frightfiction Chapter 14 Call Old Zhao when nothing's wrong, call me brother when something's up
Chapter 14 Call Old Zhao when nothing's wrong, call me brother when something's up
"Ahem." Matchmaker Wang cleared her throat. "I don't need to introduce you this time. You should all know each other by now. Although the previous blind date was a misunderstanding, who can say it wasn't a chance meeting arranged by fate? What a coincidence!"
Gu Jun's brows relaxed, and he stood up. "Hello, Shu Yun, I am Gu Jun, the character 'Jun' with the mountain radical. My name is Ke Ming Jun De. This is our second meeting. It's a pleasure to see you again, Shu Yun."
Gu Jun delivered his very formal opening remarks fluently and naturally, unaware that he had spent half the night practicing just those few lines.
Inspired by him, Shu Yun also stood up. "Hello, Gu Jun, my name is Shu Yun. The name comes from the phrase 'clouds roll and unroll.'"
The matchmaker sat there, glancing at the two who, after introducing themselves, were staring at each other blankly. To be honest, they looked rather silly.
She grinned, breaking the silence, "Shu Yun, Gu Jun is already a deputy regimental commander in the army, his family is eligible to accompany him..."
Matchmaker Wang showered both men with compliments, which lightened the mood somewhat. Seeing that they were no longer as tense as before, she used her usual tactic: making a quick escape to the bathroom.
Only Gu Jun and Shu Yun remained in the pavilion. Shu Yun said, "I left in such a hurry last time that I didn't even apologize to you. I'm sorry, I mistook you for someone else and took up your time."
Gu Jun: "No, it's my problem."
He paused, then continued, "But I don't feel like I wasted my time; on the contrary, I feel that time went by too fast."
The meaning was a bit too direct, and Shu Yun didn't know how to answer for a moment. She lowered her head slightly and remained silent.
The two looked at each other in silence. Gu Jun's hands, which were resting on his knees, gradually clenched and then slowly relaxed. After a long pause, he finally said, "The weather is quite nice today, and the park is very lively."
"Yeah, the weather hasn't gotten hot yet, it's really quite comfortable."
The more nervous she became, the less she knew what to say. Shu Yun felt extremely awkward. Even though there were hardly any people around, her social anxiety was about to kick in.
"What nonsense is this silly boy talking about? Find something to talk about! Why is he just standing there like an idiot? Doesn't he know that being too boring will scare the girl away?"
Zhao Hui, hiding in the bushes, was dumbfounded by Gu Jun's stupidity and felt a great sense of mission. In order to bring about the marriage, he found a small stone and quietly threw it in Gu Jun's direction.
With a soft "plop," a pebble landed on the withered leaves. Shu Yun didn't notice it, but a vein throbbed on Gu Jun's forehead.
He had noticed the people hiding in the shadows early on, and there was more than one of them. Being watched by others made him feel uncomfortable.
"Comrade Shu, please have a seat. I'll go buy a bottle of water."
Shu Yun watched Gu Jun stride away, completely bewildered, but she had to admit that she secretly breathed a sigh of relief after the man left.
Once Gu Jun was sure that Shu Yun wasn't following him, he strode towards Zhao Hui, walked through the bushes, and pulled Zhao Hui away a little.
"Old Zhao, aren't you bored? Hiding here watching my blind date."
Zhao Hui rolled his eyes. "I can't help it. I'm just a kind-hearted person. I'm afraid you'll mess up the blind date, so I'm here to help you and give you some advice."
Gu Jun retorted stubbornly, "I don't need you here."
Zhao Hui chuckled, "I saw the whole thing between you two just now. The atmosphere was really tense. If you're like this, it'll be hard to arrange another meeting with a girl. I have experience with this. I only went on one date, and your sister-in-law was determined to marry me."
Gu Jun glanced at him sideways, "Should I go back and ask my sister-in-law how she became so devoted to you back then?"
Zhao Hui: "Hey, I'm talking about your business, stop interrupting. If you don't want to, then I'm leaving. I won't disturb you and the girl's relationship."
Zhao Hui made a move to leave, one step, two steps, but was stopped by Gu Jun in the next second. "Brother, then tell me what I should do?"
He knows to call someone "brother" when he needs a favor, but he always calls him "Old Zhao" all the time. Is he just playing favorites? But seeing this unruly brat humbly asking him for help, Zhao Hui couldn't help but feel quite proud.
"We can't ask questions that are just aimless chatter; we need to try to delve deeper into topics that interest the other person."
Gu Jun pressed further, "I'm not familiar with her yet, how would I know what topics she'd be interested in?"
Zhao Hui: "Girls, they always tend to talk about food, clothes, or whether they've watched a movie or read a book recently. By the way, isn't Shu Yun studying painting? You can start with that topic, since it's something she's good at. She'll be able to talk more about it, and you can also learn more about her personality."
Zhao Hui and Gu Jun squatted under a big tree and whispered to each other for a long time. Gu Jun listened carefully and almost took notes. Several passersby looked at them strangely. If it weren't for the fact that the two were wearing green military uniforms, they would have called the security team over.
As soon as Gu Jun left, before Shu Yun could even catch her breath and compose herself, she watched helplessly as Shen Rujun emerged from behind the large tree next to the pavilion.
"Auntie!" Her voice almost cracked, but she quickly stopped and whispered, "Auntie, didn't I say you didn't need to come?"
Shen Rujun retorted confidently, "I was just worried about you."
Shu Yun: "Now that you've seen everything, you can go back."
She pushed Shen Rujun, afraid that Gu Jun might come back and bump into them, which would be so embarrassing!
Shen Rujun: "I wouldn't know how your blind date went if I hadn't come. You have to ask him about his personal situation and family background."
"Hey, Xiao Shen, what brings you here too? I just saw Gu talking to someone in military uniform. Did his comrade come over too?" Matchmaker Wang returned to the pavilion when she saw that it was almost time.
The matchmaker had a loud voice; with just a few words, she caught the two outsiders who had secretly come to watch the matchmaking meeting red-handed. Face to face, the atmosphere was somewhat awkward.