Chapter 2: The Man Who Thought He Was a Catch
1266 Words
A cold, detached voice snapped Sophia Shen out of her daze, like a bucket of ice water poured over her head.
She wanted to curse. This was a blind date gone terribly wrong.
"...Heh." Sophia felt so embarrassed that she wished she could disappear into the floor.
"What other conditions do you have? Just lay them all out," Alexander Qin repeated in the same emotionless tone.
Taking a deep breath, Sophia's scalp tingled with awkwardness. The sarcastic remarks she had prepared in her head suddenly felt impossible to say.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Qin. I mistook you for someone else. The person you're waiting for should be here soon. I’ll just leave now—sorry to bother you."
Admitting her mistake, Sophia quickly got up. In her rush, she accidentally bumped her knee against the table. With a loud thud, the table wobbled, but she had no time to worry about the pain. She just wanted to escape.
In her flustered state, she didn’t notice the person in front of her. She ran straight into someone's shoulder, knocking her black-rimmed glasses off.
"Are you blind? Watch where you’re going!" a rough voice snapped, dripping with irritation.
Sophia instinctively looked up to apologize, but the words froze in her throat when she saw what the man was holding—an absurdly fake plastic rose.
Black shirt. Black shorts. Red rose.
No way...
The man had been about to scold her, but when he got a good look at her face, his anger vanished, replaced by a sleazy grin.
"Well, well, aren't you a beauty? You must be Granny Tao’s granddaughter. You look even better than your pictures!" The man extended his hand, flashing a set of yellowed, decaying teeth. "Name’s Franky Qin. Nice to meet you."
A wave of stale smoke and sweat stung Sophia’s nose, and her stomach lurched.
She knew it. Her grandmother would introduce her to just about any breathing man she could find. Reliable? That was wishful thinking.
She subtly leaned away, ignoring his outstretched hand and instead, placed her purse on the chair beside her.
"Nice to meet you," she said flatly.
Franky didn’t seem the least bit embarrassed by the rejection. He smirked and moved to sit beside her—only to find her purse already occupying the seat.
Sophia wasn’t an i***t. This man’s eyes had been glued to her from the moment she arrived, his blatant stare making her skin crawl. No way was she letting him sit so close.
Franky's smile stiffened. He clearly wanted to lash out, but with so many people around, he swallowed his frustration and sat across from her instead. Pushing the plastic rose toward her, he said, "For you."
Sophia's lips twitched. She took the rose and casually stuck it into a nearby vase.
"Thanks."
"You’re welcome," he said, puffing up with self-importance. "Go ahead and order whatever you want." He shoved the menu toward her, his beady eyes continuing to ogle her shamelessly.
So Granny Tao wasn’t lying—Sophia was a real looker. He had almost skipped this date, thinking the old woman was exaggerating. Good thing he showed up.
"So, I heard from Granny Tao that you're an art major?" he asked, grinning.
"Mm-hmm." Sophia barely held back a gag. Being called Missy by a man who looked old enough to be her father was downright disgusting.
Franky clicked his tongue. "A girl needs a real career. Painting? That won’t put food on the table. You’ll just end up relying on your parents forever. If you ask me, you should switch fields while you're still young. A woman's prime years are short. You’re already twenty-three—by the time you're pushing thirty, no one will want to hire you."
Sophia almost burst out laughing. The sheer absurdity of it all was almost impressive.
"Given how ‘experienced’ you are, I assume you have an impressive career yourself?" she asked sweetly, her voice laced with sarcasm.
Franky scoffed. "You just don’t get it. A man’s value increases with age. We gain experience. We become more desirable. Companies are practically lining up to hire me, but why should I slave away for corporate overlords? My family just gave me a six-figure investment. I’m an entrepreneur now."
He puffed up his chest. "If we get together, you’ll just need to bring a car and a small dowry—twenty grand should do. Other than that, you’ll mainly be taking care of my family. You can work if you want, but your priority should be supporting me."
Sophia nearly choked on her own disbelief. She had read stories about men like this online, but meeting one in real life? This was next-level shameless.
"Wow, with such an impressive résumé, you must have a solid savings account," she mused.
Franky’s expression soured. "Tsk, young women these days are all gold diggers. A man’s true worth is in his character!"
"Oh? Then what’s your educational background?" she asked.
"Education is overrated. What really matters is a man's wisdom and life experience," he declared confidently. "That’s why younger men can’t compete with me."
Franky crossed his legs and looked her up and down with a condescending smirk.
"Look, you’re not exactly in a position to be picky. No stable job, low income—you should be grateful to have a guy like me interested in you. Let’s be real here, sweetheart. If I think you're good enough, we can keep dating."
Sophia could feel her blood pressure rising.
This guy had no redeeming qualities, yet somehow, he still thought he was God’s gift to women. Classic manipulative tactics—making her feel worthless so she’d settle for him.
She plastered on a bright smile. "You’re right. I’m clearly not on your level. Since you're so exceptional, I wouldn’t want to drag you down. You deserve someone equally outstanding."
With that, she grabbed her purse and stood up to leave.
But before she could take a step, a fat, sweaty hand clamped around her wrist.
"Hey, you took my flower. That means you’re my girlfriend now," Franky sneered. "What, you think you can just walk away? Typical gold-digger, trying to play hard to get."
Sophia’s eyes widened. She had never encountered someone this delusional.
"Let go of me!" she snapped.
Instead of letting go, Franky tightened his grip, yanking her toward him.
"You women are all the same. Money’s all you care about. Lucky for you, I’ve got plenty. Don’t play games with me, sweetheart." He leered, his other hand reaching for her waist.
Sophia recoiled in horror, too stunned to scream.
Then—just as Franky’s fingers nearly touched her—a new scent filled the air. A crisp, woody fragrance.
Thud!
A sharp cry of pain rang out. The grip on her wrist disappeared, and she stumbled backward—straight into a broad, solid chest.
A deep, smooth voice spoke behind her.
"Has no one ever told you? A man should know his limits."
The warmth of the stranger’s presence lingered only for a moment before he stepped away, putting distance between them.
Franky clutched his wrist, his piggy eyes blazing with fury. "Who the hell do you think you are? This is my business! I can discipline my girlfriend however I want!"
The man beside Sophia didn’t answer right away.
Instead, he turned slightly, letting the dim restaurant light catch his sharp features.
Alexander Qin’s cold, piercing gaze locked onto Franky. His presence alone made the air feel ten degrees colder.
Sophia exhaled shakily.
This night had taken a turn she never saw coming.
- Writer
