"Besides knowing where my bed is, what else do you know?"
"That's true," he chuckled.
"If I take your words to heart, you're complaining I haven't gotten to know you properly? As it happens, I'm going through a breakup and have plenty of time. Want me to get to know you properly?" m..oΓg
The woman rolled her eyes.
"Get lost. You might be heartbroken, but I'm not. I don't need your understanding."
"Alright, the stuff's delivered, and I've seen you. You can leave now."
"You two aren't together, and I'm not bothering anyone. Why do you keep pushing me away? I haven't even eaten yet."
"My brother's cooking smells so good. Won't you let me have a bite?"
"No, why should I let you eat? You come and go as you please, what do you take me for?"
Lu Mingzhe: "I can give you money, okay? Consider it a purchase."
"I know you're not short on money, but I haven't eaten all day. I'm really hungry."
The woman's heart softened. She rolled her eyes and tacitly agreed to let him stay.
"Then wait. Eat when it's ready, and get out after you're done. I won't let you stay overnight."
With that, she picked up her phone and went to handle some work.
The woman's name was Xiang Wan. She was exactly 30 years old, one year older than Lu Mingzhe.
They had known each other for over four years.
Over four years ago, Lu Mingzhe had just obtained his license as a psychotherapist and opened his own studio. He was under immense pressure.
To achieve something and avoid being ridiculed by his family, he sometimes personally visited clients to maintain relationships.
At that time, he had a client, a woman in her late fifties who was in the clothing wholesale business at a fashion market.
Her marriage had been unhappy in her youth, and her children were disobedient as she grew up. She suffered from severe depression.
On the day of their scheduled consultation, Lu Mingzhe messaged her from morning until afternoon, but she never replied.
Fearing something had happened to her, he went to her workplace to find her.
This was the first time he met Xiang Wan.
It was also the first time he learned about the profession of a "sample model."
The vast clothing market had shops lining one after another.
In front of each shop, there was a small platform where young women, dressed in tube tops and shorts, stood expressionlessly like robots, trying on piece after piece of clothing.
This was for buyers to take photos and select samples.
Xiang Wan was one of them.
Normally, this profession was considered a "youth meal," meaning it was short-lived. At her age, she was considered old in the industry.
But the first time Lu Mingzhe saw her, he genuinely couldn't tell she was 25.
She was 1.72 meters tall, weighed 45 kilograms, had short, choppy hair, and an aloof expression.
These qualities made her stand out among the crowd of young, attractive women.
Quite a few male merchants below were whispering about her while pretending to look at clothes.
Lu Mingzhe was just passing by. He thought her figure and appearance were quite outstanding, so he looked at her a few more times before going about his business.
As it turned out, his guess was correct.
The female boss had taken a large amount of sleeping pills and was in a drowsy state in her studio.
He took her to the hospital, where she underwent a stomach pumping. After she woke up, he returned to help her collect her belongings.
This was the second time he encountered Xiang Wan.
The bustling scene of the day had largely disappeared. Now, only the shop owners were left, working silently under the lights, tidying up their things.
Xiang Wan was wearing a black camisole, wide-leg jeans, sneakers, and a messenger bag.
She walked ahead of him, dressed casually and coolly.
As they walked, her wrist was suddenly grabbed.
Then, Lu Mingzhe, acting as a knight in shining armor, stepped in and pretended to be her boyfriend.
This was how they met.
Afterward, to show her gratitude, Xiang Wan invited him to dinner.
Lu Mingzhe, who was swamped with work, declined.
Moreover, as a newly established entrepreneur, he was quite ambitious and filled with many wonderful fantasies about life.
He was also afraid of being taken a liking to by such a woman of unknown background, which could ruin his bright future.
After being rejected, Xiang Wan did not seem sad.
She looked at him with an indifferent expression, much like Lu Mingzhe's current persistent demeanor.
"I don't mean anything else, I just wanted to ask, if you don't have a girlfriend, can you continue to pretend to be my boyfriend for a few more days?"
"I've just arrived in Nancheng, and I still want to make a living in this circle, but I don't want to be too direct in rejecting some people."
"I know you're a good person, so consider it helping me out. I won't let you help for nothing."
"I don't have a lot of money to exchange with you, but I can offer other things. You can come find me whenever you want, and if you don't, that's fine too. We can consider it a fair transaction, what do you say?"
Lu Mingzhe didn't think it was a good deal.
He also felt that it was rather uninhibited for a girl to say such things.
So, he refused.
Later, the female boss gradually recovered and confided in Lu Mingzhe, becoming his patient again.
While telling him about her own situation, she also spoke about Xiang Wan.
She said that when she was young, she was like Xiang Wan, resilient and unwilling to admit defeat, determined to forge her own path.
She had indeed forged her path, but what was the point of being like this now?
Sometimes, she truly wanted to advise Xiang Wan not to work so hard, to find someone to marry while she was young and beautiful.
"Don't be fooled by the many suitors now; in a couple of years, when your beauty fades, even dogs won't notice you."
But people, they just don't turn back until they hit a brick wall.
Under some strange impulse, Lu Mingzhe offered to drive the female boss home.
And coincidentally, he went to see Xiang Wan again.
She was still busy on the platform, just as before.
Men below were sizing her up with unrestrained gazes.
Lu Mingzhe, not knowing why, rushed onto the platform and kissed her on the cheek.
Then he told her, "I'll pick you up after work."
From then on, the two of them became involved.
Xiang Wan never visited his workplace, nor did she proactively call him.
When needed, Lu Mingzhe would go to her.
They didn't waste time with small talk; their meetings always got straight to the point.
In that way, they had coexisted peacefully for so many years.
Over the past four years, Xiang Wan's living situation had improved from a dilapidated rental to a sunlit apartment,
and now to her own house.
This showed how hard she worked.
However, Lu Mingzhe had never been interested in inquiring.
This was a relationship that should not have happened.
They met by chance, but it was bound to end eventually.
There was no point in saying more.
Who would have thought that after half a year of no contact, he would suddenly think of her again one day?
Seeing her constantly messaging on her phone, Lu Mingzhe sat down beside her.
"So busy?"
Xiang Wan disdained to acknowledge him and shifted further away.
"It's alright. Online store sales haven't been as strong in the past two years. I'm planning to switch to short videos."
Indeed.
Even Lu Mingzhe, an outsider, knew about the rapid growth of short videos in recent years.
So she had started an online store long ago and was now venturing into short videos.
No wonder she could afford a house.
"Sister Wan is going to be rich."
"Even if you get rich, you can't compare to Dr. Lu. You just say a few words and empty your clients' wallets."
Xiang Wan didn't even look at him.
"Don't be so bitter about me here. If you're bored, go help your brother wash the vegetables."
Thinking about it, it was quite miraculous.
Over four years, their relationship had remained at this point, with no progress whatsoever. It was quite something.
Lu Mingzhe strolled into the kitchen.