GAW: WHITE 1

Translator: Abo Dammen

"Male, 30 years old, with handsome features and a height of 180cm. A graduate of an American Ivy League university with a master's degree in finance, and is an elite returnee from abroad earning an annual salary in the millions. He owns a house and a car, both fully paid with no loans. Currently seeking a male companion with the following requirements: similar age, pleasant facial features, at least a bachelor's degree, a legitimate and stable career, preferably in public institutions or as a civil servant, a gentle personality, and ideally, someone who can cook. Interested parties, please contact 1520501XXXX. No women, please."

That familiar flyer style, that factory assembly line-like resume—it was as if without an Ivy League pedigree, one would be too embarrassed to even work as a scammer.

He Ruifeng was speechless. "...Mom, where did this little flyer come from?"

Ms. Lai Xuefen replied, "Where else could it be from?"

He Ruifeng: "..."

For the past six months, He Ruifeng's parents, Ms. Lai Xuefen and Mr. He Yongkang, had made a regular Thursday afternoon pilgrimage at 4:30 PM to the [tn content=matchmaking corner at Renmin Park.]I’m not sure if you guys are aware of this but this is an actual thing in China[/tn]

At this hour, the parents representing their children in heterosexual matchmaking were mostly packing up to go home and cook. It was during this twilight period, when the light was fading but not yet dark, that the very few parents seeking same-sex matches for their children began to appear.

They wore masks, held A4 papers, occasionally huddled together, exchanged information in low voices, searching for a destined match.

Of all the matchmaking corners in People's Parks across the country, perhaps only theirs was surreal enough to feature same-sex matchmaking.

These persistently devoted parents, even after accepting their children's "non-standard" sexual orientation, still could not accept their children being single.

"A person must start a family!" declared Ms. Lai Xuefen. "A grown man of 31, living with his old parents every day, what kind of look is that?! Hurry up and find a partner, and go live your own life!"

He Ruifeng was a bit indignant. "What 'every day'? I only come home on weekends."

During the five weekdays, He Ruifeng lived in a smaller apartment near his workplace. Even though he was only home two days a week, his parents found him annoying. Finally, six months ago, having learned from who-knows-where that the Renmin Park matchmaking corner had a same-sex section, they swiftly drafted a copy, formatted it, printed it, and began their weekly Thursday expeditions to the People's Park.

Families willing to accept their children's atypical sexuality were exceedingly rare. Those willing to actively seek partners for them were even rarer. Consequently, in these past six months, only three candidates had met Ms. Lai Xuefen's standards.

He Ruifeng had met all three.

He had always been obedient to his parents, rarely defying them. Despite his athletic background and tall, rebellious appearance, his personality was the opposite of his looks—he had been compliant since childhood. Even though he disliked the blind dates, he went to each one.

But this time was different.

He Ruifeng: "It's 100% a scam. You absolutely must not contact them!"

His mom: "Too late."

He Ruifeng: "..."

He Ruifeng looked to his dad, who was admiring a freshly brewed jasmine tea in his glass cup, watching the pale green leaves slowly unfurl in the hot water, a truly beautiful sight.

He Yongkang inhaled the fragrance, intoxicated. "What's there to panic about?" he said leisurely. "Your mother has already been in touch with the other parents. I listened in, it seems very reliable to me."

"Exactly!" His mom sat on the sofa, picked up the remote control with the air of a general directing a battle, leaving no room for argument. "Your father and I both have the anti-fraud app installed on our phones. No wire transfers, no clicking suspicious links. How could we possibly be scammed? Saturday, 6:30 PM, at Yun Jing Pavilion. Our two families will meet for dinner."

He Ruifeng was stunned. Wait, it's already come to a family meeting?

Just as he was about to speak, his mom clicked the TV on and deftly selected a historical romance drama. "I'm watching TV now, no more noise!"

He Ruifeng had no choice but to shut up.

On Saturday afternoon, Ms. Lai Xuefen and Mr. He Yongkang dressed meticulously and set off for the banquet with great solemnity.

He Ruifeng, in a black hoodie, jeans, and sneakers, stuffed his phone into his pocket and was ready to go.

His father, in polished leather shoes, and his mother, clutching an elegant clutch bag, both swept him with looks of utter disdain.

Pretending not to see, He Ruifeng got into his little BYD electric car, started it, and the family set off.

Yun Jing Pavilion was a well-established, upscale restaurant in the city center, which was notoriously congested at that time. They had left early, but an accident causing a long traffic jam made them rush to arrive exactly on time.

Worried about being late and about finding parking on a Saturday, He Ruifeng's parents went upstairs first, leaving him to park the car.

Unexpectedly, He Ruifeng found a spot almost immediately as another car was leaving. He quickly parked, took the elevator up, found the private room based on the number his parents gave him, and soon stood outside its door.

Just then, he heard arguing from inside.

The door wasn't fully closed. Standing there, He Ruifeng overheard everything, feeling extremely awkward.

"Absurd!" A man's voice, suppressed and furious. "How could you deceive me like this?! How could you print my personal information on flyers and hand them out everywhere!"

He Ruifeng's heart sank. This is bad.

It seemed his parents hadn't found the room yet, and the other family was already in conflict.

A woman's voice, gentle and soft, replied, "I didn't hand them out 'everywhere.' I only showed your information after speaking with the parents and finding their son's condition very good, very suitable for you."

"Suitable? Suitable for whom? Since when do you know my requirements? You just meet a random person on the street and think they're 'very good'?"

The woman's voice remained calm. "He has a proper job, a university degree... He's perfectly fine. I'm sure you'll get along."

The man laughed coldly, sounding almost hysterical. "A university degree? From which university? A 211 or 985? Master's or PhD? What would we even talk about? Could he keep up with me? Discuss financing or investments? The markets or risks?!"

Standing outside the door, He Ruifeng, a graduate of a standard, non-prestigious university, fell silent. Well... Even he had to admit the gap between his own background and an Ivy League master's was vast. He couldn't blame the guy for being angry.

"Oh, you're looking for a partner, not a colleague—"

"I've told you countless times, I'm not looking for a partner! I'm perfectly fine on my own. I don't need to find someone just to 'make do' and live a monotonous, predetermined life!"

"People need social interaction, it's good for mental health, sweetie. You—"

He Ruifeng could feel the person inside was nearing their breaking point.

"I am a loner! Unsociable, dull, gloomy! Being in a romantic relationship makes me feel sick, nauseous! I'm begging you, Mom, stop making these arrangements on your own. I don't want to have this meal. I'm leaving."

He Ruifeng immediately turned to leave, wanting to avoid the inevitable awkward face-to-face encounter.

So, it seemed the guy really was an Ivy League graduate with a Master's in Finance. It was all true. How on earth did Ms. Lai Xuefen manage to find a "golden catch" at the People's Park?

The problem was, this "catch" clearly wanted nothing to do with him.

He Ruifeng had only taken a few steps when he heard his parents' voices coming from around the corner down the hall.

"Ugh, I told you the room was '[tn content=Qing He]Clear Lotus[/tn]', you insisted it was '[tn content=Bai Lian]White Lotus[/tn]'!"

"...It’s a bit...similar..." his father seemed to be muttering in defense.

"I said we should wait for the waiter to guide us, but you had to show off..."

To appear elegant, the restaurant used poetic names like "Clear Lotus," "Mountain Camellia," and "Golden Osmanthus" instead of straightforward numbers like 503 or 607. This had confused Lai Xuefen and He Yongkang, causing them to get lost.

He Ruifeng, having already heard far too much, was now caught between a rock and a hard place as his parents finally arrived.

Thinking quickly, he called out loudly, "Mom, Dad, 'Qing He' is here!"

His parents turned the corner and saw him. "You found it faster than us," his mom said.

When He Ruifeng turned back, he saw a young man standing outside the "Qing He" room. Dressed in a well-fitted suit, neat tie, and impeccable hairstyle, he carried a black leather briefcase and was staring dumbfounded at He Ruifeng.

He Ruifeng was equally stunned.

The flyer hadn't contained a single lie or exaggeration.

"Handsome" was an understatement. He was truly striking, even beautiful. His posture was erect, like a sculptor's perfect work or a flawless white-collar elite from a magazine. His distinguished aura immediately betrayed an exceptionally fine education.

No wonder he was furious.

Someone like him had no need for his mother to distribute flyers for him at the People's Park matchmaking corner. He belonged at galas, cocktail parties, and art salons, meeting elites of his own caliber.

So why was he here, on a blind date with an ordinary elementary school PE teacher like He Ruifeng?

It was so unbelievable that He Ruifeng wondered if he had the wrong room or the wrong person.

The young man's mother, probably noticing him frozen at the door, peeked out and beamed. "Oh, you're here!"

He Ruifeng's mother hurried forward. "So sorry, the traffic was terrible. Have you been waiting long?"

The young man's mother, with long curly hair and a dress, was a beauty. She took Lai Xuefen's hand affectionately. "Weekend evening traffic is always bad. We just arrived ourselves! Chengning, come inside, don't just stand there foolishly."

The young man named Chengning was still staring at He Ruifeng, his shock unmistakably evident.

Chengning.

Soft music drifted through the restaurant corridor, the carefully designed lighting illuminated the young man's handsome features. Both families were dressed up for the occasion, and the unknowing young man was in an expensive suit. He Ruifeng subconsciously tugged at his hoodie, feeling out of place. He never imagined he would meet Deng Chengning again, of all people, in this place, at this time, under the circumstance of a blind date.

Deng Chengning murmured, "...He Ruifeng?"

The three parents ushered the two blind date participants into the private room, the atmosphere buzzing with cheerful, forced excitement.

Lai Xuefen exclaimed happily, "To think your Chengning actually remembers He Ruifeng!"

Chengning's mother was equally pleased. "See, I told you! How could old classmates not recognize each other?! They were even in the same class! Brother Feng's mom and I agreed not to tell you in advance, to give you a surprise!"

It was indeed a tremendous surprise.

He Ruifeng was so shocked that he hadn't recovered even after the meal ended.

He observed that Deng Chengning seemed even more thunderstruck, his face several shades paler, which made his eyebrows appear darker and his lips redder.

Did someone this good-looking really need to be on a blind date?

It had been over ten years since they graduated high school. They had only been classmates for one year in high school before streaming into Arts/Science tracks. The fact that Deng Chengning could still recall He Ruifeng's name today was not only unexpected but also made He Ruifeng feel a kind of flattered trepidation.

That He Ruifeng remembered Deng Chengning was only natural. He was certain that if you gathered their former classmates, or even anyone from their grade, the vast majority would still remember Deng Chengning.

This was Deng Chengning, after all.

During high school, Deng Chengning was the renowned top student and school heartthrob, a celebrated figure and an unattainable "flower on a high peak" at Experimental High School! His secret admirers were as numerous as fish in a river. Yet, reportedly, not a single one had ever caught Deng Chengning's eye.

He and his friends had once speculated as to what kind of person could possibly be worthy of Deng Chengning's affection?

The school beauty was rejected. The student ranked 5th in the grade was rejected.

They heard even a senior who won a provincial first prize in the Physics Olympiad confessed to Deng Chengning and was also rejected!

The beautiful, the highly intelligent, the opposite sex, the same sex—all had been rejected by Deng Chengning.

They had concluded that Deng Chengning was waiting for the [tn content=gaokao]college entrance exam[/tn] to end, to go to a top-tier university and find a top-tier partner, to live the elite life featured in magazines.

They had even used this to comfort their friend Lin Qi, who had a crush on Deng Chengning, "Why are you upset about ranking 485th? Look, even the 5th rank and the award winner got rejected! So, don't kill yourself studying. Even if you reached 5th place, there'd still be no hope."

Lin Qi's study-weary heart had been considerably warmed by this.

If Lin Qi found out that He Ruifeng, who ranked 524th in their grade back then, was now on a blind date with Deng Chengning... then—

What extraordinary virtue did He Ruifeng possess to deserve becoming Deng Chengning's blind date?!

Damn.

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Author’s Feed:

Deng Chengning isn't an academic snob, he was just angry.

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Translator’s Feed:

Another new story out here~! Quick warning, the shou is indeed kinda paranoid. It will show in the later chapters so I’m already giving you guys a heads up just in case. But I love them both so much so I hope you trust me on this one.