Starting with Proficiency Panel-Chapter 527: See the real deal at noon tomorrow (new book content)

"Hello, are you Chen Chencheng?"

Chen Chencheng looked up at Li Qing, her big eyes moved slightly. She stood up, quickly sized him up, and then extended her hand, saying, "I am. You must be Li Qing?"

"I am."

After Li Qing nodded and shook hands with Chen Chencheng, they both sat down and ordered food.

Chen Chencheng said directly, "Shall I get straight to the point?"

Li Qing, who was dipping tripe, nodded without any surprise, "Please do."

"Do you have a car?"

"... Recently, the bike chain broke, so I just left it in the apartment and haven't used it since."

Li Qing answered casually, his attention fully focused on the tripe in his chopsticks.

Hmm, it's almost ready to eat. Tripe should be eaten a bit crunchy, just enough with a quick dip.

He fished out the tripe, dipped it in the oil sauce, and put it into his mouth, revealing a hint of satisfaction.

Not bad.

Chen Chencheng noted Li Qing's nonchalant focus on eating hotpot, slightly furrowed her brow, then relaxed and continued following the set procedure she had previously searched online.

"Do you have savings?"

"I have over 200,000 in savings."

In his thirties, as long as he worked diligently after graduation and saved a bit here and there, it's possible to save up this much in seven or eight years.

He was ready to pay the down payment for a second-hand apartment in Shu Capital, even if it's small and old. Although the apartment was a bit shabby, the surrounding amenities were well-developed, and the price was within an affordable range, quite suitable for him.

Despite always regretting not meeting a girl to strive together with, life wouldn't truly be life without regrets.

After hearing Li Qing's answer, Chen Chencheng finally showed some interest. Watching as Li Qing nearly finished the tripe, she quickly picked up her chopsticks and placed a piece of tripe into the hotpot.

"I think that's fine."

"Huh?"

Li Qing paused, somewhat surprised, then slightly nodded, "Let's finish this meal then."

No point in wasting food after all.

Chen Chencheng remained noncommittal, feeling quite curious about Li Qing, who hadn't shown any emotional interest in her, in terms of even subtle microexpressions or gestures.

Usually, people, after seeing her appearance, get either nervous or overconfident, but no one had ever remained as calm as Li Qing.

"Do you know what my profession is?"

"Uh, I haven't checked, I'm not sure."

"I'm a psychologist."

Li Qing showed visible interest, "That's impressive."

Then he continued to focus on the hotpot.

Chen Chencheng raised an eyebrow, "It seems like you don't have high hopes for this blind date."

Li Qing was straightforward. At his age, there wasn't much time to play guessing games with girls.

"Yeah."

"I have seen your profile. There's not much fluctuation in your life trajectory."

"Mediocrity, right?"

Chen Chencheng nodded slightly, "Indeed."

Li Qing said, "Most Huaxia People, or rather, most people in the world, are like me. You, on the other hand, must have a good family background; I don't think you need to go on blind dates. Though you... uh, are almost twenty-seven, you probably have many suitors."

After swallowing the meat in his mouth, Li Qing fished another piece and submerged it in the oil sauce, "Most importantly, our backgrounds are different. Our spending habits aren't the same. I might haggle to save a few cents in a market, but you probably wouldn't bat an eye at spending thousands."

Li Qing spread his hands, "Though 'matching status' might not be prevalent apparently in the new century, it still exists."

Chen Chencheng showed a hint of surprise, "I didn't expect your self-awareness to be quite clear."

She sighed deeply, staring at Li Qing reminiscently, "When I was in school, a guy like you chased me for three years. I didn't agree, and finally, he gave up. Later, I found my life was filled with his shadows."

Li Qing, ready to put the meat in his mouth, paused, looking a bit serious.

"You're saying something a bit creepy. Maybe you should get a master to perform some magic!"

Chen Chencheng said, "No wonder you're decent-looking but still single."

Li Qing unreservedly replied, "And you're in the same boat. I heard you have mental issues, so you ended up on blind dates too."

Just kidding, since he decided that he wouldn't have much to do with Chen Chencheng, why bother showing her any courtesy?

It's not like he's eating their family's rice.

Chen Chencheng glared, switching to dialect in her frustration.

"Who the hell are you calling an idiot, talking like that?!"

Li Qing shrugged without replying, feigning interest, "I heard you haven't dated someone?"

"And you have?"

Li Qing was silent for a moment, seemingly reluctant to talk about it.

Seeing Li Qing's demeanor, Chen Chencheng became interested, "Tell me about it. You look quite puzzled. As a psychologist, I have some authority."

Li Qing, with a serious expression, said, "Back when I was living in Jinniu District, she and I were in bed. Then because the mining downstairs was stealing electricity, causing a huge power surge, a short circuit led to a fire. If she hadn't warned me, I might have perished in the flames with her."

Chen Chencheng was moved, "I see, what was her last warning?"

"Boom!"

Then came a deathly silence, even the couples eavesdropping nearby scrambled to grasp their things.

Chen Chencheng didn't immediately react, bewilderedly asking, "What does that mean?"

Li Qing shook his head, not intending to explain it to Chen Chencheng. If you don't understand the joke, saying anything wouldn't help, "It means nothing, let's quickly eat, I have things to do after this."

"During the holidays, alone in Shu Capital, what could you be doing?"

Chen Chencheng became increasingly dissatisfied with Li Qing. She had never encountered someone urging her to wrap it up before.

With subtle actions and a hint of urgency on his brow, Li Qing's honesty made it clear, he really had no interest in her whatsoever, not even a little.

For a self-proclaimed first-class beauty like her, this was a sudden psychological gap to overcome.

Leaning back in her chair with a cold smile, she looked at Li Qing, who looked rather gaunt.

"I've seen your photos, and three months ago, you didn't seem like this."

She leaned forward, maintaining a sense of pressure, "Are you consuming something special?"

Li Qing raised an eyebrow, wondering what her aggressive stance was aiming for.

He simply put down his chopsticks, frowning, "Are you a cop?"

"No."

"Did I pay you?"

"No."

Chen Chencheng frowned, "What are you trying to say?"

"Then why are you digging into my life? Even if you were, you're neither a cop nor a census taker, but you're acting like you're conducting an investigation."