27: A single flower

Fang Hanyu said, "You are a man, you pick a place. You should be more generous and find a high-end restaurant for a meal."

Wu Fan thought for a moment and said, "Alright, how about the Haidao Grand Hotel? We'll meet in the lobby at eleven o'clock."

"Sounds good."

After hanging up the phone, Wu Fan was somewhat lost in thought.

What exactly was Fang Hanyu thinking? Why was she so actively participating in his blind dating activities?

After all, they already had a different kind of relationship; didn't she care about that at all?

Perhaps she genuinely hoped that Wu Fan could remarry and live a good life?

Wu Fan checked the time, then got up and slowly walked toward the Haidao Grand Hotel.

Since he had agreed to treat them to a meal, he figured he might as well go early and order the dishes in advance, to avoid a long wait later.

The Haidao Grand Hotel was considered the best hotel on the island. When typhoons struck and fishing boats entered the harbor for shelter, the ship captains liked to stay and dine at the Haidao Grand Hotel.

The hotel had 17 floors: the lobby, breakfast hall, and front desk were on the first floor; the restaurant was on the second floor; the KTV was on the top floor; and the rest were guest rooms.

Wu Fan remembered the first time he came here was when he married Liu Yue and held their wedding banquet.

He never imagined that his next step inside the hotel would be for a blind date.

If he didn't have the cash-back system, it would be impossible for him to eat here.

The consumption here was extraordinarily high; based on his previous financial standing, how could he afford it?

Wu Fan booked a small private room, ordered a table full of excellent dishes, and sat alone playing a few rounds of Honor of Kings.

His gaming skill was decent; he was considered an old player.

However, he wasn't addicted now like he was when he first started playing. He only played when he had free time, and once he reached the King tier, he would stop.

There were simply too many feeder players; continuing to play was tiring and time-consuming.

The first thing he did after entering the game was to deposit one hundred thousand yuan, then frantically buy skins and open treasure chests.

Wu Zetian and Ying Zheng were definitely acquired first.

In no time, his VIP level reached V10.

He looked at his bank card; it still had 185,000, meaning the cash-back had definitely been processed.

Playing games was indeed the best way to pass the time; it felt like no time had passed at all.

Seeing that it was already 10:45, he stopped playing. If he started another round and it turned into a long battle, being late would be impolite.

He got up and walked toward the first-floor lobby.

The Waitress at the door asked, "Boss, when should we start serving the dishes?"

"Start serving at 11:10."

"Understood."

Wu Fan sat down on a sofa in the lobby, pulled out a cigarette, and had just taken a puff when the alarm automatically sounded, followed by a voice prompt: "Smoking is prohibited in this lobby. Please cooperate. Thank you."

Wu Fan had no choice but to get up and walk to the parking lot entrance, where he smoked in a sunny corner.

Soon enough, he saw Fang Hanyu and a tall woman walking toward the lobby.

Presumably, this was the so-called The Flower of the Cafeteria.

Wu Fan looked up and appraised her: she was appropriately dressed, had a delicate face, fair skin, and looked quite lovely.

He was certain that Fang Hanyu and she would not spot him from this location, as he was in a corner facing the opposite direction.

So he stared somewhat brazenly.

The Flower of the Cafeteria stood beside Fang Hanyu; her figure, temperament, and appearance were in no way inferior, but when it came to flirtatiousness, Fang Hanyu still had a slight edge.

This might also be because Wu Fan had experienced Fang Hanyu's myriad charms, causing instant visual associations in his mind.

Perhaps after intimate contact with The Flower of the Cafeteria someday, he might find her femininity equally abundant.

Wu Fan watched the two of them walk into the lobby and look around. Soon, his phone rang: "Wu Fan, where are you? We're here."

"I see you. I was smoking by the entrance, but I'm walking over now."

Fang Hanyu looked back, finally spotted Wu Fan coming around the corner, and waved.

Wu Fan quickened his pace, walked into the lobby, glanced at The Flower of the Cafeteria, smiled slightly, and nodded in greeting.

The Flower of the Cafeteria's cheeks flushed, and she looked pleasantly surprised. Clearly, her first impression of Wu Fan was favorable.

Wu Fan said, "Let's go. Private Room 218 on the second floor. The dishes have already been ordered."

The three of them went up the spiral staircase.

After they were seated in the private room, the dishes began to arrive one after another.

As the matchmaker, Fang Hanyu introduced them to each other.

The Flower of the Cafeteria's real name was Pan Shiting, and she had only been divorced for a little over a year.

Her former husband had been seeing someone else outside, and after dragging it on for several years and refusing to break it off, she finally divorced him when she couldn't take it anymore.

She had a six-year-old daughter who was awarded to her. Primarily, she truly couldn't bear to give up custody of her daughter.

Her cousin was the school's vice principal, who arranged for her to work in the cafeteria, which was considered a stable job.

Her salary was not high; after deducting social security, she took home about 3,500 yuan per month.

Wu Fan didn't mind her job; after all, he was just an ordinary bus driver. As long as their personalities were compatible, that was enough.

The most crucial point was that Wu Fan had no intention of getting married. If she was willing to date first, they could proceed, as long as she didn't rush him into marriage.

Fang Hanyu looked at Wu Fan with a slightly strange expression and said, "Pan Shiting is highly sought after at our school; several male teachers are interested in her."

Pan Shiting said shyly, "The teachers at school are just joking. Why would they be interested in me?"

Fang Hanyu interjected, "You are so beautiful. Which man wouldn't take a second look when he sees you? What do you say, Wu Fan?"

Wu Fan said cheekily, "She is indeed beautiful, just like a Young girl who hasn't been married."

Upon hearing this, Pan Shiting blushed slightly and chuckled, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

Wu Fan looked at her and felt a certain degree of affection.

Fang Hanyu, sitting next to Wu Fan, suddenly kicked him lightly with her foot and said, "Wu Fan, you two should add each other on wechat. I'm just the matchmaker; how things progress depends on you two working things out, right?"

Wu Fan glanced at Fang Hanyu without changing his expression, but she acted as if nothing happened, picking up a piece of fried tofu with her chopsticks and eating it.

Pan Shiting looked at Wu Fan very shyly but did not speak.

Wu Fan then took out his phone and proactively added her on wechat.

For the rest of the time, everyone just chatted casually without discussing anything related to marriage, which made Wu Fan feel quite relaxed.

Wu Fan dreaded talking about how salary would be handled after marriage, whether they should hold a wedding banquet, or if he should give the "three golds" during blind dates—it gave him a headache.

They hadn't even started dating yet; what was the point of discussing these things?

Perhaps some women cared a lot about these material things, especially since it was a second marriage.

However, Pan Shiting was quite smart. She didn't specifically ask Wu Fan about his salary, why he divorced, or how his child was doing—none of those detailed questions.

She simply responded with smiles, and Wu Fan was quite satisfied with her demeanor.

However, it was also possible that Fang Hanyu had already told her some specific details about Wu Fan.

After the meal, Wu Fan went to the bar to pay the bill.

As they walked down to the lobby together, his phone rang...