"Besides knowing where my bed is, what else do you know?"
"That's true." He chuckled.
"From the sound of it, you're complaining that I haven't gotten to know you well enough? I just got dumped and have some free time. Want to get to know each other properly?"
The woman rolled her eyes at him.
"Go to hell. You're dumped, I'm not. I don't need your understanding."
"Alright, the items are delivered, and I've seen the person. You can leave now."
"You two aren't that kind of couple. I'm not bothering anyone by being here, so why are you always chasing me away? I haven't even eaten yet."
"Your 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'll give you money, is that okay? Consider it a purchase."
"I know you're not short on cash, but I haven't eaten all day. I'm really hungry."
The woman's heart softened. She rolled her eyes, tacitly allowing him to stay.
"Then you wait. Eat when it's ready, and leave 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.
More than four years ago, Lu Mingzhe had just obtained his license as a psychological physician and opened his own studio. The pressure was immense.
To achieve results and avoid being ridiculed by his family, he sometimes visited clients in person.
At that time, he had a client, a woman in her 50s, who was in the wholesale clothing business at a clothing market.
Due to an unfortunate marriage in her youth and disobedient children as she grew older, she suffered from severe depression.
On the day of their scheduled consultation, Lu Mingzhe sent her messages from morning to 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 mall had shops lined up one after another.
In front of each shop, there was a small platform. Girls wearing bandeau tops and briefs stood on the platform like robots, their faces expressionless, trying on one piece of clothing after another.
This was for the merchants who came to order to take photos and select samples.
Xiang Wan was one of them.
Normally, this line of work was considered a "youthful career." At her age, she was considered old in the industry.
But when Lu Mingzhe first saw her, he genuinely couldn't tell she was 25.
She was 1.72 meters tall, weighed 45 kilograms, had short, choppy hair, and a world-weary face.
These features made her stand out among the crowd of young women.
Many male merchants below, under the guise of taking photos and looking at clothes, whispered about her.
Lu Mingzhe was just passing by. He thought she had an outstanding figure and appearance, so he looked a few more times before attending to his own business.
As it turned out, his guess was correct.
The female boss had taken a large dose of sleeping pills and was unconscious in her studio.
He took her to the hospital, had her stomach pumped, and 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, with their lights on, quietly organizing their things.
Xiang Wan, wearing a black camisole, wide-leg jeans, sneakers, and a crossbody bag, walked ahead of him in a casual and chic manner.
As she walked, her wrist was suddenly grabbed.
Then Lu Mingzhe, playing the hero, stepped in and pretended to be her boyfriend.
The two thus met.
Afterward, to express her gratitude, Xiang Wan invited him to dinner.
Lu Mingzhe, busy as he was, declined.
Moreover, as a newly starting entrepreneur, he was quite ambitious and filled with many beautiful fantasies about life.
He also feared being fixated upon by such an unknown woman, which could ruin his bright future.
After being rejected, Xiang Wan did not seem upset.
Just like Lu Mingzhe's current shameless persistence, she looked at him with a nonchalant air.
"I don't mean anything else, I just want to ask, if you don't have a girlfriend, could you continue to pretend to be my boyfriend for a few more days?"
"I've just arrived in Nancheng and want to continue working in this circle, but it's difficult to directly refuse some people."
"I know you're a good person, so consider it helping me out. I won't let you help for free."
"I don't have much money to exchange with you, but I can offer other things. Come find me whenever you want, and if you don't want to, that's fine too. We'll consider it a fair transaction, what do you say?"
Lu Mingzhe didn't think it was a good deal.
Furthermore, he felt it was rather immodest for a girl to say such things.
So, he refused.
Later, the female boss gradually recovered and, confiding in him, became Lu Mingzhe's patient again.
While telling him about her own situation, she also talked about Xiang Wan.
She said that when she was young, she was like Xiang Wan – resilient, unwilling to admit defeat, and determined to make a name for herself through her own efforts.
She had indeed made a name for herself, but what was the point of her current situation?
Sometimes she really wanted to advise Xiang Wan not to push herself so hard, to find someone to marry while she was young and beautiful.
She told her that although many people were pursuing her now, in a couple of years, when her beauty faded, even a dog wouldn't look at her.
But people, they never turn back until they hit a brick wall.
Driven by some inexplicable impulse, Lu Mingzhe offered to drive the female boss home.
He also went to see Xiang Wan again.
She was still as busy as before, working enthusiastically on the platform.
Men below were brazenly appraising her with their gazes.
Lu Mingzhe, for reasons unknown, 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 became involved.
Xiang Wan never visited his workplace, nor did she proactively call him.
When needed, Lu Mingzhe would go to her.
They wasted little time on pleasantries and went straight to the point upon meeting.
In that manner, they had coexisted peacefully for so many years.
Over the past four years, Xiang Wan's living situation had progressed from a dilapidated rented room to a sunny 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 one day, after not contacting her for half a year, he would suddenly think of her again?
Seeing her constantly messaging on her phone, Lu Mingzhe sat down beside her.
"Are you that busy?"
Xiang Wan, disdainfully ignoring him, moved a little to the side.
"It's okay. The online store business hasn't been as strong in the past two years. I'm planning to switch to short videos."
Indeed.
Even as an outsider, Lu Mingzhe knew that short videos had developed rapidly in recent years.
So she had started an online store long ago, and now she was venturing into short videos.
No wonder she could afford to buy a house.
"Sister Wan is about to strike it rich."
"Even if you strike it rich, you won't be as successful as you, Doctor Lu. You can empty a client's wallet with just a few words."
Xiang Wan didn't even glance at him.
"Don't be sour about me here. If you have nothing to do, go help your brother wash the vegetables."
It was truly magical to think about.
After more than four years, their relationship had remained stagnant, making no progress. It was quite a feat.
Lu Mingzhe strolled into the kitchen.