Shi Li didn't want to have dinner together. She was afraid that after the meal, they would end up watching a movie and taking a walk, which would be quite hurtful for a young, innocent girl like her.
So she suggested she needed to go home to do homework, thinking Shi Ruan would be more than happy to see this third wheel leave. Unexpectedly, Shi Ruan said, "How can we let you go home alone? That's too dangerous. Let's all go back together after dinner. You can come to my place - Grandmother hasn't seen you in a while and misses you."
Ji Chunsheng couldn't let his blind date's sister go home alone - that would be terribly impolite. He also insisted, "Your sister is right. After dinner, I'll drive you both home."
Under their joint persuasion, it would be rude for Shi Li to still insist on going home.
Shi Li had no choice but to agree. Fortunately, after dinner, the two didn't suggest watching a movie or going for a walk in the park, sparing her from being a single third wheel any longer.
But for a single person, the dinner itself wasn't particularly pleasant, especially seeing her cousin's peacock-like display, releasing charm as if trying to attract a mate.
Thankfully, Shi Ruan still had some sense of decorum and kept her flirting relatively restrained.
Only someone like Shi Li, who had known her for over a decade, could detect her subtle machinations.
After dinner, they took a short walk around the mall before Ji Chunsheng drove the Shi sisters home.
Getting out of the car, Shi Li very politely said goodbye to Ji Chunsheng, "Thank you, Uncle. Goodbye, Uncle."
Ji Chunsheng was older than Shi Ruan and fifteen years older than Shi Li. With such an age gap, it wasn't inappropriate for Shi Li to call him uncle.
Shi Li was also mischievously trying to remind Shi Ruan of Ji Chunsheng's age.
She remembered Shi Ruan once saying she preferred younger men.
Shi Ruan slapped her cousin on the back, "Don't call him that, you're making him sound old. Call him brother." Calling him brother-in-law would work too.
The words she most wanted to say, Shi Ruan swallowed back. Now wasn't the time to say it - she didn't want to scare him off. She also didn't want him to know she was already interested, so she could maintain the upper hand in their interactions.
Ji Chunsheng was oblivious to Shi Ruan's inner thoughts, still believing her to be as simple and straightforward as she appeared.
Only after watching Chu Chunsheng's car drive away did the two cousins reveal their true selves.
Shi Ruan hugged her cousin, "So, isn't he handsome? He'll be your cousin-in-law soon."
Shi Li rolled her eyes dramatically in front of her, "Sister, there's a limit to daydreaming. I know you like him, but the real question is, does he like you?" He might not feel the same spark.
Shi Ruan replied nonchalantly, "That's why we need to take the initiative. He'll be my husband soon enough."
Seeing she was serious, Shi Li couldn't help but warn her, "Sister, you can't just judge a potential partner by their looks."
Shi Ruan chuckled, "Should we also consider if our own looks match up?"
That wasn't the issue - her cousin was a great beauty. There were no unattractive people in the Shi family; even the three cats Shi Li raised were becoming more and more good-looking.
Shi Ruan herself was exceptionally beautiful, and Shi Li still saw her cousin through rose-tinted glasses. In her eyes, no man in the world was good enough for her or her sister.
The problem wasn't whether her cousin was good enough for Chu Chunsheng, but whether he was good enough for her sister.
Shi Li spoke like a worried mother, "You also need to look at his character. What if he's all style and no substance?"
Character was indeed an important factor. Shi Ruan replied seriously, "From what I can tell, he seems like a decent person."
In today's society, being decent was already a rare virtue.
"You've only met once. How can you be sure he's decent? What if he likes to visit prostitutes, or what if he's impotent?"
These were all crucial issues - the former could infect her, the latter would affect her happiness.
"I understand. I'll assess him carefully and bail out immediately if I discover any issues."
Shi Li felt conflicted. Bailing out might be difficult - she was afraid her cousin might be too attached by then.
The two sisters returned home together, facing the expectant gazes of the whole family sitting on the sofa.
Before Shi's Grandmother could ask how the date went, Shi Ruan gracefully sat between her mother and grandmother, saying, "I quite like this guy."
After three blind dates, they finally heard a positive response.
Eldest Aunt let out a sigh of relief. At last, something to satisfy this little princess.
The previous two times Shi Ruan came home from blind dates, she had complained for half an hour straight about the unreliable matchmaker and how sloppy and crude the men were.
"Should we cancel the upcoming blind dates then?"
Eldest Aunt nodded, "I'll let the matchmaker know that you like young Ji and want to continue seeing him."
"I'll cancel your dates for the next few days. You focus on getting to know this boy. I think he's quite good, seems very reliable."
Shi Li couldn't help but think to herself, [Your daughter likes him not because he's reliable, but simply because of his looks]
Shi Ruan's semi-successful blind date made her the family hero. The upcoming barrage of blind dates was called off, and they didn't even want to trouble her with recounting the details of the date, telling her to go rest as she'd had a busy few days and would need energy to continue interacting with Chu Chunsheng.
So, while Shi Ruan got to retire to her room upstairs, Shi Li was left in the living room to recount the details of today's blind date to Shi's Grandmother and Eldest Aunt.
Regarding the memories of these two's blind date, Shi Li mainly recalled them in her dreams.
She could only piece together what happened during the times she wasn't dozing off, and the interactions between her cousin and Chu Chunsheng during dinner.
Eldest Aunt slapped her thigh in excitement, "I knew it! This girl didn't come home for so long, she must have really liked him."
The previous two blind dates, she had come home after less than an hour, including travel time.
Shi Li gently reminded Eldest Aunt, "In finding a partner, looks should be secondary. The most important thing is character. I think we should still be cautious."
Her older cousin Shi Quan chimed in, "Leave that to me. I'll have Fu Zhanyang look into it. He's really into gathering information these days."
It was unclear which wire had crossed in his brain after his breakup, but after laying low at home for a while, he had gone to the other extreme and started to enjoy gossip and rumors.
Shi Li thought to herself, the problem with Ji Chunsheng isn't now, but in the future.
What could she say? She couldn't exactly tell them that according to her calculations, Chu Chunsheng would end up with Ji Feiyu's sister-in-law in the future.
Back in her own room, Shi Li saw two missed calls from Huang Jie.
Shi Li had already told her she wouldn't be coming home tonight and was going to the old family house with Shi Ruan.
Since it wasn't about her not coming home tonight, what could it be about?
Shi Li called back, and Huang Jie quickly answered. The screen showed a face covered in a sheet mask.
"You went with Ruan Ruan on her blind date today, tell Mom how it went. The day before yesterday at the Ji family's eldest son's wedding, Mom noticed you looking at that groomsman, the Ji family's boy, a couple of times. I thought he wasn't bad, a good match for our Ruan Ruan, so I mentioned it to your Eldest Aunt."
Shi Li: ?! So the culprit behind all this was me!
