Chapter 16: The Matchmaking Event
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West Hall Square was in the district next to He Si's neighborhood. It only took half an hour by subway, with an exit near West Hall Square. He Si crossed the street and saw Qin Hua waiting by the traffic light from a distance.
Qin Hua wasn’t wearing a down jacket, just a dark blue overcoat, with a gray sweater underneath.
He Si knew what Qin Hua wore inside because the overcoat was wide open on both sides, revealing a round belly that the sweater couldn’t cover.
Dressing like this was obviously cold. Qin Hua’s hands were in his pockets, his back hunched, hair messy in the wind, shivering.
He Si thought silently, sensing Qin Hua’s determination to attend the matchmaking event.
He quickened his pace and approached. Qin Hua saw him and sized him up from head to toe. “Is that your new coat?”
“Yeah.” He Si pretended not to notice the slight bitterness in Qin Hua’s tone. “I don’t have many clothes, so I just wore this one.”
“Truly, clothes make the man. With that on, you’re sure to catch many women’s eyes.”
Qin Hua regretted inviting He Si now. He had hoped that He Si’s good looks would attract the attention of many women, and by coming together, he could benefit by adding some of those women on WeChat.
But now, it seemed he was just the supporting leaf to He Si’s shining flower.
The event started at six in the evening, twenty minutes away, gathering at a hotel behind West Hall Square.
Qin Hua and He Si went over and peeked inside.
Only two men were inside, both playing on their phones, likely also participants in the matchmaking event.
He Si didn’t care much, but Qin Hua didn’t want to enter early, feeling it would be silly to just stand there. So he pulled He Si to a nearby beverage shop to sit down.
Assuming He Si was accompanying him, Qin Hua, despite some small calculations in his heart, kept up appearances and scanned the QR code on the table to order, asking He Si what he wanted to drink and offering to treat.
He Si wasn’t fond of sweet drinks and casually ordered hot green tea.
Qin Hua leaned back in his chair. The air conditioning in the shop warmed him up, and he sat awkwardly, glancing at his phone while asking, “Didn’t you say you weren’t dating for now? Why did you agree to come with me? Had a change of heart?”
He Si looked good enough that, even as an intern at Marriott, there were plenty of people wanting to introduce him to girlfriends, given his education and abilities.
But He Si had said before that until his work was stable, he wouldn’t date.
He Si smiled lightly, hands in his coat pockets. “It’s not like we have to date just because we came. Just looking around, see if it’s any good.”
“Just looking?” Qin Hua looked suspicious.
He Si didn’t make it definite. “If I meet someone suitable, I can try getting to know them.”
Qin Hua sneered with a “I knew it” expression, leaning forward with curiosity. “What type of woman do you like?”
He Si hadn’t really thought about it. After a moment, the image of their boss popped into his mind, which startled him.
“I like women around my age, a bit lively in personality,” He Si said quickly. “Also, not too busy with work. Work is work, off work is off work. I won’t consider those who keep messaging in the work group after hours.”
His tone carried the weariness of a working man.
Qin Hua was surprised and paused for a moment before asking, “No preference on looks?”
“I’m not part of the looks club.”
“Pfft.” Qin Hua didn’t believe him.
Their drinks arrived quickly. Qin Hua happily went to fetch them while He Si pulled out his phone to check the WeChat messages he just received.
It was, as expected, work group messages.
After the annual party, the work group wasn’t disbanded, and the messages were as frequent as before. To avoid missing important updates, He Si had set his notifications to vibrate.
Now, the messages were from their boss.
[Guo You Bu Ji: @Marriott-Yang Heyan]
[Guo You Bu Ji: Can you urge the photography team to send the video over first? We need it tonight.]
The manager replied instantly.
[Marriott-Yang Heyan: Okay.]
He Si: “...”
Luckily, it didn’t concern him directly.
He put away his phone just as Qin Hua returned with the two drinks. He Si took his cup and set it on the table when a somewhat familiar voice sounded behind him.
“He Si?”
He froze.
Qin Hua sitting across him looked up, eyes lighting up.
He Si slowly turned around.
There stood Zhao Jiao, whom he hadn’t seen for a long time, dressed warmly with a fluffy hat, casual as ever, looking much the same as before. In her arms was a child bundled even thicker than she was. The child sat in a waist carrier on her front, alert, with bright black eyes fixed on He Si, waving hands and feet.
He Si didn’t even glance at the child, only staring at Zhao Jiao. “What a coincidence.”
Zhao Jiao forced a somewhat nervous smile, eyes scanning Qin Hua and the drinks on the table before saying, “I saw you outside and thought I was mistaken. Turns out it really is you.”
He Si tugged at the corner of his mouth without replying.
“Are you out with a friend?”
“Yes.”
Zhao Jiao said “Oh” and touched the child’s hand, seeming unsure what to say next.
If He Si had started the conversation, she could have kept talking, but it was clear he didn’t want to engage.
Still, she didn’t intend to leave and just stood there.
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He Si ignored Zhao Jiao and took a sip of his drink.
Qin Hua bit his straw quietly, eyes darting repeatedly between He Si and Zhao Jiao. He considered inviting Zhao Jiao to sit, as she was a new mother holding a child, but catching He Si’s gloomy expression, he swallowed the idea.
Honestly, it was the first time he saw He Si show such a cold face.
It was unsettling.
The awkward atmosphere lingered until another voice broke through.
“Jiao Jiao, so you’re here. The squad leader and I couldn’t find you anywhere...” The voice faltered, then raised in surprise, “He Si?”
He Si looked back again and saw Lin Dongchao’s surprised face and the squad leader peeking from outside the beverage shop’s glass door.
The squad leader was carrying several bags and initially couldn’t come in easily, but upon seeing He Si, brightened and quickly entered.
“He Si, what are you doing here?” the squad leader asked.
He Si looked at the bags.
It was hard to tell what was inside through the packaging, but each bag was labeled “Postpartum Care Center.”
The shop was small, and the three standing there took up much of the space.
He Si pulled over a chair, adding to the two empty ones, enough for all three to sit.
He didn’t answer the squad leader’s question. After Lin Dongchao scanned the QR code and ordered for the three of them, He Si asked, “Squad leader, what brings you here?”
The squad leader pointed to the bags on the floor. “Today’s the day Zhao Jiao leaves the postpartum care center. Lin Dongchao and I both have the day off, so we came to help. You didn’t know? Zhao Jiao rented a new place nearby.”
Zhao Jiao spoke up just then, “Do you know Huadong International?”
“No, never been around here before.”
In front of the squad leader and others, He Si responded without emotion and didn’t look at Zhao Jiao while speaking.
Zhao Jiao felt the difference in treatment and gave a wry smile, eyes tinged with disappointment.
Only Qin Hua and Lin Dongchao remained silent. Qin Hua didn’t know the others and quietly acted as background. Lin Dongchao kept a stern expression, glancing at He Si multiple times but was interrupted by the squad leader when he tried to speak.
“The drinks are ready. Dongchao, you ordered, go get them.”
Lin Dongchao pursed his lips and got up, bringing the hot milk Zhao Jiao ordered, placing it carefully in the center of the table, away from the child's reach.
As he sat down, the child in Zhao Jiao’s arms suddenly started crying.
Lin Dongchao reacted faster than Zhao Jiao, immediately standing and reaching to take the child.
Zhao Jiao noticed, leaned to block his hand, and placed the child on her shoulder, checking the diaper to confirm it was clean, then gently patted the child’s back.
Lin Dongchao’s hand froze mid-air, then silently withdrew. He asked Zhao Jiao, “Is Nuonuo hungry?”
“Not likely,” the squad leader answered. “We fed Nuonuo before leaving, shouldn’t be so soon.”
“Maybe sitting in the carrier is uncomfortable,” Lin Dongchao said to Zhao Jiao. “Let me hold Nuonuo. Holding him standing up might help.”
Zhao Jiao seemed not to hear, focusing on soothing the child.
Lin Dongchao awkwardly wiped his hands on his clothes and looked at the squad leader.
The squad leader was equally helpless.
He Si glanced at Zhao Jiao and then at Lin Dongchao, seemingly struck by an idea. “Lin Dongchao, I heard from the squad leader that you recently went on a matchmaking date.”
At this, Lin Dongchao and the squad leader’s faces changed simultaneously.
The squad leader quickly gave He Si a knowing look.
He Si pretended not to notice. “How did it go? At Zhao Jiao’s son’s full-month banquet, I remember you didn’t come. Any progress?”
Lin Dongchao’s face turned pale as he anxiously glanced at Zhao Jiao.
Zhao Jiao kept soothing the child without looking up.
Lin Dongchao lost patience, pushed his chair back, and glared fiercely at He Si. “What do you mean by that?”
Lin Dongchao was about the same height as the squad leader, around one seventy-something, both delicate in appearance, wearing glasses, and slim.
Across the table, Lin Dongchao’s eyes burned with anger as he looked down at He Si.
But He Si was unfazed, smiling brightly. “I’m just concerned about you. Seeing how skillful and dedicated you are with Zhao Jiao’s son, I figured you want to be a dad. We’re a bit young to be parents, but it’s not impossible. Put more effort into dating, and next year we’ll be celebrating your wedding. Maybe you’ll become a dad before me.”
Before he finished, Lin Dongchao was furious, pushing aside the squad leader blocking the way and stepping up to He Si.
Before anything happened, He Si suddenly stood.
The angle shifted from looking down to looking up.
He Si was over ten centimeters taller, broad-shouldered. Next to him, Lin Dongchao looked like a smaller version.
Lin Dongchao was speechless. He wanted to grab He Si’s clothes but dared not.
“Lin Dongchao,” He Si said. “We’ve graduated. If you jump in front of me like a grasshopper again, I won’t hold back from hitting you.”
Lin Dongchao stared coldly into He Si’s eyes, feeling a chill but stubbornly said, “You started it!”
He Si gave a half-smile. “I was just asking about your dating. How is that causing trouble? Didn’t you often check up on me like that before? Or do you not want me to mention it in front of someone?”
Lin Dongchao’s expression twisted.
“Alright, alright,” the squad leader saw that others were watching and quickly intervened. “We’re all old classmates. Can’t each of us say one less word?”
“Okay, squad leader, I won’t say more.” He Si returned good-naturedly, pushed his chair in, and called out to Qin Hua, who was watching the scene with interest, “Let’s go.”
The squad leader tried to stop him. “He Si...”
He Si waved off the hand and smiled. “Honestly, I’m here for matchmaking too. Seeing Lin Dongchao’s progress, I need to step up. Maybe you’ll be toasting my wedding before his, and I’ll be a dad sooner.”
He glanced at Lin Dongchao and then at the child in Zhao Jiao’s arms, the implication clear.
Without waiting for a response, he strode out of the beverage shop.
He Si’s long legs walked fast; Qin Hua jogged to keep up. He glanced back at the people inside. The man who had argued with He Si looked as if he had swallowed a fly, his face ugly. The woman stood holding the child, watching them leave.
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Qin Hua let out a sharp breath and walked side by side with He Si.
He Si’s expression was blank, eyes fixed ahead.
“Are they all your classmates?” Qin Hua asked.
He Si nodded.
“That female classmate likes you.” Qin Hua saw He Si didn’t deny it and suddenly had a flash of insight. “That child isn’t yours, is it?”
He Si was speechless. “Brother, do you really think so?”
“...” Qin Hua thought it over. “Probably not.”
For one, from what little he knew of He Si, if that child were his, He Si would at least show some kindness to the mother for the child’s sake.
Earlier, He Si had shown no courtesy whatsoever to that female classmate.
“Then it’s not that Lin guy either, right?” Qin Hua continued.
“Don’t know.” He Si’s tone was cold; he didn’t want to discuss it further.
Qin Hua wisely fell silent but pieced together a clear picture: Lin probably wanted to be the child’s father, but the child’s mother had no interest in him, having someone else in mind.
Thinking this, Qin Hua casually studied He Si.
Just over twenty, fresh out of university, and already thinking about fatherhood?
He was still a big kid himself.
“I say, that female classmate is silly. Just graduated and already has a child, no help from the father. I wonder how tough her life will be.” Qin Hua sighed.
He Si was silent for a moment, then said, “She treats her child well.”
Qin Hua laughed, finding it funny that He Si, who disliked that female classmate so much, would say that.
“All mothers care for their children, right?”
“Not every mother is like that.”
Qin Hua nodded thoughtfully. “No one is born ready to be a parent. Some people don’t even understand themselves, how can they be good parents? You just have to let it go.”
He Si stopped abruptly.
Qin Hua turned. “What’s wrong?”
The sky was gloomy. He Si stood still, his face hard to read. After a few seconds, he seemed to regain himself.
“Nothing.”
He said so but quickened his pace.
They arrived at the hotel where the matchmaking event had already started. Qin Hua and He Si registered their names and phone numbers at the entrance and each received a number badge.
They had signed up together, and their badges were consecutive numbers, but arriving late, their numbers were near the back, and they were placed at the end of the line inside.
The first activity was check-in and entry. A mini sign-in wall was set up in the hall where participants wrote their names, number badges, and a brief message to stick on.
They obviously missed this first activity.
Afterward, the host didn’t rush the second activity but gave everyone a twenty-minute break while staff divided the two hundred participants into five large groups.
He Si followed Qin Hua and was assigned to the fifth group.
Each group was split by gender, with men seated on the left and women on the right, facing each other.
Qin Hua was excited from the moment they sat down, scanning the opposite group of women. Soon, he became despondent as nearly all the women seemed to be looking at the man beside him—
He Si.
But He Si was oblivious, distracted, and used the people in front to shield himself as he quietly pulled out his phone.
His phone vibrated many times.
Messages from the work group.
Opening them, two overachievers were chatting.
[Guo You Bu Ji: Status update]
[Guo You Bu Ji: @Marriott-Yang Heyan]
[Marriott-Yang Heyan: Almost there, I’m pushing them.]
[Marriott-Yang Heyan: These videos are large files and need compression, which takes time.]
[Guo You Bu Ji: Why send them to me?]
[Guo You Bu Ji: Send to Tech Department 2.]
[Marriott-Yang Heyan: Ahhh, sorry boss!]
[Marriott-Yang Heyan: I’m resending.]
[Guo You Bu Ji: If you have time, come to Jiayi. Some work needs your supervision @Marriott-Yang Heyan.]
[Marriott-Yang Heyan: Okay boss.]
He Si: “...”
Terrifying conversation.
Just as he thought this, a new message popped up. The manager didn’t even open a private chat, directly @He Si in the group.
[Marriott-Yang Heyan: @Marriott-He Si]
[Marriott-Yang Heyan: Xiao He, are you still in City C?]
He Si: “………………”