"Why do you keep doing this?" CEO Zhang asked Zhang Wei angrily the moment he stepped into the house.
"I don't mean to be disrespectful, but I've told you time and time again that neither you nor my mother will choose my wife. Since you keep arranging these blind dates, then you should as well dress up and dine with them yourself," Zhang Wei said before taking off his tie.
"But you need to settle down," His mother chipped in.
"Need? No, I don't need to settle down. It's not my priority at the moment," Zhang Wei said before giving his mother a peck on her cheek.
"Why do you refuse to honor the dates? Do you not like any of the ladies? Are they not beautiful enough?" Madam Zhang asked with a frown.
"I've never even seen them, so I can't say whether or not I like them. But I can tell you that it's not about any of that. I simply want to fall in love and get married like a normal person," Zhang Wei told them.
He was tired and needed to rest, but he knew his parents well enough to know they wouldn't stop talking until he listened to them.
"How about we strike a deal? Three blind dates. If you don't fall in love with any of the ladies, then we will allow you to do as you please," CEO Zhang suggested.
"Honey, are you crazy? How can you make such a deal with him?" Madam Zhang asked her husband. She couldn't believe he was going to allow their son off that easily.
"Calm down. I will state the terms," He said, fixing his son with a look.
"You can't just back out without giving the ladies a fair chance. You have to attend the dates and spend a minimum of two hours with each lady," He added.
Zhang Wei was pretty sure he wasn't going to end up being interested in any of the ladies. Most of the ladies in their social circle were either too boring or had no sense.
He didn't like how they always acted all prim and proper. He wanted someone who could challenge him both intellectually and otherwise.
"So what do you say?" His father asked.
"I have a condition of my own," Zhang Wei said, looking at them both.
"Are you serious? Isn't your father being too generous already? What else do you want to add?" His mother asked, eyeing him wearily.
"I want to see their pictures first. I wouldn't say I like the idea of going on dates with faceless people. Show me pictures, and I'll decide if I like them enough to waste two hours of my time with them," Zhang Wei said before getting up.
As far as he was concerned, he had compromised enough already. If they refused to accept his terms, then they could kiss their chances at choosing his wife goodbye.
The husband and wife exchanged a look, and when the wife simply shrugged, the man turned to him. "Okay, your mother will do the selection and send you the pictures of the candidates," He said.
"Can you please not refer to them as candidates? It's not like a job opportunity or a university admission," Zhang Wei said, rolling his eyes.
"It's a deal then. You should go freshen up and come down for dinner," His father said with a triumphant smile.
***********
"Make them stop! I can't sing," Grace whispered into Ann's ears.
"Miss Ann, Miss Ann, Miss Ann," They all chanted, clapping their hands as they waited for her to go to the stage.
"I really can't sing," Grace said with a forced smile.
"Someone else should go in her stead. She can't sing," Ann said, making them all frown in disappointment as another staff stepped out to take the mic.
"Aren't you going to introduce me to your personal assistant?" Tae-Joon asked, looking at Grace.
"CEO Wang Tae-Joon, Miss Ann Peters," Ann said, introducing them both as she gulped down a glass of wine.
Grace wore a stiff smile on her face as she looked at him. If she hadn't gone out with him on that day, none of these would have happened.
"You look really familiar," Tae-Joon said, staring deeply into her eyes.
Grace glanced at Ann, wondering what he was talking about.
"Ah, yes! She did tell me your car hit her some years back, and you got down like a proper gentleman and helped her up," Ann said with a drunken smile as she took another glass of wine. She was glad he vaguely remembered her.
Grace took it from her while giving her a polite apologetic smile. With the rate at which Ann was going, she had no doubt everyone would find out something was wrong. If Ann showed up drunk at the house, that would be a disaster.
"Really?" He asked, taking a closer look at her; she looked really beautiful, but her eyes were cold, but he could also tell she cared about her boss and cared enough not to allow her to overindulge herself in alcohol.
"Yes. Thank you for that time," Grace said with a stiff smile. Did he go around lifting up every one his car hit? Grace wondered, trying to hide her smirk.
"I'm sorry about that. Hope you weren't seriously hurt?" He asked.
"Obviously," Grace said, not trying to hide the fact that she didn't like him.
Tae-Joon came to the conclusion that something was going on between both ladies. She was acting like a jealous partner as far as Tae-Joon was concerned.
"Wang Tae-Joon, I like you," Ann said, making the others at the table look at her in surprise. Everyone had always known they didn't get along really well, so why was she suddenly confessing her love to him openly?
"She means she likes his kind heart," Grace quickly corrected, giving Tae-Joon an apologetic smile.
"No, Gra-" Ann yelped in pain when Grace kicked her under the table.
"Gracious. Thanks for this beautiful welcome party. We have to leave now. She needs to rest," Grace said, bowing to them politely as she tried to help Ann up.
"But the party only just started!" Ann complained with a cute pout.
"Sorry, ma'am, you asked me to make sure you don't do this... I'm just doing my job," Grace said for show.
Tae-Joon looked at both of them, and he didn't know what to say or do.
"I'll take her home," Tae-Joon said, reaching out to hold Ann, but Grace shook her head.
"I live with her. I can take her home. Besides m- her driver is still waiting outside. Thanks for the offer," Grace said politely before gently leading Ann outside.
Everyone stared after them as they left before glancing at Tae-Joon, who was still standing there.
"She only just started working for Director Grace, yet she is already behaving like her," One of the staff said.
Tae-Joon nodded to them before excusing himself. The marriage wasn't going to work, Grace was a lesbian, and he couldn't get married to her.