At twenty-four, she embraced a golden future.
“First, let me clarify: half an hour ago, when you were still lying in my arms, she was already my ex-girlfriend. Of course, don’t feel pressured—I didn’t break up with her because of you.”
“You…”
Despite her worldly experience, Qin Yanan was momentarily stunned by Chen Ze’s words, feeling somewhat helpless.
By Chen Ze’s logic, the other party was not only right and kind but also a responsible man?
“That’s nonsense. I’m not a little girl anymore.”
Qin Yanan shook her head in resignation, suddenly realizing that entangling herself with him might not be a good idea.
Just as she was about to leave, a questioning voice came from behind. Unlike before, Chen Ze seemed more serious this time.
“Aren’t you a little girl?”
He had just checked—during his reflection, he found a dried reddish-brown streak on the sheets. Of course, this could be tampered with nowadays, so it wasn’t necessarily reliable, but it was worth considering.
Chen Ze wasn’t the type to cling relentlessly, but when dealing with a girl, one must adapt, seize opportunities, and strike precisely.
Putting aside whether she was a virgin or not, it was good news she didn’t hate him.
Speak plainly to the straightforward, speak subtly to the secretive.
Qin Yanan had a decent temperament and a somewhat aloof personality, so she surely disliked brooding types or cold men.
Also, note this down: she liked men who were robust—puppy-like charm was fine, but not the delicate kind.
Returning to his question:
Is Qin Yanan a little girl?
Chen Ze wasn’t sure, but he was certain she definitely held a little girl within her heart.
Her indifferent personality and confident attitude, combined with a natural feminine sensitivity, meant that as long as he was more confident and assertive, handling her wouldn’t be difficult.
“I mean, I won’t fall for your tricks. If you think I’m easy to deceive, you can try.”
Qin Yanan paused for two seconds, then gave him a look one might give a younger brother. She was about to respond but was interrupted.
Chen Ze scratched the blanket and calmly smoothed out the slightly messy cover, smiling:
“Oh? So you’ve always thought I was lying to you. No wonder you didn’t dare meet my eyes.”
Standing at the foot of the bed, clutching her clothes, Qin Yanan watched his act, curious what nonsense he might say next.
“You say you’re not a little girl because you want to warn me you’re not easy to trick, to scare me off. But the little girl I meant is not that complicated—it’s about sincerity.”
“And then?”
Qin Yanan furrowed her brows slightly.
“You’re sincere, so I’m sincere too. There are things I didn’t want you to know before, but since you misunderstand me so much, I might as well be frank.”
“Go ahead.”
Qin Yanan quietly stared at the man on the bed, not really wanting to hear but still a little curious.
Chen Ze hesitated before saying:
“When I said breaking up wasn’t because of you, actually, you were somewhat involved.”
“You mean you’re fickle?”
Qin Yanan caught on quickly, and if she hadn’t kept her expression steady, it would have spoken volumes.
Chen Ze’s face didn’t change, nor did he feign sadness or deny it vehemently. Calm and serious, he said:
“Liking the new and discarding the old is human nature. That’s part of the reason, but not the main one.”
“Keep talking.”
Not rushing to deny it, Qin Yanan, filled with caution, was now intrigued—actually quite interested.
---
“I don’t know if you remember the sentence you said last night, but it struck me deeply.”
This time, Chen Ze asked directly, watching Qin Yanan’s eyes closely, not missing a detail.
To be honest, he was a reincarnated man. Even remembering Qin Yanan was a struggle, let alone what she said that night.
But he felt that Qin Yanan probably didn’t remember it all, either.
Sure enough, her eyes flickered at his words, and after a brief thought, she said coldly:
“What sentence?”
“You said my ex-girlfriend wasn’t right for me.”
“Impossible!”
Qin Yanan panicked and immediately denied it. To prove her point, she explained:
“I wouldn’t say that. Besides, what purpose would I have? How would it benefit me?”
She was flustered because Chen Ze had already shown he was thick-skinned, like a dog’s skin plaster.
But her panic stemmed from the fact that a drunk person couldn’t remember everything, and she had no memory of it.
The only thing she was certain of was that she might be wild and confused when drunk, but never malicious.
“How would I know why you said that?”
Chen Ze shrugged with a smile at her panic, then seized the moment, grabbing his phone and tossing it over:
“I don’t know if you love me. If you don’t, I think you pity me.”
Qin Yanan looked at the phone on the blanket, puzzled, holding it in her hand.
Chen Ze sighed deeply:
“I was with her for over two years, fulfilling all her needs—transfers, red envelopes, gifts—but I was just a student. You told me that to love someone, you must first love yourself. That woman was only after my money. You never said outright she wasn’t right for me, but you warned me.”
“This…”
The phone displayed a WeChat billing interface, with standout amounts: 520, 1314, 666, 888.
Qin Yanan was stunned. No matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn’t find any connection to what Chen Ze said.
But thinking it over, last night Chen Ze kept praising his girlfriend, talking about how happy he was.
She had indeed noticed something different last night. After all, a clingy fool doesn’t realize it themselves, but as a bystander, she saw clearly.
She wouldn’t have warned him, right?
Could she have?
And those WeChat bills were real.
“Thank you. You made me wake up and pull back from the brink. You helped me see her true colors.”
“Don’t…”
Qin Yanan felt a bit bitter. With Chen Ze’s words, she truly became the instigator.
“Although breaking up with my ex and immediately saying I had feelings for you was wrong, feelings can’t be faked. And as Mr. Lu Xun once said—”
Chen Ze sat up, revealing his upper body, but Qin Yanan was distracted and asked:
“What did he say?”
“He said, if possible, always give a deeply wounded person an encouraging hug.”
They stared at each other for 13.14 seconds.
Chen Ze slowly lowered his head, hiding his expression, whispering:
“I always knew, no woman is truly good.”
---
“Hey, why the sexism?”
Qin Yanan was about to return the phone and stepped forward two steps, halted in place.
Though skinny, the man was a tall 1.8 meters, his eyes red and uncontrollable as he said:
“You may think I’m fickle, but I take every relationship seriously. What did I do wrong?”
Is Qin Yanan coming?
If not, Chen Ze couldn’t keep up the act.
“Damn.”
Her light figure stepped silently on the carpet, but the paper box left marks. A fair, slender jade-like hand handed a soft tissue to Chen Ze’s face.
“I sympathize with what you’ve been through. I don’t know how to comfort you. Just be strong.”
“Wuuu~”
Chen Ze suddenly embraced the beauty close at hand. When Qin Yanan hesitated, he pushed her onto the bed.
For a moment, Qin Yanan was stunned; her beautiful large eyes blinked, full of confusion.
Chen Ze took the tissue from her hand, wiped the few tears forced out, sniffed, and said:
“Let the past be the past. I’m someone who sees things clearly. I realize I still have feelings for you.”
“Stop joking.”
Qin Yanan’s face darkened slightly, but she didn’t resist and quietly looked at the man on top of her.
Truth and falsehood intertwined, reality and pretense blurred.
She couldn’t tell if Chen Ze’s words were true, yet his eyes were so confident and clear.
“If you say you don’t like me anymore, dare to look me in the eyes for ten seconds, then say that to me.”
Chen Ze suddenly stopped crying, exuding a strong masculine aura. Qin Yanan was stunned, her gaze involuntarily drawn in.
Their eyes gradually merged, their expressions calm, becoming even gentler the longer they looked.
Yet within those eyes, like a spring meadow awakening, bright flowers began to bloom.
According to the “10-Second Eye Contact Rule,”
If you look seriously into someone’s eyes for ten seconds, even if they were a pig, you’d see a bit of charm.
Between opposite sexes, especially when there’s some affection, the effect is even stronger.
“I’m older than you.”
Qin Yanan’s voice softened. The eye contact and physical closeness seemed to unlock Pandora’s box.
“If you hadn’t said it, I wouldn’t have known you’re older. I think liking someone should be about the inner self. Compared to youthful, immature lemons, I now prefer mature roses. Age won’t stop our story—after all, older women are like holding gold bricks.”
“I’m six years older.”
“Then smell the roses and hold two gold bricks.”
Chen Ze cupped Qin Yanan’s smooth cheek, without a word, kissed her deeply.
Yesterday was a direct hit.
Now was about seizing every opportunity.
Heh heh heh, time to savor the feast.