Chapter 7: Embarrassing First Date

Obviously, Jing Shang did not believe in Xin Wei's statement. He was certain that she had repeatedly failed in blind dates, which led him to decide to confess his feelings to her.

Over the years, he had watched Xin Wei grow up slowly, witnessing her falling in love, graduating, and working. He had silently kept this affection in his heart, originally planning to start a family after Xin Wei got married. If it weren't for Ji Xiaohai's sudden betrayal, he might never have revealed his feelings.

During the time right after the breakup, he could almost see Xin Wei crying alone on the balcony every night, while she still managed to pull herself together and go to work during the day. Xin Wei smiled and told everyone that she was fine, but only he could see her bleeding heart.

Like father, like son, Jing Shang's little thoughts were quickly noticed by Jing Zhi Cheng. His father's stern warning made him realize that because of their sibling relationship, he couldn't harbor any fantasies about Xin Wei.

This was also the reason for the big argument between father and son.

"Xin Wei, don't lie to me. I know you, you can't possibly accept a stranger," Jing Shang said confidently.

Qiao Xin Wei shook her head, her expression indifferent as if nothing mattered, "Nothing is impossible. People change," she said firmly in the face of her mother and brother's questioning. "He asked me out for dinner tomorrow and wants my answer. I've already made up my mind, I accept."

At almost the same time, Xiang Ling and Jing Shang asked the same question, "Who is he?"

Qiao Xin Wei explained, "He's a friend of my colleague's husband, a soldier who has been abroad and is now back in the capital." There was no way out at the moment, even if she had to make up a story, it had to be somewhat believable. And her understanding of Jiang Hao was just that.

At that moment, the door card made a sound from outside, and Jing Zhi Cheng came back humming a tune, "Today's catch was good, a bucket full of big fish."

This awkward situation finally came to an end.

--

Jiang Hao turned off the shower and heard his phone ringing outside. He hurriedly wrapped a towel around his waist and came out.

He picked up the phone and saw the screen showing the name "Qiao." He smirked and thought to himself, "I knew your tricks a long time ago, still trying to play with me!"

"Hello, who's this?" he said deliberately.

"Hello, is this Jiang Hao? My surname is Qiao."

"Who is this?" he continued to pretend.

"Qiao Xin Wei."

"Oh." So, that's her name. "What's up?"

"Um... sorry, I have something at home tonight and can't make it. How about tomorrow, are you free tomorrow?"

Jiang Hao felt a sense of victory, as a commanding officer, if he couldn't see through his soldiers, how could he lead them? If he couldn't analyze the situation, how could he win the battle?! This Qiao Xin Wei was indeed interesting, trying to play hard to get, thinking she's clever, huh!

But he liked women who thought they were clever, especially those who thought they were clever but could be seen through by him. Being with such a woman would at least make life less boring.

"I'm free tomorrow, what do you say?" She could pretend, and so could he.

"How about we have lunch together tomorrow, I'll let you know the location later."

"Okay."

Hanging up the phone, Jiang Hao had a satisfied look on his face. He knew that as long as he took the initiative, there would be no woman who could refuse him. On the other hand, Qiao Xin Wei looked helpless and even desperate. Oh my, how could there be such an arrogant man? He clearly knew I called him, he knew I wanted to ask him out, yet he pretended not to know, deliberately, this man is not only arrogant but also vengeful, very vengeful!

Qiao Xin Wei slumped on the bed, if it weren't for Jing Shang's sudden return, and if it weren't for the fact that the blind date introductions from her aunt were all top-notch, she wouldn't have thought of this arrogant man, Jiang Hao. At the moment, she could only take it one step at a time.

The western restaurant was too formal, the Chinese restaurant too strict, and the fast food restaurant too casual. After much consideration, she decided to go for hot pot.

The most important reason for this was that the hot pot restaurant had more people, so it was safer.

The next time she saw Jiang Hao was at the bustling entrance of the hot pot restaurant. Qiao Xin Wei had to admit that this man's appearance was indeed good, even his taste in clothing was impeccable. The light gray casual suit cleverly softened his coldness; underneath was a white shirt with the collar unbuttoned, making him look casual in this relaxed hot pot restaurant.

In the midst of the noisy crowd, the tall, handsome Jiang Hao immediately became the center of attention, and even quieted down for a moment.

"Achoo!" Before she could even say hello, Qiao Xin Wei's sneeze caught his attention, and he walked towards her.

"I caught a cold last night, and when I woke up this morning, I found that I had a slight cold," Qiao Xin Wei explained hastily, feeling embarrassed.

Jiang Hao raised a corner of his mouth and sat down directly, "Having hot pot with a cold, very wise."

Qiao Xin Wei couldn't tell if he was praising her or mocking her, and for a moment, she didn't know how to respond.

After that, they ordered, the food was served, the fire was lit, and the food was cooked, and during this whole process, the two of them didn't exchange a single word.

Qiao Xin Wei was glad she chose the hot pot restaurant, otherwise, how could she eat in front of a block of ice?!

Jiang Hao observed her carefully. She was quite different from the high-born ladies he usually interacted with. Compared to them, she seemed more genuine and natural. She was very delicate, especially her eyes, which were full of vitality, a rare sight among girls nowadays. Her attire seemed plain, but one's taste could be cultivated over time. As for her personality, he didn't know much about it at the moment, but at least she wouldn't be boring.

Qiao Xinwei became increasingly uncomfortable sitting there, so she finally found a topic to break the silence. "I'm really sorry about yesterday. It's been almost half a month, and I really didn't expect it to be you," she said, trying to make small talk. Anything was better than sitting face to face in silence. "And that day wasn't very pleasant either. I was really surprised when I received your call."

Jiang Hao replied truthfully, "After that day, I went to another province. I just returned to the capital yesterday. My work is quite special, and during missions, I cannot communicate with the outside world."

"Oh, I see... I heard from Yunqing that you are a high-ranking officer. How big is your rank? How many people do you command? What kind of missions do you carry out?" Qiao Xinwei's curiosity suddenly burst open.

But Jiang Hao coldly replied, "These are not questions you should be asking, and even if you did, I wouldn't answer."

"... " The soldier was so serious, and his words were so imposing. It was really hard to have a conversation with him. She forced a laugh and said, "Well... it's boiled. We can eat now."

After speaking, Qiao Xinwei couldn't wait to lift the lid of the pot. A wave of hot, spicy steam rushed straight into her nostrils. She couldn't hold back and sneezed, and her snot sprayed into the boiling soup.

Both of them were instantly petrified.