alienation
What is he doing here?
Zhou Jingxing hesitated for a moment before locking the security chain and opening the door a crack. Through the crack, he asked Zhao Xin, "What's the matter?"
Zhao Xin was speechless. "...Couldn't you just open the door? Do you have to peek through the crack in the door?"
Zhou Jingxing replied, "I'm afraid you'll come in and fight me if the door opens. But it's not that I'm afraid of you; you definitely can't beat me. I just don't want to cause trouble for Chen Zhou."
"Where does this confidence come from!" Zhao Xin said with a straight face, "Don't worry, I wouldn't do something so degrading. We're all adults, we can't act like stray dogs fighting over territory on the street. Open the door, I'll go in and talk. It makes me uncomfortable to talk like this, and it doesn't look good if others see us."
Zhou Jingxing glanced at him, then lowered the door chain to let him in. Zhao Xin walked into the room and unceremoniously sat down on the sofa, crossing his legs. He nodded to Zhou Jingxing with his chin, "Sit."
...This seems to be my room! What's with your posture?
Zhou Jingxing pulled up a chair and sat down opposite Zhao Xin across the coffee table. He asked Zhao Xin, "What is it that you insist on telling me face-to-face so late at night?"
Zhao Xin didn't answer directly. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and held it between his fingers. He then tossed the cigarette pack and lighter onto the coffee table and said, "Help yourself if you want one."
Zhou Jingxing glanced at the cigarette pack and frowned. He crossed his arms and said, "I don't smoke. Experts say that smoking too much can cause tailbone." Before Zhao Xin could get angry, he interrupted, "Do you have something to say?"
Zhao Xin took a drag of his cigarette, turned his head, and exhaled a beautiful smoke ring. Through the smoke, he sneered at Zhou Jingxing, "You still have the nerve to ask me why I contacted you? Shouldn't you know perfectly well why?"
"You have to have some self-respect. What do you mean by getting close to my boyfriend? Are you trying to steal him from me? Don't give me that 'good buddy' thing about being with Chen Zhou. I can tell what's going on just by looking at you."
"I know Shen Zhou is a good catch, and there are many people who are envious of him, but none of you have a chance! People should respect themselves and not think about interfering in other people's relationships and demeaning yourself as a mistress."
Instead of getting angry, Zhou Jingxing laughed and said, "If you think it's wrong for me to be a mistress, then break up with him. That way, I won't be a mistress anymore."
Zhao Xin was shocked by his shamelessness. "What nonsense are you talking about? You wish! There's no way I'll give him to you, so forget about it! Also, in the future, you should toned down your scheming and tricks and stop using them on Chen Zhou!"
Zhou Jingxing said with a sneer, "What are you trying to prove here? If he didn't have feelings for me, would I have had the chance to be a mistress? Besides, what right do you, a cheating scumbag, have to act like a first wife and throw a tantrum here? Before you criticize others, at least figure out your own behavior. It's really laughable."
Zhao Xin's expression changed. "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm warning you, don't spread rumors about me!"
Zhou Jingxing scoffed, "Don't you know in your heart whether it's a rumor or not?"
Zhao Xin put down her crossed legs, stood up and looked at him, "You have no evidence. You should know how much Shen Zhou feels about me, right? Even if you go and tell him all this, he won't believe you!"
If it weren't for this, I could have tolerated you until now!
Zhou Jingxing wasn't intimidated. "I didn't say anything because I was afraid of hurting him. What? You think you can hide your true colors forever? One day, Chen Zhou will see what kind of person you are, and that will be the time he leaves you!"
He stood up, looked down at Zhao Xin, and said contemptuously, "Someone like you doesn't deserve Chen Zhou's love at all. Those who betray sincerity will surely be betrayed by it. And I'm just waiting for that day!"
Zhao Xin's face was gloomy. He stared at him for a long time before saying, "That day will never come. Chenzhou is mine. You'd better give up now!" After saying that, he stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, glared at Zhou Jingxing fiercely, and strode away.
Unlike the heated and confrontational exchanges in Zhou Jingxing's room, the room next door, Chen Zhou's, was very warm and harmonious.
Zhang Yang leaned casually against the sofa, looking at Shen Zhou sitting next to him. His tone was natural and relaxed, clearly indicating that he and Shen Zhou had a very good relationship.
"You broke up with Zhao Xin?"
Shen Zhou nodded, "Yes, our personalities didn't match, and we broke up a while ago."
"Oh? The breakup didn't go very smoothly. He seemed to be having a hard time accepting it today, and he never told me you two broke up."
Chen Zhou frowned. "To be honest, he's a bit difficult to deal with."
"How could he have won you over if he wasn't persistent? You were only won over by his persistence back then, weren't you? You just can't handle this kind of clingy, persistent guy. You won't let him pester you and then you'll get back together, will you?"
Shen Zhou immediately said, "How could that be? We can't get back together." He hesitated for a moment before telling the truth, "To be honest, I've never had any romantic feelings for him. So why should we waste each other's time? That's why I can't be with him anymore."
Zhang Yang seemed unsurprised. He suddenly changed the subject and asked Chen Zhou, "Has your family contacted you recently?"
Chen Zhou chuckled. "Home? I don't have a home. Neither of them has contacted me recently, so they must be doing alright."
Zhang Yang was very dissatisfied with Shen Zhou's parents. After all, they were their own child, and they had ignored him for so many years. How could they be so irresponsible?
This ill-fated couple loved each other passionately, and their breakup was equally dramatic. After the divorce, neither of them wanted Shenzhou anymore, completely disregarding the fact that Shenzhou was just a junior high school student at the time.
The court awarded custody of Shenzhou to his mother, who only provided him with a place to live and rarely saw him throughout the year. She said she wanted to pursue her true love.
Shen Zhou grew up alone, without family and without needing any. Not only did he not want family, but he also felt that a lover was unnecessary. Having witnessed his parents' arguments since childhood, he developed a tragic view of love: nothing lasts forever, and since being together would inevitably lead to separation, it was better not to start at all.
Shen Zhou looked at Zhang Yang and said, "Quickly put away your unnecessary sympathy. I'm doing quite well now. My work is going smoothly, my life is going well, and I've achieved financial freedom through my own efforts. Of course, I'm still far behind you. But I think I'm doing great right now. I lack nothing."
Zhang Yang chuckled, "You're still missing a soulmate, aren't you? Zhao Xin isn't suitable, how about Zhou Jingxing? I think he might have a thing for you too."
Shen Zhou couldn't help but laugh when he thought of that idiot. His smile was gentle, his eyes were like the moon, and his whole demeanor softened.
"He does seem to be interested, but I haven't decided yet. Let's just leave it at that for now."
Zhang Yang raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Does that mean there's a chance?"
"That's not true. Zhou Jingxing is a good person. I think it's a pity that we've lost our friendship because of these things. As for dating, forget it. I really don't have that kind of interest right now."
"So you're going to be a jerk, stringing him along even though you don't like him. What, are you trying to keep him around?"
Chen Zhou was somewhat confused. "Am I trying to lure him in like this?"
Zhang Yang scratched his head. "I don't know if it counts. I saw you were quite protective of Zhou Jingxing today... but you didn't handle your suitors like this before. In the past, if someone showed any interest in that area, you would immediately distance yourself from them, right? Including Zhao Xin, when he first started pursuing you, weren't you very resistant?"
Reminded by him, Shen Zhou was secretly alarmed, realizing that she did indeed have some special feelings for Zhou Jingxing. This was not good; it would be better to withdraw before she became too deeply involved.
Zhang Yang continued, "If you like him a little, you can just keep things going like this for now. Anyway, I'm on your side."
Shen Zhou couldn't help but laugh. "What, are you encouraging me to be a scumbag?"
"So what if he's a jerk? He's not the one who's jerking me."
The two laughed for a while, then Chen Zhou said seriously, "I will keep my distance from him."
Zhou Jingxing was unaware that Chen Zhou had made the decision to distance himself from him. After Zhao Xin left, he became very upset, so he couldn't help but open the small group chat to vent his frustrations.
Zhou Jingxing: That scumbag just came to my room.
Zhang Jin: Huh? He made a move on you?
Zhou Jingxing: ...
Zhou Jingxing: How about we invite Yu the Great?
Zhang Jin: ? Who is Yu the Great? A new friend?
Zhou Jingxing: The person who came to cure the hot spring water that soaked in your brain.
Zhang Jin: Hello!
Zhou Jingxing: First of all, I don't call him "Hey".
Sun Qian: What a terrible joke.
Sun Qian: Getting back to the point, what does Zhao Xin want with you? A duel?
Zhou Jingxing: Does he have the guts?
Zhou Jingxing: He spouted a bunch of nonsense and then left.
Zhang Jin: I knew he wouldn't give up so easily.
Sun Qian: His panicked reaction means you really pose a threat to him.
Sun Qian: Good news!
Oh right! How come I didn't think of that! Zhou Jingxing was immediately appeased, and his mood went from cloudy to sunny.
On Sunday morning, they set off on their return journey. Before leaving, Zhou Jingxing seized an opportunity to be alone and invited Shen Zhou to go to the movies that evening.
"It's a new movie by that director you like. How about we go see it together tonight?" Zhou Jingxing looked at Chen Zhou with anticipation.
Without a second thought, Shen Zhou refused outright, "Sorry, I have something to do tonight." Zhou Jingxing then asked, "What about tomorrow night? Are you free tomorrow night?"
Shen Zhou looked hesitant. "The exhibition of restored cultural relics is about to open, and I'll be quite busy lately. Thank you for inviting me, let's talk again next time."
Although Zhou Jingxing was somewhat disappointed, he knew that Shen Zhou was telling the truth. There was still a lot of preparation work to be done before the exhibition, and with Shen Zhou's serious personality, he certainly wouldn't have time to play.
After returning to Mingcheng, Zhou Jingxing gradually realized that something was wrong.
Even if he's busy, he shouldn't completely ignore messages! Before, when Shen Zhou replied to Zhou Jingxing's messages, he wasn't exactly quick to respond, but at least he wasn't perfunctory. However, since returning to Mingcheng from the hot spring trip, Shen Zhou's reply speed has drastically decreased. He often receives a reply a day or two after sending a message, and even then, it's only a few words; the lively conversations of the past are gone. And he hasn't accepted a single invitation from Zhou Jingxing.
What chilled Zhou Jingxing even more was that he saw on his assistant's WeChat Moments that Shen Zhou had attended her private party.
She has time to attend her parties, but no time to reply to my messages? Even the slow-witted Zhou Jingxing noticed Chen Zhou's avoidance of him.
Zhou Jingxing had no choice but to seek help from his strategist again.
【Doing it for love (3)】
Zhou Jingxing: My wife seems to be ignoring me, what should I do? @Sun Qian
Zhou Jingxing: [Bitterness]
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