The anchor I was supposed to meet turned out to be my student.

"Don't talk nonsense!" I slapped him on the head.

Ye Zhun touched his chubby head with a wronged expression and said, "I'm not talking nonsense. I've analyzed it very clearly. Sister Ye Zhi's boyfriend cheated on her, so she also wants Sister Xiao Jun's boyfriend to cheat on her so that she can feel balanced."

I was left speechless, both amused and exasperated by this little brat.

I remember when I first met Ye Zhi, it was when Lu Xiaojun was playing PUBG with me. They seemed to have a good relationship back then, so why are they at odds today?

After the match, Ye Zhi won by a narrow margin, then turned to me and asked me to take Lu Xiaojun's cue and play with her.

As agreed, that was indeed the case, but the usually well-behaved Lu Xiaojun acted like a spoiled child, saying, "Teacher, my skills aren't good enough yet, could you teach me separately?"

"But……"

Ignoring Ye Zhi's incredulous gaze, Lu Xiaojun grabbed my hand and shook it.

But I can't divide it into two equal parts...

Just as I was at my wit's end, Mrs. Lu came over and asked with a smile, "I saw from a distance that you two seemed to have had some kind of conflict?"

"Little Sister Jun is not convinced after losing to the man!" Ye Zhun immediately sided with Sister Ye Zhi.

Seeing Mrs. Lu's puzzled look, I quickly explained, "It's nothing, it's just that Lu Xiaojun lost to Ye Zhi in a game and they had a fight."

Mrs. Lu looked at her beloved daughter and smiled, "Xiao Jun, why are you still so childish?"

Looking at her mother, who was about the same height as her, Lu Xiaojun pouted and said, "It's not childishness. I was here first, but Sister Ye Zhi insisted on coming over to play ball with the teacher..."

Mrs. Lu smiled and then said to me, "Tusheng, although Xiaojun is usually quite well-behaved, she can be very stubborn about some things. You are older than Xiaojun, so you must be more tolerant of her and help her grow up."

"mom……"

I can understand Lu Xiaojun's helplessness at this moment. I believe that every child would complain about their parents being too nagging in this situation. However, I am more concerned about Mrs. Lu's description of Lu Xiaojun, which gives me a different perspective on Lu Xiaojun.

But I still had to consider Lu Xiaojun's feelings, so I said, "Auntie, you don't need to worry too much. Lu Xiaojun is very outstanding at school. She has good grades and strong organizational skills. In my eyes, these advantages can cover up those insignificant minor flaws."

"That's good. I was worried about the age gap between you two."

Mrs. Lu returned to the dining table and continued chatting with Ye Zhi's stepmother, Xiao Wan, while we...

Ye Zhi and Lu Xiaojun both looked at me...

I calmly took out a cigarette, put it in my mouth, and said as I lit it, "I wonder how good Uncle Lu's ball skills are. I'll go find him and have a match with him..."

What they were left with were the smoke rings I exhaled in a somewhat disheveled manner...

(Group number: 1082559272)

Chapter 40, Section 95: Breakup

I used the excuse of a friendly sparring match to escape the US-Soviet rivalry and engaged in some masculine pleasures with Lu Chaoxiong, while Ye Chengmai went out to answer a phone call.

"You won't object to being investigated, will you?" Lu Chaoxiong suddenly asked.

"No……"

Lu Chaoxiong lit another cigarette and continued, "You only recently transferred to the academy where Xiaojun is located. What did you say at my house before that you two had been dating for a while?"

I quickly replied, "We've known each other before..."

"Given that you lied to me last time about being a student at the school, it's hard for me to believe you completely... but anyone with eyes can see that Xiaojun likes you quite a bit, so I don't want to have any more doubts about your relationship."

Lu Chaoxiong missed his first shot, so it was my turn.

"How are things going with Xiaojun lately?"

I had just aimed at the white ball and was about to shoot when I heard Lu Chaoxiong's sudden question and my hand trembled.

"It's fine, everything's going smoothly." I tried to be vague, because this doting father was too difficult to deal with. If I said my relationship with Xiaojun was distant, he would definitely say I didn't care. If I said we were very much in love, he would get jealous and find ways to criticize me...

But Lu Chaoxiong wouldn't have it, saying, "Don't give me that nonsense. How far have we gotten? Don't play dumb with me."

That startled me so much that my hand trembled and I missed the target, losing a great scoring opportunity.

"So, so close to holding hands..." I was thinking that he had just seen me and Lu Xiaojun holding hands as we walked from the bathroom back to the dining table.

Unexpectedly, Lu Chaoxiong didn't play by the rules. He squinted at me and said with some displeasure, "When I asked you at my house last time, you also said it was at the point of holding hands. Now it's still just holding hands. Are you even interested?"

Are you only happy if you sleep with him...?

I said cautiously, "Actually... we also kissed today..."

"Snapped!"

Lu Chaoxiong suddenly slammed his hand on another pool table, attracting the attention of everyone present. Lu Chaoxiong calmly said to them, "We lost, don't worry about it."

Lu Xiaojun said with a smile, "The teacher is very good, Daddy, don't lose and cry, okay? Hehe~"

Xiaojun, please stop adding insult to injury!

Mrs. Lu comforted her husband, saying, "Chao Xiong, what's shameful about losing to Xiao Jun's boyfriend? You should be happy that he's good at the game."

Madam, is there something you don't like about me? I'll change, okay...

Everyone went back to their own business. Lu Chaoxiong stubbed out his cigarette and threw it into the ashtray, saying, "They've already kissed. Things are progressing pretty fast. You're taking advantage of Xiaojun's easy-going nature to force yourself on her, aren't you?"

Your daughter initiated the kiss!

"Uncle Lu, it's not what you think. We... it was consensual. We just happened to be deeply in love at the time, so we just let things happen naturally..."

"How did things get so emotional?" Lu Chaoxiong kept asking.

"Well, I watched a romance movie back then and was influenced by it..."

Unexpectedly, Lu Chaoxiong's eyes widened, and he said as if he had been provoked, "You actually dared to take Xiaojun to see that kind of thing?"

"It's a normal romance movie playing in the cinema..." I quickly explained.

Lu Chaoxiong paused for a moment, then awkwardly recovered from his earlier lapse in composure and looked away from me.

"Ahem, of course I know you're talking about the kind of thing that happens in a movie theater... but to kiss in public like that, have you considered Xiaojun's feelings? Don't you know she's shy?"

"It was quite dark at the time, and I was sitting in the last row, so no one should have noticed..."

"Anyway, I'll ask Xiaojun about this. If I find out you forced her, you'll come up to the ring and fight me a couple of times." Lu Chaoxiong glared at me fiercely.

Do such bizarre fathers really exist in the world, asking about every step of their daughter's relationship with her boyfriend...? But it's understandable for a father who dotes on his daughter like this. He has achieved so much in his career, yet he only has one precious daughter, Lu Xiaojun. It would be strange if he didn't cherish her like his own heart and soul...

As for Ye Chengmai's side, I can more or less guess why he wanted to find a stepmother for Ye Zhi. It's nothing more than wanting a son to inherit the family business. This is considered good. You know, other men who are slightly rich and powerful, which one of them doesn't have a stable wife at home and mistresses on the side, with a bunch of illegitimate children? They don't have to worry about not having someone to inherit the family business.

Some have even started living in open marriages, where each spouse does their own thing, with only a marriage certificate proving that they are husband and wife in name only. Ironically, this has become a standard practice for the wealthy!

It is evident that Lu Chaoxiong is a very qualified husband and father. He not only has a harmonious relationship with his wife, but also gets along well with his daughter. He even started doing charity donations. He doesn't seem like someone who would have an affair. Therefore, he must have put all his love on his family, which is why he cares for Xiaojun so meticulously.

Thinking about this, I couldn't help but admire him. He is a true entrepreneur!

Just as I was about to continue playing golf with Lu Chaoxiong, my phone suddenly rang in my pocket. At that moment, Ye Chengmai also returned after finishing his call. I glanced apologetically at Lu Chaoxiong, handed the club to Ye Chengmai, and then went outside to answer the call from Bi Antong.

"Hey, what's up?"

There was a moment of silence before someone on the other end said, "The water heater at home is broken. Can you come back and fix it?"

I know she didn't want the repairman to come because she was home alone, but I checked the time and it was only 4 p.m., and she was already taking a shower?

"Can't I wash at night?"

"I just finished running and I'm all sweaty..."

What should I do for a run at this time...?

"It's not cold now, can't I wash it with cold water?"

Then, Bi Antong fell silent.

"Is there anything else? If not, I'll hang up now."

"Can't you come back and fix it now..." Bi Antong's voice sounded a little strange.

Normally I would just let her have her way, but the unpleasantness this morning was because I usually give in to her too much, which has led to her criticizing my private affairs.

“I’m in the city center right now, how can I possibly rush back whenever I want? You can use the induction cooker to boil water and wash it for now, I’ll come back tonight to fix it.”

"I think you're with Xiaojun, aren't you?"

Just then, another call came in, and I quickly said to Bi Antong, "I have a call coming in, I'll hang up now."

I answered the call; it was from my good son, Liao Zhengyang.

"Hey, come over and have a couple of drinks with Dad..."

Instead of dwelling on who the father was as usual, I asked directly, "What happened? Why are you suddenly drinking so much?"

Liao Zhengyang didn't say anything, which made me even more anxious. He's my best brother since college, and he's so troubled that he's resorting to drinking. I immediately asked, "Where are you? I'll be right there."

Liao Zhengyang told me his location and then hung up. I hurriedly said goodbye to Lu Xiaojun and the others. Mrs. Lu asked me to stay for dinner, but I was also worried about Liao Zhengyang, so I declined and took a taxi to the bar where Liao Zhengyang was sitting.

The bar wasn't very lively in the afternoon because the nightlife hadn't started yet. I quickly found Liao Zhengyang sitting in a corner drinking alone, looking dejected and listless, quite unlike his usual sunny self.

I took the bottle from his hand and said, "Stop drinking, tell me what happened?"

"I asked you to come and drink with me, not to steal my drinks..." Liao Zhengyang opened another bottle.

"Drinking won't solve the problem, so explain yourself clearly!" I snatched the bottle from his hand again.

Liao Zhengyang said dejectedly, "Xin'er wants to break up with me..."

Chapter 41, Section 96: Karaoke

(This chapter is not a side story; it is extremely important for the male protagonist's change of mindset and growth. I hope everyone will read it patiently to the end, as it is the psychological preparation process for the male protagonist's rise.)

Actually, I could guess a little bit, because most of the people who come here to drown their sorrows are heartbroken. I just didn't expect that they, who got along so well when we met at the school anniversary celebration last time, would now be breaking up.

I quickly asked, "Why did Li Xin'er want to break up with you?"

Liao Zhengyang, unable to get any alcohol, reached for his cigarette case, only to find it empty. He looked at me dejectedly, and I had no choice but to hand him my cigarettes.

He lit a cigarette, took a puff, and then slowly said, "She doesn't agree with my going to the no-man's-land..."

It was about the trip to the Jiangtang no-man's-land that we mentioned when we ate at the small restaurant last time. Liao Zhengyang, who is now a low-level car reviewer on social media, needs just such an opportunity from a sponsor. He wants to drive a car provided by the sponsor out of the no-man's-land. If he succeeds, it will definitely bring him countless opportunities. At the very least, he will be overwhelmed with advertising offers.

But the greater the reward, the greater the risk. There are very few people in the world who can successfully escape the Qiangtang no-man's-land, a forbidden zone for life. There, he could lose his life at any time, so it's no wonder that Li Xin'er would stop him.