filthy homeless man lunging from behind was captured clearly on the camera screen did she realize what was happening.
Frozen in shock, Bai Jing turned around and screamed.
The old homeless man reeked of a foul odor. One could guarantee that the moment those worn-out clothes were taken off, they could never be worn again. This was because there were large and small holes riddled all over the fabric. A yellow dog, which had been limping along beside the old man, also rushed over and barked at Bai Jing.
“My daughter, my daughter! I’ve finally found my daughter!”
“Oh my god! Are you crazy? Who says I’m your daughter! Get away!”
“No, no, you are my daughter, aren’t you? Daughter, do you not recognize this old man? Let me see your face, how long has it been since I’ve seen your face…….”
Whether the old man had a mental illness or not, he wept and tried to roughly embrace Bai Jing.
Startled, Bai Jing turned pale, unable to even turn off the live stream, and screamed while repeatedly stepping backward.
“You’re crazy! Who are you! Get lost!”
“My daughter, how can you not recognize your father?”
The old man lunged forward, shedding tears. Dark, thin fingers, like charcoal just pulled from ashes, reached out as if to scratch the air.
“I really…… missed you……. I missed you so much…….”
Judging by the heavy Henan accent, he was certainly not the father of Bai Jing, who was from Huzhou. Quickly grasping the situation, Xie Qingcheng pulled Bai Jing behind him to reassure her.
“It’s okay, hide behind me.”
Quite shaken, Bai Jing could not easily calm down.
“That was really scary! How can someone like that just wander the streets? Doesn’t the city hall manage this? Aaaah!”
Bai Jing stopped venting her anger and screamed again, stomping her feet like a madwoman. The yellow dog that had followed the old man was circling her feet, sniffing.
“Help me! I-I think it’s going to bite! What’s with this dog! It doesn’t even have a leash!”
Screaming and fleeing, she grabbed her phone with the intention of reporting it to the police.
A homeless man was scary enough, but with a filthy stray dog appearing, she felt like she was losing her mind. She had to get them both caught and handed over to the police. Because of them, she was so startled that the live stream was interrupted…… no, wait, the live stream!
Realizing that the live broadcast had been on the whole time, she hurriedly checked her phone.
A few seconds later, her pupils shrank to pinpricks at the surprising screen unfolding before her eyes.
Bai Jing’s ordinary live stream usually had only about thirty viewers. But now, perhaps thanks to this bizarre unexpected incident, the number of viewers had increased to around three hundred in a matter of minutes.
The number of viewers on the screen continued to rise vertically without limit. Real-time comments rapidly flooded the broadcast screen.
[Wait, what’s happening? A Huzhou ghost incident?]
[Looks like she met a crazy homeless man? Is the account owner okay? Point the camera, let us see the situation!]
[This is a thrill, this is near my house!]
[Isn’t that old homeless man a molester? He tried to hug the account owner. Run away quickly! Report to the police immediately if anything happens!]
While the real-time comments rose continuously like hot air balloons, a rocket announcing a donation appeared and popped over the live screen.
Bai Jing snapped back to her senses, startled by this explosion animation.
Suddenly, a clear picture of what she should do and how to do it formed in her head. She hurriedly tidied her hair and manipulated the camera. Then, before Xie Qingcheng could stop her, she leaped out from behind his back.
“Watch out!”
Then, an unexpected situation unfolded. The young lady, who had been terrified just a second ago, stood beside the homeless man with a confident face, risking the danger. Of course, she had already slung her expensive bag to her back so it wouldn’t touch the old man.
“Look closely. Using a dialect from another region, where do you get off calling me your daughter? You perverted old man, touching people while making nonsense excuses? Did you think no one would know? Don’t even expect any respect for the elderly!”
The old man was startled and took a few steps back.
Now, the situation had completely changed. Xie Qingcheng realized that the old man harbored no malice. Looking closely, he could feel a deep sorrow in the old man’s face. It was by no means a fabricated emotion.
Xie Qingcheng unconsciously frowned.
“Ms. Bai, could you please turn off the broadcast? It seems the elderly gentleman is not in a good state and has mistaken you for someone else. Let’s call the city hall and handle this all at once.”
But would Bai Jing take those words at face value? As the number of live viewers crept upward, she leaned her face in close, not even minding the foul smell emanating from the old man’s body.
“No, look. Everyone, take a look.”
Bai Jing pointed the phone screen at the homeless man. The front camera of the phone fixed on the selfie stick captured both of their full bodies.
“Pervert grandpa, compare yourself with me. Do I still look like your daughter? Look at yourself properly—. Clothes in rags, hair a mess, and you’re denying this is a scam?!”
The dazed homeless man narrowed his eyes and looked at the selfie stick following her finger.
Perhaps because he clearly saw the two of them in the screen. Standing blankly, he seemed to realize his wretched state and hurriedly fled backward.
As he fled, Bai Jing actually became excited.
This influencer, who had been a germaphobe, instantly overcame her psychological barrier and continued the live broadcast, sticking close to the homeless man. As long as she could increase the number of viewers, there was nothing to fear.
“Everyone, look! This is a perverted sexual harasser! He approached me pretending to have a mental problem, but I caught him red-handed!”
Bai Jing chased after the old man to keep him in the camera, shouting at him.
“Hey! Why aren’t you coming back? You said I was your daughter! How dare you pull a scam like this in the wide and safe city of Huzhou? When you reek of sourness from head to toe! Stop right there!”
Had he come to his senses? The old man’s eyes, which had been merely clouded, seemed to glimmer faintly.
Watching from the side, Xie Qingcheng was certain that this old man was not a sexual harasser. His mental state was a complete mess. To describe it differently, he was like a gaunt stray dog that had crossed half the continent through the misty rain of Jiangnan. The word ‘search’ was etched deep into his bones; one could tell at a glance that he was desperately searching for something he had lost in the past.
But Bai Jing pushed such inner circumstances to the side. Having spent over half a year as an influencer and failing to gather many subscribers due to her mediocre skills, she was preoccupied with envying her hardworking colleagues.
At one point, when she couldn’t get attention despite trying every trick, she even left malicious comments on other famous influencers’ pages.
One day, like this:
[So fake! Pretending to live in harmony with nature, but this is just a concept created to target capital, isn’t it? What kind of real country life is this?]
The next day, like this:
[Does it make sense for a man to buy a villa with money women earned through blood and sweat? People say you girls bought the bricks for this man’s house by buying lipsticks! Women who buy things this man sells, wake up!]
And the day after, like this:
[A modern woman working steadfastly on her own? What’s with the constant act of being pitiful? Isn’t being an influencer your job? You make money even if it’s hard, and you make money even if you’re cursed at; you make so much money, why do you have so many complaints?]
No one knew her appearance as she scrolled through SNS feeds under her covers with a vicious expression. In the speeding subway, in luxury department stores, in fancy gatherings of women, and amidst a lavish lifestyle, she was always ‘Cindy,’ clicking her high heels and catering to the whims of VIPs with an active business spirit.
She tried to maintain her aura even while bowing, and she crouched down, using her delicate hands to fasten the shoe buckles for Mrs. Jin and Mrs. Li. When she politely bowed her upper body and escorted them into the wide golden lobby, no one would know that as she watched their haughty figures disappear, she thought, ‘Someday, I’ll make even the most famously haughty luxury store employee bow their head to me.’
She needed money, she wanted fame, and she wanted to be envied. For those reasons, she cast aside her fear and disregarded her germaphobia, yet she failed to recognize the trembling lips and the hot tears gathered in the clouded eyes of the homeless man.
“Your daughter is from Huzhou? Daughter, my foot. I don’t even know if an old geezer like you ever got married, so where do you get off pretending to be crazy and sexually harassing me! Why are you hiding! You were blocking my way and lingering just a moment ago! Show your face to the people! Here!”
“No…… no…….”
The terrified old man hunched his neck and curled his body, mumbling piteously like a newborn baby.
“I’m sorry…… I, I must have…… mistaken you for someone else…….”
“Sorry? Is ‘sorry’ enough? Come here! Look at the camera! Look at the state of you! If you’ve caused harm, you should make it right!”
Amidst the continuously rising real-time comments, viewers who didn’t know the situation sent donations with messages like ‘Bold account owner, slaying the street pervert homeless man,’ cheering her on. As balloons flew across the screen, Bai Jing’s heart seemed to swell along with them.
The old man hurriedly avoided her. When his mental illness flared up, he was excited by the thought of finding his daughter, but once he regained his senses, he had to flee helplessly. He became like the old dog he kept by his side, a stray with nowhere to go, fleeing in panic while being chased by a camera in the name of ‘justice.’
“Don’t film, please…… I was wrong……. Stop filming…… Miss, don’t film…….”
The old man trembled all over. His two legs inside the hole-riddled pants were also shaking.
He covered his face and hid his shabby clothes before the camera. But in the end, he was at a loss as to what to cover. Even a span of his own skin or a piece of fabric on his body felt embarrassingly wretched. Tears flowed along his deep wrinkles and dripped down. Curling his body, he half-knelt on the ground and begged Bai Jing for forgiveness.
“Please, miss, forgive me just once…….”
“That—”
Just as Bai Jing was stubbornly trying to harass the old man, someone snatched the selfie stick from her.
Immediately after, her phone was ruthlessly seized. Xie Qingcheng tossed her selfie stick aside.
“Ack! You! What do you think you’re doing!”
“What exactly are you doing right now? Didn’t I tell you? This old man seems to be suffering from a mental illness, so stop provoking him. Do you not understand human speech?”
He forcibly ended the live stream.
In an instant, Bai Jing’s face shifted from pink to red, then purple, and finally turned pale blue. After a kaleidoscope of colors flashed across her face, she marched forward, her high heels clicking, and exploded in frustration.
“Why do you keep interfering? Give me back my phone! Whether I stream or not is up to me! I’m making money right now! I’m going to become a famous influencer!”
“Fine, whatever you do has nothing to do with me.”
Xie Qingcheng retorted with a stern expression. His inner moralist surging, he unleashed a torrent of nagging without so much as blinking.
“But Ms. Bai, do you have no conscience? I’m asking if you can’t see the situation right now! You commit wrongs knowing your actions are wrong just to attract attention, and you use any means necessary regardless of the consequences. You even used someone’s obvious pain to draw interest, knowing exactly how much they were suffering. Because to you, that kind of pain doesn’t matter! There is a limit to being heartless!”
“What the hell are you talking about! You’re not my father, so why are you lecturing me? You’re just a blind date partner! Mind your own business!”
Overwhelmed with emotion, Bai Jing lunged forward, aiming for the phone.
However, Xie Qingcheng, whose temper was even more volatile than Bai Jing’s, grabbed her firmly and looked down at her with arrogance. His gaze was as sharp as a blade.
“Prioritizing viewers gathered in a damn live stream over human dignity or life. I’ve never seen such a moron.”
“Did you just insult me? You thug—!”
Blinded by rage, Bai Jing raised her hand to slap his cheek.
But when Xie Qingcheng grabbed her wrist and twisted it with force, she immediately screamed in pain.
Xie Qingcheng said coldly,
“If you keep making a scene like this, I might stop using insults and start using my fists.”
“Let go of me! If you don’t let go, I’m calling the police! I’ll call people over!”
Perhaps because of the loud commotion, even though it was a secluded street, people had begun to stop in the distance to watch. Xie Qingcheng, whose hobby was treating others’ gazes like thin air, didn’t mind. However, something unexpected happened. A sharp-eyed middle-aged woman raised her voice from the crowd.
“Oh my, wait! That old man looks like something’s wrong!”
Xie Qingcheng quickly looked down. The old man, suffering from a mental illness, had mistakenly believed he found his daughter, only to be chased and filmed by Bai Jing. In the process, it seemed the combination of excitement and despair had put too much strain on his heart. With blue-tinged lips and a pale face, the old man clutched his chest, curled his body like a shrimp, and collapsed onto the ground with a thud.