They surrounded me right after the breakup.

Liu Meng ordered a glass of iced water and sent a message to Jiang Han: "I've arrived. You can sit at the next table."

Jiang Han replied with an OK.

Liu Meng turned her phone face down on the table, picked up her water glass, and took a sip.

Jiang Han arrived 10 minutes earlier than the agreed time, wearing a dark gray shirt with the top two buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up to his forearms.

The two exchanged glances but remained silent.

Jiang Han sat down at the table to the right and behind Liu Meng, ordered a pot of Biluochun tea, and slowly looked through the menu.

At 2:50, a man in a dark blue suit appeared at the restaurant entrance.

She was even thinner than in the photos Liu Meng's mother sent, her hair was styled with hair gel and combed meticulously, and she was carrying a briefcase.

He stood at the doorway, glanced around, and then walked towards Liu Meng's table.

The leather shoes stomped on the marble floor, each step heavy and forceful.

"Miss Liu?" Gu Mingzhe stopped in front of the table and extended his hand.

"Sorry to keep you waiting! I was looking for a parking space in the parking lot, and the spaces here are 15 centimeters narrower than the standard ones."

Looking at the boy's outstretched hand, Liu Meng instinctively resisted physical contact, refusing even to shake hands.

Gu Mingzhe froze on the spot and could only awkwardly retract his words.

After he sat down, he placed his briefcase on the corner of the table and took out a transparent folder from it.

A stack of bound printed materials, with the title "Personal Circumstances Overview" printed on the cover.

Below the title is a subtitle: Feasibility Analysis of Starting a Family.

"I'm used to being prepared when I do things." Gu Mingzhe pushed the folder towards Liu Meng.

"Inside are my asset certificates, credit report, medical examination report, and family expense budget."

"Miss Liu, please feel free to look through it and ask me anytime if you have any questions."

Liu Meng frowned slightly but didn't touch the folder.

Even if she hasn't met many men, she can still tell that her blind date is an oddball.

She glanced out of the corner of her eye toward the Jianghan River.

It was clear that Jiang Han's lips were curving into a smile as he tried hard to suppress it.

Liu Meng put down her water glass: "Mr. Gu is very meticulous in his work."

"Thank you, it's just a professional habit." Gu Mingzhe flipped open the menu and scanned it from top to bottom.

"This restaurant's pricing is unreasonable! A Caesar salad costs 180, but the cost can't exceed 30."

Liu Meng completely lost interest and was glad that she had found Jiang Han to help her beforehand.

She picked up the menu, flipped through it casually, and ordered a pasta dish.

Liu Meng placed her hands on the table, adopting a clear defensive posture.

Gu Mingzhe also closed the menu and leaned forward slightly.

"Before we officially get to know each other, I'd like to clarify a few basic questions."

"Ms. Liu, are you usually busy with work? How many days a week do you typically work overtime?"

"Busy! Overtime depends on the situation; sometimes we're working non-stop."

Gu Mingzhe nodded: "I'm also very busy, so my thoughts are very clear."

"After marriage, someone in the family needs to focus on the family."

"My second question is, when do you plan to have children?"

Liu Meng paused, her hand holding the water glass still: "Mr. Gu, this is our first meeting."

"Precisely because it's our first meeting, we should put the core issues on the table and discuss them clearly."

Gu Mingzhe's tone was very steady, as steady as if he were giving a roadshow.

"Considering you're 28 this year... Of course, I'm not saying you're old, but considering the preparation period for pregnancy plus maternity leave recovery, if you could have two children..."

"I don't plan to have two children," Liu Meng interrupted.

"This is a big topic, we can discuss it in more depth after we get to know each other better."

Gu Mingzhe pulled a document from his briefcase: "One last question, what are your plans for your MCN company after the marriage?"

"Of course we'll continue."

"My suggestion is to hand it over to a professional team." He turned the document over and pushed it in front of Liu Meng.

"I've analyzed the business model of MCNs, and to put it bluntly, it's about traffic arbitrage."

"Female entrepreneurs are inherently at a disadvantage in terms of energy allocation."

"And to be honest, it's a bit awkward for someone your age to still be on the front lines overseeing business."

"If you feel you can't let go of the company, you can have the baby first and then gradually hand over the responsibilities during your maternity leave. I know a few reliable professional managers."

A coughing sound came from the next table, as if someone had choked on their tea.

Out of the corner of her eye, Liu Meng saw Jiang Han wiping his mouth with a napkin, his shoulders shaking.

Liu Meng withdrew her gaze from the corner of her eye and looked at Gu Mingzhe again.

She suddenly felt she had nothing more to say.

From the moment this person sat down until now, every word he has said has crossed her bottom line.

Let her go home, let her have a baby, and let her hand over the company.

They disliked her because she was too old and because she was still working hard.

What's even more frustrating is that Gu Mingzhe didn't do it on purpose.

He genuinely believes that these words are out of consideration for you and represent a process of mutual understanding.

Liu Meng spoke up: "You just said you measured the width of the parking spaces in the parking lot?"

"Yes, a deviation of 15 centimeters."

"Did you measure the cheongsam I'm wearing today?"

Gu Mingzhe was stunned for a moment.

"The subtle pattern around the neckline took two days to embroider; this entire garment took three weeks to make!"

"What do you see when you wear this?"

Gu Mingzhe opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"You've seen a 28-year-old female entrepreneur who needs to get married and have children as soon as possible," Liu Meng said, her voice growing louder.

"So you're talking to me about the pre-pregnancy period, maternity leave recovery, and the handover of professional management roles."

"You don't care what this cheongsam looks like, nor do you care how Wangyue Culture survived the layoffs."

"You brought all sorts of supporting documents and reports, but you didn't even ask me if I was tired!"

Gu Mingzhe's ears turned red.

"Miss Liu, I think you might have some misunderstandings about me..."

"Will this ever end?!"

Before Liu Meng could speak, a voice interrupted her from the next table.

Gu Mingzhe turned his head and saw a man in a dark gray shirt pull out a chair and stand up.

"Who are you?"

Jiang Han did not answer him, but walked straight to Liu Meng's side, pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Shall we go?"

Liu Meng looked up at him, and in that brief moment of eye contact, the corner of his mouth still held the smile he had been holding back when he was trying to suppress a laugh.

But when he asked if we were leaving, his eyes were serious.

Jiang Han is waiting for her.

She picked up her bag, stood up, and glanced down at Gu Mingzhe, who was still frozen in the chair.

"Idiot!"

Liu Meng rarely curses, but her pent-up emotions kept building up, and only a single shout of traditional Chinese opera could relieve them.

Behind him came Gu Mingzhe's surprised exclamation, his tone finally changing from calm to urgent.

"Why are you swearing? What do you mean by this? How am I supposed to explain this to Aunt Zhang?"

"You brought a man to a blind date, do you know you're wasting my time?"

Liu Meng did not turn around.

Her high heels clicked lightly in the mall corridor.

Jiang Han held her right hand, his palm warm and strong.

It took Liu Meng a dozen seconds to walk from the restaurant to the elevator, and her heart was pounding in her throat.

She sat facing Gu Mingzhe for nearly forty minutes without panicking.

Now that I've stepped out of that door, my heart is pounding with anxiety.