Black Coffee with a side of Drama?

A black Maybach sped on the road as they weaved in and out of traffic. There were angry drivers as they narrowly avoided hitting the car as it passed but could only bite their tongue. Before they were able to say a word the car had already disappeared from their sight. The driver in question did not pay any attention to their reactions as he quietly drove the way he wanted. Li Qian was an experienced driver even if they complained to him he knew their cars would have never collided. In his younger years he spent a lot of time on the race track and challenging others to underground races. At this point in his life the speed and control he had over his car was at professional levels. He didn't even notice when he had began to speed because it was his second nature but slowly brought the car back to normal speed.

There was a cold look in his eyes as he gazed at the road and thought about what was to come. His grandmother had called him in the morning to inform him that she had planned him a blind date and that date was starting in twenty minutes. If anyone else had spoke those words he would have blocked their number and cut the call mid-sentence. Sighing he resigned himself to go to the date but he never promised that he would let it go well. There was no doubt that someone had approached his grandmother with ulterior reasons, none of them actually wanted to date him but wanted the status that came with it. Especially since he was the infamous son of the Li family, there were many that eyed him for wealth or 'power' but held back because of his reputation. Still, there were many shameless people who went forward regardless. He was surprised that any self-respecting family would throw their daughter at him as if he wouldn't eat her alive. He'd go as far to say that its not they wouldn't its that they didn't care if their daughter suffered as long as there was a benefit towards them. With the amount of 'blind' dates he's been going on it seemed as if he had to remind people who he was.

The car ride was over quickly as he swiftly parked in the reserved space for sponsors. The HillCrest mall was one of his many investments so there was a couple of spots always available for him. Grabbing his phone and suit jacket he headed inside the mall, his grandmother had messaged him the details via text so he knew where to go. The layout of the building was in his head as he took quick strides towards the escalator. At the top there was of the liaisons for the mall waiting for him, giving a nod he headed towards the restaurant as they followed.

"I have a prior engagement inside for about five minutes, you can grab something to eat and wait or I will directly meet you in the meeting room after. Your choice."

Leaving it at that, he walked into the restaurant and immediately caught sight of the 'lady' he was supposed to meet. Without breaking his stride he made his way towards the booth and sat down across her. He could see her eyes light up as tried to hold a poised demeanour. It was so fake that he wanted to laugh at the idea she found herself even the slightest bit convincing. There was always a question of why certain women pretended to act innocent and gentle, it was not an attractive attribute and felt mocking towards the person they intended to fool. He could respect people acting coy in order to seal a deal but not those who used it to sneak into somebody's bed. It was 2021, women were capable of getting jobs and making their own money, marrying for wealth was prehistoric.

He stared at her for a couple of seconds before signalling a waiter to bring him a black coffee. Within that time neither of them initiated the conversation and neither did he have a desire to. If she said nothing that would be better for him, he would just leave after five minutes. He could see the struggle on her face as she debated on speaking first. His face and eyes were blank as he looked back at her, glancing down at his watch he saw that a minute had passed since he sat down. Only when the cup of coffee was placed in front of him did the other woman speak.

"Li Qi -"

"Mr.Qin I do not believe we are familiar with each other Ms.....?" His voice was calm as he interrupted her, one of things he hated the most is when people pretended to be familiar with him. There assumption was that to give them face he would play along but who was he? Did he need to give anyone face? The woman's face was taken aback before they put on a 'gentle' smile.

"Mr.Qin...it is nice seeing you, your grandmother has told me a lot about you. I know you are busy but she said that I had to meet you."

He inwardly rolled his eyes at her sentence, the way she phrased it was intentionally displacing the blame of the date onto his grandmother. He was sure that their side had gone with those intentions towards his grandmother and was fooled into thinking she was a decent choice. Not that his grandmother couldn't see past their schemes but felt that there was no harm in a first meeting.

"Oh really, how come my grandmother has never mentioned you? Apologies, but I am not aware of what your name is." Taking a sip of his coffee he looked down at his watch simultaneously, there were only around two minutes left before he would take his leave. From the corner of his eye he could see the anger flare up in the woman's eyes and her hands clench as they struggled to stay calm but he could care less.

"Oh well maybe grandma forgot to mention it but let me formally introduce myself. My name is Chu Yao."

"Alright Miss, so what is your goal?" Glancing at his watch he had a minute left and his coffee was also almost done. He'd rather get straight to the point and end this pointless conversation.

"I don't have a goal..I just thought I would meet you casually since grandma thought that we would get along well."

"Cut the shit, speak your goal."