Please Don’t Give Up On Treatment

As the door swung open, the man before her lifted his gaze.

He possessed fair skin, deeply contoured features, a prominent nose, and a strikingly defined face, marked by superior lines that spoke of elegance. Each of his exquisite traits coalesced into a remarkable aesthetic appeal.

Yu Tiam lingered at the doorway for nearly a minute.

No one had ever informed her that the other party could be so striking.

Disinterested in the prospect of blind dates, she had not thought to request a photograph from her aunt, nor could she even recall the man’s name. Qi Sihao had joked that men who resorted to such arrangements were often less than pleasing to the eye, yet this man’s visage exceeded Yutan’s expectations tremendously.

His beauty seemed almost beyond the realm of humanity.

He raised his eyes slightly to regard Yu Tian.

His diamond-shaped lips rendered him somewhat alluring, while the chill in his gaze conveyed an air of aloof superiority, as if he existed apart from the world.

The combination of his appearance and the detachment in his expression created a strikingly beautiful yet cold visual impact.

Then, Yu Tian observed him raise his brow slightly, as if in hesitation, “Yu Tian?”

It seemed she was not mistaken.

This was indeed the man from the appalling conversations on WeChat.

In that moment, she felt as if a tempest brewed beneath the tranquil surface of her heart.

The saying that one’s appearance reflects one’s soul, bore a significant truth.

This visage truly took her by surprise.

However, she quickly composed herself, walking into the private room with an air of nonchalance.

She offered a smile, “It’s me.”

Though his striking features were indeed captivating, Yutan had no intention of altering her plans.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I recently graduated and am currently unemployed. My father passed away when I was in my first year of high school, leaving only my mother and me. We reside in a modest, budget-friendly apartment, and my mother runs a small online store, which provides a modest income.”

Disclosing the shortcomings of her familial circumstances was merely the first step.

The second step is to unveil one’s personal shortcomings.

Yu Tian directed her gaze toward the other person’s face, her expression one of keen curiosity: “And what about you? What is your current annual salary?”

The other person paused briefly but ultimately replied, “It’s approximately a hundred thousand.”

“Is that before or after tax?”

The other party appeared somewhat irked, yet still responded politely, “Before tax.”

This demeanor softened Yu Tian’s heart to a degree, but upon recalling the disparaging comments made by the other party on WeChat, she steeled herself and adopted a sharp and acerbic tone: “I’ve heard you’ve been working for several years now. How is it that your pre-tax income is only just over a hundred thousand?”

Faced with such deliberate provocation, the other person remained unperturbed: “Given the current threshold for individual income tax, the annual tax exemption amount is sixty thousand.”

“Nonetheless, the number of individuals liable for personal income tax in this country is less than one hundred million. An annual income of just over a hundred thousand is hardly a lackluster figure.”

He lifted his gaze slightly: “So, what is your annual income?”

Yu Tian responded with an air of certainty, “Isn’t my annual income determined by yours?”

A look of bewilderment crossed his face.

Seizing the opportunity, Yu Tian pressed on: “Even if I have no income now, in the future, as we will all be family, your income will naturally become my income, won’t it?”

“That is precisely why I am so interested in your earnings,” she concluded with a delicate smile, then turned to him and added, “However, no matter; income does depend on family circumstances. Does your family own multiple properties? Is there a house in your name? Is it owned outright or mortgaged? And what kind of car do you drive?”

The other person indeed displayed a palpable reluctance to engage in such direct inquiries about personal matters, their expression a blend of coldness and rejection as they restrained their response: “That seems to have little relevance.”

“How could it not be relevant?” Yu Tian countered, her expression somewhat transactional. “We may become family in the future, so it is only fair to understand about each other first in-depth!”

The other person’s tone grew noticeably frosty: “It is not guaranteed that we will become family.”

What a compelling retort!

This was precisely the response she had been anticipating!

Yet, to her surprise, at this juncture, the other party did not seize the opportunity to take their leave; instead, they maintained their indifferent gaze upon her.

Could it be that they were so entranced by her appearance that they remained undeterred, despite everything?

Yu Tian felt a surge of anxiety and uncertainty; the other’s striking visage was almost disarming, making it difficult for her to hold their gaze, leaving her in the dark about their thoughts.

Ultimately, to err on the side of caution, she paused momentarily before retrieving her recently acquired certificate.

“Regardless, there is one matter I wish to disclose candidly to you.”

With her left hand, Yu Tian placed the disability certificate on the table: “I don’t know if anyone else has mentioned this, but I have a slight disability in my right hand.”

Upon seeing the certificate, the other person’s brows furrowed, as if a cascade of questions flooded their mind.

Though she had adopted a sense of acceptance when collecting the certificate, the moment she presented it, a tumult of pain and embarrassment surged within her.

She was far from feeling as relieved as she had hoped.

The scar that traversed her palm still lingered, a visible reminder of her hidden struggles.

Yu Tian averted her gaze, almost nervously pulling out her phone to feign interest before offering the man across from her a smile she considered to be natural: “I’m sorry, I just received news that my cat is in distress and needs urgent surgery. I have to go; let’s meet another time.”

She hastily concocted a clumsy excuse and swiftly tucked the disability certificate into her bag, making her escape.

Ten minutes later, in the restaurant’s restroom, she replaced her alluring outfit, removed her elaborate jewelry, donned a dress more reflective of her usual style, washed off her meticulous makeup, and glanced in the mirror at the familiar face that emerged. Gradually, a sense of calm returned.

She realized that her earlier behavior would likely prevent her from ever meeting that man again.

After all, Yu Tian was certain she had signaled everything that needed to be conveyed.

Moreover, with her modest background and her tendency toward vanity, abruptly leaving a date had already qualified her for social exile.

In any case, the awkwardness is left behind.

Fortunately, her timing aligned perfectly; in a few minutes, she could effortlessly transition to attending her mother’s matchmaking event.

While her own approach to matchmaking was rather hasty, she held great regard for Ms. Song Chunxiang’s situation.

Since becoming widowed, her mother had tirelessly managed everything, and Yu Tian had always encouraged her to seek a reliable partner for a second chance at happiness. However, for Yu Tian’s sake, Ms. Song had held off on remarrying.

Serendipitously, after a shipping mishap with her online store, Ms. Song ended up connecting with a gentleman, who was around her age and had been divorced for years, while handling customer service inquiries.

They had communicated on WeChat for over a month, finding a striking rapport, and after sharing details about their families, they finally arranged to meet.

To express sincerity and ease any potential awkwardness, they decided, per Ms. Song’s suggestion, to include their respective family members for this first in-person encounter.

Fortunately, both families were uncomplicated; Ms. Song had only Yu Tian as her daughter, while the other party had a son, five years older than Yu Tian, who had focused on his career since his divorce.

Yu Tian truly hoped for her mother’s happiness.

Having taken a significant step, she wished for a favorable outcome.

Thus, she meticulously polished her appearance once more to present the best version of herself to the other family and checked her watch before stepping through the door to box 204.

But where was everyone?

It was well past the appointed time, and after waiting an additional five minutes, she wondered how even her perpetually punctual mother had not yet arrived.

Yu Tian, belatedly aware of her surroundings, retrieved her phone that had been silenced and stowed away in her bag since earlier.

Upon opening it, she was overwhelmed by a flurry of missed WeChat calls and messages.

Were these from the man she had met for matchmaking, expressing dissatisfaction and perhaps reproaching her?

With a sense of trepidation, she opened the messages, only to discover the stark reality of the situation.

The latest message was dated half an hour prior—

“Where are you? I’ve been waiting in 204.”

“Are you coming? Why is your phone unreachable?”

Several voice calls had been attempted, culminating in a final message from ten minutes ago—

“Your lack of sincerity is astounding! You stood me up! Wasted my time! Do you really think I’m eager for this date? I only agreed to meet because I heard you’re attractive. And I heard about your right hand disability—do you truly think you can afford to be selective? You’re nearly twenty minutes late; I’m not waiting any longer!”

Yu Tian stared blankly at the cascade of messages on her phone, a disconcerting sense of foreboding rising within her.

She attempted to send a message in response, only to discover that she had been removed from his friends list.

Just then, her mother’s call came through: “Little Yu, have you arrived? We’re all at 203, just waiting for you. Hurry up!”

“…”

With a heavy heart, Yu Tian trudged back to the entrance of 203.

Ms. Song Chunxiang had been anxiously awaiting her arrival, and upon seeing Yu Tian emerge from the neighboring room, she queried, “Why did you come from 204? Did you go to the wrong box?”

Yu Tian hesitated, eyeing the door, reluctant to step inside. “Mom, what if I simply don’t go…?”

“Child, what are you saying?” Ms. Song’s face flushed with mild embarrassment as she lowered her voice. “The gentleman is quite presentable, and he’s taken this meeting seriously. His son just finished a night shift; he was so concerned about being late that he insisted on arriving more than half an hour early…”

“…” In that case, her appearance felt even more unwelcome…

Yu Tian weakly protested, “Perhaps you should just say you’re widowed, single, with no children; that would simplify things for remarriage…”

Ms. Song’s eyes widened in disbelief as she sharply retorted, “I already told him I have a daughter!”

“Then say your daughter is currently unavailable…”

“What nonsense are you talking about?!”

In her typically decisive manner, Ms. Song, without waiting for Yu Tian to explain the implications of her suggestion, swung open the door and firmly ushered her inside, smiling as she announced, “My daughter Yu Tian mistakenly entered the wrong room; she was actually here waiting all along!”

Reluctantly, Yu Tian found herself stepping back into 203.

Unbeknownst to her, someone had opened a window, allowing a gust of wind to flutter in, causing the leaves of the camphor tree outside to dance rhythmically, reminiscent of butterflies taking flight. The sunshine filtered through the green foliage, bringing with it a refreshing breeze and the swelter of summer indoors.

The wind tousled Yu Tian’s hair and lifted her skirt.

She struggled, slightly flustered, to regain control over her unruly hair and fluttering dress, feeling emotionally disoriented and unsettled as if caught adrift in the breeze.

The man from earlier remained seated, calm and indifferent, unfazed by her return.

Yu Tian caught his fleeting gaze as he raised an eyebrow slightly, providing her with a cold glance before turning his attention back toward the direction of the wind outside.