Chapter 72

30+, Independent Woman, Unwilling to Suffer in Love—The Delicious Dish at Lao Wang’s

What’s he talking about? Was I not good enough? Did he want a richer girlfriend, so he wouldn’t have to work for ten more years? I’m going straight to the King of Hell and asking him to take ten years off his life!”

Hu Xiu lied, saying the signal was bad and hung up the phone. The other passengers were staring at her, their curiosity about the gossip more intense than any investment strategy.

Generally, breakup talks are reserved for best friends, but Hu Xiu still shared the news in the group chat with Li Ai and Diao Zhi Yu: “Ma Liang left a note and disappeared. Zhao Xiaorou got dumped.”

When she reached Zhao Xiaorou’s building, she saw her opening the window and hurried upstairs, worried she might do something drastic. But when she entered, Zhao Xiaorou was packing her bags, wearing a mask and rubber gloves, looking as if she were at a crime scene.

The moment Zhao Xiaorou saw Hu Xiu, she exploded: “I thought he was an honest guy, but the more I thought about it, the more it didn’t add up. An honest guy wouldn’t be selling used shoes, have no job, mooch off people, and have no shame. He’s a parasite!”

“I just met Tracy. She told me about Ma Liang. His situation is kind of like yours…”

“Tell me!”

“He started out by taking the initiative, did all the housework, listened to her every word, treated her gently, saying he didn’t have money but would give her everything…”

“And then?”

“Tracy introduced him to a good job… He rebranded his image from the inside out…”

“He was using Baique Ling when he first came to me, but when he left, he took my La Mer with him, damn.”

Hu Xiu thought for a moment, Baique Ling was a long-time client of Cui Xi, who once gifted a pile of sets to the office but couldn’t bring herself to give them away, taking them all home instead. It was always the case—don’t let the water flow out to outsiders. Zhao Xiaoru continued pressing, “Is there anything else?”

“The photo from Mexico was posted by someone else. He stole the picture and pretended it was him in Mexico... and—Cui Xi also gave him a IWC watch. You didn’t give him anything, right?”

“I gave him a bag. A few days ago, he showed me a picture of the green Submariner, and I pretended to be asleep. Are watches also part of the ‘love scam’? Damn…”

Zhao Xiaoru grabbed a weekend magazine, shook it open, and took out a picture of a kitchen knife wrapped in a colored page. With a furious expression, she said, “If he dares to mess with me, Zhao Xiaoru, like this, I’ll fucking chop him up!”

“Don’t be impulsive!” Hu Xiu sent an SOS to Diao Zhiya, “At Zhao Xiaoru’s place, hurry and come, quickly stop Zhao Xiaoru’s hand!”

In the next few seconds of struggle, the knife fell from the paper wrap and plunged into the floor straight through Zhao Xiaoru’s leg. Hu Xiu was so scared she almost lost her nerve—this was a Zhang Xiaoqian knife!

Zhao Xiaoru could lose everything but never her face. Gong Huaicong was at least a newly rich man, but Ma Wuliu, with his love scam, had played her for both emotions and money. She now felt like the knife on the floor—unable to kill anyone after being pulled out, the blade was even chipped by the floor—so embarrassing.

After the commotion, Zhao Xiaoru sat on the sofa drinking a large cup of coffee, silent for a long time, holding her phone like it was a black leather notebook. “If I face him head-on, I lose. It makes me look trashy. Dating him was a mistake—my eyes must have been blind.”

“But I’ve been in this world for years, I will never just let it go.”

By the time Diao Zhiya arrived, Zhao Xiaoru had already put on a smile and was serving drinks, and her home looked just like it did before.

Except for the two-centimeter gouge in the floor.

Along with Diao Zhiya came Tiger Brother—he had a build similar to Sylvester Stallone and a face comparable to Han Ga-in.

Especially those big, fluttering eyes that left Hu Xiu stunned—what kind of oddballs did Diao Zhiya hang out with?

Diao Zhiya, seeing the calm inside the house, was slow to catch on. “Where’s Ma Liang?”

“He left without saying a word...”

“I even brought an extra person, in case you two got into a fight.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to fight him. If I did, I’d just be delaying him from finding the next woman.”

“Tiger Brother, hello, I’m Zhao Xiaoru. I heard you went to Mexico with your wife during the New Year. I want to ask, what kind of person is Ma Liang?”

The group sat together putting together a jigsaw puzzle, finally piecing together Ma Liang’s romantic history.

He graduated from a vocational school with no special skills but was hardworking and willing to take on any job without complaining. He never lost his temper with anyone.

And he had a rare trait that most men lack: he could see the good qualities in women and wasn’t stingy with praise. He was a breath of fresh air among straight men.

He never refused anyone around him, and whenever he thought he could be useful, he was humble and eager to learn, using his actions to win over hearts.

Thus, his girlfriends ranged from convenience store clerks to middle school teachers, advertising department heads, fund managers, internet celebrities... to Zhao Xiaoru. How many girlfriends had he had by now?

At first, the lackluster Ma Liang didn’t know how to earn a living off women. He worked hard in confusion, delivering takeout, serving dishes, grilling skewers at a BBQ shop, doing all the dirty, tiring jobs, getting scolded and looked down upon. He couldn’t get into the city when he worked in Nanhui and would never enter the city center. When he encountered upper-class people, he was dismissed as a nobody.

The BBQ shop owner, a self-made man from Northeast China who looked like Liu Qingyun, had married a wealthy female returnee with ten properties. Now they owned several chain BBQ restaurants. The woman invested, and the man ran the business, directly pointing out to Ma Liang that youth is fleeting, and it’s better to package yourself as an upper-class person as quickly as possible!

A vocational degree would take at least four years, and it might still be useless, but packaging yourself was a good idea.

So Ma Liang used his savings and borrowed some money from his mother in Fengxian to get cosmetic surgery. Afterward, he came out as a “sunshine youth.”

But something was still missing... oh, muscles. Ma Liang worked out at a gym on Huaihai Middle Road, where the annual membership cost 30,000, and how could someone without money get in?

Tiger Brother pointed out the key: if you want to make it, you need to spend big. That gym was right above a subway station, surrounded by first-tier advertising and media companies. Where was it?

Cuihu Tiandi, Kaide Maoming, Sinan Mansion... the best locations in Wenyu.

Zhao Xiaoru, hearing this, couldn’t help but laugh and cry. “I suddenly feel like he overestimated me when he went for me.”

“No, you are Gong Huaicong’s ex-girlfriend, so you may not have a mansion, but you still have fame.”

“Now, he can use your high-end story to attract even higher-class women. The next girlfriend probably won’t earn a million a year, and he’ll come back to find you.”

“After all, every relationship he has ends with an open conclusion—every ex-girlfriend is the woman he loves the most.”

Tiger Brother saw Zhao Xiaoru’s embarrassed expression and lowered his head to light a cigarette. “But he won’t be satisfied with just the effort of a new rich man. His ultimate goal should be those old money people, the ones who live off trust funds. That way, he won’t have to worry about working anymore.”

“He was just telling me he met a new girlfriend recently, at a nightclub.”

“Damn, a few days ago, I took him to an afterparty for a web variety show!” Zhao Xiaoru slapped the table.

“That’s it. FCUP. Ma Liang’s taste is very specific.” Tiger Brother glanced at Zhao Xiaoru’s chest, blew out a puff of smoke. “Maybe there’s a twist? Anyway, he still respects me and calls me Tiger Brother. I keep him on my WeChat, not for anything else, just to see how far he can climb before he falls.”

“Can you hook up with big shots and rich women just at the gym... If that’s the case, he might as well become a trainer there...”

Hu Xiu was stunned by the sequence of power plays. Her mind seemed to be unable to process all this information.

“Buy a membership, don’t be a coach, just buy one every quarter, and various rich women will cover the cost.

Being a coach requires spending money on certifications, too costly, and he doesn’t have the time. He boasts that in the gym, any man or woman he finds attractive is within his grasp. Big shots even ask him to be their best man at their weddings. He’s not without style; once at a wedding I attended, he wore handmade leather shoes from Du Shaofei’s public account and a watch from IWC, and could even tell the brand’s story. The bride’s mother liked him so much that she introduced him to a girlfriend—she’s from Shanghai and owns several properties.”

It really worked out—this watch was a gift from Tracy, and Du Shaofei is Tracy’s friend. The girlfriend introduced to him later married Qian Jinxin.

Zhao Xiaorou’s face alternated between red and pale, and she fell silent, with only the humidifier whirring in the room. Tai Ge stood up, “Diao Zhi Yu, since there’s no problem with the person, I’ll leave. Teacher Rou Rou, I’m also a fan of your Weibo. Here’s a small suggestion: don’t make this public on Weibo. Ma Liang loves to boast, and if he gets the wind in his sails, things will get out of hand. Protect your reputation, especially since your pure and devoted image has... changed so much.”

Zhao Xiaorou sent the guest off, returned home to reply to emails, and prepared for a cosmetics ad shoot with her team.

The schedule was still packed. As Zhao Xiaorou applied a face mask, she checked her emails. The first one was from Li Ai.

She opened it expressionlessly—still just a spreadsheet, no task handovers.

Instead, there were three clients whom Li Ai had independently contacted for new work. Zhao Xiaorou called him directly: “Why are you taking on work for me?”

“To keep you busy, so you don’t overthink things.”

“My life is none of your business.”

“Alright, I understand.” On the other end, there was a long pause before his voice turned cold and sorrowful, “Then I’ll hang up now.”

The face mask dried, leaving her tear tracks on her cheeks. Sitting in front of her computer, she replied to emails and arranged transportation for her assistant, while thinking about how to make Ma Liang uncomfortable.

Even if she left without a word, it should have been her who proposed the breakup. She once thought the gentleness and admiration she received from Ma Liang could sustain her for a while, giving her the space to be herself without restraint. Now, she realized that no one would accept her recklessness without reason.

In the past few years, no one had truly loved her, and she couldn’t even understand what love was anymore.

The things she acquired through acting and falsehoods had left her isolated. The busy signal on Li Ai’s call seemed to resonate with her heartbeat—what she gave to Li Ai wasn’t pure love—everything she gave was tainted.

Even if she were to face it alone, Zhao Xiaorou could endure it. Neither Hu Xiu nor Li Ai were part of it.

Zhao Xiaorou removed the face mask and opened the old variety show Human Body Expedition from Super Junior, laughing and crying at the same time—there was nothing Lee Dong Hae couldn’t heal.

Hu Xiu hadn’t mentioned the incident with the kitchen knife. She just held Diao Zhi Yu’s hand and walked down the road, the wind brushing her warm face as the weather turned milder.

Diao Zhi Yu remained silent, feeling guilty about Ma Liang—after all, he was the one who introduced Ma Liang to Zhao Xiaorou. Hu Xiu wanted to comfort him but didn’t know how.

He mentioned Ma Liang’s days staying on his sofa, curled up with two phones in his pocket—one for a dedicated romance, and the other to keep a backup army in place.

Hu Xiu thought to herself, luckily she hadn’t mentioned it at Zhao Xiaorou’s place—the weekend magazine wasn’t put away yet and could easily be packed back into the knife for another round.

“This weekend, I might have to go for a translation job. What about you, still going to 007?”

“No, I’ve been meeting with some agencies. The conditions are harsh, I’m still picking.”

“Like what?”

“Nothing much, they all want me to be an idol, even suggested I go on a talent show. They think I look good on camera and have a unique personality, that I could stand out among the mediocre.”

Korea’s Produce 101 became a huge hit, and China’s Youth With You season one launched the idol era, creating many new stars.

Diao Zhi Yu’s tone clearly showed disdain for such systems: “I don’t understand why agencies like this so much. After looking at my resume and photos, they just hand me contracts like this. When I said I wasn’t interested and wanted to be an actor, they looked at me like I was telling a joke.”

“You’re too handsome for that. The character in Snowpiercer was simplistic but you made it soulful. If anyone else had played it, the character would have just been a fantasy romance role for female players. ‘Love unrequited’ has become your signature trait.”

Diao Zhi Yu smiled without replying, just holding her hand as they walked on. Hu Xiu didn’t know what else to say except words of encouragement.

Since returning from Hengdian, he had been staring blankly at his phone a lot, becoming quieter. He seemed to have something on his mind—something serious. He seemed distracted when playing the escape room, unable to sleep at night, his whole demeanor wrapped in a shadow he didn’t want to share.

If she asked directly, he would surely dodge the topic. Diao Zhi Yu wasn’t someone who easily opened up, but if she didn’t ask, Hu Xiu would feel uneasy.

When they reached 624 Changle, she suddenly grabbed his hand. “Since we’re here, how about we have a drink before we go?”

Alcohol is always a good way to loosen the tongue of someone troubled. They grabbed drinks and sat on the roadside. Diao Zhi Yu draped his jacket over her legs and drank in silence.

Hu Xiu said, “It feels like it’s breakup season. All the doctors I know from the hospital are breaking up—remember Dr. Jin from the genetics department? His girlfriend was moving abroad for development, his boyfriend wanted to get married, but they broke up. Now Zhao Xiaorou is going through a similar thing. It’s hard to understand.”

“Personality differences make it easy to break up. My parents were like that. You can’t force these things. Ma Liang is an exception.”

“People change after breakups. I hope Zhao Xiaorou can pull herself together from this absurd experience and seriously think about what she really wants.”

“Not necessarily, some people probably just don’t understand what love is.”

“It sounds like you do.”

The two clinked their bottles together, as a toast. Hu Xiu subtly pressed on, trying to engage him in conversation: “What happened in Hengdian? You came back to Shanghai and you’re still not happy, and you’ve stopped going to 007, always hanging around REGARD.”

“Nothing much. I just feel like 007 isn’t right for me. Every day it’s just dealing cards and dancing, no major roles to play.”

“Then try acting in movies or TV shows.”

Diao Zhiyu chuckled: “It’s not that simple. The situation and conditions aren’t something I can control. I’m just an ordinary person.”

“Not at all. In my eyes, you’re not ordinary at all. You have your own director’s showcase, you’re a great actor, and you’ve even done films...”

“Different fields are like different mountains. I have a halo in your eyes.” Diao Zhiyu quickly finished his drink. “Promise me, since you don’t understand the entertainment industry, don’t care too much about it, okay? I appreciate your encouragement, but lately I’ve been... a bit lost.”

“You specifically came to the Northeast to find me and gave me a lecture. You were with me during my low points, and I want to... share some of your burdens too.”

He smiled but remained silent, drinking his wine. The laughter and chatter around them became unbearably loud, and the white noise crept into Hu Xiu’s heart.

She felt a few shudders in her heart, that familiar fear returning. She didn’t know why she felt anxious, so she stood up, bought a few bottles of wine, and opened them on the roadside, blurting out whatever came to mind, unwilling to fall silent, afraid of running out of things to talk about with Diao Zhiyu.

Diao Zhiyu was disinterested, responding only occasionally, his mood clearly not light. Hu Xiu’s heartbeat became more and more erratic: “Can you at least tell me, are you okay? Did I do something to make you angry?”

Diao Zhiyu rubbed her head. “Really, it’s nothing. It’s just too much pressure. Everyone faces bottlenecks in adulthood. Lately, my acting has been unstable. Maybe... it’s because my love life has been too sweet?”

He was trying hard to cheer himself up. Hu Xiu laughed lightly, but without needing a mirror, she knew her expression was worse than crying.

If a layperson might not understand, after having attended an acting class with Diao Zhiyu, she understood—immersive actors who want to put themselves into their performances can’t afford to live a comfortable life.

Someone like Diao Zhiyu, who was so serious about love, liked her far more than she had imagined. After he said this, his expression was far from relaxed, clearly leaving something unsaid.

She drank faster too. The wind blew through her hair as they both sat on the roadside, quietly suppressing their burps, as if they didn’t want the other to hear their hidden thoughts.

The matter with Ma Liang seemed unresolved. Zhao Xiaorou, however, no longer thought about revenge. Instead, she focused seriously on accepting ads, posting videos, and even went to Disneyland to shoot a vlog, looking adorable in Star Dolls’ outfit.

Although Ma Liang didn’t stay in touch with Zhao Xiaorou, he still proactively messaged Hu Xiu, with a sincere attitude—after all, she was his free translator.

During her lunch break, Hu Xiu checked her phone. Ma Liang had sent her a screenshot: “Sister Hu Xiu, can I ask you something? What does the English in this email mean?”

The email was an offer from Ogilvy, and Hu Xiu carefully looked it over—he had been hired by Ogilvy and was directly assigned to a team serving local clients.

She forwarded it to Zhao Xiaorou, who replied with a meaningful message: “This is like the old lady entering the Grand View Garden. In Ogilvy, every female leader over thirty is a single woman earning an annual salary. They don’t easily sell out to the mundane; they yearn for true love and honor the ‘survivor is king’ philosophy. As for Ma Liang, he’s the independent, high-educated woman killer, seeking women with cracks in their souls—’I have no money, but I will give you all my love and am willing to give everything for you.’ He’s only twenty-five, isn’t he just a low-budget Peng Yuyan in the eyes of older women?”

Accurate and sharp. Hu Xiu was still confused: “Do you think he’ll satisfy Ogilvy’s clients? His English is so bad, and this is 4A...”

“Underestimate him much? Clients are so dramatic. Ma Liang can please women, so he can certainly please clients too. I once worked with Marc Jacobs, who was also an Ogilvy client. At three in the morning, he’d call out every person in the group, cursing them, and demand a conference call to berate them, making the copywriter read every word to him. You know, Ma Liang is the best at bending and stretching. Ogilvy is just his stepping stone to marry a rich woman. Just wait and see.”

Before Hu Xiu could reply, Ma Liang sent another message: “Thank you, Sister Hu Xiu. I heard I’m in a team with a lot of women. It feels a bit awkward. I still can’t let go of Xiaorou, after all, she’s the woman I love the most.”

Finally, Hu Xiu was getting annoyed: “If there are women with big chests, you should keep your eyes open. Maybe there’s a new woman you can’t let go of.”