âNot bad at all. Hook me up with this teacher, and if it works out, Iâll treat you to a meal another day,â Xu Qingyan immediately switched his address, surprisingly causing Chen Niannian to pause for a second.
A teacher, huh? To him, even a small-time actor who hadnât had any film work for over half a year was a teacher.
âSure,â Chen Niannian flashed a delicate smile.
Only after the two had left together did Xu Qingyan take his gaze off their retreating figures. He turned to look at Zhou Mian, who had been silent all along, and sighed.
âLi Zhi is really great, a sensible and good girl.â
âLi Zhiâ was Chen Niannianâs nickname, and basically, all her social media accounts were related to lychees. Although she could be occasionally whimsical, she was reliable at her core.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Mian shuffled on his beach chair and somewhat reluctantly said,
âThat guyâs not a good person.â
âYeah, but you canât stop them when theyâre willing,â Xu Qingyan couldnât help but find Zhou Mian slightly amusing, deliberately saying, âGirls these days just like handsome guys.â
âHeâs not as handsome as you, Brother Xu. Heâs pretty good at putting on an act though,â Zhou Mian argued with a hint of dissatisfaction, âYou didnât see that pretty boyâs face turn green when Brother Xu, you choked him with your words.â
âThen why do you think Li Zhi canât see through him?â Xu Qingyan countered with a question.
âLove has clouded her judgment. These things are always clearer to an outsiderâ¦â Halfway through his sentence, Zhou Mian suddenly realized something, looked up, and saw Xu Qingyan smiling at him.
âBrother Xu, Iâ¦â
âStop there, donât bring up family issues when weâre out,â Xu Qingyan waved a hand to stop him, indicating a refusal, âYou, a married man, discussing feelings with me, a virgin.â
âWould I dare to teach, and would you dare to learn?â
Zhou Mian thought so too; after all, he was older than Xu Qingyan. But he had grown used to calling him Brother Xu and didnât feel any immaturity from Xu Qingyan in their interactions.
Naturally, he gradually overlooked Xu Qingyanâs age.
âSss! Brother Xu, I didnât even realize until you mentioned itâhow young you are?â Zhou Mian gasped in surprise, âDonât you plan on dating?â
Xu Qingyan replied casually, âNot young at all, Iâm 24 in actuallity, 25 in nominal age, wobbling towards 26, nearly 27. Pretty soon Iâll be rushing towards thirty, and I canât even sleep soundly at night.â
Zhou Mian: ââ¦â
He had planned to go home, but Chen Niannian and her future boyfriendâs interruption left him feeling somewhat perplexed, sighing as he lay on the folding chair outside the coffee shop.
âWhat is love in this worldâ¦â
âStop asking, whereâs so much love in this world?â Xu Qingyan took a sip of his now-cold coffee, drinking it like water, âFor most people, itâs just hormones surging and engorged lust.â
âOnce calm, all kinds of problems emerge, this isnât right, that isnât right.â
Zhou Mian sighed again at these words, then suddenly remembered the girl who had a secret crush on Xu Qingyan, and couldnât help but ask,
âBrother Xu, to be honest, didnât you ever have feelings for her in college? How did you hold back?â
âUh, I never look back at the past,â Xu Qingyan shared his deepest thoughts for once, leaning back in his chair and frowning up at the sky, he said.
âIf I have to say, maybe it was because I was too tired back then. So tired that my⦠desires never had a chance to arise, saw romantic relationships through a rather pessimistic lens without those special hormonal filters.â
âFor instance, her family was quite wealthy then, which might not seem like much to me now. Back then, Iâd earn just a hundred or two a day from part-time jobs, even that was for doing technical work.â
Zhou Mian nodded in understanding, though he was also indifferent, he still loved to hear gossip, âMatching social status is indeed important, otherwise thereâs lots of trouble after falling in love.â@@novelbin@@
âItâs not entirely about matching social status, but different aspirations, I guess. Some people are brave in love, but when it comes to marriage, theyâll listen to their parents.â
âThereâs no right or wrong, just incompatibility. A relationship full of troubles is indeed pointless, better not to start it in the first place.â
Zhou Mian fell silent at these words, wondering if they really had to torment each other till they grew old.
Across the table, Xu Qingyan glanced at him. There was a remark he didnât say out loud: in this day and age, when relationships are fraught with troubles, itâs not far from the threat of infidelity, and for women, the threshold for straying is really low.
If you truly want to avoid aggravation, donât casually fill in the blanks from the start.
If the direction of your efforts is wrong, solving the problem will only bring you closer to an optimal solution. Once the papers are handed in, regrets are pointless; you can only sigh again and again outside the classroom hallways.
âBrother Xu, what do you think I should do now?â Zhou Mian looked up.
âHow should I know? You figure it out,â Xu Qingyan said, âIâve never been married, nor faced such a situation, so I canât really give you directions.â
âSigh, why has it come to this?â Zhou Mian said weakly, his eyes losing focus, âI work hard, take care of my parents, stay faithful to my marriage.â
âI havenât done anything wrong, but why is it that people who live honestly donât end up well?â
Xu Qingyan looked at him and couldnât help but ask,
âBut have you been good to yourself?â
âWhat?â Zhou Mian was surprised.
âYou work so hard and earn so much money, yet you still smoke the same cigarettes as you did six months ago,â Xu Qingyan said, âWhy not treat yourself better?â
âLook, Li Zhi and Jian Jiadong arenât even a couple, just a chaser and the pursued. Li Zhiâs the one with the upper hand, right? But she still remembers Jian Jiadongâs preferences.â
âWhether they make it or not, I think this mutual feedback is really good. Accepting each otherâs kindness means respecting each other, giving and taking is a matter of upbringing.â
Xu Qingyan spoke casually, but Zhou Mian took it to heart.
While chatting with Xu Qingyan, he just felt that things hadnât been going well lately, but after Chen Niannian and that man appeared,
Zhou Mian suddenly realized he might have been obsessing too much.
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