Chapter 23 I Think You Should Give Yourself A Chance

“Baby, Mike has his own life. He has Hannah,” I explained to Millie.

I was a little excited at the thought of my upcoming date. I hadn’t had a date in a long time. God, what should I wear? What style of makeup should I wear? I didn’t know. At this thought, a person’s face appeared in my mind. Mandy! She’s an expert in this area! At the thought of it, I immediately called her.

“Hello, dear Melanda. What’s up?” Mandy was always so energetic.

“Um, Mandy, I have a date tonight. If you have time, can you come over and help me choose what to wear? I need your advice,” I said truthfully.

“Huh?! What?! You have a date?! That’s great!” The scream coming from the phone indicated that my good friend was more excited about the upcoming date than I was. So, we agreed to meet at my house in two hours.

It was two in the afternoon, and there were four hours before the date. I needed to get some rest first.

“You should go, baby. Leave Millie to me. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of her.” It was so good to have a loving mother. Millie was lucky, and so was I.

“Thank you, Mom. It’s so good to have you.” I kissed Mom’s face sincerely.

While I was agonizing over my outfit, Mandy arrived.

“Tell me who that guy is. Is he handsome?” Mandy was gossipy, as usual. “Leo is my colleague. He’s two years younger than me. He’s quite handsome. Many girls in the office flirt with him.”

“You’re impressive, Melanda. You’re indeed very attractive. You actually attracted a handsome man younger than you!”

“Mandy, you have a boyfriend. Please stop drooling, okay?” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at her when I saw her smitten expression.

“Hahaha, I’m happy for you! Seriously, darling, you really need to move on from Millie, and live your own life,” Mandy said seriously.

My heart tightened when I heard her mention Mike, and the smile on my face stiffened. “You’re right. Mike has his own life, so I shouldn’t keep obsessing over him. It won’t just be bad for me, but it’ll even disturb Mike,

right?”

“Baby, put yourself first, okay? Look at yourself in the mirror. You deserve a better life, gorgeous.”

Mandy’s taste was as good as ever. The dress she chose for me was well-tailored and accentuated my curves perfectly. I looked curvaceous and charming. She did a wavy hairstyle and applied fashionable makeup for me. She made me look more mature and feminine. She knew me better than I did!

Just as we were about to finish, the doorbell rang. I looked at the time. It was 17: 55. Leo was a punctual young man. This gave him bonus points. Mandy blinked. “Your handsome guy is here!”

We went to the living room together. Leo had been taken into the living room by Mom and was chatting with her.

“Mom, we have to go.”

“Leo, remember to send my daughter back before 10pm! Have fun!” Mom winked at us.

Leo was indeed very gregarious. The 20-minute drive passed in a relaxed and pleasant manner, and we arrived at the restaurant quickly. The restaurant was a Hong Kong teahouse. It was relaxed, bright, and not at all stifling. We chatted casually as we enjoyed the food.

Suddenly, Leo said, “Melanda, frankly, I like you a lot. I can tell you don’t dislike me either. Can you be my girlfriend?”

I was stunned. Were all young people so direct nowadays? Wasn’t this too fast? Although I had already felt it, I didn’t expect him to bring it up on our first date. It had been too long since I had a date. Was I unaccustomed to the pace of relationships nowadays?

Seeing me hesitate, Leo said, “It’s okay, you don’t have to answer me now. I just like to be direct with my feelings.”

“Um, thank you, Leo. Thank you for liking me. Frankly, this is a little sudden for me,” I said truthfully.

“I understand, but Melanda, you should give yourself a chance. Other than being Millie’s mother, you’re also an individual. You can also be someone’s girlfriend, right?” Leo looked sincere and determined. His eyes were sparkling, and it was impossible to ignore him. Just then, my phone lit up with a new message.