The Master’s Mask Unveiled Again
Chapter 941 - 940: After All the Matchmaking, All That Remained Was Loneliness

Chapter 941: Chapter 940: After All the Matchmaking, All That Remained Was Loneliness

From where Yun Zhijuan was seated, he had a clear view of the restaurant’s entrance.

When Xiao Qimo and Lu Mian walked in hand-in-hand, Yun Zhijuan thought he’d seen wrong, that it was some kind of illusion. He rubbed his eyes for a good while before finally confirming the identity of the people downstairs.

It was undeniably Xiao Qimo!

It was undeniably Lu Mian!

They were holding hands, walking in with a vibe he would never have imagined in a million years!

This is crazy, crazy! What’s going on here?

The matchmaking meeting hasn’t even started, and these two already look like a couple celebrating their century-long romance?

Before long, Xiao Qimo’s cold and distant voice speaking to the waiter echoed across the empty restaurant lobby.

"I’m here with my girlfriend to wait for someone."

"Understood, esteemed guests, please come inside."

Yun Zhijuan: ...

"I’m here with my girlfriend..."

No, no, no, she’s not your girlfriend; she’s the matchmaking candidate I introduced to you!

Even someone as accustomed to chaos as Yun Zhijuan found himself utterly dumbfounded.

He sat there for ages, still unable to make heads or tails of the situation.

His pitiful, fragile, and helpless self curled up at the staircase on the second floor, cautiously peeking at the booth below, while texting Lu Mian.

Yun Zhijuan: [?]

He stared intently at his phone, then glanced downstairs. Soon enough, he noticed the lazy girl in the booth below making a casual gesture with her fingers.

Lu Mian: [I’m dealing with some things with my boyfriend first. I deleted the meeting location; resend it to me. If the other person is willing to wait, they can. If not, just forget it.]

A row of question marks instantly appeared over Yun Zhijuan’s head.

He furiously typed back: [Who’s your boyfriend? Since when have you been together?]

Lu Mian: [Xiao Qimo. We officially got together on the second day of Lunar New Year.]

!!!

They didn’t just meet!

They had been together all along!

Yun Zhijuan felt as though thunder rumbled above his head; as he realized the massive screw-up he had orchestrated, his lips twitched and he stared up at the pale ceiling, clutching his chest as though experiencing cardiac arrest.

He counted on his fingers, slowly piecing the story together.

So, Lu Mian, his beloved apprentice, was dating Xiao Qimo, while Xiao Qimo, his junior brother, was dating Lu Mian. And neither of them knew each other’s secret identities—or knew that he was the one caught in the middle!

Even worse—far, far worse—was that he, the ever-dutiful matchmaker, had been kept completely in the dark!

Not only had he gone above and beyond to bring his apprentice and junior brother together romantically, but he’d simultaneously been working overtime to break them up!

What the hell!

Even TV dramas wouldn’t dare play out like this!

Yun Zhijuan paced back and forth at the staircase, so much that the soles of his shoes were practically worn thin.

——

At the booth, Lu Mian saw the message from her mentor, Yun Zhijuan, and curled her lips into a faint smile, seemingly in a good mood.

Xiao Qimo naturally took her hand. "What put you in such a good mood?"

"Nothing," Lu Mian replied nonchalantly.

In truth, it was the first time the old head Yun had taken the initiative to ask about her boyfriend. To her, it represented a subtle shift in her mentor’s attitude—a remarkable improvement.

That was good news, and it naturally delighted her.

If this had been before, ditching the meeting would’ve earned her a long-winded lecture from the old man.

Xiao Qimo, seemingly influenced by her mood, also found himself feeling cheerful.

Tilting his head slightly, he studied the girl’s profile and felt as though he could never look away.

Lu Mian, feeling his gaze, grew slightly flustered. Her cheeks flushed as she took a sip of lemon water and coughed lightly.

"Who are you meeting today?"

Shy, she lowered her head slightly, strands of hair slipping down to brush against her cheek. A few strands mischievously fell against her lips.

Carefully, Xiao Qimo tucked the strands of hair aside for her, slipping the small elastic band off his wrist and gathering her hair for her.

As he clumsily tied her hair back, he casually explained, "I haven’t met them before—should be a girl."

"A girl?"

Lu Mian raised her eyebrows and shot him a sideways glance.

There was a breeze-like casualness in her tone, faintly laced with a barely-discernible tinge of jealousy.

"Don’t overthink it," Xiao Qimo hastily reassured her.

While fumbling to finish tying her ponytail—which ended up a bit uneven—her beauty offset the messiness, making it inconsequential.

Lu Mian wasn’t particularly fussy about her hairstyle; tying it back was simply convenient. Yet, as she thought about the meeting, her expression became subtly complex.

Sincerely, Xiao Qimo adjusted his glasses and pleaded with a touch of youthful charm, "Bao Bao, help me kill off those ’peach blossoms.’"

Lu Mian: ...

"What time was this meeting? Why isn’t the other person here yet?"

"Let me check." Xiao Qimo, too, felt it was strange. They had arrived exactly on time, yet it was now 3:10, and there was still no sign of the person. That was too much.

He sent Yun Zhijuan a message.

[Where’s the person? Are they coming or not?]

Yun Zhijuan read the message and rolled his eyes internally, muttering: Why come? She’s right next to you!

Frustrated, he acknowledged that since the duo was already together, his role was unnecessary now.

All his matchmaking efforts had amounted to nothing—worse, he’d inadvertently become an obstacle. To the point where he’d even deactivated Lu Mian’s organizational permissions.

Yun Zhijuan sighed gloomily. It seemed his fate wouldn’t be too kind...

He was now petrified about being caught in the crossfire of his apprentice and junior brother’s wrath once they uncovered his meddling. For now, he resolved to take this whole misunderstanding to his grave.

Quickly, he drafted a reply: [You’ve already brought your girlfriend to flaunt her—how do you expect the other party to show up? Anyway, I think your girlfriend’s fantastic. Wishing you both eternal happiness.]

As long as he didn’t confess, nobody in the world would ever know he’d tried to break them up!

Xiao Qimo stared at Yun Zhijuan’s perplexing reply. Scanning the restaurant, he deduced that Yun was likely hiding in some corner. Strangely enough, for someone who had been so eager to introduce this girl, Yun had now chosen to retreat quietly.

Xiao Qimo, with a rare flicker of pride, straightened his back. [See? I told you my girlfriend is amazing—best in the world!]

Yun Zhijuan, utterly beaten, surrendered: [Yes, she’s the undisputed best in the universe!]

"..."

Xiao Qimo scrutinized Yun Zhijuan’s reply, feeling something was off but unable to pinpoint the issue. [I’ve done what I needed to do; I hope you’ll hold up your end.]

Yun Zhijuan deliberated for a moment before replying with an utterly unrelated message.

[Junior Brother, take my advice: treat all commanders with kindness, especially the second team.]

Xiao Qimo snorted, [A mountain doesn’t need two tigers.]

Yun Zhijuan: ... But one of them is male and the other female!

Ah, forget it. Let it be.

He was exhausted.

As the leader, it wasn’t his place to reveal the identities of the commanders. What happened next would depend on their karma.

All he hoped was that when the pair finally uncovered the truth, they wouldn’t leave him battered and bruised.

Shaking his head, Yun Zhijuan walked away from the restaurant, a mix of relief and melancholy in his stride.

Halfway out, he sent Lu Mian one final message.

[Mian Xiaobao, take care to coexist peacefully with members of the organization in the future—especially Team One.]