Chapter 9: Blind date. After closing his shop, Noah returned back to earth. He had been working nonstop for the whole day. His bones ached, his eyes burned, and all he wanted was the sweet embrace of his mattress. Looking at the moon hanging in the night sky, Noah yawned before collapsing on his bed like a kid after a long day at the playground. He didn’t even bother changing his clothes or brushing his teeth. The moment his head hit the pillow, he was out. The next morning arrived with the ringing of his phone rather than the morning sunshine. "H-Hello?" he muttered groggily after answering the phone, eyes still glued shut. "Good morning, are you still asleep?" The familiar voice pierced through his mental fog. Aunt Mei. His self-appointed social director and Noah’s biggest cheerleader—whether he wanted one or not. "No, thanks for waking me up, Aunty," he said, recognising her voice as he hadn’t even looked at the caller ID when answering. "Alright, you are still half-asleep, go freshen up and call me back." Her tone left no room for negotiation. "Okay. Talk to you soon." He hung up the phone before staying in bed for another minute, staring at the ceiling. Noah dragged himself out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. Cold water shocked his system awake as he splashed his face. After brushing his teeth and changing into fresh clothes, he called his aunt as promised. "Good morning, Aunty." "Finally! I thought you’d fallen back asleep," Aunt Mei’s voice crackled through the speaker. "How are you? Your father said you visited yesterday with actual fresh fruit! Is it your startup?" His aunt also knew about his startup. Noah sat on the edge of his bed. "Something like that. Business is looking up." "About time! Your startup was eating all your money for years, and it’s finally paying its worth. I told your father, Noah is too smart to be poor forever." He smiled despite himself. Aunt Mei had never understood what his software company actually did, but she’d never stopped believing it would succeed eventually. "How’s Uncle Wei?" Noah asked, changing the subject. "Same as always. His back hurts, but he won’t see the doctor. Men!" she scoffed. "He’s out fishing with his friends today." "And how about Lily? "My daughter is thriving! Her company gave her another promotion. Speaking of thriving careers..." Her tone shifted, and Noah’s stomach tightened. He knew what was coming. "I’ve been thinking about you." Here we go again. "That’s dangerous," he joked weakly. "I’m serious, Noah. You’re thirty years old—" "Twenty-eight," he corrected. "—almost thirty, and when was the last time you went on a proper date? Before your father got sick, I bet." Noah sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Aunty, we’ve talked about this. With Dad’s medical bills and the business, I haven’t had time—" "Excuses! Your father called me yesterday, you know. He’s worried about you." Noah froze. "Dad called you?" "Yes! He said you seemed different. Happier. More confident. I spoke to him about it, and he also thinks you’re ready, too." "Ready for what?" But he already knew. "To meet someone! And as fate would have it, I know the perfect girl. Yang Min’s daughter—" "Aunty," Noah groaned. "She’s beautiful, smart, just finished her master’s degree in finance. She could help with your business!" "I don’t need—" "Your father agrees it’s time. He doesn’t want you alone if..." She trailed off, the unspoken fear hanging between them. If he doesn’t make it. Noah’s protest died in his throat. His dad had been pushing this too? The man who’d raised him alone after Mom died, who’d sacrificed everything to send him to college? He couldn’t dismiss that so easily. "Noah, remember what you said last time? You promised you’d try." Had he? Noah vaguely recalled making some noncommittal statement to get her off the phone during a particularly stressful day. "I don’t remember—" "You said, and I quote, ’Next time you find someone, I’ll give it a try.’" Her voice took on that triumphant tone that meant she knew she had him cornered. "I wrote it down!" Of course she did. Noah closed his eyes. Between medieval fantasy worlds, loan sharks, and magical bread, a blind date should be the least of his worries. And with his new income stream, he could actually afford to take someone to dinner without checking his bank balance first. "Fine," he sighed. "What was that?" Aunt Mei’s voice perked up instantly. "I said fine. I’ll go." Her delighted squeal made him hold the phone away from his ear. "Wonderful! Her name is Sophia. She’s a financial analyst at Meridian Partners. Smart girl, pretty too—takes after her mother." "When is this happening?" Noah asked, already regretting his decision. "Today! Café Lune, two hours from now." "Today?!" He jumped to his feet. "Aunty, I can’t just—" "Two hours is plenty of time to shower and find a clean shirt. I already told her about you, and she’s interested! Don’t mess this up, Noah." "But I have—" A magical bread shop to run in another world. "—things to do today." "More important than your future happiness? Your father’s peace of mind?" She played the dad card again, ruthlessly efficient. Noah checked the time. If he met Sophia at 11:00, he could check the shop’s status every now and then from the cafe’s toilet. "Okay," he relented. "What’s the address?" Aunt Mei rattled off details about the café while Noah scribbled notes. After extracting several more promises that he wouldn’t bail, she finally hung up. Noah flopped back onto his bed, staring at the ceiling. "System, can I ask for dating advice, or is that outside your parameters?" [Host query falls outside System functionality. Idle Tycoon System specialises in business development, not relationship management.] "Thanks for nothing," Noah muttered. He hauled himself to his feet and headed for the shower. Between selling magical bread and evading loan sharks, how hard could a blind date be? As hot water drummed against his back, Noah tried to remember the last time he’d been on a real date. Before his dad’s diagnosis, certainly. At least two years ago. That graphic designer who’d ghosted him after the first date. What if this Sophia wants to know about my job? He couldn’t exactly tell her he ran an interdimensional bread shop. ’Hi, nice to meet you, I sell magical healing loaves to medieval princesses’ didn’t seem like a winning opener. Noah stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. His wardrobe didn’t offer many options—mostly t-shirts with tech company logos and jeans worn thin at the knees. In the back, he found a button-down shirt that hadn’t seen daylight since his last job interview. ’It would have to do for now. I will go buy some clothes later this week.’