[Shaohua: Host, are you alright?]
[It's nothing.] Xu Zifan circulated his spiritual energy and instantly regained his composure. He laughed and said, [It's just a little water, it's alright. When the original owner broke up with her on the street, she hit him with her purse, which was much worse.]
[Shaohua: Congratulations, host, on becoming single again. Would you like to search for a suitable girl for you?]
Xu Zifan was both amused and exasperated. He got up and walked out. "No need," he said. "While blind dates are fine, I'm not in a rush. It's best to let things happen naturally. Besides, I'm broke right now. I need to find a legitimate way to make money before dating. Could you find me a reliable talent agency and some suitable job opportunities?"
[Shaohua: Okay, host.]
It was still early, and Xu Zifan didn't plan to go home. He drove around the city for a while, then went to the largest library. He instructed Shaohua, "Scan and archive all the books; you never know when you might need them. Oh, and save a copy of all the online files; you can look them up if you go to a strange new place."
[Shaohua: Understood, everything has been archived and clearly categorized. The host can access it at any time.]
Xu Zifan praised Shaohua a few times with satisfaction, then leisurely strolled around the library, looking for books he liked.
He walked to the cooking area, picked up a Western cookbook and opened it. A girl in a white embroidered dress walked over and frowned in distress when she saw that there were five layers of books in the cooking area.
She took out her phone, turned down the volume, and listened to the voice message her friend had sent. Her friend said, "Choose basic cooking tutorials, nutritional recipes, and soup recipes. Make sure they are detailed down to every step and the amount of each ingredient. Otherwise, if they just say 'appropriate amount,' you'll be confused. Then buy cooking utensils. I'll send you a picture of everything you might need, and you can buy them accordingly."
She listened to the recording again, then picked up a few books to look through. The steps weren't detailed enough; at least, someone who had never been in a kitchen like her couldn't understand them. She took the books and put them back, then took another and put them back again, her brow furrowing deeper and deeper, her gaze growing increasingly blank.
Xu Zifan turned to look at her, and she said apologetically in a low voice, "Did I disturb you? I'm sorry."
Xu Zifan was surprised that she apologized and whispered, "No, do you need any help?"
Seeing the recipe in Xu Zifan's hand, she felt he might know it, and politely asked in a low voice, "Excuse me, do you know any books that can help someone who can't cook at all learn quickly? I want to make some nutritious dishes and soups."
Xu Zifan looked at the bookshelf, and Shao Hua suddenly spoke up: [Host, at your ten o'clock position, the bottom row of "Cooking Manual" has the most detailed cooking steps, but the content is also the most dry. At your two o'clock position, the second row of "28 Nourishing Recipes" has the most nutritious recipes and is very suitable for beginners who don't know how to select recipes.]
Xu Zifan gave it a thumbs up, [Shaohua, you're getting better and better at helping people.]
He took out the two books that Shao Hua had recommended and handed them to the girl, saying quietly, "Sorry, I heard the voice message on your phone just now. I think these two books would be suitable for you. Take a look."
"Thank you." The girl took the book with both hands, flipped through it carefully, and immediately smiled with surprise. "So detailed! You're amazing, you found it so quickly. The title is so unassuming, if I were looking for it myself, I probably wouldn't have even picked it up to read. Thank you so much."
Xu Zifan smiled and said, "It was nothing, no need to be so polite."
As soon as he finished speaking, a quarrel suddenly broke out from the other side of the bookshelf. Then the two started fighting and crashed into the bookshelf in front of Xu Zifan. The alarm of Shaohua immediately went off, and the bookshelf tipped over. Xu Zifan quickly grabbed the girl and ran with her, escaping the area of impact before the bookshelf completely collapsed.
The librarian and security guard rushed over, asking, "How are you? Did you get hurt? Is anyone injured?"
Xu Zifan was completely unharmed. He looked at the girl and frowned, asking, "Are you injured?"
The girl's face turned slightly pale before she came to her senses. She looked down at her arm and noticed a cut on her thumb. It wasn't deep, but it was still bleeding, and it looked quite frightening.
She stretched her arm and smiled, "It's nothing, just a minor injury. I probably slipped when the book fell." Then she looked at Xu Zifan and exclaimed, "You're amazing! Your reaction was so quick. If it weren't for you, I would have been in big trouble today."
Xu Zifan felt like he was seeing stars, and his eyes were filled with admiration. He couldn't help but chuckle. A young girl who was injured like this could still smile and admire people. She had quite a big heart. It even made him feel a lot better. "Go to the hospital to get it bandaged up. You might feel dizzy from blood loss."
"Um, thank you." The girl suddenly remembered something and quickly looked at the books on the floor. Luckily, her two books had fallen off the shelf and weren't crushed by the other books.
She quickly picked them up and said happily, "Administrator, I'd like to borrow these two books. Thank you for your help." Then she said to Xu Zifan, "I'm so glad I found them. You've helped me twice, both times a great favor. Do you have time? Can I treat you to a meal after I finish bandaging you up?"
Xu Zifan laughed and said, "I just ate. It's nothing, don't worry about it. I'm leaving now. Take care of your wound."
The girl, feeling a little regretful that she hadn't been able to properly thank him, smiled and said, "Okay then, thank you so much. I wish you happiness and peace."
Xu Zifan laughed again when he heard "happiness and peace." What kind of old cadre talk is this? This girl really doesn't seem like a girl in her early twenties.
Xu Zifan went home and changed his clothes. He saw that Zhao Xin had posted a message on her WeChat Moments that read: "[Childhood sweethearts together]"
May this scumbag and bitch grow old together, and stop causing trouble for others; they're disgusting.
She also posted a group photo of her friends, circling Xu Zifan and Yue Lingling in red. Comments had already appeared, offering comfort and joining her in condemning the "scumbag" and "slut." After all, many people see childhood sweethearts as a cardinal sin, and even those unaware of the details can label them as such, as if there's something wrong with childhood sweethearts who don't sever ties.
Xu Zifan believed he had handled things as well as possible. He searched through the original owner's memories and found no trace of the original owner actively seeking out Yue Lingling after the second relationship. He could say that the original owner had been negligent and had let down his first girlfriend, but there was absolutely no problem with Zhao Xin.
Zhao Xin had been fixated on Yue Lingling ever since she learned about her. Whether she had been overthinking things or had read too many melodramatic stories about scumbags and scoundrels, she kept putting herself in the shoes of an innocent victim being bullied by scumbags and scoundrels. She was convinced of the story in her mind and couldn't be convinced no matter what she said. Xu Zifan was also losing patience.
His future belongs to him, and he cannot bear such infamy. Besides, he is a model, and if this post on his WeChat Moments is unearthed one day, it will become a black mark on his career and have a great impact on it.
He turned on his computer and worked on it for a while. Zhao Xin's WeChat account was deleted. Except for the money in her WeChat account being returned to her bank card, everything else related to her WeChat account disappeared. She'll probably have to register a new WeChat account and add friends again; she won't be in the mood for anything else. This was his small retaliation; they probably wouldn't have any further contact.
After that, he deleted all his photos from Zhao Xin's account, cleaned up his internet, and removed all old photos of him that were unrelated to his work that had been leaked. He also deleted all his social media accounts from his school days. He planned to take his modeling career seriously, so naturally he couldn't leave anything that could be used to smear him.
He had just finished his work when he received a call from Yue Lingling. Yue Lingling sounded surprised and said, "Brother Zifan, did Xiaoxin and you have another fight? Are you... are you alright?"
Xu Zifan said calmly, "It's nothing. We just didn't get along and broke up."
Yue Lingling was secretly delighted, but still pretended to be worried and said, "How could this be? Did Xiaoxin misunderstand me? I can explain to her."
Xu Zifan said cryptically, "No need, she'll only get angrier if she sees you. Don't go looking for her. To be honest, your emotional intelligence is really low. Talking to my girlfriend always makes her uncomfortable, like you're asserting your dominance. I think next time I have a girlfriend, I'll just make sure you two don't meet. Remember to change that. How can you survive in this society with such low emotional intelligence?"
Yue Lingling swallowed back all the words she wanted to say, and after a pause, she said, "That's just how I am. I'm almost thirty, how can I change? Fine, I won't worry about Zhao Xin anymore. I'll give Da Tou a piece of my mind later. What kind of person did he introduce you to? I saw Zhao Xin's post on WeChat Moments. How could she say that? Luckily, her WeChat had some kind of problem, so not many people saw it. Zi Fan, you must be in a bad mood. Come out for a drink, get drunk, and sleep it off."
"No, breaking up and then drinking heavily would just ruin my health. I'm planning to focus on health and fitness to get in shape so I can take care of my wife and have a cute baby in the future. I can't go out and mess around anymore. Alright, you're thirty years old, not a child anymore. You go about your business, I'm going to the gym, I'm hanging up now." Xu Zifan deliberately hit her where it hurts, and then hung up the phone.
The original owner treated Yue Lingling this way, very casually, like a younger brother or sister, without any warmth or consideration. Naturally, he could also directly confront her and deliver a few blows along the way.
Yue Lingling was indeed very upset, and in a fit of rage, she smashed all the cups on the table!
She had just been happy about breaking up with Xu Zifan when he made her tremble with anger. What future wife, what adorable child? Going out with her was considered fooling around? He even said she had low emotional intelligence and wouldn't let her meet his girlfriend. Why couldn't he ever see her? Did he never even consider the possibility of a relationship with her?
Xu Zifan gave her a piece of his mind, then got on the treadmill feeling refreshed. He was genuinely working out; as a model, of course he needed to be serious about getting in shape.
Shaohua suddenly said: [Host, the owner of the apartment across the hall has returned home; it's the girl I met at the library today.]
Xu Zifan paused, surprised, and walked towards the door. [Really? What a coincidence?]
He peered through the door and saw a girl standing in front of the door of the room across the street, which had been quiet for days. It was indeed the girl he had met at the library. She was carrying a lot of small boxes into the room.
Xu Zifan opened the door and leaned against the doorframe. "Hey, what a coincidence?"
The girl turned around in surprise, her eyes widening instantly. "It's you? What a coincidence! Did you just move in?"
Xu Zifan nodded. "I only moved here a few days ago. I haven't seen anyone across the street, so I thought it was an empty house. Do you live here?"
The girl nodded and smiled, "Yes, I was away on a business trip a few days ago and just got back today."
She stepped forward, extended her hand, and said with a smile, "Let's get to know each other formally. My name is Yu Sisi."
"Xu Zifan." Xu Zifan took her hand and they smiled at each other, marveling at this wonderful fate.