Chapter 1 The Weirdo on a Blind Date

"Ms. Blanchet, how much is your monthly income?" a man asked.

Andrea Blanchet stopped stirring the coffee with a spoon and lifted her head to look at the man sitting across the table. He was Max Bird, Andrea's blind date for today.

It was said that Max was outstanding, working as a supervisor in a large company with a monthly income of four thousand dollars.

Andrea was only twenty-four, but her mother, Eve Blanchet, had been urging her to get married. Reluctantly, Andrea went on another blind date to meet Max. However, she didn't expect Max's first question to be about her income.

"I own this coffee shop." Andrea maintained her composure. After Max looked around and expressed satisfaction, Andrea added, "However, it's not profitable yet."

Max's expression changed, and he asked, "So, are you still operating at a loss?"

Andrea nodded.

Max furrowed his brow and asked, "So, is the investment your own money or borrowed from someone else? How much debt do you have?"

"I'm running it in partnership with a friend. I borrowed some money, and the debt is over twenty thousand dollars," Andrea honestly replied.

"Ms. Blanchet, this is your pre-marital debt. After we get married, I won't help you repay it. Since you have debts, I assume you don't own any property, right? I have two houses under my name, which are my pre-marital assets. If we get married, you can live there, and we can repay the housing mortgage together. However, I won't put your name on the property deed. Ms. Blanchet, by the way, my parents are looking forward to their grandson. And I hope you can get pregnant as soon as possible after marriage. My parents raised my sister and me, and it was already very hard for them, so they wouldn't help after you had a child. You'll have to raise the child on your own."

Pausing for a moment, Max continued, "I can't cook, and my job keeps me busy, so you'll be responsible for all three meals. I can't help much with household chores either. However, I prefer a clean and tidy home, so you'll have to keep the house in order, in order not to affect my mood. And..."

"Mr. Bird," Andrea interrupted Max, "I'm sorry, but you've got the wrong person. I can't meet your requirements. Please find someone else who is willing to be a free maid for your family. Coffee is on me."

After speaking, she gestured towards the door, indicating that Max should leave.

Max's face turned red. He always thought highly of himself and believed that his income was substantial. He felt that meeting Andrea was already a sign of respect. Considering Andrea's youth and beauty, he was even willing to marry her reluctantly, but he didn't expect her refusal.

Suddenly, Max stood up, took out twenty dollars from his wallet, and slammed it on the table. "I can afford a cup of coffee even without you paying."

He pulled out a chair, turned around, and walked away. After a few steps, he turned to Andrea and cursed, "Ms. Blanchet, a woman like you, who refuses to contribute to the family and lacks manners, won't find a husband."

Andrea picked up her coffee and threw it at Max, angrily saying, "Get out!"

The coffee hit Max, staining his white suit. He was furious, but with the onlookers around, he felt embarrassed to argue with Andrea. He could only say, "As a gentleman, I won't stoop to your level."

With that, Max hastily left.

Andrea thought to herself, 'Is a man like him considered a gentleman?'

Andrea felt that it was a waste of her time. She would rather not get married for a lifetime than marry such a man with strange ideas.

Several customers who were about to leave happened to witness Andrea's blind date and stopped to watch.

After watching, one of the men said something to the others. They left first, and the man walked towards Andrea.

"Andrea." A warm and deep voice reached Andrea's ears, and she instinctively looked at the approaching man.

Andrea immediately stood up, a bright smile appearing on her beautiful face. "Mr. Arthur, what are you doing here?"

Arthur Lawrence smiled and replied, "I arranged to meet a few friends here. You weren't around when we came in."

That's why Andrea, the owner of Fate Café, didn't see Arthur come in.

"May I sit down?" Arthur asked politely.

Andrea quickly invited him to sit and asked the waiter to tidy up the table. She then said to Arthur, "Arthur, please wait a moment. I'll personally make you a cup of coffee."

"No need. Just give me a glass of ice water," Arthur said. He had already had a cup of coffee just now, and another one would keep him awake at night.

Andrea poured a glass of ice water for Arthur and instructed the waiter to bring over some pastries.

Arthur was Keith Blanchet's college classmate. When Keith was in college, he would come back from Sullina to Aborina every holiday. Although Arthur and Keith didn't interact frequently, they would travel back together on the high-speed train.

Andrea, five years younger than Keith, would always go to the station with their father, Carlos Blanchet, to pick up Keith. At that time, Andrea would always see Arthur.

They only exchanged greetings each time they met, and Andrea didn't even know where Arthur lived, even though they had known each other for eleven years now.

Although Andrea hadn't seen Arthur for several years, she recognized him at a glance.

"What happened earlier?" Arthur asked gently.

When Andrea mentioned what had just happened, she looked helpless and complained to Arthur, "Arthur, I'm only twenty-four, but my mother keeps pressuring me to get married. Every time she meets an acquaintance, she asks them to introduce potential suitors to me and arranges blind dates. This month, she has been calling me a dozen times a day. I've already been on about ten blind dates in a row."

Arthur sighed and said, "Your mother indeed cares about you."

Arthur had known Andrea since she was thirteen, and now she was already twenty-four.

"You're right. My mother said that the man I went on a blind date with today was outstanding, but I found him to be a weirdo. No wonder he's in his thirties and still unmarried. He always wants others to give while he only wants to enjoy the fruits of their labor."

Arthur looked at Andrea and said, "With your qualities, you don't need to go on blind dates. There should be many men pursuing you."

Arthur thought that Andrea seemed a bit naive in the past, but now she was mature, gentle, and very charming, so she should have no shortage of suitors.

Andrea pursed her lips and explained, "I had a boyfriend in college. We were together for four years. Six months ago, he met the daughter of a wealthy family and left me. My mom thinks I've been hurt by a jerk, and she worries that I won't want to get married. So she has been arranging blind dates for me every day."

But it was just because Andrea was in the early stages of starting her own business and didn't have the energy for a romantic relationship.

Andrea couldn't deny that love couldn't withstand the temptation of money and status, but her last relationship actually had caused her a great deal of pain.

When Arthur heard Andrea say that her boyfriend had abandoned her, his eyes filled with emotion as if he was contemplating something.