Old Harden, can you handle having your vision-shifting abilities on all the time?

The freezer was filled with a dazzling array of items. He took a bottle of mineral water and then a bottle of orange juice. As he paid, his gaze swept over the colorful lollipops in the glass jars on the counter and suddenly froze.

A type of plastic lollipop printed with a panda pattern, the red and white candy ball is wrapped in transparent plastic paper.

Xu Xing was stunned for a few seconds.

He was very familiar with this candy; it cost one cent a stick when he was in elementary school, and it was one of the most luxurious snacks for children in his generation.

He could suck on it for ages until the plastic stick turned white. Then, I don't know when, this kind of candy disappeared from the market, or maybe he just grew up and stopped paying attention to these things.

Seeing these childhood snacks again in his current state of mind, he felt a slight pang and said, "Boss, take one of these too."

The shop owner smiled, took out a piece of candy, and said, "This kind of candy is rare these days. Only old-fashioned shops like ours still stock it."

Xu Xing smiled without saying anything, paid for the drink, stuffed it into the side pocket of his backpack, and took two gulps of mineral water.

Then tear open the lollipop wrapper and put the orange-red candy ball into your mouth.

It still tastes the same.

First sour, then sweet, the orange flavoring is simple and direct, instantly bringing him back to his memories of more than 20 years ago, when he and his friends squeezed in front of a corner store, each sucking on a candy and laughing as they walked home.

He walked back into the alley with a candy in his mouth. His phone vibrated in his pocket. Xu Xing took it out and saw the word "son" flashing on the screen.

The smile on his face vanished instantly.

Without the slightest hesitation, he tapped the red hang-up button with his thumb.

The world is quiet now.

But the phone vibrated again the next second; this time it was a WeChat voice call from Xu Yanle.

Xu Xing swiped directly, long-pressed the familiar profile picture, and blocked it.

Then, do the same to Gao Min, and then open the contacts and drag both of their phone numbers into the blacklist.

After doing all this, he locked the screen, put the phone back in his pocket, his movements fluid and his mind completely calm.

It turns out that ending a relationship isn't as difficult as I imagined.

Once you've given up and found something new to strive for, all that's left is liberation.

He continued walking forward, twirling the lollipop in his mouth before holding it in his hand, when suddenly someone bumped into him after only a few steps.

She was a young woman, looking to be in her early twenties, wearing a light green floral dress, with long hair reaching her waist and very fair skin.

She slumped softly against Xu Xing, who instinctively reached out to support her shoulders.

The girl's body went limp, but her mouth opened with perfect precision and bit the candy part of the lollipop in Xu Xing's hand.

Xu Xing: "???"

The girl's eyes were tightly closed, her long eyelashes trembled, and she mumbled two words: "Thank you..."

Then she tilted her head to the side and slid down quickly onto his shoulder.

Xu Xing realized that he must have fainted due to low blood sugar, a situation he had encountered before when he was a ride-hailing driver.

He immediately supported her with one hand, and with the other hand, he deftly took out an unopened bottle of orange juice from the side pocket of his backpack, unscrewed the cap, and fed her a little bit.

Then he used his free hand to press hard on her philtrum.

About a minute later, the girl's eyelashes fluttered and she slowly opened her eyes.

Her eyes were initially blank, but when she focused and saw Xu Xing's face so close to hers, she was stunned for a moment. Then she realized that she was still biting his lollipop and her face turned red.

"Um...I'm sorry!"

She tried to stand up in a flustered manner, but her legs were still weak and she fell back onto Xu Xing.

Xu Xing steadily supported her and said, "Slow down, is it low blood sugar?"

The girl leaned on his shoulder, took a few breaths, and then nodded, saying, "I didn't eat much at lunch, I didn't expect..."

Xu Xing handed her the orange juice and said, "Have a couple more sips. I've never had a freshly opened one before."

The girl took it and drank some slowly, and her complexion gradually regained some color.

She finally stood up and shyly handed over the wet lollipop in her hand, the plastic stick still stained with her lipstick.

"Brother, here's the candy back... Thank you, you saved my life."

Xu Xing looked at the candy, remained silent for two seconds, and said, "...Why don't you just throw it away?"

The girl realized what had happened and handed the candy back to the other person while holding up the one she had bitten, which was indeed a bit...unpleasant.

She let out an awkward "Ah!" and quickly took the candy back, feeling a bit lost.

Xu Xing found her expression rather amusing.

The girl was very pretty, with a classic oval face, big eyes, and a small nose. Her blushing cheeks added to her charm.

"It's alright now."

Xu Xing waved his hand, preparing to leave.

"Wait a minute, bro!"

The girl stopped him, quickly pulled her phone from her small handbag, unlocked the screen, and directly opened WeChat QR code, saying, "You saved me, let's add each other on Fetion. I'll treat you to dinner later, you have to give me a chance to thank you!"

Xu Xing chuckled and said, "No need, it's just a small matter."

"How can this be a small matter!"

The girl said very seriously, "What if I had fallen face-first and been disfigured? Or what if I had gotten a concussion? You saved my face and my brain, I really have to thank you properly. It's settled then, I'll treat you to dinner tonight!"

Xu Xing's lips twitched, and he said, "But I want to look around some more."

The girl immediately chimed in, pushing her phone forward again, saying, "Let's add each other as friends, otherwise who am I going to eat with if you leave? Besides, it's just a random stroll, I'll keep you company, how about some company?"

Xu Xing looked at her.

This girl exuded a vibrant energy that was completely different from the middle-aged people he had encountered over the years, whose edges had been worn down by life, or the petty antique dealers.

He suddenly didn't want to refuse.

"Alright."

Xu Xing took out his phone and scanned her QR code.

"yeah!"

The girl happily accepted the friend request and quickly typed a note: "Thank you, big brother, for saving my life."

Xu Xing noticed a twitch at the corner of his mouth.

"Brother, my name is Li Yuting."

The girl put away her phone, walked naturally to his side, and began to introduce herself: "Ting, the one from the 'Jade' in Mu Zi Li Yu Shi, which is very common."

After saying that, he added: "Luckily, my dad was a lazy bum when he was in school and didn't give me any unconventional names like Zihan, Zihan, or Zihan, otherwise I'd be so embarrassed to even introduce myself now."

She speaks quickly and with a touch of familiar banter that makes it impossible to feel offended.

Xu Xing smiled and said, "Xu Xing is the 'Xing' in 'walking slowly together on a road.'"

"Brother Xu!"

Li Yuting called out cheerfully, then asked, "Brother Xu, are you a local too? Are you here to browse the antique street to collect things?"

"I guess so, it's somewhat related to working in a museum."

"Wow! A museum?"

Li Yuting became interested and asked, "Artifact restoration? Archaeology? Or tour guide?"

"Repairs, odd jobs."

Xu Xing spoke of it casually.

"That's amazing! Dealing with antiques every day must be incredibly interesting, right? I see those appraisal shows where the experts can tell the real from the fake with just one glance—they seem so impressive!"

"It's not that magical; you need to watch more and practice more."

As Xu Xing spoke, his gaze swept over the stalls beside him without stopping.

Li Yuting was sensible; seeing his focused gaze, she stopped asking questions and quietly followed him.

But the silence lasted only three minutes before she took out a small bag of individually packaged beef jerky from her bag, tore it open, and handed it to Xu Xing.

He said, "Brother Xu, eat something to replenish your energy. You must have had a hard time helping me up."

Xu Xing accepted it: "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I have plenty of snacks in my bag. It's a matter of self-discipline for people with low blood sugar."

Li Yuting also opened a packet and chewed on it, her cheeks puffing out.

"Brother Xu, is that vase real? It looks so old."