The two were seated in a row diagonally in front of Zhan Bei Jue. As they settled, Vice President Gao had his back to Zhan Bei Jue, while Jiang Nan Fang faced him directly.
Their gazes met inexplicably in the air. Zhan Bei Jue's eyes held a flicker of confusion upon seeing her, but he quickly turned away with indifference.
Jiang Nan Fang took in his expression.
She thought to herself: What kind of expression is that? If you don't want to see me, I don't want to see you either! You have plenty of women around who want to have your children, yet you insist on holding onto mine. You're clearly sick!
"Mr. Zhan?"
The person opposite called out, and Zhan Bei Jue snapped back to attention, "Are you finished?"
"...Do you have something on your mind? Is the coffee not to your liking?"
Zhan Bei Jue picked up the coffee in front of him, took a sip, and shook his head, "No. You haven't finished, so continue."
It hadn't even been three minutes.
He could feel her distraction, but the woman didn't seem to mind.
To be fortunate enough to sit with him, and with the premise of a blind date, was already fulfilling a long-held wish. It was enough to brag about for a while. How could she expect him to fall in love at first sight?
The woman smiled, "I was saying there's a concert at Lan Xin Grand Theater tonight, would you like to go?"
Do women nowadays have no other hobbies besides watching operas, plays, stand-up comedy, attending concerts, and traveling the world?
It was the same line, the fourth time she'd heard it within two hours.
Zhan Bei Jue shook his head, showing no courtesy, "No. I don't like musicals."
"You don't like musicals? Then how about a movie? There's a new release..."
Jiang Nan Fang found the woman's voice somewhat familiar. She seemed to know her, and her back view also looked familiar.
Honestly, she was very curious about who his current girlfriend was. When they were still married, he already had someone else on the outside. Could it be her?
Ignoring what Vice President Gao was saying, she perked up her ears and held her breath, listening intently to the woman speak.
"I haven't been to a movie theater in many years. The last time was when our school organized it in high school, do you remember? At that time..."
Jiang Nan Fang remembered. It was her! The eldest daughter of the Huo family, whose family made their fortune in cosmetics, Huo Dong Ning!
Speaking of Huo Dong Ning, Jiang Nan Fang had a deep connection.
After her mother passed away, her stepmother brought her younger stepbrother into the family. To survive, Jiang Nan Fang pretended to be ugly and weak after an accident.
At school, most people showed her pity. Only this Huo Dong Ning not only publicly humiliated and mocked her, but they even got into physical altercations.
What a coincidence!
Such a former enemy, unexpectedly involved with her ex-husband!
Jiang Nan Fang didn't care who Zhan Bei Jue was with. After all, once she spat out her chewing gum, it became trash. Whoever wanted to pick it up could. But who else could it be, if not the father of her child!
The thought of Huo Dong Ning, such a hateful woman, marrying into the Zhan family and becoming her child's nominal stepmother made Jiang Nan Fang's insides churn.
No! She would not agree to this marriage!
She absolutely could not stand by and watch her former enemy prosper!
But disagreeing was one thing, yet what right did she have to stop their relationship?
Just because she was the mother of Zhan Bei Jue's child?
A direct confrontation wouldn't work. It might provoke Zhan Bei Jue's rebellious streak, making him do the opposite of what she wanted.
Therefore, Jiang Nan Fang decided to use strategy.
Vice President Gao was still rambling on. Jiang Nan Fang had an idea and suddenly raised her hand to interrupt him, "Vice President Gao."
"Hmm?"
"I've run into an acquaintance. I'm going to say hello."
Saying this, she picked up the coffee the waiter had just served her and gracefully walked over to Zhan Bei Jue's table.
"Oh, isn't this Mr. Zhan? What a coincidence, why are you here too?"
They had already been seated for two minutes, and both had seen each other, yet she only came over to greet him now.
And with such a tone, it was clear she was up to something!
Zhan Bei Jue couldn't be bothered with her. He lowered his eyelids and took another sip of the coffee in front of him, "Do you need something?"
"Nothing much. It's been so long since we divorced. It's rare to run into each other here, so I came to say hello."
Fortunately, she had already swallowed the coffee in her mouth, otherwise...
In public, suddenly bringing up the divorce, and with such a strange tone, what was she trying to do?
"Is this your girlfriend, or...? How long have you been dating? She's quite pretty, and I find her very familiar, like I've seen her somewhere before. Let me think..."
Huo Dong Ning also found the woman in front of her very familiar. She knew Zhan Bei Jue had been married before and even had two children a few years old, but no one knew who his ex-wife was. So, it turned out to be her.
How come she felt like she knew this ex-wife?
After a few seconds of mutual appraisal, Jiang Nan Fang simply placed her coffee cup in front of Zhan Bei Jue, sat down next to him, and suddenly put on an expression of realization.
"I remember now! It's you, old classmate! Huo Dong Ning, right? You're Huo Dong Ning!"
"You know me? Who are you?"
"Jiang Nan Fang. I'm the Jiang Nan Fang who used to be very ugly, whom you constantly mocked, and who you even beat up on the ground!"
Huo Dong Ning's face turned pale instantly. After a moment of hesitation, with some embarrassment, she said, "You're Jiang Nan Fang? Did you... get plastic surgery after graduation?"
Jiang Nan Fang smiled and didn't answer the question, "Ah, let's not talk about that. Let's talk about something else."
"It's been a long time. I didn't expect to run into you here today. What a coincidence, so you two are dating."
"My ex-husband is very difficult to please. Seeing that you're taking over, I feel relieved. He not only has a bad temper, but he's also not very good in that department... In short, please be more understanding. Congratulations, congratulations!"
Huo Dong Ning and Zhan Bei Jue: "?!"
She continued to engage Huo Dong Ning, "It's my first time running into an old classmate after graduation! Oh, I'm so happy."
"Do you remember all the stupid things we did when we were in school? Back then, you formed a clique and didn't study properly, just surrounded me, calling me Pigsy and Voldemort, haha! Every day, you'd either spill ink on my clothes or stick things on my back, haha!"
"Thinking back now, it's hilarious. We even fought because of it, remember? Several of you pinned me to the ground and beat me. I was beaten terribly that time, haha. I remember it very clearly. You haven't forgotten all of it, have you?"
Huo Dong Ning certainly hadn't forgotten, but it wasn't something to be proud of. By deliberately bringing it up in front of Zhan Bei Jue, wasn't she trying to embarrass herself?
She glanced at Jiang Nan Fang with an awkward expression, then at Zhan Bei Jue.
Huo Dong Ning retorted, "Heh, I'm happy to see you too. I didn't expect you to be Bei Jue's ex-wife..."
The three minutes were long past. Zhan Bei Jue was tired of listening to them reminisce. With a cold expression, he interrupted, "We're not suitable. There's no need to say more. Miss Huo, I'll pay the bill. You can leave."
Huo Dong Ning: "..."
Jiang Nan Fang then realized they were on a blind date, "You two aren't boyfriend and girlfriend? Are you leaving just like that? We haven't even had lunch yet, don't rush."
"Stay for lunch. Let's reminisce about the good old days of school."
Zhan Bei Jue had rejected her. What was the point of staying in front of this ill-intentioned ex-wife? Huo Dong Ning wasn't shameless.
She gave Jiang Nan Fang a forced smile and a glance, "No need. I have other things to attend to. You two haven't seen each other in a while, so I'll leave some space for you to catch up privately. I'm leaving."
After saying that, she grabbed her bag and left the restaurant in a huff.
Watching her back disappear, Jiang Nan Fang turned her head to look at Zhan Bei Jue, "Pah! What a piece of work! And she wants to be my son's stepmother?"
"Zhan Bei Jue, even if you're getting old and anxious about not being married, you don't have to be so desperate, do you? You'll take any woman?"
"Didn't you hear about her reputation at school back then? If someone like that becomes a stepmother, will the child have a good life? Even if you don't have feelings for the child, you're still the biological father. You can't be so selfish for your own happiness!"
It was strange, the feeling of disgust was slowly fading.
Feeling a bit better, Zhan Bei Jue turned his head and gave her a cold glance, "Do you know what you're saying?"
"Of course, I do. I'm reminding you that if you're going to be so irresponsible when looking for a partner in the future, please return the children to me as soon as possible! I don't want the children to have the same experience as me, having a stepmother and a father who favors her, living a life of looking at people's faces from childhood."
"Oh? So, if I give the children to you, you'll remain unmarried for the rest of your life?"
"..." He was quite good at grasping the key points. Jiang Nan Fang hadn't even considered this herself.
But she quickly thought about it, "Yes! Making money is so much fun, why would I need a man! With the two of them, money, and friends, it's enough. If you give them to me, I guarantee that for the rest of my life, I absolutely won't find a stepfather to bother them!"
Zhan Bei Jue smiled, "A woman like you, who has no credibility, how can your guarantee be trustworthy?"
"You even have a crush on me and ulterior motives, and you want to get back together with me. Just say it, no need to be so indirect."
"..."