You Que didn't want to participate in the so-called blind date event, but on Saturday he still borrowed a suit from Guigu and dressed himself up simply, because no one would be allowed to enter the restaurant without formal attire.
You Que was tall and thin, and Guyigu's suit was a little too big for him, but fortunately his broad shoulders could support it, so it didn't look ugly. He walked to the entrance to put on his shoes, and found that the temperature gauge on the wall showed that it would rain today, so he took a black umbrella and went downstairs.
It was noon, and the streets were bustling with noise. You Que walked to the door of a shop selling artificial flowers, took out a red rose from the flower bucket at the door, and asked, "How much is one?"
The clerk was busy wrapping flowers. Hearing this, he quickly looked up, then lowered his head and went back to his own business: "Two hundred star coins a piece, no bargaining."
The land in this country is seriously polluted. The limited pure soil is used to grow food, and flowers have become more valuable than gold.
You Que put the flowers back. This was obviously not something he could afford. He glanced at it and suddenly noticed the red paper the clerk used to wrap the flowers: "How much is the paper?"
The clerk was a little surprised: "You want to buy paper?"
You Que: "One red one, how much?"
The clerk took one out and gave it to him, wondering how there could be such a strange bug: "I'll give you one, no charge."
Just like that, You Que got a piece of paper for free. He sat on a bench by the roadside and folded the paper with his head down, looking serious. Not long after, a delicate and bright red rose appeared in his hand, which could be mistaken for a real one at first glance.
"Hello."
You Que arrived on time, but the female insect in front of him arrived earlier than he expected, probably because of the country's strange rules of male superiority and female inferiority.
You Que didn't say much. He pulled out a chair and sat down at the table. He saw a folding menu at hand, so he took it out and handed it to Hansen, saying, "Sorry, I'm late. You order first."
You Que nodded slightly.
The female military officer subconsciously stood up from the table and asked, "Excuse me, are you Lord Eugene?"
You Que stared at it for a while, then stuffed the folded rose into his shirt pocket. Seeing that it was almost time, he walked towards the restaurant. The dining place arranged by the marriage agency was relatively close to You Que's rental house, and it would take only 20 minutes to get there.
After You Que finished speaking, he looked around and found a female soldier sitting at table number four in the hall. He waved to the waiter to signal him not to follow, put his umbrella at the front desk, and walked straight in.
You Que realized belatedly that this was a blind date. He came to his senses and reported his rather humble conditions: "I don't have a job, I don't have any savings, and I rent a house now."
The red rose is the token of meeting.
On Earth, such conditions would not even suffice to qualify for inclusion in the list of marriage agencies.
The female soldier was visibly relieved. Although it looked a bit strange that You Que was wearing a mask, he should be a handsome guy just by looking at his figure. She introduced herself a little embarrassedly: "Sir, I am the female insect who is going on a blind date with you today. My name is Hansen."
You Que: “Number four.”
The female soldier was originally sitting at the table waiting anxiously. She glanced casually out of the corner of her eye and suddenly found a tall insect walking towards her. He was wearing a white shirt and a light gray suit, with a red rose pinned to his collar, but he was wearing a mask so his face could not be seen clearly.
Hansen blushed, because he found the male insect's voice quite pleasant. Hearing this, he quickly waved his hand and said, "Sir, this won't do. Of course, you order first."
These hands are so dexterous that they can steal in the dark and hold up a bright rose in the sun.
You Que: "It's okay, I just want a drink, you order."
Hansen thought it was normal. After all, it was rare for male insects in Salilan to go out to work. He just didn't expect You Que to rent a house by himself. Hearing this, he couldn't help but ask in confusion: "Where are your female father and male father? Don't they live with you?"
His conditions were already generous for the border town of Saint-Riez.
Although Guigu said that the blind dates arranged for him by the marriage agency were all strong men who were 1.9 meters tall, the military girl who was on a blind date with Youque looked relatively normal. Although her face was a bit mediocre, she was still somewhat pretty.
Hansen had no choice but to help him order a drink, and then checked two desserts, and then called the waiter to take the order. The Zerg's blind date mode has always been direct. Seeing that You Que's personality was a bit silent, Hansen had to take the initiative to introduce himself: "Sir, I am a retired military female. I just returned to the town of Saint-Riez the day before yesterday. The retirement pay plus savings are about 400,000 star coins. I also have a house on the next street. I will start work at the local police station next month, and my monthly salary is 8,000 star coins."
The receptionist standing at the entrance of the restaurant saw a flower in You Que's pocket and immediately understood what was going on. He stepped forward and asked, "Sir, which table is this?"
You Que: "No, they are all dead."
Hansen was inevitably a little embarrassed: "Sorry."
Just at this moment, the waiter came over with the food. To make up for the mistake, Hansen took the cake and placed it in front of You Que, saying, "I don't know your taste, so I ordered a berry cake. I hope you like it."
You Que said "thank you" but did nothing.
Hansen stared at the mask on his face for a long time, and finally couldn't help but ask, "You... don't want to take off the mask?"
You Que looked up at him when he heard that. His light brown eyes were as clear as glass beads, very beautiful, but through the gap in the mask, he could vaguely see some red and swollen skin: "I'm allergic, do you mind?"
Hansen had a bad feeling in his heart. In order to hide his nervousness, he picked up the water cup and drank a sip of water: "No mind, sir."
You Que had no choice but to take off his mask.
"puff!"
When Hansen saw You Que's true face, he was so shocked that he spat out a mouthful of water and let out a deafening cough.
When the customers at the next table frowned and looked in the direction of the sound, they saw a female soldier bending over and covering her mouth with her hands, coughing with her face red and neck thick. Sitting opposite the table was a male insect in a gray suit. Not only was his face covered with pockmarks, but there was also a red and swollen wound on his cheek that had not healed. It was really unbearable for the insect to look at.
A burst of surprised voices rang out from all around:
"Oh, God of Insects, that male insect is so ugly."
"My eyes are starting to hurt."
"I bet there's no other male insect uglier than him in the town of Saint-Riez."
You Que, who was at the center of public opinion, seemed exceptionally calm. He drank a glass of water, then put on his black mask again and said to Hansen across the table, "Sorry, I scared you."
Hansen was still in shock. He never expected You Que to be so ugly. He waved his hands awkwardly. He regretted coming here for a blind date. He felt like there was a nail under his butt and was fidgeting: "I'm sorry, sir... I was rude just now..." You Que said the same thing: "It's okay."
Hansen forced out a smile that was uglier than crying when he heard that. He stopped talking as he had just now. Thinking of the scar on You Que's face, he asked unwillingly, "You... Is the redness and swelling on your face caused by allergies? Didn't you go to the hospital for treatment?"
You Que's next words directly extinguished the little fire in his heart: "The hospital said it can't be cured."
Hansen fell silent.
So You Que knew that this blind date was off. In order to avoid embarrassment for both parties, he pretended to look up at the time and said to Hansen: "Sorry, I suddenly remembered that I have some things to deal with, so I may have to leave early."
Hansen forced a smile: "It's okay, you go first."
You Que nodded, pulled out his chair, stood up and left, and before leaving he even asked the waiter to pay the bill. Hansen watched his tall and handsome figure disappear outside the restaurant's glass door, feeling a little regretful and a little lost, as if he had missed something.
You Que had experienced several failed matchmaking experiences in the village before, so he seemed quite skilled in handling this kind of situation. After leaving the restaurant, he walked straight towards home, but he didn't expect that the investigator from the marriage agency was also observing the situation at the next table. When he saw You Que leaving, he quickly chased after him: "Sir! Please wait a moment!"
You Que had already walked quite far away. Fortunately, he had sharp hearing and turned back subconsciously. He then realized that the bug that called him looked familiar, like the investigator who had come to see him that day. "Who are you...?"
The investigator panted and said, "Mr. Eugene, I am the investigator who is responsible for arranging blind dates for you. I saw that you and Mr. Hansen seemed unhappy just now. What happened between you?"
You Que didn't like dealing with such trivial after-sales service, so he said casually, "Nothing, just a personality incompatibility."
Upon hearing this, the investigator quickly pulled out a micro terminal from his jacket pocket, turned on the screen and drew a cross behind Hansen's name: "Sir, do you have any requirements for your future partner? This will make it easier for us to arrange a second blind date for you later."
You Que said calmly: "No."
Investigator: “Ah?”
You Que: "I'm fine with it, you can arrange it as you like."
You Que is telling the truth, he can do anything.
When You Que was working as a driver in the village, others told him that it was good enough if he could find a job after serving time in prison, and it didn't matter if the salary was low. The same thing happened when he went on a blind date later. You's father said that no girl would be willing to marry a man with a criminal record, so just find someone to live with, don't be picky.
It seems that he should not complain about this, because he chose the path of stealing and he should accept the consequences.
Growing up, You Que had very few choices. He didn't want a father who never came home from work, nor a mother who eloped and left home, and he didn't want to learn to steal from the village hooligans at a young age just to make a living.
Later, time passed quickly and they grew up in the blink of an eye. The father who left home that year returned home in glory with his beautiful wife and young son, and the mother who eloped also found another stable home. Only You Que grew up with a bad temper.
He turned his life into a puddle of mud. Everyone else took the right path, but he was the only one forgotten in that remote mountain village, left behind by time and gradually becoming unrecognizable.
You Que couldn’t be saved, and the only thought left in his mind for the rest of his days was “live well”.
"It will be all right."
You Que repeated it again in a low voice.
Men can do it, women can do it, humans can do it, insects can do it, it’s all up to you.
As soon as he finished speaking, his face felt a little colder. He looked up and found that the sky had become overcast and rain was dripping down.
You Que remembered to bring an umbrella when he went out today, but he still got wet in the rain. There was no point in going back to the restaurant now, so he might as well go home early. Seeing this, he walked directly into the rain curtain, and the slanting raindrops fell on his shoulders, soaking a dark wet mark on his light gray suit. The insects like bright colors, and the insects around who were taking shelter from the rain came and went in a hurry, only his clothes were dark.
When You Que returned downstairs to his home, he was already soaked by the rain. He was about to go upstairs when he suddenly discovered a farce taking place in the rain not far away, and the initiators were the two little hooligans, Gui Gu and John.
"Ouch, my leg, it hurts so much! You are so blind when you walk, you hurt me and you still want to run away?!"
"That's right...that's right! Pay, pay, pay...pay the money!"
Guigu's business was extensive, not limited to theft. He and John had committed so many thefts that the residents nearby remembered their faces, so their only source of income was fraud. He had finally encountered a stranger from another place today, so there was no reason to let him go.
When You Que walked over, he saw Guigu sitting in the rain with his legs hugged, wailing, while John grabbed a female insect by the collar and stammered, demanding compensation.
The female insect was thin, with long grey hair braided into a high ponytail, and her fair face was too pretty to fit in with this poor town. He was dressed very simply, the letter decoration on his white short-sleeved shirt had faded, and he was carrying a travel bag with badly frayed edges.
I'm very poor, there's no need to lie.
After about three seconds of observation, You Que came to the above conclusion. He usually steals from rich people, and never steals from poor people, because it would be a waste of effort. But it is obvious that Gui Gu does not have such a keen eye. He is still hugging his knees and shouting on the ground, and has never considered the possibility that the female insect in front of him is poorer than him.
Fortunately, it rained today, so there were no insects around.
Guigu was a conscientious actor. The rain did not affect his performance. He lay on the ground and kept shouting for compensation. However, before he could get any, a cold voice suddenly sounded above his head:
"If you don't get up from the ground, I'll be rude to you."
Gu Yigu paused when he heard this and subconsciously opened his eyes to look, only to see You Que had walked to his side at some point. Although he was wearing a mask, his narrow eyes still couldn't hide his indifference, which made him tremble all over.
Guigu shrank back in fear for a moment, then he became confident again: "I just remembered, look at my legs! How can I get rid of them after falling like this?!"
Following the direction of his finger, he saw a bloodstain on the knee of his pants, which looked like a serious injury. But only You Que knew that Gui Gu had put a blood bag on his knee in advance, which broke when he fell.
You Que didn't like nonsense. Hearing this, he moved the tip of his shoe slightly and kicked directly at the numb tendon in his leg. The next second, Gu Yigu jumped up from the ground like a rabbit. This time, he felt really painful and numb. He held his calf and screamed in pain: "Ouch, ouch! My leg! My leg!"
You Que said calmly: "Sir, it seems your leg is fine, just walk a few more steps and it will be fine."
After he finished speaking, he turned to look at John and narrowed his eyes. The latter sensed the warning aura from You Que and quickly let go of the female insect that was hit, and quickly stepped back three steps to prove his innocence.
The female insect didn't react at all from beginning to end. The cold rain slowly slid down his pale face, dripped down his chin into his neck, and finally disappeared through the gap in his tattered collar.
Even though the man had fair skin, gray hair, silver eyes, and was wearing clean white clothes, he still exuded an indescribable eerie aura as he was enveloped in the endless rain.
(End of this chapter)