Living in a county town, starting as a stock market maker...

Gu Ming subconsciously shivered, then realized that the other person wasn't talking to him, and breathed a sigh of relief.

There's no way around it, it's really a conditioned reflex.

In his past life, his mother often urged him to get married, even threatening that if he couldn't find a partner, he shouldn't come home for the New Year, which led him to go on dozens of blind dates.

Although none of them worked out, I still accumulated a lot of experience in blind dating.

Honestly, what kind of weird blind date haven't I seen?

It's relatively normal for them to ask for a bride price right away. At least they've laid out their conditions, clearly telling you that poor people shouldn't even bother with them, and whether you're willing or not is up to you.

If the man is still willing to be with the woman, no one can criticize him.

After all, it's a case of one party willing to give and the other willing to receive; there's nothing more to say.

What's most hateful is that some women on blind dates use the guise of matchmaking to swindle money from others.

She talks about clothes, bags, and cosmetics all the time, calling it a test, but actually she's just treating the man like a sucker.

There are also those who bring their extended family members to the banquet; this is a clear case of not treating the groom as a human being.

Even worse, some people who owe hundreds of thousands of yuan in online loans and can't repay them want to get married to pay off their debts.

All these bizarre incidents completely traumatized Gu Ming, giving him a psychological aversion to the word "blind date."

After all, good girls don't have to worry about not having suitors at school. Even if they don't want to date at school, when they reach the right age, there are plenty of high-quality guys introduced by their relatives and friends. How could they possibly end up in the matchmaking market?

Gu Ming had no intention of finding true love at the matchmaking market. He came here purely to fool his mother and make up some excuse that a girl didn't like him when he got home.

"A bride price of 388,000 yuan is too high. I can't afford that much money right now. Could you lower it a bit?"

Gu Ming turned around and saw a man pleading humbly.

However, before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a forceful voice: "You want to get married without money? Dream on!"

The man, unwilling to give up, tried to negotiate one more time: "Lily, we've been dating for two years. For the sake of our relationship over these two years, can we discuss the bride price again?"

"A bride price of 188,000 yuan is considered average in our county. It won't embarrass you."

"I promise that after we get married I will work hard to earn money to support the family, and I will take care of all the housework so you won't have to worry about anything."

Upon hearing this, the meticulously made-up woman revealed a disdainful expression. "I'm a tenured teacher, how can I be compared to them?"

"Don't even mention 388,000, even if it's 588,000, I'd be worthy of it."

"Let me be blunt, we're not from the same world."

"Your parents are from the countryside and don't have much of a fortune. They can't give me what I want. It's impossible for me to marry you. It's better for everyone if we separate gracefully now."

"I understand, thank you."

The man was completely disheartened. He nodded politely, got up, and left the coffee shop.

The woman glanced disdainfully at the table, waved to the waiter to remove the man's unfinished coffee, then took out lipstick and a mirror from her bag and began applying lip gloss.

Gu Ming boldly guessed that she might have made plans with other people as well.

Maintaining ambiguous relationships with multiple guys at the same time—isn't that a basic tactic of a "green tea" girl?

If that's really the case, then that guy's head must be covered in a huge green grassland, big enough for horses to run on.

Gu Ming silently mourned for his brother's earlier actions when his phone, which was on the table, vibrated. It was his mother calling.

As soon as I answered the phone, my mother's voice came through: "Son, have you arrived yet?"

"We've arrived."

"Okay, I'll send you the girl's photo."

My mom finished speaking quickly and then hung up the phone.

Soon, Gu Ming received the photos sent by his mother.

He casually opened the photo.

The next second, his eyes widened.

Good news, the photo doesn't look too different from the real person.

Bad news: the person I was supposed to meet on a blind date had just broken up with her boyfriend and came to meet me. The worst part is that I saw the whole breakup process.

What should I do in this situation? I need help urgently.

Gu Ming hesitated for a long time, and just as he was gritting his teeth and preparing to sit down, a man in a suit took his seat.

The man in the suit extended his hand with great poise: "Hello, hello, you must be Lily. I'm sorry I'm late..."

"It's not late, I'm just early."

The two chatted with smiles, and through their conversation, Gu Ming realized what had happened.

"Queuing up for blind dates, that's amazing!"

Although the other party's behavior was unethical, Gu Ming couldn't really criticize them.

If a grown man gets into an argument with a woman in public, he'll only lose face.

About half an hour later, the man in the suit left, somewhat disappointed.

Gu Ming glanced at the time; there were only twenty minutes left until the agreed time, and it should be his turn.

"Hello, I'm Gu Ming."

Gu Ming sat down and politely greeted him.

Li Li was touching up her makeup and simply nodded, her attitude indifferent, as if she had no idea that Gu Ming had already watched two good shows.

Gu Ming didn't know if the other person was just too shameless or completely disregarded his opinion.

But none of that matters, since he had no intention of getting any further contact with the other party anyway.

Li Li spoke first: "I heard from Aunt Wang that you work in the south and earn 20,000 to 30,000 yuan a month, which is about the same as my income from self-media."

"I have already resigned."

Gu Ming frankly said, "The competition in big cities is too intense, so I plan to return to my hometown to develop my career."

Hearing this, Li Li's face showed a look of disdain. "What kind of job opportunities are there in a county town? It's hard to find a job that pays over ten thousand a month. Are you planning to find a job that pays seven or eight thousand a month and just coast along, or stay at home and live off your parents?"

Perhaps because her embarrassing situation had been exposed, Li Li's tone became aggressive.

"No, I plan to start my own business."

Gu Ming calmly stated, "I founded an MCN agency called Star Media, whose main business is packaging internet celebrities."

"That sounds impressive, but does it earn as much as I do as an internet celebrity?"

Li Li sneered, "What resources does your little lousy company have? Only a fool would go there."

Since they had different opinions, Gu Ming was too lazy to waste any more words. He paid for his coffee and got up to leave.

Outside the coffee shop, Gu Ming lit a cigarette, found a corner, squatted down, and started smoking.

Every time Gu Ming encounters such an infuriating idiot, he has to calm himself down.

The street corner was bustling with people, pedestrians coming and going in a constant stream. A young woman, looking quite energetic, passed by, her eyes catching a glimpse of Gu Ming's figure. She paused, seemingly unsure, then turned back to look again, exclaiming in surprise:

"Hey, bro, what are you doing here?"

Gu Ming recognized the person who had come and nodded: "What a coincidence."

Wang Min said warmly, "Brother, it's fate that we met. Come with me, this time I'll take care of you."

Gu Ming was initially a bit flustered, and the words of refusal were already on the tip of his tongue, but for some inexplicable reason, he nodded involuntarily: "Okay."