The blind date naturally didn’t go anywhere after that. When Zhang Chang returned her handkerchief later, he made a point to apologize: “I’m sorry for disturbing you and your boyfriend at dinner that day.”
Duo Duo replied, “It’s fine. He’s not my boyfriend.”
Zhang Chang seemed to hesitate for a moment before asking, “Then… how about I be your boyfriend?”
Duo Duo was taken aback. Zhang Chang wasn’t what you’d call a “handsome man,” but he was tall and well-built, and the sincerity in his eyes was undeniably moving.
It struck Duo Duo as funny that she agreed to date him while knowing almost nothing about him. Perhaps it was the pressure from her parents finally reaching its peak. As expected, her parents collectively heaved a sigh of relief when she brought Zhang Chang home for a meal. Duo Duo’s mother, in particular, was delighted to learn that although Zhang Chang wasn’t a local, his family lived in Beijing, and his father was a government official while his mother was a music professor. Beaming with approval, she immediately treated Zhang Chang as a half-son and repeatedly urged Duo Duo to cherish the relationship and not act impulsively.
Duo Duo, however, wasn’t the least bit impulsive about relationships. In this era, falling in love was a rare feat, and finding someone she didn’t dislike felt like an incredible stroke of luck. Her expectations for romance were low. Zhang Chang appreciated her calm, easygoing nature, finding her to be a rarity—a woman who wasn’t clingy or demanding. She was nothing like his ex-girlfriend, who would call incessantly whenever he was on a business trip, accusing him of not loving her over the smallest matters. At first, Zhang Chang had the patience to coax her, but eventually, he grew exhausted.
With Duo Duo, no coaxing was needed. She went about her life—working, walking her dog, and living much the same as when she was single. Occasionally, they would go out for a meal if Zhang Chang invited her. If he traveled for work, she rarely called him first.
At first, Zhang Chang found this freedom refreshing, but over time, it began to make him uneasy. One day, while away on a business trip, he called her and asked, “How are you doing?”
“Pretty good,” she replied cheerfully. “But Tokyo Tower keeps fighting with Xi Gua, and I just can’t get them to stop.”
Zhang Chang really wanted to ask, “Do you miss me?” But as a man in his early thirties, he no longer had the romantic impulsiveness of a young boy. The words lingered on the tip of his tongue but were swallowed back.
Duo Duo, for her part, found that being in a relationship had its advantages. For instance, when the bedroom light broke, she didn’t have to bother the property management. If Zhang Chang was around, he would replace it for her. And when she went on business trips, she didn’t need to send Xi Gua back to her parents’ house to endure their scolding. Instead, she could leave the dog with Zhang Chang.
Their first argument arose over a long vacation. Duo Duo didn’t want to go anywhere—she just wanted to stay home and sleep. But Zhang Chang had already made plans to go on a self-drive trip to Gannan with his hiking friends. He insisted Duo Duo come along, arguing that it was a rare opportunity to spend their time off together. However, when Duo Duo heard that even basic amenities like bathing couldn’t be guaranteed on the trip, she completely lost interest. In the end, Zhang Chang, disappointed, set off on the road alone, while Duo Duo stayed home and slept until the world outside seemed to blur into darkness.
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