You're already divorced, why are you so anxious about him becoming a succubus?

Dinner was prepared by Shen Nian herself; it was a simple three-dish meal with soup, but the taste was surprisingly good.

After dinner, Shen Nian took out a brand new set of light gray sheets and duvet cover from the closet and went to the second bedroom to make up Lu Ci's bed.

Seeing a man's suitcase in the once empty room, Shen Nian felt a strange, indescribable feeling.

By eight o'clock in the evening, the rain outside the window had finally stopped, leaving only a cool evening breeze.

Lu Ci changed into a loose black tracksuit.

Lu Ci then greeted Shen Nian, who was reading in the living room, "Nian Nian, I'm going for a night run."

"Okay, the roads are slippery after the rain, be careful." Shen Nian replied obediently.

After closing the door, Lu Ci ran along the street towards the riverside promenade outside Jiangda University.

Three kilometers is not an easy task for Lu Ci, who has lacked exercise for many years.

After running down the hill, he was panting heavily, drenched in sweat, and his legs felt as heavy as lead.

……

For the next five days, Lu Ci's life seemed to enter a completely new and regular rhythm.

During the day, he sat at the desk in the second bedroom, facing Shen Nian's computer, browsing through the numerous job websites, constantly revising his resume and submitting it.

However, reality is far harsher than imagined.

The dozens of resumes he sent out seemed to disappear into thin air.

A few HR personnel did reply, and their responses were remarkably consistent:

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lu, your Jiangnan University degree is suitable, but this position requires at least three years of experience in the same industry."

"Mr. Lu, you are already 29 years old this year. We only accept recent graduates under the age of 25 for this position. We are really sorry."

"A four-year gap? Did you spend those four years preparing for civil service exams or graduate school entrance exams? Staying home full-time? Uh... sorry, our company's current pace might not be suitable for you."

In the adult world, there aren't many stories of miraculous comebacks; there are only stark cost-benefit analyses.

In the eyes of HR, a 29-year-old who has been out of the workforce for four years is not even as valuable as a recent, hardworking, and cheap college graduate.

Despite encountering setbacks at every turn, Lu Ci remained remarkably calm.

He had long been prepared to face all of this after leaving Shen Man.

In the evening, no matter how many times he was rejected during the day, he would change into his sportswear on time and go to the riverside trail to complete his systematic three-kilometer run.

The evening of the fifth day.

As Lu Ci, bathed in the glow of the setting sun and drenched in sweat, crossed the three-kilometer finish line, panting heavily with his hands on his knees, the system in his mind, silent for five days, finally emitted a heavenly sound:

[Host has successfully completed the five-day, three-kilometer daily challenge! The young man's perseverance is commendable; he refused to be a flash in the pan, and the mission has been successfully completed!]

[Task rewards have been officially distributed:]

[I. Body functions regress by ten years, restoring to the peak metabolic state of an 18-year-old!]

[II. The entry "Clear, foolish yet captivating boyish eyes" is now permanently equipped!]

As the system notification sounded, Lu Ci suddenly felt a strange warm current burst forth from his heart, instantly sweeping through his limbs and bones.

That feeling was incredibly wonderful.

The soreness and heaviness in my muscles from running these past few days melted away under the warmth of this current.

He straightened up and felt a faint, crisp sound coming from all the bones in his body.

The faint dark circles under my eyes caused by years of staying up late have disappeared without a trace, replaced by a vibrant and light feeling.

What shocked him even more was that he could clearly feel the loose fat that had accumulated in his abdomen due to lack of exercise rapidly becoming firmer.

He subconsciously lifted the hem of his sweat-soaked sports T-shirt, revealing eight clearly defined abdominal muscles. His abs were sculpted to perfection, with two powerful V-lines extending to the edge of his sports pants.

This doesn't look like the body of a 29-year-old,颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of being decadent, dissolute, or颓废) middle-aged man.

Lu Ci stared at his reflection in the glass railing beside the walkway, momentarily lost in thought.

A handsome yet completely transformed face was reflected in the glass of the railing.

Especially those eyes; the stagnant, murky look of the past had completely disappeared, replaced by clear, bright black and white eyes.

When he stared intently at his reflection in the glass, his eyes unconsciously revealed a deep and intense emotion and focus that seemed to drown one in it.

This is what the system was saying...

"Stretching"?

[Entry: Clear, foolish yet languid boyish eyes]

First, the pupils will become clearly defined, black and white. They will be crystal clear, exuding a naive and innocent quality untouched by the harsh realities of society.

It easily triggers the protective and possessive instincts of older, assertive women.

Second, unconscious seduction: when the host focuses on a person or thing, their eyes will automatically have a "deeply affectionate, focused, and tense" effect.

They look at dogs with deep affection, and when they look at people, they can make your heart skip a beat and generate a strong hormonal surge.

……

Feeling light and energetic, Lu Ci ran back to her apartment.

He had just opened the door and changed into his slippers when his phone suddenly vibrated several times in a row in his pocket.

Lu Ci took out his phone and saw that a message had popped up in the Shen family's group chat.

The message was sent by Shen Man's mother, Xu Hui, Lu Ci's "former mother-in-law".

Xu Hui: @Everyone, Manman, Lu Ci, and Niannian! Be back for dinner at 7 PM tonight!

Xu Hui: We had a family gathering last weekend, but you all said you were busy or had work, and you all canceled it! Today, no one is allowed to make excuses anymore. Zhang Ma has already bought the groceries, and I want to see all of you sitting at the table at 7 p.m.!

Upon seeing the message, which carried an unquestionable commanding tone, Lu Ci stopped moving and raised his eyebrows slightly.

He then remembered that Shen Nian had indeed mentioned a family dinner on Sunday, the day of their divorce a few days prior.

But he didn't reply right after the divorce, and Shen Man simply declined, citing being busy with work.

It now appears that the father-in-law and mother-in-law are clearly still in the dark, completely unaware that their daughter and her fiancé divorced five days ago.

To be fair, although the Shen family initially looked down on him, thinking that a poor boy with no background was not good enough for Shen Man, as the days went by, he took meticulous care of Shen Man, managed the household in an orderly manner, and had a gentle temperament.

Although Shen's parents still maintained a tough stance, they had gradually accepted their mild-mannered son-in-law.

Acceptance is one thing, but once it's over, it's over.

Lu Ci stood in the entryway, looking at the group messages that were still flashing on the screen, his fingers hovering over the keyboard, hesitant.

What should we do now?

He pretended not to see anything and let Shen Man explain herself.

Or should we just say it in the group chat?