It was very rare for Han Lie to drive himself, but today he went to pick up Bai Yuxue.

When he arrived, the cool and petite Bai was already waiting at the entrance of the residential complex, looking very anxious.

"When we get to your sister's house, remember to hook your arm with mine and be affectionate. You're now officially my girlfriend..."

Before Han Lie could finish his reminder, Bai Yuxue understood.

"Okay, Lie... Lie Lie."

She was somewhat uneasy, not out of reluctance, but rather a kind of perplexity.

Han Lie couldn't help but chuckle, suddenly thinking that today's mishaps weren't all bad.

To divert her attention, Han Lie struck up a casual conversation.

"How was the New Year? You came back much earlier than I expected."

"UM..."

Bai Yuxue hesitated slightly, as if the question had touched a sore spot.

But in the end, she didn't hide it from Han Lie.

"At first, everything was good; the whole family was reunited and happy. Then my mom and my aunts started their usual nagging, urging my second sister and me to find partners. We brushed them off for two days but were then forced into going on arranged dates. It was quite unpleasant."

"HAHA!"

Han Lie couldn't help but laugh. "So, even a beautiful girl like you is pushed into arranged dates by your family?"

"What does being beautiful have to do with anything..." Bai Yuxue muttered under her breath, turning her gaze out of the car window.

Her unwillingness to talk about it only made Han Lie more curious. "Tell me in detail. How many dates did you go on? What kinds of men did you meet? Did anything funny happen?"

Bai Yuxue's defenses crumbled; her ears instantly grew hot and red.

"So, even God Lie can be this gossipy? Please don't; it'll damage the image I have of you in my heart."

Han Lie instantly found a reason. "The one chatting with you now isn't God Lie, but your prospective boyfriend, Lie Lie. It's only natural and perfectly justifiable for me to care about these things. If you don't confess quickly, I'm afraid I won't be able to stop myself from overthinking..."

UGH, shameless!

Bai Yuxue truly didn't understand. This man could be so professional and intelligent when he was serious, yet so shameless and roguish when he was fooling around... What kind of person was he?!

However, she didn't dislike this feeling. In fact, this side of Han Lie made her feel a greater sense of closeness.

"All right... what do you want to know?"

Bai Yuxue was somewhat passive in the conversation. Or was it because of this particular topic that she seemed passive?

Han Lie didn't rush to conclusions, instead slowly peeling back her layers.

"How many people did you meet?"

"I met two, my second sister four."

"Why such a difference?"

"Back in my hometown, there are fewer men who are a suitable match for me."

Bai Yuxue answered as if it were to be expected, and Han Lie couldn't help but laugh again.

This girl was quite adorable, in that earnest-to-a-fault kind of way.

"So, what were the two blind dates you met like?"

"One was a civil servant, a 28-year-old deputy head of a department. Both his parents worked, he had a 140-square-meter house ready for marriage, and he drove a Volkswagen Passat. He was a promising young man in the conventional sense."

Han Lie nodded in understanding and commented, "A 'king' in the small-city marriage market. He must be very picky."

"Yes!"

Bai Yuxue nodded emphatically. "At first, he looked me over with a scrutinizing gaze, then quickly became warm and attentive. He was so insincere..."

"With your looks and education, you're what he'd consider a 'premium catch' he normally couldn't reach, so his enthusiasm is understandable."

Bai Yuxue blushed at the compliment, and her mood lightened considerably.

"Not really, at best we were an 'even match'… I just really disliked his duplicity. His underlying indifference was completely at odds with his superficial warmth and meticulousness. He reeked of superiority, yet pretended to be a gentleman because I'm pretty. And his conversation skills were lacking too; it was all seemingly high-EQ flattery but utterly devoid of substance."

"That's a standard behavioral trait shaped by the survival philosophy unique to small-town civil servants."

Han Lie commented sharply, hitting the nail on the head. "You two are fundamentally incompatible; the specific manifestations are secondary."

"Exactly, exactly!"

Bai Yuxue nodded like a pecking chicken. "My first impression was that it wouldn't work, so I didn't give it much more thought. Your summary nailed it!" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Han Lie smiled, then asked, "What about the other one?"

"The other one was even more ridiculous. He was a graduate from Eastern University, teaching history at a key high school back there. He was quite eloquent, but once he got excited, all he talked about was how bad things are in our country and how free Western countries are—just nonsensical rhetoric. He even promised me a pie in the sky about his family planning to settle down in America, saying he could help me achieve a 'higher level of pursuit' or whatever..."

Han Lie was amused.

It was clear she was filled with grievances regarding these two dates. Despite usually being taciturn, she just couldn't help venting.

"Alright, if my rivals are all of this caliber, then I can rest easy."

Han Lie didn't criticize the blind dates but simply teased her a little, which was perfectly suited to her temperament.

Bai Yuxue's heart fluttered; she turned her head away and murmured softly,

"You don't have any rivals... you already bought me out a long time ago..."

At first glance, it sounded like a coy complaint, not heavily laden with resentment. However, the very words "bought me out" implied there was indeed a thorn in her side.

Han Lie had guessed as much earlier, but there had never been a chance to really talk about it, so he could only pretend not to know.