One person said: The essence of Wuhou Qimen lies not in Qimen, but in Wuhou.

Xu Si turned around, opened his large, fan-like hand, his five fingers fully spread, and pushed Zhang Chulan's pig-like head and his thin body aside like pushing a cumbersome cardboard box.

Zhang Chulan was pushed back several steps and crashed into the wall.

Xu Si looked down at the person he had pushed into the corner, his expression calm and indifferent, like a bank teller handing out a queue number.

When he spoke, his voice held no anger, no sarcasm, no emotional fluctuation; only a calm that left no room for negotiation, a final judgment: "Look at my expression—do I look like I'm joking with you?"

Zhang Chulan leaned against the cold cement wall, with nowhere to retreat.

Looking at Xu Si's expressionless, cold face, he burst into tears in an instant.

These weren't the kind of tears that welled up in the eyes, threatening to fall but not quite, and seemed somewhat theatrical. These were genuine, gushing tears of regret, erupting from the depths of the soul.

His features were contorted in pain, and his lips trembled several times before he could utter a sound—a sharp, desperate voice carrying the deepest fear of an impoverished college student and a primal accusation against capitalism: "Fourth Brother! You're too cruel—you're a truly wicked capitalist! I quit! I resign! Even if you beat me to death—I won't give in!"

Xu Si leaned against the iron table, arms crossed, a contemptuous, unhurried smile playing on his lips, as if he had all his cards up his sleeve.

He tilted his head and looked at Zhang Chulan, his tone as calm as if he were reasoning with an ignorant child, but every word exuded a legal authority that sent chills down Zhang Chulan's spine: "Kill you? No, no, no, no. It's inappropriate in terms of morality, reason, and law. How could I do such a thing? I'm a law-abiding citizen."

I will send you a formal lawyer's letter, clearly listing each of your breaches of contract. Article 7 of the employment contract states that employees may not leave the management's control without authorization during the contract period, and the penalty for breach of contract will be calculated as a multiple of the annual salary.

Add to that the direct and indirect losses you caused the company—the cost of damaging the Tianxiahui Group's public facilities, the social impact assessment fees, and the emergency manpower costs the company incurred to find you—I will sue you until you're bankrupt, and you'll never be released. Go to labor reform.

When Zhang Chulan heard Xu Si use such a casual tone to say words like "bankruptcy", "labor reform", and "never be able to get out in this lifetime", he was completely frozen.

He leaned against the wall, motionless, not even blinking, like a stone statue that had been weathered away in an instant.

But inside, he was roaring, howling, using every last word and imagination a poor college student could muster to hurl the most vicious and primal curse—Xu Si! May you find yourself out of toilet paper halfway through taking a dump, and may your water and electricity stop halfway through your shower! May every bowl of instant noodles come without a fork, and may your takeout orders be without chopsticks! May you feel the urge to have diarrhea whenever you go out, and may you feel the urge to fart whenever there are people around! May your instant noodles only have the seasoning packet and no noodles!

He stood motionless against the wall, his expression blank, his lips slightly pursed, like a prisoner who had just been sentenced to life imprisonment making his final silent protest.

Xu Si looked at his expression and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

He leaned back on the iron table, legs crossed, and beckoned to Zhang Chulan with a gesture reminiscent of summoning a puppy: "Had enough cursing? If you're done, come over and get a shoulder massage. What are you standing there for? Do you want me to deduct your salary for next year too?"

Zhang Chulan's mouth reacted before his brain, blurting out, "Haven't you scolded enough—"

Then his brain finally caught up with the speed of his mouth. He suddenly covered his mouth with both hands at the same time, his eyes widened, and he jumped as if he had been struck by lightning.

He immediately put on a fawning smile, bent over, and walked towards Xu Si, speaking so fast it sounded like he was reciting a tongue twister: "Pah! Fourth Brother! How dare I curse you! How could I curse you! You've been so good to me! You taught me how to be a person, how to do things, and even gave me food—I was just cursing myself! Cursing me, Zhang Chulan, for being blind, ungrateful, and ungrateful!"

As he spoke, he circled around behind Xu Si, placed his hands on Xu Si's shoulders again, and pressed his thumbs precisely and diligently on the Jianjing acupoint, his technique even more vigorous than before.

As he kneaded, he sighed in a tone that suggested he had seen through the illusions of the world and rediscovered his purpose in life: "Sigh, Fourth Brother, I've learned a lot this time. One thing is Bao'er—she's too naive and innocent, almost adorably so, but also hurtful. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been led astray by that Feng Shayan. After this trip to the Tianxia Society, I no longer believe in love. What's all this talk about romance? It's all bullshit!"

He pinched himself a couple of times, sighed, and continued his self-analysis in the earnest tone typical of an innocent college student: "But, you know, Fourth Brother, I am, after all, an innocent college student, and there's that 'virginity mark'—but it's a physiological reaction, don't blame me, Fourth Brother! I'm a man, my body's functions aren't up to me. When that sandpiper stood in front of me, my adrenaline surged uncontrollably, I really did my best, Fourth Brother!"

With his eyes closed, Xu Si's ears were being bombarded by Zhang Chulan's incessant chatter, and his brows furrowed more and more tightly.

He suddenly opened his eyes and said in an extremely impatient tone, "You little brat, what are you babbling on and on about?! Don't bother me!"

Zhang Chulan shut his mouth and remained silent for about two seconds.

Then he spoke again, but this time his tone was no longer the joking chatter of before; it was a genuine, heartfelt plea for advice, tinged with a mix of confusion and sincerity.

His kneading motions slowed, and his tone became more serious, as if he were asking a question he had pondered for a long time: "Fourth Brother, I know you find my words annoying. But I still want to ask—sincerely. In my eyes, you're already a very impressive regional manager, but I didn't expect to have Chairman Zhao and Director Zhuge this time. I've observed your attitude towards Director Zhuge, that sense of awe, and your explanation of the Pinduoduo withdrawal just now—I still want to ask. Love and future, how should one choose?"

Xu Si leaned against the iron table, closed his eyes, and remained silent for a long time.

Zhang Chulan thought he hadn't heard him and was about to ask again when she heard Xu Si snort softly.

Then he spoke, his voice low, his tone as flat as if he were stating an axiom that had been proven countless times, without any embellishment or emotional fluctuation, just a dry, lazy sentence: "Choose love. What future can someone have who can ask such a question?"

These words, like an invisible giant wave, slammed out of Xu Si's mouth with overwhelming force, directly hitting Zhang Chulan on the forehead.

Zhang Chulan was completely stunned. His fingers were still on Xu Si's shoulder, but he was no longer moving.

His eyes widened, and the swollen eye sockets on his pig-like face shone with an eerie clarity, as if he had been struck on the top of his head by a lightning bolt from the heavens.

He stood there, mouth agape, like a meditating monk, or a clay sculpture undergoing enlightenment after being struck by a thunderbolt, forgetting even to breathe.