My Youth Began With Him

”My name is Lin Mingyu, Lin as in the forest, Ming as in the bright moon, and Yu as in the universe (TL note: direct translation in Chinese),” he calmly explained.

Lin Mingyu wasn’t very handsome, but his facial features were quite nice, and he was a clean-looking young man.

His white jacket was Armani’s newest style, and he was wearing a Cartier ring on his index finger.

His outfit was extravagant, and he clearly didn’t look like a forensics guy. But then again, never judge a book by its cover, right?

After a moment of hesitation, Huo Mian used the same way to introduce herself.

”My name is Huo Mian, Huo as in the martial artist Huo Yuanjia, and Mian as in sleep.”

”Mian as in sleep? That is a rare name, why not use the ’Mian’ character that means ’cotton’?” Lin Mingyu asked out of curiosity.

”I’m not sure either, couldn’t voice my opinion at that time.” Huo Mian felt awkward.

”Okay, Huo Mian, what an interesting name.” Lin Mingyu held up his coffee mug as he slightly sighed with emotion.

”Mr. Liu, I’ve come here today because…”

”Don’t worry, my cousin told me all about your situation. I heard that you graduated from a local third-rate college and are only an intern nurse at the moment. You only have a little brother and mother in your family, and they live on the outskirts of the city. Your brother is still in college, and your mother runs a small store, right?”

”That’s right, that’s basically my current family situation. The head nurse treats me very well, and I think she overestimated me. Given my conditions, I don’t think that I’m worthy of a man like you, so… we’re not compatible.”

Huo Mian felt somewhat relieved when she heard Lin Mingyu bring up this topic first, since it would make things easier than having to explain to him her entire situation.

However, Lin Mingyu continued, ”I’m not a shallow man. I don’t care about conditions or situations. My cousin said that you’re a very good person. You do things with great effort and pay great attention to detail. I’ve seen your picture before, and think that you’re pretty. I don’t want much from my future wife, I only want her to be gentle and caring. That’s it. Because I’ve got quite a handsome salary, you won’t have to go to work at all after we get married. You just have to stay home and take care of the children. What do you think?”

”Uhm… I think that you’re thinking too far into the future.” Huo Mian was a bit speechless.

”Of course not, these things can all be immediately accomplished. You might know already that because of the nature of my job, I’m very busy so I barely have any time to date. If I think that you’re a good match, then we should get married immediately because I don’t want us to waste each other’s time. These are all very practical questions.”

”Everyone has their own ideas. You could say that these might be the right ones for you, but they don’t match my standards. Anyways, the head nurse meant well to introduce us, so I’m very grateful towards her, and I can tell that you are an accomplished individual. However, we’re not compatible. Thanks for the drink, but I should go now,” Huo Mian stood up apologetically; she no longer wanted to continue talking to this person.

Lin Mingyu felt a bit uncomfortable when he saw Huo Mian’s reaction. Did this set-up just fail?

Was he just rejected by a random little nurse?

”Wait.”

Huo Mian stopped in her tracks…

”I want to know, what didn’t you like about me?”

Lin Mingyu had gone on these dates many times, and many of the girls took the initiative to contact him because he was educated overseas, his parents were senior officials, and his family background was impressive. He also drove an Audi Q5 and his annual salary was 600,000 yuan. He was perfect - a homeowner and a car owner. He didn’t understand why a little intern nurse like Huo Mian from a poor family could be so pretentious.

”Nothing, it’s not you,” Huo Mian honestly replied.

”Then why are you leaving in such a hurry? You said that we’re not compatible. Isn’t that the same thing as a rejection?” Lin Mingyu asked in a slightly upset tone.