Chapter 60- dates

Chapter 60: Chapter 60- dates On the day of the arranged date, both Tiffany and Linda showed up full of excitement, each proudly bringing along their respective daughter and son. The only problem? The two people actually going on the date couldn’t be less interested. Karl, though he appeared gentle and harmless, was actually quite skilled in the art of avoidance. Before Linda dragged him out the door, he had tried every excuse in the book to get out of the date—but unfortunately, none of his tricks could outmatch Linda’s determination. In the end, he was forced to give in and go along with her. Lilian, for her part, wasn’t much better off. Despite her reluctance, she had no choice but to follow her mother to the meetup. The date was set at a café—Tiffany and Linda had insisted it should be somewhere "young people like." Linda and Karl arrived first. When Lilian entered the café with her mother a little while later, she nearly turned around and fled on the spot. From a distance, the man sitting next to Linda looked so much like Morrison that her heart almost stopped. But as she walked closer, she finally saw his face clearly. Though there was indeed a resemblance, the man’s expression and demeanor were very different. Morrison always exuded a sense of danger—a rakish, unpredictable air. But this man—Karl—gave off an entirely opposite feeling: calm, steady, good-natured. Two brothers. One dark, one light. Polar opposites. Linda stood and introduced Karl. He had been quietly reading beside her, and since he was indoors and up close, he had taken off his glasses to rest his eyes. Now, slipping his black-rimmed glasses back on, the refined edge to his features softened into something completely different. Without glasses, Karl still shared a vague resemblance to Morrison. With them on, the similarity vanished entirely—they were two completely different men. The four of them exchanged greetings and sat down. Like all matchmaking parents, Linda and Tiffany stayed only briefly before "casually" heading out for a stroll, leaving the two young people alone. Lilian finally let out a long breath of relief. She glanced up and saw that Karl had also exhaled visibly. Their eyes met—and both of them broke into a small, knowing smile. Lilian was a little embarrassed, but still took the initiative. "Um, there’s something I want to say..." Might as well get it out of the way early, she thought. Clean, honest, and to the point—better to avoid any unnecessary complications. Karl smiled. "Perfect. I’ve got something to say too. But ladies first." Lilian didn’t hesitate. "Well... I actually don’t have any plans to date or get married anytime soon. I only came because my mom insisted. So I’m really sorry if this is a letdown..." She didn’t say too much more—Karl’s earlier reaction had already hinted that he wasn’t into the idea either. Sure enough, his grin widened. "That’s great. I just want to focus on my research. No interest in romance right now." After Karl finished speaking, Lilian truly laughed—a genuine, heartfelt smile lighting up her face. She had worried that her blunt honesty might hurt someone’s feelings, but to her surprise, Karl’s thoughts mirrored her own. This realization was a huge relief. "I have a suggestion," Karl said, looking at her thoughtfully. Lilian frowned slightly, curious. "What kind of suggestion?" Karl’s smile grew even gentler. "Since neither of us wants to date or get married right now, and you just want to focus on your research like me, why don’t we just pretend to be in a relationship? That way, both our parents will stop trying to set us up with other people." "You see, if we tell them neither of us liked the other after this meeting, they’ll definitely keep scheduling more dates for us," he reasoned. Karl leaned in a bit, trying to persuade her. "But if we say we like each other and plan to start dating slowly, they probably won’t bother introducing anyone else. That way, we solve this problem once and for all." He really thought Lilian was a great girl—after all, their families had a long history together—and that’s why he felt comfortable proposing such a plan. He just didn’t want to waste his precious time on endless matchmaking. He wanted more time to focus on his research. Though Lilian was initially resistant to the idea of faking a romance, Karl’s reasoning made her reconsider. She honestly didn’t want to go through another blind date set up by Tiffany, nor did she have any intention to fall in love again. After her brief but intense relationship with Morrison—like a brilliant firework that faded too fast—her hopes for love had dimmed. So when Karl mentioned solving the problem "once and for all," she truly felt tempted. "But what if they ask about our dates?" she asked, furrowing her brow. Karl answered easily, with a carefree grin: "We can just say we have dinner together regularly. Or better yet, tell them we’re ’dating’ every day. And when they meet us, we just put on a show, act all lovey-dovey for a little while. Problem solved." Then Karl added quickly, "But don’t worry, I’ll try my best to turn down all the times they want us to meet together. If I really can’t avoid it, then we’ll just have to put on a show in front of them." His words made Lilian furrow her brow again, thinking it over. After a moment, she finally agreed, "Alright, then let’s do it your way. I really don’t want to go on any more blind dates." And just like that, they reached an agreement. Karl would use Lilian as a shield against all those matchmaking attempts so he could focus on his research, while Lilian would use Karl to fend off Tiffany’s endless arrangement of blind dates, so she could enjoy her peaceful single life. They announced to both their families that they were officially dating. As for "dates," they just told their parents they often met up. Besides, even if they didn’t actually meet or go on dates, their parents wouldn’t know the difference. Of course, this was only the surface agreement. Lilian privately suggested they should try not to see each other too much in real life, to avoid unnecessary rumors and complications. Karl agreed. The two happily forged their "partnership," spending the whole afternoon in the café, putting on the appearance of a lively and friendly couple. During that time, Linda called to check on their progress, and Karl told her he was very satisfied and that they were chatting away, making Linda thrilled. In reality, they sat across from each other, each doing their own thing. Karl pulled out a thick book and soon got completely absorbed in it. Lilian curled up on a comfy sofa, playing games, scrolling gossip sites, or reading light novels. The afternoon passed just like that. It wasn’t until the sunset painted the sky in rosy colors that they both finally snapped out of their little worlds, glanced at each other, and burst out laughing together.