Chapter 5: The Real Matchmakers

05

Ben White and I had been sitting there for half an hour. If we weren’t in public, our parents would probably have grounded us for life.

The messages I saw were indeed from Mr. White, but they were about me.

Turns out, my mom was just Mr. White’s old classmate.

Me: a 30-year-old, overworked, single female professor.

Ben White: 25, a game streamer who barely leaves the house.

These two elders were so worried about our marriage prospects, they exchanged photos, birth dates, and met up at a hotel with a horoscope printout to check our compatibility while he was in town for a seminar.

Ben White and I were the real “suspicious couple” in this whole farce.

“Samantha! Are you sick? The older you get, the more ridiculous you get! How could you... think your own mom would do that?!”

Mom hissed through gritted teeth, still smiling at Mr. White. She must have been dying inside.

“Ben White, have you played so many games your brain’s turned to mush? When’s your common sense gonna catch up to your KDA?”

I peeked at Ben White beside me, head down, looking helpless.

If he stood up, we’d be here till next year. As the older one, I’d take the blame.

“Mr. White, I’m sorry, I... misunderstood.”

“You must be Sammy~” Mr. White beamed at me. “Oh, even prettier than your photo! I hear you’re a university professor—Linda is so lucky to have a daughter like you. I’m envious!”

Looking at Mr. White’s kindly face, I felt even more ashamed, thinking of what I’d called him earlier.

The next second, he grabbed my hand.

“Samantha, the horoscope says you and Ben are a perfect match! I liked you from the start. You and Ben...”

“Dad! You never even asked me...”

Mom grabbed Ben White’s hand too.

“Benny~ Aunt Linda heard your mom passed away early, and my heart just aches for you. Seeing you today, you’re so lovable. If you don’t mind, my Samantha is caring too. From now on, Aunt Linda is your mom!”

Ben White was stunned. I was also floored by Mom’s performance. We looked at each other, forced to smile awkwardly.

From a distance, the four of us—two old, one young, one even younger—holding hands like some tragic but grand alliance.

After we got home that day, Mom gave me a scolding and warned me: if I ruined this match, she’d cut me out of the will—just like in every family drama.

Mom’s not one to make empty threats...

Ben White probably got threatened by Mr. White too.

So, we started an unwilling relationship.

We agreed to get to know each other, then tell our parents we weren’t a good match.