Chapter 1: Yeah, I'm Thirty

“Miss Li, I’m not bragging, but my family is considered quite prominent in this city. While it’s true that you’re not bad-looking and have a high level of education, once you enter our family, you won’t be able to go out and show your face like this anymore. Our family doesn’t need you to earn any money; you just need to stay home, be well-behaved, and focus on supporting your husband and raising the children…” Blah, blah, blah…

Li Hong resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She had been sitting here for over an hour, listening to this greasy, powdered man brag for over an hour. Even so, she still had to maintain a smile on her face, and it had made her face go stiff. She sighed and touched her cheeks. Was she really getting old?

Thirty. Yes, thirty. She had reached the milestone of thirty, yet she still wasn’t married. Her family was pushing her hard; going on a few blind dates a month was considered light. But she looked again at the man in front of her, who was looking down his nose at her, and she truly didn’t understand—couldn’t they give her a normal man?

She propped up her chin. The fly buzzing in her ear was still flying around, humming incessantly, so incredibly annoying.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, her mind already beginning to wander into the void.

She didn’t know how many hours she had endured, but finally, this "phoenix man" finished talking. Perhaps seeing Li Hong yawning incessantly, he snorted through his nose, pulled a long face, and left. Oh, and he left without paying the bill.

Li Hong resignedly took her wallet out of her bag. Looking at the bill the waiter handed over, she couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. Sigh, five hundred—exactly two "two-hundred-and-fifties."

She paid the bill and listlessly grabbed her bag, preparing to head home. But just as she reached her doorstep, her feet felt as if they had been nailed to the ground; she couldn’t move another step.

Her mother would definitely chase after her, asking, "How did it go? The person your aunt introduced must be great. He’s one in a hundred, with a good family background, a good job, and he’s good-looking too. You’re already at this age, don’t be so picky anymore. Be careful, or you’ll end up with no one wanting you."

If she dared to say one bad thing, her mother’s expression would likely change. Then, looking at her younger brother standing to the side, gloating, and her sister-in-law—who only grew in cunning, not in height—she felt the urge to just run headfirst into a wall.

It was just that she was a bit older and unmarried; why did they look at her as if she were some rotten radish or spoiled sweet potato? Their gazes were just so uncomfortable.

Forget it. She hoisted her bag onto her shoulder, took out her phone, and scrolled until she found a number.

"Is that you, Xiaoxiao? I’m coming over to crash at your place tonight."

After making the call, she looked at her home, which was right in front of her, and sighed again. They say Great Yu passed his own door three times without entering; she didn’t know how many times she had passed her own door in these three years without going in. She wondered who had it worse.

Once inside her best friend Wang Xiaoxiao’s home, she tossed her bag aside and flopped onto the sofa, completely lacking any decorum.

A woman wearing loungewear walked out, her hair uncombed and her face unwashed. With her sleepy-eyed appearance, it was clear she had been up all night. She placed a plate on the table, which held a few half-rotten apples.

Li Hong reached out and grabbed one. "Did you wash these?"

The woman shook her head, and only after a slow beat did she say, "Oh, I forgot."