A young man appeared in front of Xiao Lanlan, blocking her path.
He looked to be about twenty-four or twenty-five years old.
He was wearing a white tank top and grey shorts.
Standing around 1.7 meters tall, he had a slightly chubby build and an ordinary face that wasn't necessarily ugly, but definitely common.
Upon seeing the man, the smile on Xiao Lanlan's face gradually faded. She asked in a flat tone, "Li Yilin, is there something you need?"
"Don't you think you owe me an explanation?"
The man named Li Yilin stared at Xiao Lanlan, his eyes filled with anger.
"What explanation do I need to give you?"
Xiao Lanlan looked impatient. "As far as I'm concerned, we don't have any kind of relationship, and we're not even that close, right?"
"I've pursued you for six whole years, and you're telling me we're not close?"
Li Yilin looked at Xiao Lanlan in disbelief. "I've been chasing you since freshman year, but you said you just wanted to focus on your studies and wouldn't date before graduating university."
"So I waited until you graduated, only for you to say you had to wait until your job was stable before considering a relationship."
"I moved here for you and waited for six full years!"
Li Yilin became increasingly agitated as he spoke. "And then, after just a few days of not seeing each other, you've found a rich young master? Is this what you meant by not wanting to date?"
Having just returned home from work, he had heard the deafening roar of the Lamborghini's engine.
In this dilapidated residential area, it was exceptionally conspicuous.
Faced with a Lamborghini, few people could resist its charm.
Li Yilin couldn't help but stop to watch, only to witness a scene that broke his heart.
His unattainable goddess, Xiao Lanlan—who claimed she had no plans for romance for the time being—was being incredibly intimate with Zhou Xing inside the car.
She had even initiated a kiss.
Li Yilin felt as if the sky were falling and the earth were crumbling; his head was spinning.
That was why he had rushed out in a fit of rage to block Xiao Lanlan, hoping to get a reasonable explanation from her.
"That was all your own wishful thinking. I never asked anything of you, and I never took anything from you!"
Xiao Lanlan completely lost her patience. "Besides, having a boyfriend is my freedom. I don't need to explain myself to anyone, especially not you!"
"If you don't have anything else to say, then get out of the way. Don't waste my time!"
Xiao Lanlan glanced back at Zhou Xing in the car. Fearing he might misunderstand, she prepared to walk around Li Yilin.
However, Li Yilin blocked her path once again.
"What exactly do you want?"
Xiao Lanlan's expression turned cold as she stared at him blankly.
"I originally thought you were different from other girls."
Li Yilin's face was full of disappointment. "I didn't expect you to be so materialistic as well! You've truly disappointed me!"
"Have you said enough?"
Before Xiao Lanlan could reply, a voice came from behind.
Following that, Zhou Xing got out of the car and stood in front of Xiao Lanlan, eyeing Li Yilin.
"dear."
Seeing Zhou Xing appear, Xiao Lanlan quickly explained, "He's a university classmate. We weren't even in the same major, but he's been pestering me since freshman year."
"I've rejected him countless times, but he's completely indifferent to it."
"Actually, I'm not close to him at all. We have no relationship whatsoever."
Zhou Xing patted Xiao Lanlan's back. "It's fine. I heard everything from the car. I'll handle the rest."
"Okay."
Xiao Lanlan nodded obediently, then pulled at Zhou Xing's sleeve with some concern. "Be careful. I'm afraid he might do something reckless. Don't get hurt."
Their conversation reached Li Yilin's ears clearly.
Seeing the two of them together was already painful enough, but Xiao Lanlan's words were like countless knives stabbing into his heart.
"Don't worry."
Zhou Xing smiled faintly, then turned to look at Li Yilin and couldn't help but shake his head.
Simps have existed since ancient times.
He didn't have time to deal with such a person, so he immediately said to Li Yilin, "We're all adults here. There's no need to make things so ugly. Stop harassing my girlfriend."
"What do you mean, 'your girlfriend'?!"
Li Yilin's eyes instantly turned red. "I chased her for six whole years, taking care of her with meticulous concern the entire time! Where were you then?"
Zhou Xing felt a bit helpless; it was impossible to communicate with this kind of person.
"Let's go, I'll walk you up."
Zhou Xing put his arm around Xiao Lanlan's waist. Continuing the argument would just be a waste of time and was completely unnecessary.
Not arguing with fools was a philosophy of life.
Besides... Xiao Lanlan was moving out soon anyway and wouldn't have any further interaction with Li Yilin.
"Mm-hm."
Xiao Lanlan naturally had no objections.
"Move!"
Zhou Xing stood before Li Yilin, looking down at him from his height of 1.85 meters.
Though his tone was flat, it was extremely oppressive.
Li Yilin subconsciously moved aside.
As Zhou Xing led Xiao Lanlan forward, Li Yilin suddenly snapped out of it. Feeling he had lost face, he shouted at Xiao Lanlan, "How am I inferior to him?!"
"You only care about his money. In the end, you'll lose both the person and the wealth. A guy like him is just playing with you at most. Once he's bored, he'll kick you to the curb."
"Only I am truly sincere to you. I can give everything to be good to you. Lan Qianqian, wake up! Stop being so stubborn!"
The two didn't stop. Seeing this, Li Yilin became even more hysterical. "Lan Qianqian, you'll regret this! Stringing me along while looking for a rich man—when you get dumped, don't come crying back to me!"
Zhou Xing's footsteps paused.
Zhou Xing, who originally hadn't intended to keep arguing with Li Yilin, darkened his expression. He let go of Xiao Lanlan and turned around to walk straight up to Li Yilin.
Seeing Zhou Xing approach, Li Yilin also got nervous. He took a step back involuntarily, his expression shifting. "What are you going to do?"
"Nothing much."
Zhou Xing glanced at him. "Do you think you're very affectionate?"
Li Yilin was stunned.
Ignoring him, Zhou Xing continued, "Being poor isn't your fault. But being poor and incompetent while trying to stop others from seeking a better life—that is a huge mistake!"
"In this life, who isn't realistic?"
"I can give her the life she wants: the clothes, the bags, the house, the car, the 'let's go' trips, and the capital to quit her job whenever she wants. What can you give her?"
Li Yilin clenched his fists and said defiantly, "I can give her love!"
"Is love so cheap nowadays?"
Zhou Xing smiled contemptuously. "A person's worth lies in self-awareness. Before you have the means, you should be thinking about how to improve yourself and strive for the life and the girl you want through hard work, rather than wallowing in self-pity here and accusing others of being materialistic!"
"Love? Do you really think this is a fairy tale where a girl can go without food or water just to live a 'romantic' life with you?"
"You can't even support a girlfriend. What right do you have to talk about love!"
Zhou Xing's words cut to the bone.
Li Yilin's expression kept changing, looking quite uncomfortable, but he still refused to back down before Zhou Xing. "Then why did she keep stringing me along? Why didn't she just reject me directly instead of telling me she wasn't dating for now and constantly giving me hope!"
"You're this old yet still so naive. Don't you know that in adult life, anything that isn't a direct 'yes' is an implicit 'no'?"
Zhou Xing said disdainfully, "She just wanted to leave you with a final shred of dignity, but you didn't know how to cherish it!"
"Who do you think you are?"
"What makes you think she would bother stringing you along?"
Li Yilin was fuming. His fists were clenched, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was grinding his teeth so hard they might break. "What did you say!"
"What, you want to get physical?"
Zhou Xing said completely unbothered, "If I hit you, I can walk away scot-free."
"But you..."
Zhou Xing looked at him with a beaming smile. "If you so much as touch a hair on my head, three generations of your family couldn't afford the compensation!"
"This is reality!"
"If you're not convinced, feel free to try!"
Li Yilin's breathing was heavy as he gasped for air, his knuckles white from clenching his fists.
Even though fury surged in his chest, he still didn't have the courage to make a move on Zhou Xing.
Because he knew that Zhou Xing was not someone he could afford to provoke.
Slap!
In the next moment.
Zhou Xing delivered a slap across his face.
Li Yilin hadn't expected Zhou Xing to suddenly strike. He stood there dazed, feeling a burning, stinging pain spread across his cheek.
The smile on Zhou Xing's face had long since vanished, replaced by a layer of ice. "When I give you face, you should learn to take it."
"Don't fucking push your luck!"