a heart-wrenching short story

My ex-boyfriend is a rich second-generation, extremely rich.

But when he was with me, he always pretended to be poor. For three whole years, he ate my food and lived in my house. Even the underwear he wore was the one I bought for him in a group purchase on Pinduoduo for 9.9 yuan per pair.

But I didn’t expect that. I thought he was a poor school idol, whose parents passed away and he had to venture into the society alone. But I didn’t expect that he was a dandy young man, who was used to eating delicacies from land and sea and wanted to try some light porridge and side dishes for a change.

I clicked on the video in the hot search headlines. The man was leaning loosely on the luxury car, smiling faintly in the direction of the camera. It was obviously a girl who was filming. The camera immediately shook, and then she burst into a shy scream and talked to her friend next to her.

“He’s looking at me! He’s so handsome!”

After that, the video ends and jumps back to the beginning.

I watched the video dozens of times, which was only a dozen seconds long.

This video was released yesterday, with the title #赵子琪attended an event with her new lover, and her suspected relationship was exposed.

Zhao Ziqi is a rising film queen, the daughter of a wealthy family, and a famous beauty with a true temperament in the entertainment industry. She is unmarried at the age of 30, but has never shied away from relationships, and each of her boyfriends is younger and more handsome than the last.

Every time her relationship is exposed, many people beg her to open classes to teach everyone how to attract younger men.

Some people even joked that although an 18-year-old boy has just reached adulthood, it is too late for him to be Zhao Ziqi’s boyfriend.

When this video first came out, my best friend Zhao Yue forwarded it to me immediately.

He asked jokingly, “This handsome guy looks like Zhou Ran. What’s going on? Are you so poor that you forced him to sell himself in the entertainment industry for fame?”

Before I could reply, Zhao Yue sent another message, “Fuck, it’s not a resemblance, this is Zhou Ran, go check the trending searches.”

Only then did I click on the trending search in confusion.

Then I saw the video at the top of the trending searches.

And I really didn’t expect that such a simple piece of entertainment news could be reversed so many times.

At first, some people said that Zhou Ran was a freshman at the Film Academy and was with Zhao Ziqi for money and fame in order to break into the entertainment industry.

But soon someone refuted his claims, saying that Zhou Ran was not from the Film Academy at all, he was the campus idol of University A, his family was average, he worked part-time to pay for his tuition, and he was probably kept by Zhao Ziqi because he was short of money. This person even posted his student ID as evidence.

But not long after, this revelation was reversed again.

Someone found out that Zhou Ran is actually the young master of Fengzheng Group and the only son of the president Zhou Dongping.

Not only is he a rich second-generation, but he is also a fighter among the rich second-generation. He usually keeps a low profile and works part-time just to prove his ability. Since childhood, Zhao Ziqi has always been his ideal type, but he has been pursuing her for 5 years, but the girl has not responded.

The reason why Zhou Ran made a high-profile appearance this time was because Zhao Ziqi was bullied by the organizer of the event, so he was furious for her and drove a luxury car to support his beloved woman.

And Zhao Ziqi’s tacit acceptance of his arrival should be a disguised acknowledgement of her feelings.

Soon, a photo followed this hot search.

Zhou Ran had a stern look on his face as he confronted a short and fat middle-aged man.

Zhao Ziqi hid behind him with red eyes. The usually flamboyant and bright beauty was made to look delicate and fragile by the man’s height.

As soon as this photo came out, it became a hot topic.

Although the photo is blurry, it carries the feeling of a story of “younger and devoted rich second-generation X bright and beautiful female star”.

At the same time, the chat history between Zhou Ran and I on WeChat still stopped at last night.

He said to me, “I’m so tired and I miss you. Let’s go eat hotpot tomorrow, okay?”

How did I get back then?

Oh, yes, I said,

“Don’t work too hard. If you’re tired from part-time jobs, don’t do them. I have money. I can support you.”

But looking back now, my act of pretending to be strong in front of Zhou Ran was simply a joke.

After all, Zhou Ran in the video was wearing all these big-name brands that I didn’t recognize, and the watch on his wrist alone was worth more than 1 million.

You say I’m a worker earning 6k a month, why should I pretend to be a rich woman in front of others?

He hasn’t responded to the Weibo link I sent him.

I typed and deleted the words in the chat box, deleted and typed again, but I still hadn’t figured out what to say.

I want to ask him what’s going on, whether he is a rich second-generation, and what is his relationship with Zhao Ziqi.

Even though it was a hot topic on the trending searches, I still held out a glimmer of hope, hoping to hear him explain in person, telling me that it was all a misunderstanding, that he did lie to me, but that he was forced to do so.

But I didn’t expect it.

I deleted and revised the message without sending a single word, but I still received the message from the other side.

Just three words: “Let’s break up.”

I was stunned, and my hand asked the question faster than my brain, “Why?”

“I’ve had enough fun.”

“Oh, what about the things you left at my house?”

“Throw it away. It’s worthless anyway.”

Zhao Yue dragged me out to drink.

She said that it was a rare breakup for me, and if I didn’t drown my sorrows in alcohol, I would be letting her down for all the dog food she had been eating for the past three years.

The bar was brightly lit and noisy.

Zhao Yue clinked glasses with me and advised me, “It’s okay. Zhou Ran is so handsome. It’s not a loss to sleep with him. Otherwise, with your salary level, you can’t even afford to support a gigolo of this level. This is a blessing.”

I picked up the wine glass and drank it all, staring at Zhao Yue dimly.

She smiled guiltily, “Forget it, let’s drink.”

The music was deafening.

Zhao Yue said she wanted to drink, but in fact she had a low alcohol tolerance and started to feel dizzy after a few drinks.

And I have to go to work tomorrow.

Looking at the several unanswered “AT” messages from Party A in the group, I sighed deeply. Working people don’t deserve to drown their sorrows in alcohol.

After sending Zhao Yue to her doorstep, she took a taxi back home.

I actually wanted to cry a little, but I held it back.

I wanted to send him a message, but I held back.

Other than that, I just feel it’s ridiculous.

For three whole years, were all the little things we experienced together fake?

He just said he had enough fun and that was it?

I leaned my head against the car window. The road was uneven and it kept hitting my head.

I finally got home.

When I got off the car, I was suddenly blown by the wind and felt even more dizzy.

I simply sat down on the side of the road and waited until I was more sober before going upstairs.

But not long after I sat down, someone suddenly came over and blocked the light of the street lamp.

I looked up and saw Zhou Ran’s face.

He changed into a pure black sportswear and put one hand in his pocket. The baggy clothes made him look a little too handsome.

He stared down at me.

Said, “Why are you so embarrassed? Are you so reluctant to leave me?”

I was stunned and didn’t know what to say for a moment.

The way he looked at me was as cold as a stranger.

I’ve never seen him like this before.

He always used to smile, and when he looked me in the eye, he would suddenly come over and hug me, and ask me in a coquettish voice, “Sister, did you love me a little more today?”

I always shook my head and said no, and then he would tickle me and force me to take back my answer.

And right now, those memories make my heart ache.

I took a deep breath, suppressed my tears, and then asked him with forced calmness.

“Why exactly?”

He said nothing, just waved his hand.

A Maybach drove over from the intersection and stopped nearby.

The car door opened and several people got out. One of them was a boy with flamboyant red hair. He walked towards me step by step, stopped in front of me and asked me.

“Poor bastard, do you still recognize who I am?”

It took me a long time to match the person in front of me with the face in my memory.

“Zhao Quan?”

“Oh, you remember now. I thought you had forgotten.”

Zhao Quan took a step aside and put his arm around Zhou Ran’s shoulders.

The way he grinned was exactly the same as it had been four years ago.

I met Zhao Quan when I was a sophomore in college. I was studying at A University and I worked part-time to raise tuition. One of my part-time jobs was as a tutor.

Zhao Quan was the first student I taught back then.

He comes from a wealthy family, but his grades are very poor and he is very playful.

He was well behaved on the first day of class.

But in the second class, he started to play tricks.

He gave me five hundred dollars and asked me to help him hide the fact that he skipped class, and then he was ready to jump out of the window to play games.

I didn’t take the money, but I couldn’t stop him either.

Worried that something might happen, he called his father.

But I didn’t expect that Mr. Zhao, who was very gentle in front of me, would be so cruel when beating his children.

Zhao Quan was beaten so badly that he couldn’t move and even broke his bones. He couldn’t get out of bed for a whole month.

It was also because of this incident that he began to hate me.

He went to A to harass me all day long, yelling that I would pay the price and forcing me to apologize.

But I can be paid as a tutor, and it is my job to inform the parents when the child leaves.

He got beaten, which was beyond my expectation.

I feel sorry, but I don’t think I did anything wrong.

So I simply ignored Zhao Quan and pretended he didn’t exist.

And he really didn’t show up again later.

At that time, I thought he was just fascinated by the matter and had forgotten about it.

But I didn’t expect that the situation would be like this when we met again.

Zhao Quan observed my expression, and seemed to know that I had remembered everything. He pointed at Zhou Ran next to him with an arrogant smile and said, “This is my brother. You know, he is with you just to vent my anger.”

Zhou Ran frowned, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself, but in the end he said nothing.

But I understood it all.

Suddenly I felt like laughing.

I did laugh, and I looked up at Zhao Quan and asked, “Now that you’ve taken your revenge, are we even?”

Zhao Quan was stunned, as if he didn’t expect me to react like this.

He frowned and nodded hesitantly.

“Forget it… Forget it. I’ve already vented my anger. But, you’re not angry?”

I shook my head and smiled even more happily, “There’s nothing to be angry about. I just accept the loss.”

“Well, nothing else. I’m going home now. Young masters, have fun.”

Having said this, I turned and left.

As I went upstairs, I could still vaguely hear muttering behind me.

“No way, how come this girl isn’t sad at all? This shouldn’t be the case. Could it be that Ran’s charm has worn off? After dating for three years, she’s not attracted at all?”

Morning.

After turning off the alarm, I lay on my bed and stared at the ceiling.

My mind is in a mess.

I didn’t sleep well yesterday.

Or almost no sleep.

Because I searched the Internet for the answer to the question “How can I get over a breakup quickly?”

The most popular answers were: crying, finding something to do, reading, and thinking.

But I sat on the sofa for a long time and thought about it, but I really couldn’t cry.

So I just started packing up my things, packed all my luggage and prepared to move.

This house has two bedrooms and a living room. Although it is big, it is actually a bit far from where I work.

If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have rented it in the first place.

Now that we’ve broken up, I can just move out.

However, when I sorted them out, I found that Zhou Ran didn’t have that many things, and most of them were bought by me for him.

No wonder he said he didn’t want it.

Because it’s really not worth much money.

I went to bed at four in the morning.

I turned off the lights, tossed and turned, staring at the phone interface, refreshing it over and over again, switching back and forth between several apps, but I couldn’t read any of the words on the screen.

Until the faint sunlight leaked into the room through the curtains, and then the alarm clock rang.

I got up with dark circles under my eyes.

Wash up and put on makeup.

After applying lipstick, I finally looked more refreshed and less like a ghost.

I picked up my bag and prepared to go out and take the subway as usual.

But suddenly there was a knock on the door.

I was a little dazed, so I withdrew my hand from the door handle and looked out through the peephole.

But I only saw a piece of red, swaying in my sight.

After some hesitation, he opened the door.

Unexpectedly, he made eye contact with Zhao Quan, who was banging his head against the door but missed.

I was stunned and frowned subconsciously, “Why is it you?”

His eyes lit up.

As if he saw a savior, he pushed everything in his hand in front of me.

“Well, I’m here to apologize to you. I’m sorry. It was all my fault before. I was petty. I’m sorry. Please be magnanimous and don’t hold it against me, okay?”

I took a few steps back and didn’t take the thing from his hand.

There were several exquisite packaging bags, all of which were printed with luxury brand logos.

“What do you mean?”

Seeing that I didn’t accept the gift, Zhao Quan looked frustrated and said, “I just want to apologize to you, really.”

I stared at him for a few seconds and asked, “Did Zhou Ran ask you to come?”

He was stunned and shook his head, “Ah, no, no, Ran Ge doesn’t know about this.”

A female voice suddenly sounded, interrupting Zhao Quan’s stuttering, “I asked him to come. I’m sorry, Miss Cheng.”

Along with the voices, a woman came out from the corner of the stairs.

The man was wearing a mask and sunglasses, and was wrapped up tightly so his appearance could not be seen clearly.

But she was tall and slender, with long, smooth curly hair draped over her back, swaying slightly as she walked.

She took a few steps forward and stood next to Zhao Quan.

Then he took off his sunglasses in front of me and held out his hand to me, “Hello, let me introduce myself, I’m Zhao Ziqi.”

I stared at her for a long time before I said, “Hello.”

She should be wearing no makeup, with fair skin and curly eyelashes.

The hand that was hanging in the air fell into the air, but she didn’t show any impatience. She just stroked her hair gracefully and continued, “I am Xiao Quan’s sister. I heard about the prank they played on you… so I brought him here to apologize to you.”

Zhao Ziqi is Zhao Quan’s sister.

I was a little surprised, but when I thought about it carefully, it was expected.

Zhou Ran is a friend of Zhao Quan, and he angrily criticized the organizer of the event for Zhao Ziqi.

Since they are all rich second-generations, they are in the same circle.

It’s obvious that they know each other.

But I still shook my head at what she said next, “You don’t have to apologize to me.”

“No, this is all Xiao Quan’s fault. He is too immature. Zhou Ran couldn’t stand Xiao Quan’s pestering and was forced to participate in this ridiculous prank. So in the final analysis, it is my fault for not teaching my brother well. I should apologize.”

As she spoke, she took the handbags from Zhao Quan and stuffed them into my hands without resistance, saying, “These are small gifts we bought on the road, just as compensation for you.

“Also, Zhou Ran and I are about to get engaged. I know you two have been dating for a while, but everyone knows that it was just a misunderstanding, so I hope you can stop harassing him in the future, okay?”

“Is this what Zhou Ran meant?”

“Ms. Cheng, even though you’ve broken up, after all, you now know his true family background…”

The woman in front of me nodded and smiled generously. I didn’t know what I saw in her eyes.

But at that moment, I just felt like an ashamed clown.

After the breakup, I felt sad and a little heartbroken, but before that, I didn’t really hate Zhou Ran that much.

Because I always feel that even if the beginning is wrong, even if the ending is not decent,

But after three whole years of getting along with each other, he should at least have a clear idea of ​​what kind of person I am.

I don’t care whether he has money or not, and I will not throw away my dignity and face and chase after him for his money.

But the woman in front of me still smiled gently, as if she didn’t notice my expression change and asked again,

“Ms. Cheng, you should be able to do this, right?”

The last word was typed.

I put the plan together and sent it to the team leader for confirmation.

Even though I was so tired that my head was dizzy, I couldn’t help but think of what Zhao Ziqi said to me before he left this morning.

I said at the time, “Please rest assured, since we broke up, I will not take the initiative to contact my ex again, no matter if he is a rich second-generation or not, so you can take these things, I don’t need them.”

After saying that, I put the bags back at Zhao Ziqi’s feet.

But the other party didn’t even lower his head, and said with a smile, “Some small things, not worth much money, if Miss Cheng doesn’t like it, then throw it away.”

When she said that, she looked very much like Zhou Ran.

It was just as understated, as if without any malice, but it somehow made the obedient person feel extremely humiliated.

That’s why I couldn’t help but think of Zhou Ran’s birthday before.

I worked very hard, saved money to buy him gifts, and presented those things, which seemed cheap to him, to Zhou Ran like treasures.

He probably thinks I’m ridiculous, too.

My colleague knocked on my desk.

I came back to my senses and asked, “What’s wrong?”

The other party smiled and said, “Didn’t you check the group? The manager has been looking for you for a long time and wants you to go to his office.”

“Oh, okay, got it.” I quickly suppressed those messy thoughts.

After thanking my colleagues, I went into the manager’s office.

The manager came to me because of an old problem.

The company wants to hold a car show in Shenzhen, but the branch office lacks experience and needs to transfer someone from the headquarters to take charge of the situation.

Get promoted and double your salary.

The only problem is that even after the project is completed, you may need to stay in Shenzhen for at least half a year.

About half a month ago, when the news first came out, the manager came to me once.

I declined due to my lack of experience.

But the manager probably knew that was just an excuse.

So I asked me again.

This time, I didn’t refuse.

It was already a week later when I had packed everything. I left the useless things in the rental house and left the luggage I couldn’t take with me with Zhao Yue, planning to ask her to send it to me after I found a place to live in Shenzhen.

The company has booked a hotel for me in Shenzhen, so I can go there directly after I get off the plane.

At the farewell dinner before leaving, Zhao Yue clamored to eat hotpot.

We went back to the vicinity of A University and ate at the restaurant where we often ate when we were studying.

When choosing the base of the pot, I habitually chose the shuangyang pot.

Zhao Yue looked puzzled and asked me, “No, when did you stop eating spicy food?”

I was a little confused, “I like spicy food.”

“Then why did you order the mandarin duck? We both like spicy food, so let’s order the nine-square grid.”

Only then did I realize that I had noticed the small hook behind the shuangxiang hotpot.

“I accidentally checked the wrong box.” I said, then deleted the check mark and selected the right square again.

But actually, I’m used to it.

Because Zhou Ran doesn’t eat spicy food.

When we first got together, we actually rarely ate hotpot.

He disliked the noise and felt that the hot pot restaurant was too noisy and it would be better to go home for dinner.

But later, I don’t know from which day on, he would take the initiative to ask me if I wanted to eat hotpot.

He was sweating profusely while eating the nine-square grid, relying on ice water to stay alive. After finishing the meal, he only filled his stomach with water without taking a few bites of food.

But after leaving the hot pot restaurant, he still insisted, “Thanks to you, I think I can eat spicier food than before.”

When I looked at his handsome profile under the street light and his silly smile that seemed a bit boyish, my heart inexplicably softened.

Later on, we only ate shuangyuan hotpot.

When I came to my senses, Zhao Yue had already taken the order form, ordered the side dishes in no time, and asked me if I wanted some more meat.

I shook my head and said, “No, just watch it.”

“Don’t save money for me, Xiao Cheng, or you’ll have to treat me to the next meal. I’m going to bankrupt you.”

“That’s fine, but don’t come to me and cry if you get fat.”

“Shut up, please respect the atmosphere of the hot pot restaurant and don’t say such terrible things!”

We joked with each other and laughed together.

The topic ranged from the sky to the earth.

But they all tacitly agreed not to mention the real reason why I decided to leave.

You don’t have to go to work tomorrow.

We both drank.

My face was just flushed, and I felt a little dizzy when I walked, but Zhao Yue was completely drunk. She sang “The Lone Brave Man” in my ear, but not only was she out of tune, but her voice was also broken.

I held her with one hand and used the other to take out my phone to pay.

If you’re not careful, she’ll run away when you scan the code.

After finally paying the bill, I found her leaning over the table next to the counter, talking to other customers.

“Handsome guy, I think you look like a scumbag.”

I’m really overwhelmed.

He rushed over, grabbed her and hurriedly apologized to the table of guests who had been disturbed by her.

But suddenly someone called out my name, “Cheng Wan, how could it be such a coincidence?”

Only then did I realize that one of the people sitting at the table was Zhao Quan.

I was stunned and soon had a bad feeling.

If Zhao Quan was here, would that…

I turned my head stiffly, and sure enough, I saw Zhou Ran sitting next to me, on the outside of the table.

Zhao Yue still pointed at him stubbornly and said, “Young man, you are such a scumbag, your forehead is black. I think you will have a bloody disaster soon, but there is no way to avoid it. I advise you to die as soon as possible.”

Zhou Ran remained indifferent when Zhao Yue pointed at his nose and just stared at me.

The four people at their table were all quiet now, no one dared to speak.

I felt so embarrassed that my scalp was numb and I regretted it so much that I shouldn’t have allowed Zhao Yue to drink that last bottle of beer.

I finally managed to control the person and comforted her as she walked out the door.

But she was not obedient and struggled hard, “Don’t stop me, I still have to perform a ritual!”

By the time I finally dragged Zhao Yue out of the hot pot restaurant and squatted at the door, I was already sweating all over.

While using the mobile phone to call a taxi,

While saying to Zhao Yue, “Ancestor, please be quiet for a while.”

But after looking at me for a while, she suddenly started to cry.

“Wanwan, I don’t want you to leave.”

She cried harder and harder, tears flowed out like crazy, and her mouth turned upside down in a completely unpresentable manner.

People passing by were looking this way.

My nose suddenly started to ache and I was at a loss for what to do. I wanted to get her a tissue to wipe her tears, but I couldn’t find one after searching my pockets.

“Use this.”

Someone was talking behind me, and the voice was familiar.

The hand that was stretched out in front of me had distinct joints and held a pack of tissues.

I didn’t answer.

He wiped the tears from Zhao Yue’s face with his sleeve.

The man took his hand back and asked in a flat tone, “Did you block me?”

I still didn’t answer. I lowered my head to hail a taxi, then helped Zhao Yue to wait on the roadside.

But he caught up with me and grabbed my sleeve.

I shook his hand off with all my strength, feeling a little angry. “Zhou Ran, are you sick? You were the one who said you wanted to break up, and you were the one who told me to be quiet and stop harassing you. What are you doing now?”

After I pushed him away, his brows furrowed, but he only said three words, “I’m sorry.”

But when I listened, I just found it funny.

“Zhou Ran, don’t you think your apology is a little late?”

He saw me smiling but frowned, “If you feel bad, just scold me, don’t do this.”

“No, I was a little upset at first, but now I really don’t care. After three years, even if I had a cat or a dog, I would have some feelings for it. But you, you don’t deserve it, you really don’t deserve it, so now I just feel lucky that we can break up sooner and get over it sooner.”

The phone vibrated. It was the driver calling.

I saw a taxi parked on the side of the road, turned off the screen, turned around, and said, “Let’s go. I hope I won’t see you again.”

After I got home, I received a friend request.

There was no avatar or remarks, and the application information only contained three words: Sorry.

I easily guessed who sent this message.

Ignored.

But I didn’t expect the other party to be so persistent.

I changed several different accounts and filled in all kinds of application information, from “Beautiful lady, let’s meet each other”, to “WeChat business recruiting agents”, to “I’m your boss, I changed my account, please add a new one.”

Finally, I seemed to realize that I would not be fooled, and I gave up and filled in the form, “I’m sorry, I really know I’m wrong, but can you give me a chance to explain it?”

I thought it was ridiculous and only replied to the last one, “What are you explaining? Explain that you are a liar or that you are cheating on me? You want to break up peacefully and then invite me to your wedding with Zhao Ziqi?”

This time, the other party finally kept quiet.

After arriving in Shenzhen, the branch arranged someone to pick us up at the airport.

The man was holding a sign with my name on it. He wore a pair of gold-framed glasses, had a straight figure and a calm temperament. But because he was too tall, he stood out among a group of little girls who were there to pick up their idol.

“Hello, Cheng Wan.”

The other person extended a hand, “Hello, Xu Cheng.”

The manager of the Shenzhen City Planning Department, my new boss, is called Xu Cheng.

So when I heard this name, I was stunned for a moment.

“I thought you would send an assistant to pick him up.”

Xu Cheng explained, “My assistant has asked for leave, and the cat at home is about to give birth to kittens.”

“I can even take leave to give birth to a kitten. Is the work atmosphere at the branch so relaxed?”

Xu Cheng took the suitcase from my hand with a smile and said, “Yes, it’s convenient for slacking off, so you won’t regret coming here.”

I was amused too.

The new boss is funny and humorous, which is a good sign.

The tension of leaving my hometown and changing cities was somewhat relieved.

On the way to the hotel, Xu Cheng briefly introduced the situation of the branch and the work I was about to do.

It’s a lot of work, but fairly easy to get started with.

It’s just that I’ve just been transferred here and I’m not familiar enough with my new colleagues, so it will definitely take some time for us to get used to working together.

Arrive at the hotel and check in.

My original plan was to wait until my work became stable and then rent a house on a weekend.

But in the car, Xu Cheng told me that because of a large exhibition, the next period of time would be very busy.

I arrived a few days early and will report to the company next Monday.

It’s better to find a house in these few days.

But just after I contacted the agent and was about to go out, I suddenly received a message from Zhao Yue.

“Yueyue, Zhou Ran came to see me. He asked me if I had moved and where I was now.”

I frowned, thinking that yesterday’s response was clear enough.

I really don’t understand what the point of his persistence is.

Competitiveness?

Because I don’t care, he feels that his charm is being underestimated?

I sent a voice message directly to Zhao Yue, saying firmly, “No matter what he asks you, don’t tell him.”

“I know. I didn’t say anything. However, he was drunk and seemed to be crying. He said that he did approach you because of Zhao Quan in the beginning, but after being with you, he really liked you a long time ago. He wanted to find an opportunity to explain everything clearly and reveal his identity to you, but he was afraid of hurting you, so he kept dragging it out. He didn’t expect you to see the video first… He said a lot more, I can’t remember it clearly. Do you want to listen to his explanation?”

“No, there’s nothing to explain. At the beginning, I understood how hard it was for him to study for a master’s degree. In order to let him work less part-time and concentrate on his studies, I worked hard to make money. I was even exhausted to the point of mental breakdown. But he knew everything but lied to me for three years without saying a word…”

I was halfway through typing the words in the dialog box when my attention wandered off.

In fact, in the past three years, Zhou Ran never took the initiative to ask me for anything. Working, making money, and working hard for our common future were all choices I made on my own.

He didn’t ask, didn’t see it, and of course didn’t know.

As for what he said, that he approached her with a purpose at first but then was really moved, I have no doubt about it.

Because purpose can be disguised, language can be deceiving, but people’s subconscious reactions and eye expressions cannot be acted.

Countless times I was busy with work and left him aside, and when I finally finished my work and went to find him, I could clearly see that the loss and loneliness on his face instantly turned into brightness and happiness.

My phone ran out of battery and I lost contact with him on my way home from get off work. He ran out in his slippers and looked for me for two hours, but found out that I had already returned home. His first reaction was to hug me with red eyes instead of blaming me.

He is a passionate young man, with a clear distinction between love and hate, and a heroic spirit.

When protecting the person he loves conflicts with fulfilling the brotherhood agreement, he becomes anxious, worried, and conflicted.

Hesitating between revealing the truth and facing the problem and constantly delaying the conflict.

Eventually, the truth came out and our relationship was shattered into pieces.

There are always people saying that the relationship between men and women is a game, either the east wind prevails over the west wind or the west wind prevails over the east wind, but I don’t quite agree with this statement.

I believe that a good relationship should be based on equality.

But because of Zhou Ran’s deception, this relationship was unequal from the very beginning.

He might have a reason, or an explanation.

Behind those actions that hurt me deeply, there was also his irresistible helplessness.

But, none of this means anything to me.

Because we are not originally from the same world. We just fell in love briefly because of a lie. When the truth is revealed, we will eventually return to our own realities.

So from the moment the lie was exposed, it was over between us.

Thinking of this, and looking at the words typed in the dialog box, I suddenly felt a little tired.

There is really no need to dig up and reminisce about the things and people you have decided to let go of.

I calmed down and deleted all of them, and replaced them with one sentence:

“Zhou Ran is getting engaged to Zhao Ziqi. His affairs have nothing to do with me.”

The person on the other side really exploded.

“Oh my god, why is he still pestering you when he’s about to get engaged? Is he crazy?”

“Today he pretended to be affectionate with me without fighting back or arguing back, and I thought he really knew he was wrong.

“I almost got tricked by him. Handsome guys are really scumbags.”

“But, dear, what are you going to do?”

“Find someone to beat him up, or I won’t be able to swallow this anger.”

After the other person calmed down, I said, “No need, since we’ve broken up, it’s none of my business what he wants to do, just ignore him.”

“Okay, I get it. I promise to keep it a secret and not give him the chance to harass you again.”

“By the way, how is it over there? Is it hot in the south? Is it very different from here? Are you adapting to the company? Are your colleagues easy to get along with?”

In early May, the north is still at the turn of spring and summer. The sun is shining with occasional rainy days. Jackets and short sleeves are worn together, and no one dares to put away any of them.

But in Shenzhen, located in the south, summer has already arrived.

I glanced out the hotel window and saw the same tall buildings and people hurrying along the road. It seemed no different from Beijing.

I said on the phone, “It’s a little hot, but I can bear it. I came early and haven’t reported to the company yet. The department manager went to pick me up at the airport in person. He seems to be a nice guy.”

Zhao Yue immediately became alert and asked nervously, “Why would a manager do such a trivial thing as picking up a man and a woman at the airport? Could it be that a greasy middle-aged man heard that you are beautiful and wanted to take advantage of you?”

I burst out laughing.

“Don’t talk nonsense. The branch office has a young staff structure and the manager is not much older than me. Besides, the assistant took a leave of absence and couldn’t find anyone else to replace him, so he had to come in person.”

“He’s already a manager at such a young age, that’s pretty impressive. So what does he look like, is he handsome?”

“He’s… pretty handsome.”

Because of Zhao Yue’s question, I subconsciously recalled it.

Judging from his face alone, Xu Cheng is not particularly handsome.

But at the airport, he was standing among a group of people holding a sign, which did attract many girls to look back.

I saw a topic online before, which discussed whether a man’s temperament or appearance is more important.

There were many different opinions and they were arguing fiercely, but only one short statement stood out from the crowd and took the top spot.

It means: A man with good temperament will not have a bad appearance.

Xu Cheng is a person who fully proves this statement.

He has deep eyebrows, a high nose bridge, a perfect sense of bone structure, and the most ordinary black hair and work clothes, but he looks introverted and mature.

Probably because she was afraid that I would be in a bad mood, Zhao Yue kept chatting with me about trivial topics and was reluctant to end the conversation.

It was me who took the initiative to ask her to go to work quickly.

She hung up the phone with concern. Before hanging up, I felt sad and told her not to endure it.

I complained with a smile, “I see, you’ve been dawdling like an old lady today.”

After hanging up the phone, I felt warm in my heart.

Because I have to look at the house in the afternoon,

So I grabbed my bag and went out to find a place to have lunch.

While eating, I added the contact information of the rental agency.

This agency was recommended to me by Xu Cheng after he heard that I was looking for a house.

The efficiency is extremely high. After I sent my requirements, the other party quickly matched six or seven houses and made an appointment with me to go and see them in the afternoon.

For the convenience of commuting, I would like to rent a house near my company.

The results are, without exception, very expensive.

A small studio of 20 square meters costs 1,900 yuan, not including water and electricity bills. The kitchen is next to the bathroom, and the washing machine is squeezed next to the stove.

After looking around, I think a shared second-bedroom suite would be the most suitable.

It’s 60 square meters and a little far from the company, but only one kilometer away, so you can walk there.

The master bedroom has been rented out. The second bedroom for rent is 18 square meters and has a small bathroom. The kitchen and living room are public areas for shared use. The rent is 1,500 yuan.

The most important thing is that the house is tidy and clean, with excellent lighting.

I was attracted to it immediately, but there was only one problem – I heard that the other tenant was a man.

A man and a woman sharing a house sounds both ambiguous and dangerous.

If we put aside the filter of idol dramas and analyze from a realistic perspective, all that is left is danger and trouble.

But the agent kept persuading.

They said that the house had just been put on the market for a short time, that it was cost-effective and would be rented out quickly, and that if you missed it, you would never have it again. Moreover, the other resident was a very nice person and definitely not a messy or creepy man.

The second bedroom is now vacant only because my roommate moved out for a new job.

Plus, the house is really to my liking.

After hesitating for a long time, I finally listened to the agent.

I want to wait until the other resident gets off work and see what kind of person he is.

To be honest, during the waiting period, I kept praying that the other person was gay.

This not only solves the problem, but also gives you more sisters.

After all, the house was so clean that not only was the floor in the living room shiny, but even the empty second bedroom was spotless and smelled fragrant.

What if this boy who is so good at grooming is really gay?

until,

The agent received word that another resident had returned.

After the door opened, Xu Cheng walked in carrying a bag.

Oh, now I know.

Why did Xu Cheng happen to have the agent’s contact information saved in his phone?

8

“My roommate is looking for a roommate for a new job. Is it you?”

Xu Cheng was helpless, “Yeah, you also want to live near the company?”

“That’s right.”

The agent was in the middle, looking at me and then at him, and then asked blankly, “Do you know each other? Is it such a coincidence?”

We both smiled bitterly.

It’s quite a coincidence.

But even so.

In the end, I still didn’t choose to share the house with Xu Cheng.

After all, sharing a house with someone of the opposite sex is ambiguous enough.

Add to that the fact that we are colleagues in the company, and it becomes extremely awkward.

I believe Xu Cheng thinks so too.

After saying goodbye to the agent,

Took a taxi back to the hotel.

I plan to take another day tomorrow to look at a few other rooms recommended by the agent.

But I didn’t expect Zhou Ran would come.

The hotel I stayed in was booked by the company, and even Zhao Yue didn’t know its exact location.

So when I saw Zhou Ran leaning on the sofa playing with his mobile phone in the hotel lobby surrounded by a group of young girls, I was completely stunned.

Did he come to me on purpose, or was it just a coincidence?

But no matter which one it is, I really don’t want to have anything to do with him again.

So he raised his arms to cover his face and tried to cross the hall quickly.

But unexpectedly, I bumped into someone.

He was a middle-aged man, slightly fat and reeking of alcohol. He was leaning against the counter and lighting a cigarette. I bumped into him and the burning lighter hit him on the head, burning off a tuft of hair on his forehead.

The man’s reaction was obviously slow due to drinking, and when he looked up at his hair, he even made eye contact.

Until the smell of burning hair filled the air,

He came back to his senses.

After rubbing out the fire on his head, he smashed the lighter to the ground.

“You’re walking without eyes.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see it.”

“What the hell, I’m such a big man, am I blind and you can’t see me?”

This roar attracted the attention of almost everyone in the hall.

Of course, this also includes Zhou Ran.

I’m not good at dealing with drunk people, especially when the other person is a strong man who is several times my size.

My palms were sweating subconsciously, and I wanted to escape but couldn’t.

So I just kept apologizing.

Until someone came over and used his body to block the drunk man’s insults, and protected me in his arms, “You let him scold you like this?”

I looked up and met Zhou Ran’s deep and somewhat aggrieved gaze.

“Even if you want to hide, you have to wait until I finish explaining.”

Before I could say anything, the drunk who was cursing became anxious.

“Where the hell did you come from, you little white face? You’re meddling in other people’s business. Do you want to die?”

“Can you be quiet? You just want compensation. Is this enough?”

Zhou Ran’s eyes were sharp. He took off the watch on his hand and threw it into the drunk’s arms.

The watch worth millions successfully silenced the drunk.

But I can’t let him do whatever he wants.

We have broken up, so there should be no further connection.

So I could only suppress the feelings in my heart, walk around him, and go to the drunk man.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know this person. Please return the watch to him. I’ll give you any compensation you want for burning your hair.”

I didn’t have any cash on me, so I could only pull out the WeChat payment QR code to prove that I would really pay.

Zhou Ran frowned, and the emotion in his eyes became more serious. “Cheng Wan, what are you doing? Do you really want to draw a line between you and me?”

“Zhou Ran, we have broken up.”

“But I don’t want to break up with you. There are some things I can’t tell you right now, but I can promise that I will never marry Zhao Ziqi. Give me a little more time, okay? I will break off the engagement with her right away…”

“No.”

“Cheng Wan, can you please stop making trouble?”

The drunk’s friend saw us arguing and finally realized that something was wrong.

He came over and pulled the person away.

But this has already attracted onlookers, and many people are watching the show secretly.

I turned around and prepared to leave.

But someone grabbed his arm.

“Can’t you give me another chance? I know I lied to you, but I came here to apologize. I know I was wrong, can’t you just forgive me once? You let go of three years of love, is your heart really made of stone?”

His eyes were red and he stared at me without paying attention to other people’s gazes.

This is the first time he has lost his temper since we broke up.

I actually have a lot to say.

But in the end, nothing was explained.

I just pried open the fingers that were around my arm one by one.

After distancing myself from him, I said, “Zhou Ran, we are not from the same world.”

He turned around and got into the elevator without looking back.

So I don’t know how he reacted after hearing this.

It was only after returning to the hotel room that I received a text message from an unfamiliar number.

Just four words: “I disagree.”

He disagreed with something, but didn’t say it.

I clicked on it, read it for a while, and then deleted the message.

9

I officially reported to the company three days later.

I was a little nervous at first, worried about how to fit in when meeting my new colleagues for the first time.

But I didn’t expect that after completing the entry procedures and being taken to the office by the HR department, I found that there was no one inside.

“Where is everyone? They should be in the office at this time.”

The personnel were stunned, obviously not expecting this situation.

He dialed Xu Cheng’s number promptly and decisively.

Then he told me,

“Manager Xu is in a meeting with the editor-in-chief. Everyone else is at the exhibition. Please wait here for a while. When Manager Xu comes back, ask him to take you there.”

I nodded in understanding.

Offline activities are the most troublesome, especially large-scale events such as auto shows. There are many complicated things to do, so it is normal for the entire department to monitor the site together.

I found my seat and sat down.

While tidying up my things, I waited.

But after waiting for less than five minutes, someone suddenly broke in.

“Boss, there’s an accident at the scene, go over and save someone, otherwise Xiao Xue will…”

She was a round-faced girl wearing glasses and a ponytail. When she saw that I was the only one in the office, she stopped talking and stood there in a daze.

“Excuse me… who are you?”

“My name is Cheng Wan, and I’m new here.”

“Oh, I know you! You are the boss transferred from the headquarters. My name is Zhuang Ting, but you are so young! Actually, I should have been the one to pick you up at the airport that day, but my cat gave birth to kittens and I couldn’t leave. By the way, do you like cats?”

Zhuang Ting sat down next to me in a familiar manner, with her crescent-shaped eyes, which was particularly endearing.

But the next second, it bounced up again.

“Ah, no, I can’t sit down. I have to find the boss to go to the scene. Something happened over there. Sister Cheng Wan, do you know where the boss is? The boss is our manager, Xu Cheng.”

“I don’t know where he is, but HR said he was in a meeting with the editor-in-chief.”

“That’s it.” Zhuang Ting wailed, and her headache was visibly starting to hurt. “It must be Editor-in-Chief Hu. He’s the most difficult to deal with. He talks a lot and has a bad temper. Every time the boss has a meeting with him, it takes at least the whole morning, and he can’t be interrupted in the middle. What can I do?”

Seeing her like this, I couldn’t bear it, so I asked, “Did something happen at the scene?”

After Zhuang Ting explained it, I finally understood what was going on.

A young planner in the office got into an argument with a worker on site.

The cause was that the workers misread the blueprint and installed the billboards of the two car brands upside down, so they needed to be pried down and reinstalled.

But the workers felt that the two exhibition areas were the same size and there was no need to install them again.

But in fact, although the two exhibition areas are the same size, their distance from the entrance is very different, so the booth fees given by the brands are naturally different.

It was during this communication process that something seemed to go wrong, and what started as an argument turned into a quarrel.

Now that worker is leading the strike, the progress on site cannot be delayed.

I pondered for a moment and said to Zhuang Ting, “Why don’t I go to the scene with you? I’ve encountered similar situations before and may be able to help.”

“Really?” Zhuang Ting’s eyes lit up and she thanked him repeatedly.

The exhibition hall is neither far nor close to the office building.

It took twenty minutes to take the subway and then walk a few hundred meters.

When we rushed over, we saw a stalemate with workers sitting on the ground and no one working.

A young man wearing a shirt and holding a fan squatted at the door with a worried look on his face.

It’s easy to guess that this should be the other colleague mentioned by Zhuang Ting, Xiao Xue.

The venue was spacious, and when Zhuang Ting and I walked in, we naturally attracted the attention of the people inside.

But the worker who led the strike just glanced at us and warned us, “It’s useless even if more of you come today. We can’t stand this anymore. Hurry up and pay us the wages for the past few days, and then we’ll leave.”

When Xiao Xue heard this, he stood up suddenly and started to argue again with an angry look on his face.

I quickly signaled to Zhuang Ting and told her to stop the man.

Then he walked forward and stood in front of the leading worker.

“Second Uncle, when did you come to Shencheng? Why didn’t you tell me?”

The master was stunned, as if he didn’t expect me to say that.

“Girl, stop yelling, I don’t know you.”

“You don’t know me? I’m Cheng Wan. Didn’t we just meet in my hometown when my cousin got married two years ago?”

The master still frowned, but his tone was less cold and hard.

“You got the wrong person, girl. I really don’t know you.”

“Really? I’m sorry, uncle. I might have made a mistake. You look a bit like my second uncle. Plus, I’m away from home alone and I’m a bit homesick.”

“It’s okay. No need to apologize.” The master’s expression softened and he waved his hand.

I then said, “Well, uncle, I’m the new person in charge. I heard from my colleagues that you don’t want to continue taking this job. Can I ask what happened?”

“You still ask me what happened?” When the master mentioned this, his expression was not good. “It’s because of your colleague. He said that the work should be completed in a week. Tomorrow is the last day, but now the installed things have to be dismantled and reinstalled. How can the work be completed? He dragged on the time in the middle of the day and didn’t let us rest. We are also human beings. How can we not rest?”

The tone was unfriendly, but in the end he did not refuse to communicate.

After vaguely guessing the crux of the problem, I actually felt relieved.

“Is that so? Then they were definitely wrong. Regardless of whether to do the work or not, how can they have the energy to work if they don’t take a good rest at noon?”

Seeing that I agreed with him, the master looked grateful and said, “That’s right, girl. It’s not that we don’t want to do this job. It’s mainly because we are all hungry and can’t work.”

I thought about it and said, “How about this? We’ll order the lunch for you, and after you finish eating, take half an hour to change the brand, okay?”

The worker’s eyes lit up, he glanced at his brother behind him, and nodded without hesitation.

“That’s not impossible…”

Problem solved.

Zhuang Ting made a phone call to order food and had someone deliver lunch boxes as if she was familiar with the process.

When we went to the door to wait for the takeaway, she asked me excitedly, “Sister Cheng Wan, you are amazing. How did you do it? We communicated with them for a long time before you came. We tried every possible way, but it just didn’t work. How come they agreed as soon as you came?”

I smiled and explained, “Communication is not difficult, as long as we understand each other.”

The auto show is held in a convention and exhibition center where every inch of land is valuable. There are tall buildings everywhere nearby, and shopping malls and entertainment facilities are everywhere, making the place bright and lively.

But to these workers, this place is very unfamiliar.

Excessively high rents have squeezed out most of the small vendors.

They don’t understand how to understand the food delivery app, and after being busy all morning, they still have to walk a long way to find a suitable place to eat.

So they refuse to use their lunch break to work, not because they don’t want to, but because they can’t.

Because if the rest time is shortened, they won’t be able to find a place to eat nearby and they will really go hungry.

Zhuang Ting said with some confusion, “But Sister Cheng Wan, why don’t they just tell us if they have trouble eating? It’s not a big deal to order takeout.”

“Because I care too much.”

They sell their manual labor, have little education, and are no longer young.

In this era of rapid development where everything is rushing towards being newer and better, it seems like we have been left behind.

They did nothing wrong, but they felt awkward all the time because they couldn’t fit in.

People are like this.

The more you care, the more sensitive you become.

Those seemingly stubborn and unreasonable persistence are often not due to strength, but inferiority.

I had just finished speaking when Zhuang Ting didn’t say anything.

Instead, someone behind me said, “But sometimes, people and things that make you feel inferior should not be persisted in.”

I turned around and saw Xu Cheng walking towards me from the exhibition hall.

He walked with a breeze, obviously he had just arrived.

10

The welcoming dinner in the evening was held near the company.

Xu Cheng treated everyone to Chongqing hotpot.

Because of the accident that happened during the day, several colleagues got to know each other in advance.

In addition to Zhuang Ting and the operation manager Xiao Xue who have already met, there is also an editor named Chen and a copywriter named Hu.

Because we are about the same age.

So we get along more harmoniously than I thought.

After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere at the table became much more lively.

Xiao Xue stood up and toasted, with a grateful expression, “Thank you Assistant Cheng for coming on stage and saving my life. If I had known that the boss transferred from the headquarters was a beautiful lady, I would have gone to the airport to pick her up.”

Zhuang Ting laughed and said, “Sister Cheng Wan, ignore him. Xiao Xue is a sea king who flirts with pretty girls everywhere.”

Xiao Xue was not angry when his shortcomings were exposed. He retorted with a smile, “My behavior is nothing. The boss was too much. He hid his resume from us and went to the airport to pick up the beauty. This is called being tempted by beauty, okay?”

“You’re talking nonsense. Boss, I went there on my own because I asked for leave and couldn’t find anyone. I’m totally different from you!”

“How are they different? We are both attracted by beauty. You can’t be hypocritical just because the boss is more handsome than me.”

Several of them were laughing and joking with each other, and it was obvious that they had a good relationship.

Zhuang Ting’s fighting ability was extraordinary, and Xiao Xue soon fell into a disadvantage.

Half-jokingly, he asked Xu Cheng for help, “Boss, tell me the truth, did you decide to pick the person up in person after seeing the resume?”

Hear him ask this.

Others followed suit.

I looked up, but unexpectedly, I met the gaze of Xu Cheng, who was sitting opposite me.

But he just smiled, without any intention of explaining.

11

Because the exhibition is about to open.

Both online promotion and offline brand connection have reached a critical period.

In order to promote the video, Xu Cheng and the editor Xiao Chen spent the whole day shooting materials on site and going back to the company to edit them.

I took the rest of the people to keep an eye on the scene.

All kinds of troubles popped up from all kinds of unimaginable places and in all kinds of unimaginable ways.

Everyone was busy as hell.

The welcoming banquet that day turned out to be a rare day for everyone to get together in the past two weeks.

In addition, after the middle of the month, the temperature in Shenzhen became increasingly high.

The stuffy heat mixed with moisture is like a net that makes people lose their temper.

So even though things were going well and we could go out for lunch at noon, everyone still couldn’t leave the air conditioning in the lounge and ordered takeout.

While waiting for the takeaway, Zhuang Ting sat next to me.

I looked at it on my phone for a while.

Suddenly, he said excitedly, “Hurry up and check Weibo, my goddess is engaged!”

Then he held the phone in front of me.

Only then did I see clearly that the topic page on the screen read #Zhao Ziqi and the young master of Fengzheng Group got engaged in a low-key manner.

I was stunned and didn’t say anything for a while.

Zhuang Ting thought I didn’t know these two people, and explained with a happy face, “Sister Cheng Wan, don’t you know these two people? Didn’t you see the hot search a few days ago? This couple is so good. The man is also a rich second-generation, but he has liked Zhao Ziqi since he was a child. However, he has been pursuing her for many years, but he has always been treated as a younger brother. The man left the rich family in anger and did not rely on his family to work and study. Not only did he get a degree from University A, he also founded his own company. After that, he returned domineeringly and appeared at the event to support his sister. The little brother in the past has grown into a handsome and domineering president. The sister finally fell in love and accepted this relationship. What is this? This is sweet love!”

It turns out that their story,

In the eyes of others, that’s what it looks like.

I didn’t know what to say, so I could only smile awkwardly to show that I wasn’t interested in these.

Instead, it was Xiao Xue who had just opened a bottle of water who spoke up.

“You are stupid, what sweet love, that’s all fake, it’s all business, there is no true love in the entertainment industry, only ignorant little girls like you would believe it.”

“I have a buddy who works in marketing. He said that these two people are not what they seem. The previous trending search was also hype. The woman hired someone to send out press releases to create momentum for her company. The man didn’t want to get engaged at all. He was forced to this point. He couldn’t break up because of family power.”

Zhuang Ting glared, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Tsk, this is all true. If you don’t believe it, that’s it.”

The two of them argued back and forth, but they couldn’t avoid that person.

I just felt that the lounge was a bit stuffy.

I got up and wanted to go outside to get some fresh air.

But he happened to bump into Xu Cheng who was walking towards the lounge with coffee.

When he saw me, he handed me a cup of coffee and asked with a smile, “Have you eaten?”

I shook my head. “The takeaway hasn’t arrived yet.”

“We have lunch break, why don’t you go out to eat?”

“It’s too hot outside, I’m too lazy to move.”

“Then why don’t you wait in the lounge with the air conditioner on?”

“It’s too stuffy in there.”

This excuse is so lame that even I feel a little guilty.

Xu Cheng did not expose it, but put the coffee at the door and called the people inside to get it.

He smiled and said to me, “That’s great. I feel stuffy in the room too. Why don’t we stay together for a while?”

I actually just want to be alone and don’t want to deal with socializing.

But after all, they mean well and it’s hard to refuse.

The iced Americano tasted a bit bitter, and my stomach was empty, so I didn’t dare drink more.

Then he muttered something in a low voice.

When Xu Cheng heard this, he took out a few candies from somewhere and put them in my hand.

The colorful candy wrappers are the kind of glowing laser packaging from the past.

But there is only red in my palm.

And I do like red the best.

But how could Xu Cheng carry these with him, and how did he know…

Meeting my surprised look, Xu Cheng suddenly smiled, but his expression was somewhat helpless, “You little liar, you really forgot about me completely. If I had known, I would not have returned the candy I owed you.”

12

The familiar tone and address finally awakened my memory.

“You’re the tall guy who got beaten!”

When I was eight years old, I was boarding at my uncle’s house.

That year my parents divorced and each started a new family.

My uncle felt sorry for me because I had no one to take care of me, so he took me to his home.

My uncle and aunt are the kindest people in the world. They take good care of me.

But no matter how good it is, there is always a veil between us.

My cousin would be beaten if she did something wrong, would run away from home, and would be scolded by both parents for not wearing a piece of clothing.

But at the same time, her personality became more arrogant and bright.

And I am always envious.

When I miss my parents too much, I will skip classes.

He crawled out from the broken railings of the school and wandered around on the road.

It was during one of those afternoons when I skipped class that I met the tall guy.

He was very tall, but he was beaten into a ball by a group of children younger than him.

I can’t stand it.

He shouted and told the teacher, scaring away those little rascals.

Then I asked him why he was being bullied and whether he couldn’t fight back.

He said he could beat them, but after winning, these children would go to their parents to complain, but his father was very busy at work and would not care about him.

There was blood at the corner of his mouth. Although he was half a head taller than me, he looked particularly pitiful.

As I was talking, my stomach started to growl with hunger.

After thinking it over, I gave him half of the candy I had saved for a long time.

His eyes lit up, and after wolfing down the whole thing, he swore to me that he would repay me by buying me more candy.

Before we parted, he asked me where I lived and what my name was.

I told him my name.

But when I mentioned the address, another problem came to my mind.

My uncle and aunt don’t know that I skipped classes, and they don’t know that I made new friends. If this person comes to their house and gives me candy, won’t everything be exposed?

So I lied and said I lived in the tallest house near the school.

Anyway, I have to come to school every day, so we will see each other eventually.

Later we became friends.

He told me about his parents’ quarrel and his desk mate’s new game. I also told him that I missed home very much and told him to study hard and not care about other people’s criticism.

But later my uncle changed his job and needed to move, so I also transferred to another school.

I really didn’t expect that,

The next time I meet him will be under such circumstances.

I was surprised and a little curious, so I asked, “How did you recognize me? No, it’s been so long, how come you still remember me?”

Xu Cheng had a tangled expression and started to explain, “Do you still remember that I said I wanted to repay you? In fact, I have been saving money since that day. In order to buy you candy, I smashed all my piggy banks and ran to all the supermarkets and convenience stores nearby.”

“But when I wanted to give you the candy, I found out that you gave me a fake address, so I could only empty my books every day before school and carry a bag of candy to look for you. But later my teacher found out and told my dad about it. I was severely beaten and the candy was thrown away. I cried for many days. Tell me, how could I forget you?”

I didn’t expect that our acquaintance back then would have such a follow-up.

I felt a little guilty, so I tried to hold back my smile and apologized to him, “Sorry, I moved away later.”

“No, this incident has caused me so much pain that I can’t forgive you so easily.”

“Oh, then call the police.”

Xu Cheng was stunned by my sudden response, and then he burst into laughter.

And when I saw him like this, the depression that had been accumulating in my heart dissipated a lot.

13

I returned to the lounge with the takeaway.

However, I didn’t expect that the originally tense atmosphere inside would change drastically.

Zhuang Ting and Xiao Xue, who had just been arguing with each other, now huddled together and stared at their mobile phone screens intently.

“This should be considered a public relations crisis.”

“It’s over, the page crashed and I can’t refresh it!”

“You exit and re-enter.”

The two were so serious that they only greeted Xu Cheng and I briefly when we entered the room.

Xu Cheng asked, “What’s wrong? You two are watching so seriously.”

Xiao Xue quickly refreshed his phone several times, but to no avail, he looked up and explained.

“Something big has happened, come and eat some melons.”

“Just now, didn’t Zhao Ziqi officially announce his engagement? All marketing accounts were praising him, but now someone broke the news that a fight broke out at the engagement scene!”

I frowned and subconsciously asked, “What do you mean?”

“No one can explain exactly what happened, but a paparazzi sneaked in and took photos of the engagement scene, which was a mess. He said that the man didn’t know about the engagement at all and was deceived. After he found out what happened, he got mad on the spot. Later, it was the woman’s brother who started the fight first.”

The video that leaked this time is rather blurry.

In addition, the distance of the secret filming was too far, so no sound could be heard at all.

But Zhao Ziqi is a star and is highly recognizable. In addition, she was wearing a gorgeous dress and her hairstyle and makeup were perfect without any flaws, which made her appearance in the picture really eye-catching.

The video starts recording when Zhou Ran pushes the door and walks into the venue.

The scene was luxuriously decorated and everyone was wearing suits and tuxedos, so when Zhou Ran pushed the door and walked in in casual clothes, he immediately attracted most of the attention.

Zhao Ziqi went towards him, but he dodged.

Then he asked something with an irritable expression.

But the communication seemed to be going wrong, and Zhou Ran turned over the engagement stand with a cold face that had a photo of the two of them printed on it.

Afterwards, Zhao Quan rushed out and punched Zhou Ran in the face.

The scene was in complete chaos.

The security guard approached, the person filming was discovered, and the video stopped abruptly.

Zhuang Ting said in a sullen tone, “It’s so tragic. The couple I was rooting for came true and it’s already broken within an hour.”

“And some people say that Zhou Ran has already had a girlfriend in private. They met during graduate school at University A and they live together. My goddess doesn’t mind this and is willing to fulfill the engagement, but now he is making a scene at the engagement ceremony for that woman. Sigh, my goddess is so confused!”

“What do you mean for that woman?” Xiao Xue continued, “Zhuang Ting, you are too naive. This playboy has been having a lot of fun outside, how could he have only had one relationship? In my opinion, he is a complete scumbag. He just doesn’t want to get engaged because he hasn’t had enough fun. There are no so many reasons. Boss, Sister Wan, don’t you think this is the case?”

Xu Cheng said, “I don’t know the full story, so I won’t comment.”

I really didn’t want to join in this conversation, so I just shook my head.

14

When I got home from get off work, I was supposed to clean my room first.

But when I saw the floor full of unopened cartons of large and small packages sent by Zhao Yue, I felt lazy again.

Anyway, the necessities of life have been taken out, so it doesn’t matter if we unpack the remaining things later… right?

Thinking this way, I decided to just turn a blind eye to it.

I went to take a shower first.

When I came out wrapped in a bath towel, I found that there were several missed calls on my phone.

Unknown number, but the location is shown as Shenzhen.

Maybe it’s express delivery.

Thinking of this, I called back.

I didn’t expect it was the hotel I stayed in before.

The front desk said that someone sent my package to the hotel by mistake and they couldn’t contact the sender, so they could only ask for my current address and run errands to send it to me for me to deal with.

Who sent something to me and sent it to the hotel?

Could it be that Zhao Yue made a mistake?

Although I don’t know what it is,

But I really didn’t want to bother the front desk, so I could only give me my current address and contact information and ask the delivery man to call me after delivering the item.

After hanging up the phone, I asked Zhao Yue if she had sent anything to me at the hotel.

She flatly denied it.

I was full of doubts.

I could only send a message to Xu Cheng again to confirm whether the company had made a mistake in the information they sent to my address. After all, it was the company that helped me book the hotel when I first landed in Shenzhen.

But Xu Cheng couldn’t explain what was going on.

I can only keep waiting.

Finally, half an hour later, the delivery man knocked on the door.

I didn’t think much about it and just opened the door.

But he found that the person standing outside the door was Zhou Ran.

He was dressed in black, wearing a baseball cap, and carrying a huge suitcase.

The bangs were pressed down by the hat, covering a little of the eyes. The whole person stood in the shadow of the corridor, and the red corners of the lips could be vaguely seen.

I couldn’t help but think of the punch Zhao Quan gave him in the face in the video.

Frowning, “Why is it you?”

“Did you bribe the hotel to give out my address?”

He shook his head, “No, they don’t say.”

“So I sent a package to the hotel and asked the deliveryman to drop it off and run, wanting to see how they would handle it. Then they really called you, and when they were looking for someone to run errands, I overheard the address.”

…

This experience was so turbulent that the first time I heard about it,

I didn’t know whether I should report to the newspaper and warn him for harassment or praise him for being so awesome.

But just when I was organizing my words to drive him away, he closed his eyes and fell straight towards me.

I was startled.

I subconsciously wanted to hold him up, but I didn’t have enough strength and could only slightly slow down his fall.

He fell straight into the house.

The hat was rubbed off.

With the help of the light in the room, I noticed that his face was unusually red, and the skin on his wrist, which I had just briefly touched, was also terribly hot.

The man has a fever.

He was lying on the carpet, but still trying to get up.

It seemed that he had a high fever, his eyes were red and watery, and he was muttering something in a hoarse voice.

I leaned in closer to hear what he said, “I’m sorry, I screwed up.”

And just when I didn’t know what to do with him,

There was a sound of hurried footsteps in the corridor.

Then, Xu Cheng appeared at the door, panting.

“Cheng Wan, are you okay? You didn’t answer my call, but I heard that some courier scams recently specifically target single women…”

Through the wide-open door,

Xu Cheng first looked at Zhou Ran who was lying unconscious on the ground, and then looked at me who was squatting beside him.

Then he changed his words with a bit of confusion, “What’s wrong?”

15

I quickly explained that I just put my phone in the bedroom to charge, so I didn’t receive the call.

I haven’t encountered any courier scams.

“Is it a waste of time for you to come here?”

Xu Cheng shook his head, “No, I was just too nervous and overthinking.”

After helping me lift Zhou Ran from the ground to the sofa, Xu Cheng said goodbye.

“If you have nothing else to do, I’ll leave first.”

I followed him and walked him to the door.

But after he turned and took a step, he turned back and said, “Excuse me, may I ask, who is that person of yours?”

He was obviously talking about Zhou Ran.

But it always feels a little strange when an ex-partner suddenly comes to your house.

I didn’t want my personal feelings to become office gossip, so I lied.

“The relative’s child had an argument with his parents and ran away from home.”

Xu Cheng glanced at the suitcase by the door, as if relieved, and said with a smile, “All adolescent children are like this, running away from home at any time.”

I agreed casually.

After seeing Xu Cheng off and closing the door, I realized that the person on the sofa had woken up at some point.

Staring at me.

“Cheng Wan, who is your brother?”

His voice was hoarse from the fever and his whole body was weak, but he still sat up straight with his arms to support his body, unyielding.

“Also, who is that guy? Your new boyfriend. Are you with him just to piss me off, or do you really like him…”

His breathing was a little disordered, and his bangs, which were messed up by the hat, hung down, casting a small shadow on his face.

Like an abandoned puppy.

I turned my eyes away and didn’t look at him.

“It’s illegal to break into someone’s house. If you leave now, I won’t call the police.”

He stared at me stubbornly, stood up and asked again, “Is that man really your new boyfriend? Did you come to Shenzhen for him?”

He was thinner and his facial features were more distinct than before.

I took a step back, out of the shadow cast by his height.

Say, “Yes, I like him very much, so what you are doing now is seriously interfering with my life.”

“I don’t believe you, you’re lying.”

His eyes were sad and his voice was trembling slightly.

I smiled, raised the corners of my lips and looked at him, “Why would I lie to you, Zhou Ran, you don’t really think you are important, do you?”

“For someone like you, I heard that the monthly fee is at least 5,000. I’ve been doing it for free for three years, so I should be nice to you… Or did you misunderstand and really think I like you that much?”

The person in front of him turned pale instantly.

The emotion in his eyes slowly changed from sadness to disbelief, and finally to anger.

I leaned against the wall and watched him dragging his suitcase away in embarrassment.

He didn’t even look back when he went down the stairs.

Then he picked up the phone on the table, hung up the call and replied to the text message.

“He’s gone, and he probably won’t come back.”

The other side replied immediately, “I heard everything. Thank you Ms. Cheng for your cooperation. The video has been destroyed.”

A statement was also sent.

It says that if the video is leaked in the future, the other party will be fully responsible and will have to pay huge compensation.

I didn’t read it and just deleted the dialog box.

Then he squatted on the ground with cold hands and feet, covering his face with his hands.

I received this message while on the road.

The person who contacted me was Zhao Ziqi.

She sent me a video, a video that I thought would never be seen by anyone in my lifetime.

It records my most embarrassing and unforgettable past.

When I was in college, my first part-time job was actually working as a receptionist in a KTV.

A drunk man asked me to lead him to the toilet.

I was young and inexperienced.

I really thought it was just a guide.

But when we turned the corner of the corridor, he suddenly came over and started touching me.

I was terrified, crying and screaming, and even shouting that I would call the police. The man finally sobered up when he saw my violent reaction and realized that I might not be a drinking companion.

Afraid that I would call the police.

He took out five thousand yuan, threw it in front of me, and told me not to say anything.

Five thousand yuan.

It’s exactly one year’s tuition.

This will give me the confidence to quit my KTV job and stop working night shifts.

This will allow me to not have to run around to raise tuition money and work fewer jobs for at least a year.

It allows me to study hard, strive for a scholarship, and find a more leisurely part-time job in my spare time.

I took the wad of money.

On the way back to school, I kept brainwashing myself, saying, “It was just a few touches, nothing serious happened, five thousand dollars is not a small amount, it can be considered a blessing in disguise, anyway, I will never go to that place again, and I will never see that person again…”

But even so.

After returning to the dormitory that day, I still took many showers.

And for a long time, I will be physiologically afraid of every middle-aged man who wears glasses and is fat.

16

“Knock knock knock”

Someone is knocking on the door.

I came back to my senses and asked loudly.

“Who is it?”

“Flash delivery, we have your stuff.”

The door opened, and a guy in a uniform delivery suit came in holding a large bunch of bright yellow sunflowers.

The flower language of sunflower is: faith, glory, pride, loyalty, sunshine, and brightness.

It means silent love, love openly and honestly, never give up, and you can bravely pursue everything you want…

Brought along with the flowers,

There is another letter.

An apology letter written by Zhou Ran:

“Wanwan, this is a letter I wrote a long time ago but I don’t know how to give it to you.

I’m sorry, I didn’t actually want to agree to Zhao Quan’s plan to take revenge on you.

I think he is childish and stupid.

There is no need to bully a girl like this.

So as soon as he made this request, I chose to refuse.

He repeatedly persuaded and begged me, but I pretended not to hear him.

Until that night, when we had planned to get together, Zhao Quan dragged everyone to the coffee shop where you worked part-time.

He brought people there to cause trouble.

I was too lazy to participate, so I just waited in the car.

Through the glass of the coffee shop, I saw him yelling at you and deliberately throwing coffee on you.

That was the first time I met you.

I thought you would be tolerant.

Like a bullied punching bag,

But you didn’t.

You picked up the coffee and threw it back at him even more fiercely than he was, telling him to call the police if he was not satisfied and to check the surveillance footage.

Zhao Quan was stunned by you.

And I was surprised too.

I’m surprised that you are so different from what I imagined.

At the same time, I finally understood why Zhao Quan had to target you.

I sat in the car and watched the show, which was very interesting.

Until you were scolded by the indiscriminate store manager and lost your job.

You hold your head high and walk out of the coffee shop like a proud fighter.

But I knew you were crying while sitting in the car.

I rolled down my window to ask if you were okay.

But you walked past me without even glancing at me, crying pitifully and in embarrassment, and angrily scolded, “These idiots, from now on, all instant noodles will have no seasoning packets!”

You were so angry that your face turned red and you hadn’t wiped away your tears yet, but you had no intention of giving in.

It was from that moment that I suddenly felt that

It would be nice if if I pursue you, Zhao Quan would stop bothering you.

Then, I agreed to Zhao Quan’s request.

Concealing my identity to get close to you and understand you.

My heart beats faster because of your occasional glance at me.

The three years we were together,

It was the happiest and also the most painful day of my life.

because I love you.

Because I lied to you.

And the longer it goes on, the more painful it will be.

I even fantasized that if things were delayed long enough, you and Zhao Quan would forget each other, and the lie would be exposed.

But I was wrong again, because lies will not be erased by time.

It will only become more difficult to explain as time goes by.

Until the truth came out and you knew my identity.

I realized what a stupid mistake I had made.

But I really knew I was wrong.

Wanwan, can you forgive me and give me another chance? “

“Ma’am, please sign for this.”

I came back to my senses when I heard the reminder in front of me.

After signing, he took the bouquet and placed it at the foot of the wall.

The originally cramped and dim rental house seemed to be illuminated by a beam of light.

But my vision was blurred by tears.

I just feel that that distant brightness is becoming increasingly out of reach.

We are not from the same world.

He should stand in the sun and shine brightly.

Instead of swallowing your anger and being forced to compromise for someone.

I don’t care about that video.

That was my past, although it was not glorious enough,

But it was the best choice I made after weighing the pros and cons for the sake of life.

To put it another way, even if that video was really released, it would not cause me any harm under the current circumstances.

I’m just an ordinary person who doesn’t rely on the Internet to survive.

If the matter becomes a big deal, the company or colleagues may criticize you for it.

But I can still quit and change jobs.

In the adult world, reputation and the evaluation of others are important, but work ability and a strong heart are the foundation of survival.

I’m not afraid of that video being sent out.

But Zhao Ziqi’s phone call reminded me once again that Zhou Ran and I were not from the same world from the beginning.

He came to me when I was most vulnerable and protected me.

I should be grateful and send him back to his world with peace of mind.

17

Earlier today.

I was still on the road when I received the message from Zhao Ziqi.

The phone vibrates, indicating that there is a new message.

“Ms. Cheng, there’s something I think you should know? Do you have time to call me?”

Unknown number.

I thought it was a scam message and ignored it.

But the other party immediately sent another message, “Regarding Zhou Ran, I am Zhao Ziqi.”

I don’t know what Zhao Ziqi wants to do by contacting me.

But I finally found a quiet place and answered the phone.

She said a lot.

They said that my background was not worthy of Zhou Ran, and that a marriage between wealthy families was the most stable situation. Even if I insisted on being with Zhou Ran, I could only be a third party.

And most importantly, she told me,

It turns out that after I offended Zhao Quan,

The revenge method he first thought of was not that frivolous.

The young master grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth and was spoiled by his family. He is rich and powerful and looks down on others.

After being beaten and humiliated, he was crazy about revenge.

It cost a lot of money just to find someone to investigate me.

He also threatened that anyone who could find evidence against me would be handsomely rewarded.

And the surveillance video of me taking money from a man in a KTV,

That’s how it came into his hands.

Zhao Quan was overjoyed and prepared to post the video online, along with my personal information and major name, on the campus network and forum of University A.

“Female college students make money by engaging in paid dating, are greedy and vain, and sell their bodies”

This was the title he had thought of a long time ago.

It’s enough to ruin my reputation, and if it gets out of hand, I might even be expelled from school.

It was Zhou Ran who stopped him, saying that he shouldn’t ruin a girl’s life because of an unintentional mistake.

Of course Zhao Quan disagreed and refused directly.

But he was a little worried about what Zhou Ran said, that if the person involved called the police, he would also get into trouble.

He began to hesitate whether to release the video.

And when he saw the girls who sent love letters to Zhou Ran and looked sad after being rejected, an idea suddenly came to him.

He said, “Brother Ran, why don’t you help me get revenge? Go chase that poor girl, and when she falls in love with you, dump her. She will be heartbroken.”

“I promise, as long as you are willing to help me get revenge, I will do whatever you ask in the future!”

Just as Zhou Ran said in the letter.

At first he refused.

But Zhao Quan’s relentless pressure on me made him feel a little bit reluctant.

Then came this ridiculous revenge that lasted three years.

After Zhou Ran was completely moved, he began to delay time.

Whenever Zhao Quan came to urge him to hurry up, Zhou Ran would say that I don’t like him enough and I need more time to develop the relationship.

But spring goes and autumn comes, the four seasons change.

Three whole years.

As stupid as Zhao Quan was, he finally realized that something was wrong.

That night was Zhou Ran’s father’s birthday.

He had to go back.

As it happened, Zhao Ziqi was attending an event and was embarrassed by the organizer. Zhao Quan’s driving skills were average, so he begged Zhou Ran to go to the event with him to support Zhao Ziqi.

However, he didn’t expect that while Zhao Quan was in the car negotiating with the organizer, he was secretly photographed because of his outstanding appearance.

The video became a trending topic.

In addition, Zhao Ziqi’s team ignored the facts and fanned the flames for the sake of hype, and the heat was getting higher and higher.

Zhou Ran was extremely anxious, fearing that I would misunderstand his relationship with Zhao Ziqi after seeing this.

I immediately asked someone to suppress the trending searches and try to block the video on the entire Internet.

But Zhao Quan read something strange in his rare loss of composure.

He asked Zhou Ran who he was pushing the trending search for.

Are you in love with me, so you haven’t broken up with me yet?

At the same time, the video climbed to the top of the hot list and was sent to me by Zhao Yue.

Zhou Ran was in a state of confusion.

But in front of Zhao Quan, he still didn’t dare to admit it.

Because he was afraid that Zhao Quan would not take the seriousness of the matter seriously and find me and do something he shouldn’t do.

So he could only break up with me in front of Zhao Quan, and then brought Zhao Quan to find me, hoping that after that scene,

Zhao Quan got what he wanted and will not harass me again.

But Zhao Ziqi is much smarter than Zhao Quan.

She saw that Zhou Ran had no choice.

And use this to threaten him.

The Zhao family started out as a supermarket business. They are large and wealthy, but the market has been sluggish in recent years, and the real economy has been impacted by e-commerce, so business is slowly going downhill.

In order to maintain the family’s glory, he also wanted to transform the business with the help of Zhou Ran’s family.

She proposed an engagement to Zhou Ran, a business marriage for half a year. The two of them did not need to be in a real relationship, they just needed to keep the name of the engagement low-key.

And the bargaining chip is that video and the fact that Zhao Quan can never get close to me again.

The surveillance footage from that year had long been cleared.

Zhao Ziqi held the last backup in his hand.

Zhou Ran agreed.

But when he finished everything, he found out that he had been blocked by me.

So he could only force himself to concentrate on acting in front of Zhao Quan and relatives and friends, and then come to me to explain everything after resolving these issues.

But he didn’t expect that I would leave directly.

He was a person who never drank, but he got drunk many times during that period. When he was sober, he would drive back to the downstairs of the rental house and stare at the window where I used to live until the lights came on and then went out, and he would not leave until the curtains were drawn at dawn.

But that night, he waited all night long, but still didn’t see the lights come on.

He thought something had happened to me, but when he ran upstairs he found that I was gone.

The landlord was tidying up the room and picking through the things I left behind, trying to keep something useful.

The clothes and shoes I bought for him were turned out and thrown on the ground, making a mess.

His eyes were red and he punched the door frame, bleeding profusely.

The landlord was frightened by him and almost called the police.

But he calmed down, told the landlord that he was willing to buy the sundries and rent the room for a higher price.

Zhao Quan learned all this from the landlord when he discovered that Zhou Ran was missing and went looking for him.

On the other end of the phone, Zhao Ziqi’s voice was calm and pleasant. “Ms. Cheng, you know that Zhou Ran has always hated me. He hates those of us who sell out our marriages for the family business and for profit. But for you and for that surveillance video, he still agreed to my request and got engaged to me. Don’t you think it’s ironic?

“From the perspective of interests, Zhou Ran and I are the most suitable marriage combination. He is a smart man, and I don’t hate him. This marriage can promote cooperation between the two families. With the help of my family, he will get his parents’ approval faster and inherit the family business.

“He really likes you and has done a lot for you, but what about you? What have you done for him? What can you do for him?

“Yes, I did lie and planned the engagement ceremony carefully, intending to turn the fake into reality, thinking that if he still had a clear mind, he would realize that it would be the best deal to agree to marry me.

“But because of your existence, he even lost his sanity. He caused a scene at the engagement ceremony, becoming a joke in the entire circle. He also stubbornly went to you to explain, which angered his family. An heir who is not smart enough will lose the right of inheritance even if he is related by blood.

“Ms. Cheng, do you really want him to lose everything?”

I was silent for a long time.

I don’t want to, and I don’t want to.

So I could only remain indifferent and force him to leave.

Back in the present, I stared at the bouquet of flowers for a long time.

So long that my eyes get sore,

I turned off the lights reluctantly and watched the darkness swallow up the light before everything fell silent.

18

I was not in good condition for the next few days.

Fortunately, preparations for the exhibition have reached the final stage of the entry of brand vehicles, which is relatively easy.

Even though he was daydreaming the whole time, he didn’t cause any trouble.

Every day I look forward to getting off work and going home to rest.

But today.

When I walked up the stairs, I found that the door of the room next door was open, and there was a lot of luggage piled at the door, including a black suitcase.

The previous tenant moved out last week, and a new tenant moved in today.

The house is not soundproof.

I hope this time’s tenants won’t quarrel in the middle of the night like that couple did.

Thinking of this, I couldn’t help but take a few more glances.

For some reason, I felt that the black suitcase parked at the door next to me looked inexplicably familiar.

Suddenly, I had a bad feeling in my heart.

And the next second, a person walked out of the room.

He was wearing a pure white short-sleeved shirt, had a tall figure, and his hair was pushed aside, revealing Zhou Ran’s handsome face.

He was just about to bend down to move something, and he felt indescribable sense of incongruity standing in the old, narrow residential building.

I was so surprised that I forgot to pull out the key I had turned halfway. “Why are you still here? Didn’t you leave?”

Zhou Ran stood up straight after hearing this and looked at me. “I wanted to leave originally, but I made my girlfriend angry and she didn’t want to go home with me, so I had to do my best to win her back until she changed her mind.”

When he said this, his eyes were fixed on my face.

But when I heard what he said, I didn’t know how to react.

Fortunately, he didn’t wait for my answer and said, “Okay, I can tell from the dark circles under your eyes that you didn’t sleep well. Go back and have some rest. When I’m done cleaning up, I’ll treat you to a housewarming party.

“Of course, as neighbors, your boyfriend probably won’t mind.”

Because of his illness, his voice was a little hoarse, with an upturned ending, and his beautiful eyes were smiling, just like the first time we met.

He caught up with me on his bicycle, the sun shining on his face, and he said in a teasing voice mixed with the wind, “Classmate, when you walk and read, will you really not bump into a tree?”

How did I answer at that time?

I said no, but the next second, I almost bumped into the street lamp because he attracted my attention.

He stopped the car and stood there looking at me and smiling.

Return to the present moment.

Zhou Ran was still looking at me, as if waiting for my answer.

I suppressed my erratic heartbeat, looked away, and said coldly, “No, I don’t have the habit of making friends with strange neighbors.”

He shouldn’t be here.

He should go back to his world.

19

Zhou Ran lived next door to me.

After that, he would often knock on the door for some inexplicable and strange things.

For example, “Where can I get wifi?” “What should I do if the door can’t be opened?” “What’s the contact number for bottled water?”

After so many times, I knew that his real intention was not to drink, so I just ignored him.

Or they may adopt a cold attitude, hoping that he will give up.

I don’t know whether he has resolved the conflict with his parents. I have no right to ask, so I can only worry about it.

But after he moved in, the originally messy corridor became neater and neater day by day.

The handrails on the railings were scraped and the broken voice-activated lights were repaired.

I even saw a ceramic flowerpot on the shoe rack at his door, with a sunflower planted in it, blooming wildly facing the only small window in the corridor.

However, the flower seemed to have not been watered for several days and was a little wilted.

Perhaps, he had figured it out and returned home…

“What are you thinking about, Sister Wanwan!”

Someone patted her shoulder, and when she came to her senses she realized it was Zhuang Ting, who said with a smile.

“Tomorrow is the last day of the auto show. We will start our holiday from the day after tomorrow for five consecutive days. Sister Wanwan, do you have any plans for that time?”

I rubbed my neck and said, “I guess I’ll sleep for a day and a night.”

“I should be the same. Even a god can’t stand coming here to watch the scene at 7 o’clock every day.”

Because they were about to take a holiday, the team members who had been working non-stop for over a month became visibly excited.

The afternoon activities ended.

Clean up the scene, organize the materials, take a group photo, and it’s all over.

Coming home from get off work.

I dropped my bag and collapsed on the bed, completely exhausted and without desire.

Just when I was dozing off, the phone suddenly rang.

It’s Zhao Yue calling.

Then I remembered that she said she would come to Shenzhen on the weekend, so I quickly cheered up and answered the phone.

“Hey, Yueyue, which ticket did you buy?”

But the person on the other end of the phone was unexpectedly excited. “Let’s talk about the tickets later. Did you see the trending searches? Zhao Ziqi announced his retirement from the entertainment industry and got married.”

After hearing what Zhao Yue said, I sobered up a bit. I subconsciously clutched my phone and asked, “When did this happen?”

“Someone broke the news a few days ago, but not many people believed it. Fans were still refuting the rumor, saying that Zhao Ziqi’s career was on the rise and he would not quit the entertainment industry. But just now, the studio made an official announcement and even showed off their marriage certificate.”

“Marriage certificate…”

I subconsciously repeated these three words with mixed feelings.

When I saw the pot of flowers after get off work just now, I was wondering if he had really given up and returned to Beijing.

But now that my guess has been confirmed, I’m not as relaxed as I thought.

Instead, it felt like a huge rock was pressing on my chest and I couldn’t breathe.

But in fact, this is exactly the result I want.

I spoke coldly to him and rejected him harshly, just to make him leave and return to the world where he should be…

Zhao Yue was still talking on the other end of the phone, but I really couldn’t hear a word she said at this moment.

I could only speak, interrupt her, and say, “Yueyue, I have something to do here, why don’t I call you when I’m done.”

“Okay, I’m off work right now and need to catch the subway. We’ll talk when I get home.”

The phone was hung up.

The rental house returned to silence.

I don’t know how long I lay in bed, watching the sky outside the window gradually darken, and then a bird flew across the gray evening.

Then, there was a knock on the door.

Who is it.

I got up dazedly and answered the door.

But I didn’t expect that I would see Zhou Ran in the cat’s eye.

He had short hair without bangs, and his fully exposed eyebrows and eyes made him look unrestrainedly handsome.

What is this person doing here?

You reconciled with your ex after marriage and want my blessing?

With mixed feelings, I opened the door.

He waved the ingredients in his hand at me, his face as usual, “Do you want to come to my house for hot pot? I promised to treat you to a meal after we move in.”

“No, I don’t want to eat.”

But he still didn’t give up, “Why, are you really worried that your boyfriend will be unhappy?”

His tone was still teasing, and I lost my patience no matter how good my temper was. “Zhou Ran, what do you mean? Since you are married, can you please stop harassing me?”

But when Zhou Ran heard this, he was stunned, “What do you mean by marriage?”

His expression was confused, as if he had no idea that he was married to Zhao Ziqi.

I was too lazy to say anything more and just turned around to close the door.

But she didn’t have enough strength to be squeezed into the house by him.

“Cheng Wan, what are you talking about? Who else can I marry besides you?”

This person won’t cry until he sees the coffin.

I simply took out my phone, clicked on the trending search, and found evidence for him.

Sure enough, Zhao Yue didn’t lie to me at all.

The terms “Zhao Ziqi quits the entertainment industry” and “Marry Zhao Ziqi”# firmly dominated the hot search list.

I clicked on one at random, found the picture of the marriage certificate, and wanted to show it to Zhou Ran.

But after zooming in, I found something wrong.

Why don’t I know the man on this marriage certificate?

I looked at the name column again and it wasn’t Zhou Ran’s name.

how so……

I was confused.

20

Zhou Ran came over to look at my phone screen. After seeing clearly, he breathed a sigh of relief and said helplessly.

“Do you think I’m married to Zhao Ziqi?”

I didn’t answer. It was only then that I realized that Zhao Yue had only told me that Zhao Ziqi was getting married, but she didn’t mention whether the person she was going to marry was Zhou Ran…

It was my preconceived notion that made the mistake.

After realizing this, I felt terrible.

Zhou Ran bent down slightly and explained to me patiently.

“I went back to Beijing yesterday and attended Zhao Ziqi’s wedding, but more importantly, I went to explain to my parents that you exist and how important you are to me. I have to clear up their misunderstandings so that I can pursue you openly.

“Zhao Ziqi just wanted to find a marriage partner. She doesn’t like me at all. I had to play along with her because…she had something on me. Now I’ve dealt with all that.

“You said before that we are not from the same world, so we can’t be together, but you forgot that the moment I fell in love with you, I had already come to your world. I love this world very much and don’t want to leave.

“So, can you give me a chance and not be so anxious to kick me out? It won’t be too late to kick me out when I don’t do something good enough, right?”

His gaze was gentle and firm.

Seeing this made me feel sad, and I still spoke with a nasal tone, “Let me think about it.”

“Are you just going to think about this on your own, without your boyfriend’s opinion?”

He deliberately re-read the word “boyfriend”, but his eyes were sparkling with a joking look.

Then I remembered that I had lied to him in order to force him to leave. I told him that Xu Cheng was my boyfriend. But looking at him like this, it was obvious that he had already figured out that I was lying.

“When did you know that?”

“I couldn’t bear to leave you. I wanted to see you one last time even after being kicked out. But I found out that this place has poor soundproofing. Someone was crying secretly. And that guy named Xu Cheng lived so close to you, but you always left separately from him after get off work…”

I was stunned.

I didn’t expect that I would be exposed from the very beginning.

But after a while, he realized, “No, how did you know where Xu Cheng lives?”

“This is a secret.” He raised the corners of his mouth, revealing a triumphant smile, and said, “Let’s go and eat hot pot first.”

“Double-boiled pot?”

“Nine-grid grid.”

I followed him to his house.

But as soon as he entered the door, he froze in place.

It’s just because there are too many familiar things in the house.

From wardrobes and dressing mirrors to slippers and ornaments, all of them were things I left to the landlord when I moved out of my house in Beijing because I couldn’t take them with me.

“Why are these things here?”

Zhou Ran had already entered the kitchen and started washing vegetables skillfully.

Hearing this, he said a little unnaturally, “To save money, I asked someone to ship it over.”

“Including this mattress?”

Because the mattress in the rental house was too thin, my sleep quality has always been poor. When I first moved there, I hesitated for a long time before I spent a huge sum of 500 yuan to buy a latex mattress.

We are together.

When I was moving, I found out that the shipping cost to bring the mattress to Shenzhen was very high, so I had to give up with regret.

But Zhou Ran actually brought all these things with him.

The shipping costs for these things have long exceeded the original price.

How could it be for saving?

I laughed and looked at his red ears, but in the end I didn’t expose him.

But, that’s not right.

He is so rich, but he still ate my food and lived in my house. Why?

Thinking of this, I asked directly.

Zhou Ran coughed lightly and explained, “Didn’t I boast to my family that I was different from other second-generation rich kids and that I could finish college by working part-time? I even forced them to freeze my credit card. Later, I found out something was wrong, but it was too late to regret. I had no choice but to work part-time. So you may not believe me when I tell you this, but I was really, really poor back then…”

The phone rang, interrupting the conversation.

After I picked up the phone, I found out that it was Xu Cheng calling.

After the auto show, the department is holding a celebration party and asked me when I am free so that we can make an appointment.

“I’m free these few days, it depends on your schedule.”

Xu Cheng got the answer and hung up the phone neatly.

Later I realized that the sound of washing vegetables in the kitchen had stopped long ago, and a tuft of eavesdropping hair was visible on the door frame.

Seeing this, I instead wanted to tease him.

“I might have to go out to have dinner with someone tomorrow…”

But he walked out before I could finish. He was tall and big, wearing a pink apron, and said proudly, “Now you have to report to me when you eat with others. You have me in your heart.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

He is a person who has seen so much of my indifference but is still full of tenderness. What’s the point of teasing him?

On a summer night in Shenzhen, Zhou Ran and I had hotpot together.

He was so irritated by the Nine Palaces that he was speechless.

But I planted sunflowers all over the balcony.

Welcome me to his world.

Xu Cheng – Extra

My name is Xu Cheng, and I feel like I’m being followed.

After getting home from get off work, I went grocery shopping as usual.

But when I walk on the street, I always have an inexplicable feeling that I am being watched from behind.

When I looked back, I couldn’t see anyone.

What’s going on.

Could it be arranged by a competing company?

It is not easy for our company to get the opportunity to cooperate with the government in the auto show.

Several competitors of similar size have been eyeing the market covetously.

There has been a lot of trouble since the project was launched.

Tracking, threats, reporting, and all kinds of small actions are common.

With the auto show less than half a month away, I want to see what they are going to do this time.

Thinking of this, I changed my mind.

I didn’t go shopping for groceries anymore.

Instead, he changed his route and went to a tea restaurant near his home.

I have been to this tea restaurant several times.

There are no private rooms, but the tables are clearly arranged and equipped with fully transparent glass, making it easy to observe the outside.

Sure enough, I just sat down.

Soon, a man dressed in black, wearing a hat and a mask, was stealthily observing the store through the glass window.

Judging from his figure, he is a man.

He is taller than me and his build is not very strong but well-proportioned. If we really fight, I am not sure I can win alone.

So in order to avoid alerting the enemy, I pretended not to notice him.

Order food as usual and act as if you are having dinner alone.

It’s just that time seemed to extend indefinitely. After dinner, I ordered a pot of tea. While drinking it, I took out my notebook and dealt with the unfinished work.

Finally, the man became impatient.

He pushed the door open.

The waiter came over and asked him where he wanted to sit.

But his eyes were always fixed on me.

And when he was led by the waiter and passed by me.

I reached out and grabbed the man’s sleeve.

He froze, but he didn’t dare look back at me. He just stared at the ground and asked, “Why did you catch me?”

Only then did I realize that the man had a young voice and seemed not to be very old.

The tension after being caught is also visible to the naked eye.

I guess he’s just an intern who got fooled by his boss.

Finally, I slowed down my tone.

“Nothing, I just want to share a table with you.”

Of course he was dissatisfied and struggled to get rid of me.

The waiter, who had no idea what was going on, also tried to persuade him, “Sir, there are enough seats in the restaurant now, so there is no need for you two to share a table.”

“But I hit it off with this gentleman right away and wanted to get to know him.

“Besides, you’ve been following me for so long, you have to let me know who you are.”

After saying this, the man stiffened and looked up at me.

A few seconds passed.

Instead, he took off his mask directly.

A young and handsome face was revealed, with a high nose bridge and long and thick eyelashes.

The waiter next to him was stunned, and then whispered, “She must be a celebrity, no wonder she is wrapped so tightly.”

But I think this person looks familiar…

Until the other person calmly sat down opposite me.

Then I remembered where I had seen him.

“Are you Cheng Wan’s cousin?”

It seems to be the one called Zhou Ran…

The other party was originally looking down and ordering food from the menu.

Hearing this, he looked up with a bit of dissatisfaction, “I’m not her cousin.”

I frowned, thinking of the scene I saw at the door when I rushed to Cheng Wan’s house that night.

“Who are you then? Why are you following me?”

He didn’t answer, but lowered his head to order what he wanted.

He waited until the waiter wrote down the menu and left before speaking.

Staring at me, he asked, “Do you like Cheng Wan?”

I was stunned.

“Why are you asking that?”

But at the same time, I was also asking myself, do I like Cheng Wan?

The first time I met Cheng Wan was actually in early April. The specific date of the auto show had been confirmed, but since it was the first time for the branch to host an exhibition of this level, it lacked experience.

Coupled with the obstruction of competitors, the exhibition plans of several cooperative brands have not been finalized.

Progress has been severely slowed.

Only then did we report this to the Beijing head office and seek a solution.

The head office was extremely efficient and quickly organized an online meeting to share experiences.

I will be responsible for the connection.

All the middle and senior management of the branch were present.

But unexpectedly, when the connection was connected, the speaker on the big screen turned out to be a very beautiful young girl.

Looks a few years younger than me.

Because the image was seriously inconsistent with expectations.

There was a lot of discussion in the meeting room.

I was also a little confused. It was clearly agreed that an experienced senior would be responsible for the explanation, so how come he was suddenly replaced by a young girl?

But even so, order in the meeting still needs to be maintained.

I was about to speak up and ask everyone to be quiet.

After all, the girl opposite is young and she may not be able to control the situation.

But before I could open my mouth.

The other party had already said, “Let’s save some time. You have too many questions.”

The voice was clear and calm, and he pulled up the PPT that had been prepared long ago.

Not at all stage fright.

Even when faced with a deliberately difficult question from Editor-in-Chief Hu, she remained professional and said, “I don’t understand how this question is related to event planning. Please don’t waste everyone’s time.”

Editor-in-Chief Hu blushed, but was unable to refute.

He is mean and stingy.

People have suffered from this for a long time.

Seeing Editor-in-Chief Hu being criticized, a burst of laughter was heard in the conference room.

The subsequent meeting process also went exceptionally smoothly.

And I also developed a sense of admiration for the girl on the other side of the screen.

The online meeting is over.

I disconnected the computer and the projection screen, waited for everyone in the office to leave one by one, packed up my things, and prepared to eat after get off work.

Unexpectedly, a burst of noise suddenly came from the computer.

There were also unclear conversations.

Only then did I realize that I must have forgotten to disconnect the line after the meeting.

I don’t have the habit of turning off my computer, so I just closed my laptop.

Now he came to his senses and wanted to remind the other party to cut off the connection.

But I was caught off guard and heard the voice suddenly become clear.

The man must have gone into the bathroom with his computer and called his friend.

“Hey, Yueyue, I finally finished the meeting!”

“You don’t know, I was tricked by my boss. She was too lazy to hold a meeting so she threw it to me, saying it was a small meeting with two or three people, but in the end there was a huge crowd across from me. I was scared to death.”

“Yeah! Ugh, no, I’m so pathetic. I need to reward myself with a cake.”

The local accent is familiar.

The calm and professional girl completely changed, her voice now lively and beautiful.

I didn’t want to disturb him, so I just turned off the computer.

But after that, for some unknown reason, I would always think of that girl who was so different in front of and behind others.

Finally, I called the colleague who was transferred to the head office.

Ask who that girl is.

My colleague is a shrewd guy. After laughing, he ruthlessly exposed my lustful feelings.

“Come on, I have a boyfriend and we are in a very good relationship.”

Got this answer.

I feel a little disappointed, but it’s also expected.

The adult world is busy. The need for repeated changes and endless meetings are enough to bury that little bit of excitement deep under fatigue.

I almost forgot about her.

It wasn’t until early May that I received news from my leader again.

They said that the auto show was approaching and they were short of staff, so the head office would transfer an experienced person in charge to help me complete the project.

I wanted to refuse on the spot.

There is a shortage of staff, so we can obviously borrow people from other departments first, and then we can recruit new people after this busy period is over.

But now someone has been parachuted in. Not to mention whether he can really adapt to the company’s pace, just the coordination from a high position is not an easy task.

The leader muttered, “This person originally said that she would not come because Shenzhen was too far away, but now it seems that she has broken up with her boyfriend and has agreed to come.”

Then, I saw the information.

The girl on the resume was serious, but I was stunned.

Her name is also, Cheng Wan?

Standing in the leader’s office, I inappropriately recalled the local accents I had heard earlier through the conference software.

It was not until I saw her former address that I finally remembered the girl who had been buried in the memory of this small town for many years.

When I was twelve, my parents divorced and I followed my father back to my hometown.

The small town is cozy, but as expected, it is hostile to outsiders.

I feel this point even more clearly.

At that age, it’s always hard for kids who are a little bit different to make friends.

So I often fought with kids who called me motherless.

If you lose the fight, you’ll just get a few bruises, which isn’t too painful.

But every time I won, someone would come to complain, and my dad would pick up a stick and beat me up in front of the parents who came to the house.

As time went by, those people became more and more aggressive, and I became too lazy to resist anymore.

Then I met her.

Made my first friend.

We met again after many years.

I find it both magical and exciting.

I can’t help but sigh at the ingenuity of fate.

I suppressed my emotions and agreed to the headquarters’ arrangement to transfer someone over.

My boss thought I was trying to compromise and promised me earnestly that he would not treat me unfairly.

But I don’t care at all.

Finally, it was the day before she came.

The person originally scheduled to pick up the guests at the airport was Zhuang Ting.

But her cat was about to give birth and the schedule conflicted.

I directly approved her leave and offered to pick her up at the airport tomorrow.

Zhuang Ting didn’t expect me to be so happy. She whispered to Xiao Xue that the boss who used to be indifferent had changed his personality.

I burst out laughing.

I also know that this is a bit despicable.

But, but, when the heart-throb comes, wouldn’t it be really stupid not to try to seize it?

I went to the airport and met her.

She seemed to be in a bad mood and greeted me politely but awkwardly.

I tried to amuse her.

She smiled, her guard falling a lot, but she still didn’t recognize me.

It doesn’t matter. I’m not in a hurry anyway.

After that, she officially joined the company and we became colleagues.

The closer I got to her, the more I realized that she was a glowing girl.

And every time, when I think of her surprised and confused expression when I gave her candy, I can’t help but curl up the corners of my lips.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the table in front of me.

Only then did I come back to my senses and hear the person on the other end repeat his question.

“Do you like Cheng Wan?”

“What does this have to do with you?”

“Don’t worry about it, just answer yes or no.”

The person on the opposite side was very aggressive and had obvious hostility.

For some reason, I always felt that I shouldn’t give in at this time. I crossed my hands and met his gaze. “So what?”

The man opposite tapped his fingers on the table irritably and said,

“I advise you to give up quickly. She doesn’t like you like this.”

This made me laugh. “If you don’t like someone like me, do you like someone like you?”

“Yes, you guessed right.” The man opposite took off his hat and looked at me provocatively.

Even as a homosexual, I have to admit that this guy is very good-looking.

Moreover, he has a tall and straight figure, and even when he sits in a loose posture, he still has an indescribable temperament.

I vaguely heard Zhuang Ting mention it. She said Cheng Wan must have been badly hurt by her ex, who was a scumbag. Every time Cheng Wan mentioned it, her mood would get worse.

I looked at the man in black in front of me, and suddenly a guess came to my mind.

“Are you Cheng Wan’s ex?”

Hearing this, he retorted somewhat dissatisfiedly, “For the time being, she is my ex for the time being.”

I narrowed my eyes and said in a less gentle tone, “It’s not appropriate to harass a girl after you’ve broken up.”

“I didn’t mean to harass her.”

“So what do you mean by stalking me? To force me to give up? So she’ll have to forgive you?”

My words must have hit a sore spot for him.

The man’s eyes were fierce and veins bulged on his hand holding the water cup.

After a long time, he slowly spoke, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you. I came here today just to confirm whether she is really with you.”

“If you two are really together and she really likes you, then I want to find out what kind of person you are. If you are a good person, then I will choose to bless her and leave directly.

“And if you two are not together, I still need to know what kind of person you are. I love her and want to do everything I can to win her back, so I always have to know myself and the other person.”

The person in front of him spoke in a serious tone and with a firm look in his eyes.

People of the same sex are best at telling whether the other person is lying.

I was a little surprised. I didn’t expect him to be so frank and take responsibility for his actions.

Moreover, this guy doesn’t look like a scumbag, so Zhuang Ting’s information might be wrong.

The spy asked, “How did you break up?”

He looked up, and the words “wishful thinking” were clearly written in his eyes.

After taking a sip of tea, he asked, “Then how did you know Wanwan’s home address?”

Their eyes met and they both remained silent.

I concluded to myself that this guy was very cautious and would be a tough opponent.

This went on until the tea restaurant closed and the waiter came to chase people away.

I was somewhat disappointed because I couldn’t get any information about the enemy from them.

Tentatively proposed,

“Would you like to go out for a drink?”

“Let’s go.”

The other party responded very happily, obviously having the same idea as I did.

Out of the tea restaurant.

I started thinking about where I should take him.

The night in Shenzhen is never too late, especially when there is a fairly large square nearby.

Even though it was almost twelve o’clock, the square was still very lively. There were endless stalls selling food, drinks and entertainment. From time to time, cartoon cars drove by, bringing children’s laughter.

I was looking down at Dianping when someone came towards me.

He was a young man holding a flyer, with a smile showing a mouthful of white teeth.

“Brother, our new store has just opened. We are holding a balloon popping event. Follow our official account to get darts. If you participate, you will get prizes. Do you want to try it?”

I waved my hands, wanting to refuse.

But because the young man was so enthusiastic in introducing the product, I finally looked in the direction of his finger.

A temporary stage was set up not far away.

There are three huge targets in the middle, with countless colorful balloons on them.

Next to the target, there is an entire wall of stuffed toys as reward gifts.

There were a lot of people participating in the event, and the top row of toys was almost empty.

The last one left in the row was a bright yellow sunflower doll.

I remember Cheng Wan’s WeChat avatar, it seemed to be this doll.

If I win, I’ll give it to her…

“Where is the QR code? I want to participate.”

I was still thinking when Zhou Ran’s voice sounded behind me.

My heart trembled, and I had only one thought left: I can’t let this kid get ahead of me.

I quickly scanned the code.

I rushed with that boy to get the darts and line up.

The young man, on the other hand, was a little confused. He didn’t understand why the two people who had been lacking interest suddenly became so active.

Ten darts per person.

You have to shoot five or more to get the plush toy, otherwise you will only get a keychain as a souvenir.

Obviously, our target was the last sunflower left.

I don’t think I’ve ever thrown darts so seriously in my life.

But fortunately, God will not let down those who work hard.

I got there first and won the doll.

Then Zhou Ran stared angrily at the doll in my hand all the way.

“The kid really wanted that doll. It’s only natural that you, a grown man, won when you snatched something from a kid.”

But I am in a good mood.

“Oh, I do.”

That’s why.

By the time they sat down to drink, both sides were aroused by the desire to win.

Tit for tat, pressing forward step by step.

Then, both of them got drunk.

“Mr. Zhou, I see you are already drunk, why don’t you stop drinking.”

But having said that, the fact is that I can’t drink much, and I’m really at the end of my strength to have held on until now. I haven’t fallen down yet, but I just don’t want to give in in front of him.

“I’m not drunk, it’s just too hot here and I’m blushing a little.”

He still insisted and stood up, saying he wanted to go to the bathroom.

I didn’t expect that guy to be so sneaky. He actually went around from the side and approached me from behind, trying to steal the doll I hid on the chair.

After being caught, he returned to his seat in embarrassment.

“Yes, you’re pretty quick.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at him, “You can’t win so you want to steal. Aren’t you a bit mean?”

He lowered his head guiltily, and his already red face became even worse.

“But Wanwan likes that very much.”

After saying this, the person opposite him suddenly stood up and slammed the table.

“I’m sorry! I was mean. We agreed to play fair. I shouldn’t have stolen your toy!”

His voice was so loud that many people in the store looked over.

It was such a socially devastating scene, but what happened next was even more difficult for me to understand.

Because I actually stood up and patted him on the shoulder.

She praised him in a loud voice, “Well said! Although you are not as handsome as me, you are still a good person!”

“You’re talking nonsense. How can I not be as handsome as you? I’m obviously more handsome than you. If you don’t believe me, let’s compare.”

“Let’s compete!”

When I woke up the next day, this was the video I saw on my phone.

Two drunken men appeared in the picture with their arms around each other, trying desperately to turn their faces away from the screen.

“You’re in front, otherwise my face will look big.”

“No, your face is big anyway, so it doesn’t matter if it’s in front.”

The passers-by who were photographed all looked like they were watching the fun.

I grabbed my messy hair in despair.

I thought drinking would cause trouble, but I didn’t expect it to be so detrimental.

The only thing to be thankful for is that we didn’t go completely crazy yet. We actually sent this video to Cheng Wan and asked her to judge who was more handsome.

But I still remember that when Zhou Ran and I were supporting each other on the way home, he seemed to be crying. He was obviously completely drunk, but he kept repeating the same thing.

Saying he was really wrong.

I hope to be forgiven.

Men don’t shed tears easily, and I was also a little moved.

But I don’t intend to give up the person I like because of this.

Fair competition is the greatest respect for your opponents.

So the exhibition ended.

The night before my vacation.

I called Cheng Wan.

I want to ask her out for dinner and confess my feelings to her.

When the call was connected, my palms were sweaty.

But he still tried his best to stay calm and asked her, “When are you free? Can we have dinner together?”

“Okay, I’m free these few days.” The person on the other end of the phone was very happy, but she asked me, “It’s a celebration party organized by the company. Can I bring a friend with me?”

I was stunned.

Hastily changing the subject, he said, “Yes, it’s a celebration party. The auto show was a success and everyone worked hard, so let’s celebrate together. Once the specific time is confirmed, I’ll ask Zhuang Ting to notify you.”

She spoke in a relaxed tone and exchanged a few words with me.

But the greetings clearly showed only the friendship between colleagues, without any sign of affection.

The phone was hung up.

I stood in the corridor and stared at the small pot of sunflowers in front of Zhou Ran’s door for a long time.

For the first time, I understood what it meant to win the game but lose life.

I couldn’t help laughing, then I took out the sunflower doll that I had carried with me in my handbag and placed it next to the flowerpot.

Then he turned around and went downstairs.

It doesn’t matter. At least you won’t have any regrets after trying. It would be truly shameful to lose without fighting.

Ps: On the day of the celebration party, Cheng Wan brought Zhou Ran along and explained to me with a bit of guilt that Zhou Ran was actually her boyfriend and she had lied to me in a hurry.

I waved my hand to indicate that it was okay.

Zhuang Ting kept staring at Zhou Ran and said he looked familiar, and asked him if he was a star or internet celebrity.

No one present dared to tell her that this person was the “fiancé” who caused her goddess Zhao Ziqi to be on the hot search list several times.

It’s just that he cut his hair short, so he looks a little different from the photo.

Fortunately, there were many people and the atmosphere was lively.

Zhuang Ting soon stopped worrying about it.

Because I sit far away,

I didn’t have a chance to talk to Zhou Ran.

Just when Xiao Xue asked if everyone wanted to drink some wine,

He and I spoke up together and firmly stopped him.

“No, drinking will cause trouble!”

Oh, it seems that he still remembers what happened that night.