Better Than Summer: A Marriage Before Love Romance - Chapter 7

In early spring, Puxi was bathed in gentle sunshine, and the wind was gradually turning soft.

On Friday afternoon, Xi Chengnan received a WeChat message after finishing his outpatient shift. It was from the woman he was supposed to meet for a blind date.

Luo Min: [(Mini-program link)]
Luo Min: [Is tomorrow at 7 PM here okay?]

After adding each other on WeChat, Luo Min had initiated the conversation first, giving a brief self-introduction. Xi Chengnan hadn’t seen it until right before bed. However, he didn’t reciprocate with an introduction of his own. Instead, he simply replied to her last message where she’d said: [“If you think it’s okay, we can meet this Saturday.”]

Xi Chengnan replied to her new message: [Okay]

Putting away his phone, Xi Chengnan made another round through the inpatient ward, primarily to check on his post-op patients.

As soon as he entered the room, he heard Shen Tingxia say, “I’ll go to the blind date, I’ll meet the person. But whether it works out isn’t just up to me.”

Qu Xianglan said disdainfully, “Shen Tingxia, can’t you think before you speak? Weren’t the last few blind dates you the one who said no…”

Shen Luying was the first to notice Xi Chengnan approaching and greeted him, “Dr. Xi.”

Hearing that Xi Chengnan had arrived, both Qu Xianglan and Shen Tingxia looked towards him and fell silent.

Xi Chengnan acted as if he hadn’t heard their previous topic. He addressed the patient, “How are you feeling today?”

Qu Xianglan dropped the sharpness from her tone with her daughter and softened her voice. “I’m quite well, Dr. Xi. No discomfort anywhere.”

Seeing she was in good spirits—energetic enough to bicker with her daughter—Xi Chengnan said, “We’ll keep observing. If there are no issues, you can be discharged soon.”

The next moment, his gaze shifted to Shen Tingxia, his tone slightly questioning. “Going on a blind date?”

Before Shen Tingxia could answer, Qu Xianglan jumped in. “Oh yes! Dr. Xi, don’t you think? She’s already 28; isn’t it time she considered settling down? Staying single forever isn’t a solution, right?”

Shen Tingxia sighed helplessly, giving Xi Chengnan an almost imperceptible shrug.

But then, the topic took a turn. Qu Xianglan smiled, her curiosity piqued. “Dr. Xi, are you married?”

Xi Chengnan glanced at Shen Tingxia, then looked back at Qu Xianglan and answered, “Not yet.”

Shen Tingxia had expected her mother to say something like “Oh dear, Dr. Xi, you should hurry up too!” Instead, Qu Xianglan said, “Someone as capable as you, Dr. Xi, surely has an excellent girlfriend…”

Double standards.

Shen Tingxia had never seen such a double-standard person.

Not letting her mother continue, Shen Tingxia cut in, “Dr. Xi, do you have a girlfriend?”

She asked deliberately.

Shen Tingxia was gambling. She was betting Xi Chengnan would say no. She also wanted her mother to understand that marriage isn’t mandatory just because someone reaches a certain age, regardless of their achievements or how old they are.

As soon as she spoke, Qu Xianglan swatted Shen Tingxia’s hand hanging by her side. “Someone as outstanding as Dr. Xi couldn’t possibly don’t  have a girlfriend!”

As her words fell, Xi Chengnan chuckled lightly and said, “Auntie, I don’t have a girlfriend.”

Qu Xianglan froze for a second. She lowered her head slightly, peering up at Xi Chengnan with a mix of awkwardness and regret. “Ah… Dr. Xi doesn’t have a girlfriend?”

But then, as if suddenly remembering something, a smile bloomed on her face. She nudged Shen Tingxia’s hand again.

Though she didn’t speak, Shen Tingxia inexplicably understood her mother’s body language!

Her mother was probably telling her to seize the opportunity.

Shen Tingxia: “…”

She quietly took her mother’s hand in her own, a silent gesture of reassurance.

Xi Chengnan gave a polite nod and smile to the family. His last glance rested on Shen Tingxia before he walked out of the room.

After he left, Shen Tingxia heard her mother ask, “Tingxia, do you know Dr. Xi?”

Shen Tingxia didn’t deny it. She answered vaguely, “Ah, yeah. I know him.”

But she didn’t want to explain further and quickly changed the subject. “What for dinner? I’ll go buy it.”

“Don’t change the sub—” Before her mother could finish scolding, Shen Tingxia made the decision for them, ignoring the rest. “Fine, you’ll eat whatever I buy.”

With that, Shen Tingxia turned and walked out, leaving her parents staring at each other in the room.

Qu Xianglan looked at her husband by the bed and suddenly recalled the day they came to the hospital. She speculated, “Could our daughter and Dr. Xi…?”

Shen Luying defended his daughter. “Didn’t Dr. Xi say he doesn’t have a girlfriend?”

Qu Xianglan snorted dismissively. “Not having one now doesn’t mean he won’t later. Not being involved now doesn’t mean he won’t be. Otherwise, why would every single blind date we set up for her fall through? There’s someone in her heart. Remember that morning? Dr. Xi came to the clinic with our Tingxia?”

As the setting sun cast long shadows and city lights began to glow, Green Sand Restaurant was filled with couples seated at its black tables.

Shen Tingxia looked at the exquisite plating on her table but felt little appetite.

She wasn’t in the habit of eating breakfast. Today was Saturday, her day off, but she’d spent the whole day at the hospital with her mother. Lunch had been just a few hasty bites. Now, hungry as she was, a simple bowl of noodles would have been far more satisfying than this.

“Miss Shen, please don’t stand on ceremony. Eat whatever you like. It’s just us. Order more if it’s not enough,” Cheng Qingyuan, seated across from her, spoke smoothly.

This was their first meeting. As her mother had described, he was about 1.8 meters tall, not exactly fair-skinned but a healthy light wheat color, with an average build. He wore thin silver-rimmed glasses and a formal suit.

Overall, his looks were unremarkable, neither striking nor flawed.

But to Shen Tingxia, it was rather underwhelming. She didn’t like overly rigid men; they were boring.

Shen Tingxia offered an awkward smile and took a sip of lemon water from her glass. She picked up her fork, feigning interest, and reached towards the plate closest to her.

Amidst the background chatter, she heard Cheng Qingyuan say, “I work in the automotive industry. I heard from your aunt that you work for a foreign company?”

Shen Tingxia gave an indifferent “Mm.” Moments later, he started talking again, and she listened half-heartedly, her responses perfunctory.

At some point, a particularly interesting conversation caught her ear. The voices came from diagonally behind her. Shen Tingxia pricked up her ears to listen.

“I graduated from a 985 university and now teach at Puda University. I’ve never been in a relationship before. I know your basic situation, but there’s a question I’d like to ask, if it’s not too inconvenient?”

“It’s fine. Ask away.”

Hearing this, Shen Tingxia froze. The voice was unmistakably familiar. She was certain the man diagonally behind her was Xi Chengnan.

He was here on a blind date too?

Immediately after, Shen Tingxia heard the woman ask, “Are you a virgin?”

Xi Chengnan was indeed taken aback by the question. But upon reflection, it wasn’t unreasonable for her to have such a requirement.

Just as he was about to answer, a strange, familiar sound of suppressed laughter came from diagonally behind him.

Xi Chengnan frowned slightly and turned his head. The woman was looking back at him, the corners of her eyes slightly upturned. She held up four fingers near her cheek and wiggled them downwards in a little wave.

The person greeting him was none other than the woman who had taken his virginity.

Xi Chengnan hooked one corner of his mouth in a faint, imperceptible smirk. He gave her a brief, sidelong glance but didn’t acknowledge her. Turning back, he answered frankly, “Sorry, I’m not.”

The woman explained, “My apologies. Then I don’t think we’re very compatible. Whether the answer is yes or no is quite important to me.”

Xi Chengnan nodded. “Mm, I understand.”

“I’ve taken up your time. I’ll take my leave now.”

With that, the woman stood up and walked out of Green Sand.

After overhearing their conversation, Shen Tingxia suddenly found her appetite. She began eating her meal properly. When Cheng Qingyuan returned from the restroom, she even engaged in more conversation with the man across from her.

She answered Cheng Qingyuan’s questions with half-truths and reservations.

A blind date should ideally be a mutual exchange of getting to know each other. However, the entire meal consisted of Cheng Qingyuan asking questions, simply because Shen Tingxia felt absolutely no curiosity about the man opposite her.

For once, Shen Tingxia managed to finish an entire blind date meal without leaving midway. As she stood up, she deliberately glanced behind her. The man was gone. She had no idea when he’d left.

After Cheng Qingyuan paid the bill, Shen Tingxia glanced at the receipt, divided the amount by two, and sent him the money via WeChat, splitting the cost.

Maybe his phone was on silent, but Shen Tingxia didn’t hear a notification. She didn’t remind him.

Leaving the restaurant, Cheng Qingyuan asked, “Where do you live? Can I give you a ride?”

The wind outside was strong and chilly. Shen Tingxia, dressed lightly, shivered. She jingled her car keys and declined calmly, “No need. I drove.”

Cheng Qingyuan checked his watch. “Then I won’t see you off. I have a meeting later. Miss Shen, I look forward to seeing you again.”

Shen Tingxia offered a polite smile and watched him leave.

She let out a long sigh, relaxing her body. Just as she was about to step away, a familiar, low voice sounded beside her ear:

“Like someone like him?”

Late at night, in a steamy, intimate room, two young, naked bodies grappled.

Shen Tingxia looked down at Xi Chengnan from above, her palm pressed against his shoulder, her eyes filled with seduction.

Meanwhile, Xi Chengnan maintained a steady rhythm, thrusting upwards.

At some point, fragments of Shen Tingxia’s conversation with her blind date from dinner began to intrude into Xi Chengnan’s thoughts.

“Miss Shen, I wonder what kind of man you like?”
“Since you asked so directly, I’ll be straightforward.”
“By all means.”
“I like tall men, preferably around 185cm. Fair skin. Not too fat—it looks greasy. But not too thin either—that looks scrawny. I think your build is quite good.”
“What are your requirements for a partner?”
“Emotionally stable, no violent tendencies? No bad habits or criminal record? A decent Chinese citizen? That should be the basics, right…”
“What about requirements for a house or car?”
“Oh, that? No requirements. I have my own house and car. Don’t need the other person to help with mortgage payments either.”

Having done this so many times, Shen Tingxia had long sensed Xi Chengnan’s distraction. She deliberately provoked him, her voice trembling slightly, “Dr. Xi… not full tonight?”

The pain Shen Tingxia had been feeling intensified abruptly. In the next instant, she was flipped onto her back, pressed against the bed.

Shen Tingxia felt Xi Chengnan thrusting forcefully into her. The force he exerted on her was met with equal force back onto himself.

Simultaneously, she was swept into an even more intense wave of pleasure.

The room echoed with wet, rhythmic sounds of colliding bodies. Gradually, Shen Tingxia began to lose control. Her body trembled, and soft moans escaped her lips uncontrollably.

Watching Shen Tingxia frown and bite her lower lip, Xi Chengnan gave a wicked smile. He leaned down, gently nipped her earlobe, and whispered in a low, intoxicating voice close to her ear:

“Not full? I’m afraid your bedsheets won’t be enough to change.”