The original owner's parents called Tao Rui three more times and sent two messages. Tao Rui got off the plane, took a look at them and ignored them, so they didn't call again.

After all, they are people who want to save face and be decent, so they won't "cling around", and parents still have to maintain their dignity.

Tao Rui went straight to Ling Jiaxuan's place, even stopping by Ling Jiaxuan's favorite restaurant on the way to grab a table of food. Ling Jiaxuan's door had a fingerprint combination lock, so Tao Rui entered his fingerprint and opened the door.

The sound of conversation coming from inside the door made Tao Rui stop.

Lin Shan angrily demanded, "You can't live without this man, or what? Why not just break up and stay single like me? What's wrong with that? You're only 25, not that old, why are you rushing into this? Look at what you've done to yourself. Your career is in jeopardy, you know? What chance do you have of pursuing your dreams?"

As if remembering something, she added, "Oh, right? The Tao family is barely considered wealthy. Have you told them about your dream? Don't you want to be a singer? Don't you want to sing on a big stage? Will they agree? Then what will you do? Are you going to give up your dream for such an unreliable man?"

Ling Jiaxuan said helplessly, "You know those people who jump off buildings after investing in stocks? Why do they keep throwing money after losing a little? Until they lose everything and jump off buildings in despair? There are many people like this. Do you think they don't understand reason? No, everyone understands reason, but they are just too trapped in it and can't extricate themselves.

Before you came, I had already scolded myself, I had scolded myself many times, but I just couldn't let go. What should I do? I have paid so much... I know there is a saying called "cut your losses in time", but I can't do it. What should I do?

If emotions could be controlled so rationally and freely, there wouldn't be so many touching love stories.

This is something that cannot be calculated or controlled. If it can be, it can only mean that I am not so immersed in it. There are many other things that take precedence over love.

This is the case for many people in the world. Love is not that important. Family, career, self-perception and many other things are more important than love. But who can accuse those who value love of being wrong?

Lin Shan felt powerless facing such a best friend because she didn't know how to help her.

This is why Tao Rui chose to come over instead of breaking up. Some girls can turn around and live a better life after breaking up, and even beat up the scumbag, but most of those girls don't need his help. They are more like his colleagues in the Space-Time Bureau.

Ling Jiaxuan wasn't one of those girls. It wasn't that she was obsessed with love; she was rationally clear-headed and wouldn't do anything stupid. But from Tao Rui's psychology background, Ling Jiaxuan was overly concerned with sunk costs.

The more she gave, the harder it was for her to let go of this feeling.

Rather than saying how much she loves the man and can't let him go, it's better to say that she can't let go of herself who has given so much, and can't let go of this relationship that she has poured so much effort into.

Perhaps she had a few times when she could have simply let it go and left, but the original owner had stopped her. The original owner had repeatedly learned those romantic tricks from the Internet and movies. Although he was clearly annoyed, because he didn't want to break up and didn't want to argue, he acted like a prince and coaxed Ling Jiaxuan into submission.

It was the original owner who repeatedly deceived Ling Jiaxuan with his best side, making her believe that he loved her so much and was so dedicated to their relationship that she had to give more. Little did she know that it was all an illusion. The original owner's feelings were rapidly dwindling during this process, and she was the only one who fell into it.

Yet, on the surface, the original owner, who had hurt Ling Jiaxuan so many times, seemed to have done nothing wrong, making it impossible for her to even feel any hatred. She didn't even know how to blame anyone, and instead hated herself for not living up to her expectations and being so heartbroken over a broken heart.

When a person is always in a negative mood, many things can no longer be solved by thinking more open-mindedly or being more rational.

In the original plot, Ling Jiaxuan attempted suicide three times. The targeting from Tao's parents was one aspect, and the original owner discovered her difficulties and helped her, then said that he still liked her, but also said that he could not be with her and asked her to stay away from his family. These were the real blows.

He never went home to ask his parents to stop and solve the problem from the root. He always followed his mood, seeing her when he wanted to, and ignoring her in the lab when he didn't want to.

He never said a harsh word to his family, but instead asked her to stay away from them. But it was he who dragged her into this dispute in the first place, and in the end he left her alone to struggle in the vortex.

This is a sad story with a happy ending. The original owner shows up again and again, causing Ling Jiaxuan to be immersed in pain and unable to get relief. She feels that he is very good to her, but also very bad to her. Even she herself can't tell what kind of feeling this is.

In the end, Ling Jiaxuan suffered all the hardships. Tao's parents suddenly died in a plane crash. The original owner found Ling Jiaxuan for comfort. The two people who seemed to have no obstacles were finally together.

Tao Rui was able to travel here because the original owner's behavior was considered scumbag. Many invisible scumbags are truly invisible, and most people don't think they are scumbags. Even in the first scumbag world he traveled to, the one who had an emotional affair, some people said that it was because his wife was not good enough that he could not realize that he was having an emotional affair.

The same goes for this one. Some might think the original owner didn't understand his parents' struggles with his girlfriend, but even if they didn't understand once or twice, they'd eventually understand after eight or ten attempts. After all, he's a three-time Ph.D., not a retard. He simply didn't want any more drama in his life, so he chose not to clash with his parents and leave everything to his girlfriend.

He didn't show his true self to his girlfriend. Even when their feelings were fading, he pretended to be affectionate and prepared to go on dates, only to drag her deeper into the relationship. He didn't invest anything in their relationship, didn't make any effort, and when he got tired of it, he broke up. He was always there when she was called and never respected her as an equal.

He continued to behave this way, doing whatever he wanted when he felt like it, and shutting down his computer and going into the lab when he felt unhappy. It seemed like he just had low emotional intelligence, but in reality, he was just selfish and only cared about himself, no different from his entire family.

Tao Rui has now transformed into him, with relatives targeting Ling Jiaxuan, and he usually has to stay in the laboratory for seclusion. If he breaks up with her and then helps Ling Jiaxuan solve her problems for the rest of his life, on the surface, it would probably be no different from what the original owner did.

From his perspective, he shouldn't bother disturbing Ling Jiaxuan's life after their breakup, but that was clearly impossible. The unpredictability of life would increase the chances of mission failure by over 70%. He had to protect Ling Jiaxuan under his wings to absolutely ensure her happiness.

So Tao Rui didn't give Lin Shan another chance to persuade Ling Jiaxuan. He strode in with a pile of lunch boxes, "Xuanxuan, I'm back!"

Ling Jiaxuan and Lin Shan immediately looked over, stood up, and walked towards him. Ling Jiaxuan looked into his eyes as if to confirm something, "Tao Rui? Are you really here?"

Tao Rui smiled and said, "Didn't you say you'd come right after you got off the plane? I bought some food you like. Let's eat together, Lin Shan. Thank you for taking care of Xuan Xuan."

Lin Shan curled her lips. "Why should I be so hard-working taking care of my best friend? It's Xuanxuan who's having a hard time, okay? She was slandered for no reason and has to handle so much by herself. Tao Rui, you're really interesting. You disappear at the drop of a hat and make it impossible for people to find you. Are you a child? This is irresponsible, don't you understand?"

This was a friend who truly cared about Ling Jiaxuan. Tao Rui deeply agreed with her words against the original owner and nodded in agreement. "That was indeed very irresponsible. I won't do that again. Leave these matters to me. Come, let's eat first."

Ling Jiaxuan reached out to help him carry the bag. Seeing the name printed on the bag, she whispered, "It's Yu Shi Fang. It's hard to buy it without a reservation."

Tao Rui said with a smile: "I did their boss a favor before, so it's okay to ask him to buy a table of food."

Lin Shan was very perceptive. Although she was worried about her bestie being fooled by this scumbag again, it was clear that they both wanted to reconcile, so even if she wanted to persuade them, now was not the time. So she picked up her coat and left. But before leaving, she stared at Tao Rui and said something harsh, "If you dare to bully her, I will beat you to a pulp! If you don't believe me, just try it!"

Tao Rui nodded and said, "I won't bully her. You are welcome to supervise her at any time."

"Hmph." Lin Shan snorted coldly and left. Her personality was probably the kind that would not let herself get hurt.

Tao Rui said to Ling Jiaxuan, "Your friend really cares about you. If you have time, hang out with her more often. You'll feel much better."

Ling Jiaxuan looked at him and explained on behalf of her friend, "Shanshan is not usually this fierce. She said that because she cares about me. She's doing this for my own good."

"I know. Why would I mind such a thing? Come on, eat first. It's still hot."

Tao Rui really liked that Ling Jiaxuan had such a friend; perhaps more contact with her would make her personality more cheerful. In the original script, Lin Shan really did beat up Ling Jiaxuan because she was upset with her. Although she didn't knock out her teeth, she did get a black eye and had to hide in the lab for several days.

Unfortunately, because the original owner had suffered so much, she always resented Lin Shan. She would get upset whenever Ling Jiaxuan mentioned Lin Shan, and would find all sorts of excuses to sabotage them if she found out about them going out. Later, Ling Jiaxuan's family moved away, and she was trapped in the abyss of pain, unable to escape. She and Lin Shan gradually drifted apart, losing her best friend.

They are fine now, so let them be fine forever.

The two of them put the food on the table. The food was exquisite and delicious. If they lit candles, it would be a candlelight dinner, but no one was in the mood this time.

Especially Ling Jiaxuan, she still couldn't figure it out. She endured it again and again, but she couldn't help but ask before dinner, "Didn't you want to break up? Why did you suddenly come here, as if nothing happened? You're really bothering me. I don't know what you want. Tao Rui, what do you want?"

Tao Rui crossed his hands on the table, looked at her seriously and said, "I deliberately said something unpleasant before. I thought that since we had so much unhappiness together, it would be better for us to go our separate ways and return to our original life trajectory, but in fact, we can't go back.

You've always been the one working hard, and I haven't done anything. Let me take over from now on. Don't worry about my parents, I'll take care of everything. This time, I'll be the one protecting you."