Listening to his parents start debating having another child over the phone, Sean felt his temples pounding. In the end, he was the first to give up.


    "Alright, dear mother, I give in." Sean finally gave up, figuring he might as well dy any further objections for now. "I''ll go on the dates, alright?" "Really?" Eve still sounded skeptical and asked, "You''re not just putting me off, are you?"


    Sean was caught off guard and almost coughed. "No way! Is that really how you see your son? As unreliable?"


    Eve didn''t budge and said, "Yes, that''s right."


    Sean was speechless.


    Sean sighed helplessly, "If that''s your opinion, I guess there''s nothing I can do."


    "It''s not hard to convince me." Eve said firmly, "Where are you? I''ll see if there''s a suitable girl nearby for you to have lunch with."


    Sean was speechless.


    "No, Mom, I..." said Sean.


    "If you refuse, it shows you''re just humoring me," said Eve.


    "I''m at Easke za," said Sean.


    He could hear the rustling of pages being flipped over the phone. Less than half a minuteter, Eve cheerfully said, "Perfect.


    now." Yetta of the Zade family lives nearby and can meet


    you


    Eve briefly exined, "Her parents and grandpa are well-known educators in the country. She just returned frompleting her master''s degree in Mandslia. She''s a top student! Talk to her about academic stuff to make a good impression." Just as Eve finished talking, Sean received a message with Yetta''s phone number. "Let me know your thoughts after lunch."


    After assigning the task, Eve promptly hung up.


    Sean stared at the number on his phone, feeling a bit confused.


    Fifteen minutester, Sean met the hurried Yetta at a restaurant on the sixth floor of the mall.


    Yetta came in a hurry. Her makeup had a few smudges but her demeanor was graceful, like a typical debutante.


    "Hello, Mr. Reynolds, it''s a pleasure to meet you," said Yetta.


    Yetta sat across from Sean. After a calm and brief observation, her eyes brightened with liveliness.


    "Your mom showed me your photo, but I didn''t expect you to look even younger and more handsome in person," said Yetta.


    Sean nodded casually and signaled to the waiter. "Let''s order."


    The menu was in a foreignnguage. After ordering a few simple dishes, Yetta passed the menu to Sean. "Your turn, Mr. Reynolds."


    Sean gave it a quick look, hesitated for a moment, and randomly pointed at a dish.


    A brief awkwardness shed across the waiter''s face. He said, "Si, are you sure you want to order this?"


    Sean was impatient and said, "Yep, is there a problem?"


    The waiter smiled and exined, "That''s two songs. If you''re sure, I''ll go ahead and ce the order."


    Yetta''s look of admiration instantly froze.


    A hint of annoyance crossed Sean''s face as he lost his patience and began to vent. "What''s going on here? Can''t you bring me a menu that I can read?"


    The waiter was almost in tears and said, "I''m really sorry, sir. There''s a notice at the entrance that we only provide a menu in the foreignnguage."


    Sean''s eyebrows were furrowed in anger. "Oh really, are you mocking me?!"


    Seeing that everyone in the restaurant was looking over, the embarrassed Yetta couldn''t stand it anymore. She forced a smile and said, "Let me help you. What would you like to eat, Mr. Reynolds?"


    Sean nced at Yetta and said, "Alright, as a favor to you, I''ll have some meat. Just order me some. Oh, make it rare and bloody. It tastes better that way."


    Yetta''s face turned several shades of red before she smoothly ced the order.


    The waiter, relieved as if pardoned, left after thanking them repeatedly.


    Sean took a sip of lemon water, leaned back in his chair, swinging his leg under the table nonchntly. "I heard from my


    abroad?" mom that you just came back from your master''s degree


    Yetta nodded and said, "Yes, a double major in Biology and Finance."


    "Wow, that''s impressive. You study two unrted subjects." Sean eximed and winked at Yetta.


    He continued, "Is studying abroad really just an easy ride? If I had known, I would''ve gone overseas too. My mom insisted I study here, but in the end, we still had to donate a building to the school for me to graduate." "Heh." Yetta had no idea how to respond, so she just smiled politely.


    Sean, still searching for a topic, continued, "So, how old are you? A master''s degree takes a few years, right? Even if it''s a bit shorter abroad, looking at yourugh lines, you''d be around twenty-eight?"


    1. me. Women go for women older than He started to babble a bit hesitantly. "Twenty-eight. So you''re older than me. I don''t age quickly. After marriage and kids, it gets faster. Wouldn''t that make me seem like some guy who''s just mooching off a sugar mama?


    "But looking at your face shape, you seem a bit mature. I guess your appearance won''t change too quickly in a few years. With regr beauty treatments, you should maintain your look for a while. Seems alright. Not a big issue."


    Sean looked Yetta up and down, makingments about her appearance.


    Yetta was rendered speechless. Her smile was starting to fade, and it was getting harder to maintain.


    Sean grinned to himself, wondering how to keep pushing Yetta''s buttons.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    At this moment, his eyes suddenly lit up, and said, "Hey, Xanthel


    Xanthe was justing out of a small private room in the restaurant when she heard the shout. She turned to see Sean looking at her like a dog that just found a huge bone.


    She walked over, giving Scan a curious look, and noticed the girl across looking displeased. Just as she was about to speak, Sean quickly said, "Weren''t you downstairs shitting? What brings you up here?" Yetta and Xanthe were speechless.


    Xanthe thought, ''What on earth is he up to?''


    "Sorry!" In the end, Yetta couldn''t take it any


    and stood up abruptly, refusing to endure it any longer.


    She used herst bit of politeness and said, "I''m sorry, Mr. Reynolds, I don''t think we''re a good match. I wish you the best in finding your perfect partner."


    After saying that, she left a few hundred-dor bills on the table and walked out confidently.


    Xanthe finally realized what was happening and broke into a big smile. "You''re going on a blind date?"


    ''If he seeds, then he won''t have time to keep tabs on Shakira, right?'' thought Xanthe.


    Thinking about it, Xanthe couldn''t help feeling regretful. Why didn''t it work out?


    I


    3