Chapter 165
Chapter 165
"Miss Zhou, I presume?" he said with a gentle smile. "Hello, I\'m Zhou Li."
Zhou Ziyou\'s round and cute face showed a brief moment of surprise. "You\'re also a Zhou?"
Zhou Li gave an affirmative sound. "Yes, what a coincidence."
Zhou Ziyou pursed her lips. "Where is your hometown...?"
He couldn\'t possibly be from her own hometown, could he? That would be a bit awkward.
"I\'m a local from Qingcheng," the man said.
Hearing this, Zhou Ziyou breathed a sigh of relief.
"I assume your cousin has told you about my situation?" Zhou Li asked.
Zhou Ziyou nodded. "Yes, she has."
Thirty years old, a team leader in a major company, with a married younger sister aged twenty-seven. He owned a house and a car, with no outstanding loans.
"And she has told me about your situation as well," Zhou Li said.
Zhou Ziyou pursed her lips tightly, feeling a bit nervous. As someone who had cut ties with her parents, she knew many people would condemn her as a heartless daughter and fail to understand her circumstances. Her job as a manga artist was unstable; one work might keep her fed, but the next could leave her penniless.
She had been on so many blind dates before, and one of the reasons for failure was that the man thought she was too particular. How could a woman cut ties with her family? She must be heartless.
Some men had suggested she find a more stable job.
Zhou Ziyou thought to herself, if Zhou Li said anything along those lines, she would give up on him.
She gripped her hands tightly, staring intently at the coffee in front of her, her eyes wide open.
She was like a judge passing judgment.
"I think..." Zhou Li began slowly.
Zhou Ziyou pursed her lips tight. If he said those words...
"...you\'re amazing," he said.
Huh?
Zhou Ziyou blinked in surprise, raising her gaze to meet Zhou Li\'s earnest expression and sincere tone. "I liked reading manga when I was a student, so I think people who can turn a story into drawn art are truly incredible. To be able to write a story and illustrate it - how do you do that?"
Ah?
Zhou Ziyou seemed not to have expected this reaction from the man. After regaining her composure, she felt delighted, a bit shy as she pursed her lips and said, "I\'ve loved drawing since I was a child, so I naturally ended up on this path."
Zhou Li nodded. "To be able to make a living from what you love is great."
Zhou Ziyou lowered her gaze and took a sip of her coffee.
Zhou Li gazed at her. Underneath her mature, long curled hair was a round, cute face that seemed mismatched, yet still looked pleasant.
Quite adorable.
After chatting for a while longer, Zhou Li felt she was a good match and said, "I don\'t know how you feel about me, Miss Zhou, but I think you\'re great. Perhaps we could give us a try?"
Zhou Ziyou\'s face reddened slightly.
Wasn\'t that a bit too fast and direct?
Zhou Li explained, "My work is quite busy, so I don\'t want to drag things out and waste each other\'s time. I\'m aiming for marriage. What about you, Miss Zhou?"
Zhou Ziyou nodded. Of course she was serious about this; if she found someone suitable, she would certainly marry. She was no fickle woman stringing others along.
In fact, she understood Zhou Li\'s meaning. At thirty years old, and herself almost twenty-six, they were no longer young. As working adults who had met through a blind date, neither was irreplaceable to the other. If things worked out, they would pursue it. If not, there was no need to waste each other\'s time.
To be honest, Zhou Ziyou had already developed a good impression of Zhou Li from the moment he said he thought she was amazing. Her impression improved further when he mentioned enjoying manga in the past.
Since they were both manga fans, it would be easier for them to communicate and find common topics, wouldn\'t it?
Zhou Li hadn\'t brought up her family situation or said anything inappropriate. During their interaction, she hadn\'t felt offended at all.
Indeed... he seemed quite decent.
"I think... you\'re pretty good too," Zhou Ziyou said, biting her lip.
Zhou Li smiled. "Then for now, we\'re boyfriend and girlfriend. Can I call you Ziyou?"
Zhou Ziyou nodded. "Sure."
After a while, a server carrying a bouquet of red roses approached and politely handed it to Zhou Ziyou.
Zhou Ziyou held the roses, stunned for a moment. Zhou Li gazed at her and said, "I don\'t know if you like red roses? If you don\'t, I\'ll get you different flowers next time."
Zhou Ziyou\'s heart raced as her face flushed red. "I... I like them. Thank you."
On the way back, Zhou Li drove her to her apartment building.
Zhou Ziyou, her face red and heart pounding, carried the roses back home.
She succeeded!
She actually succeeded!
She was no longer single!
She had a man!!!