Chapter 1

"Qin Yue, are you there yet? Look at the time now, if you're not here in ten minutes, don't ever come again!!" An angry woman's voice rang in Qin Yue's ear through the phone.

"Yes, yes, I'm on my way. The bus was so crowded, I had to squeeze on three times. I'm almost at the entrance of the neighborhood, I'll be there soon..." A man was on the phone at the entrance of a residential area in City C, Province H.

"Alright, stop talking nonsense, hurry up... click" The call ended.

"Phew~" The man put his phone in his pocket and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

It was late May, already summer. As he watched a girl in a miniskirt walk by, her white thighs almost blinded him. He swallowed hard, then looked at himself, wearing a suit in the 30-degree heat, feeling extremely uncomfortable, and suddenly had the urge to strip and run naked.

The man was about 1.7 meters tall, thin and ordinary, with a dark complexion. His eyes were bright like stars, but on his face, they seemed unremarkable. In short, he was handsome but not strikingly so.

His name was Qin Yue, 25 years old, an orphan who grew up in an orphanage in a small county in Province H. After graduating from high school at 18, he entered the workforce. In a society where postgraduates were everywhere and undergraduates were as common as dogs, he, without a degree or skills, now worked as a courier for a company in City C.

He earned about 2,000 yuan a month. After covering his food, utilities, and rent, he would still give some to the orphanage that had taken him in. He had very little money left, making him a typical "loser" with no car, no house, and no savings.

Three months ago, he met his current girlfriend, the woman who had just called him, through a colleague. Her name was Zhou Yun, 24 years old, a college graduate working for a foreign company with a good income, a white-collar worker. She was beautiful, with clear features and a slim figure.

Qin Yue never expected her to like him; he knew his place. As a 25-year-old young man, he still had some excitement in his heart. Who knew that the girl had just broken up with her boyfriend and, perhaps feeling hurt, found him honest and reliable, unlike the cunning men of today, giving her a sense of security. Thus, they naturally started dating.

Although they had only been together for three months and had not kissed or done anything more intimate than holding hands, Qin Yue felt he had deeply fallen in love with her, always ready to do anything for her, even humbling himself. After all, this was his first girlfriend.

Apart from a few girls at the orphanage, he rarely talked to girls, let alone dated. Having been in society for seven or eight years since he was 18, he knew how hard it was to find a girlfriend with his conditions, so he cherished this opportunity.

Two months ago, he learned about his girlfriend's mother's birthday. He saved money and took out the few thousand yuan in his bank card to buy a decent gift for her mother, hoping to win her parents' approval on their first meeting.

As soon as he got off work this afternoon, he changed into his best suit, withdrew his savings, and went to a jewelry store to spend 5,000 yuan on a jade bracelet. Then, he hurried to the neighborhood where his girlfriend's parents lived, taking the bus to save a few dozen yuan on a taxi, which made him late and upset his girlfriend.

The neighborhood where Zhou Yun's parents lived was called Maple Leaf Neighborhood, near the city center. Although not a wealthy area, it was still a place where middle-class families could afford to buy homes. With Qin Yue's current financial situation, buying even a toilet would require a loan.

"Phew~" He wiped the sweat from his forehead, straightened his wrinkled suit, took a deep breath, and tried to calm his nervousness before slowly walking towards the entrance of the neighborhood.

"Hey, wait, what are you doing here?" Just as he was about to enter, a security guard walked over.

Qin Yue turned and smiled at the guard, "Brother, I'm looking for someone."

"Looking for someone? Who? Which building and which unit?" The guard frowned at Qin Yue's shabby appearance.

"Brother, I'm looking for Unit 610 in Building 3, the Zhou family. Can I go in?" Qin Yue replied.

The guard thought for a moment, "Oh, Miss Zhou Yun's family?"

"Yes, yes, she's my girlfriend, I'm here to see her!" Qin Yue said quickly.

"Your girlfriend?" The guard was surprised, looking at Qin Yue with a strange expression.

"Huh? Is there a problem?" Qin Yue asked, puzzled.

"Hehe, no problem, just come and register." Although he said this, Qin Yue felt the guard's laugh was a bit odd.

"Oh, okay." Despite the guard's strange behavior, Qin Yue didn't think much of it and registered his name. The guard then told him the direction to Zhou Yun's house. He thanked the guard and stepped into the neighborhood.

Watching his retreating back, the guard at the entrance muttered to himself, "A guy claiming to be Zhou Yun's boyfriend just went in, and now another one. Hehe, interesting, interesting..."

Unfortunately, Qin Yue was already far away and didn't hear the guard's muttering.

"Okay, turn left ahead, that's Building 3. I need to hurry, or Xiao Yun will be upset again." Following the guard's directions, Qin Yue checked the time and quickened his pace.

Just as he reached the bottom of Building 3, he heard a commotion from the green area beside the building. It sounded like a young couple arguing. It was a bit far to hear clearly, but it seemed like a married couple or a couple having a tantrum. Qin Yue shook his head; he didn't want to get involved in other people's affairs.

Just as he was about to enter the building, the commotion grew louder. Hmm? This voice sounds familiar, it's... Zhou Yun? No way? Qin Yue's heart skipped a beat. To confirm, he slowly moved towards the source of the sound.

It was around 7 PM, and it was getting dark. Following the sound, Qin Yue walked behind the green area and saw a couple. It was dinner time, so there were few people around. He looked around and then slowly approached the couple. They were so engrossed that they didn't notice anyone coming closer, still arguing.

Qin Yue stopped about 10 meters away, leaning against a tree, where he could clearly hear their voices.

"Wang Tao, I told you we've broken up, don't come looking for me anymore." This voice, it was really Zhou Yun. Qin Yue's heart trembled. In the past three months, he had deeply imprinted Zhou Yun's voice and everything about her in his mind, so he couldn't be wrong. Why? Why was Zhou Yun here, and who was this man? Wang Tao? From her tone, it seemed he was her ex-boyfriend. What was going on?

He slowly peeked from behind the tree and saw a woman in a white T-shirt with a ponytail arguing with a man. The woman was about 1.65 meters tall, with a well-proportioned figure and delicate features, clearly Zhou Yun. The man was tall, about 1.8 meters, handsome, and dressed like a rich and handsome guy. Qin Yue tried to suppress his shock and continued listening.

"Xiao Yun, listen to me, what happened last time was a misunderstanding..." The man tried to explain.

"Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding? I saw it with my own eyes. Forget it, I don't want to talk about it. Get lost..." Zhou Yun's voice was agitated.

"Xiao Yun, listen to me, listen to me. Are you going to deny me the chance to explain?" The man's voice also became agitated.

"Go away, I don't want to listen, I don't want to listen... My boyfriend is coming, you better leave."

"Ha... You mean that delivery guy? Don't joke, how could a poor loser like him be good enough for you?" The man sneered.

"Hmph, at least he's honest and not a flirt." Zhou Yun huffed.

"Xiao Yun, I admit I was a bit of a flirt, but I really like you. We've been together for three years, don't you understand my feelings?" Wang Tao said softly.

"Then why didn't you come to see me for the past three months? I think you didn't care about me at all." Zhou Yun's tone softened slightly.

"Well, that's because I've been working hard to take over my father's company, planning for our future. Xiao Yun, I really care about you, forgive me!" Wang Tao suddenly grabbed Zhou Yun's hand.

"Really? But... but... what about Qin Yue?" Zhou Yun struggled.

"Hehe, come on, Xiao Yun. I know you two have only held hands in the past few months. You probably didn't even consider him your boyfriend. With his conditions, you can't even afford a decent piece of clothing, let alone a house or a car. Do you think you can be happy with him?" Wang Tao said with a look of disdain.

"But..."

"No buts, Xiao Yun! If you feel bad, I'll give him some money when he comes. Consider it compensation for the past few months. I hope he has some self-respect, or else... hehe..."

"Don't do that, talk to him properly when he comes. I hope... sigh!" Zhou Yun frowned and sighed softly.

"Hehe, Xiao Yun, don't mention those irrelevant people. Look, I know it's your mother's birthday today, so I bought a gift." Wang Tao chuckled and took out a beautifully wrapped box, opening it to reveal a gold bracelet.

"Um, that's quite expensive, isn't it? Is it okay?" Zhou Yun looked at the bracelet and stammered.

"Not expensive, only 98,000 yuan. Besides, won't your mother be my mother too? Hehe, it's only right for me to show respect." Wang Tao laughed.

"Talking nonsense... I don't want to deal with you, hmpf." Zhou Yun blushed and pouted.

"Hehe, isn't it just a matter of time? Let's go up and celebrate your mother's birthday, ha ha." Wang Tao put his arm around Zhou Yun's waist and laughed smugly.

"Hmpf!" Zhou Yun coldly huffed but didn't resist, and they turned to leave.

"Qin Yue? You, why are you here?" Zhou Yun was surprised to see Qin Yue standing by the tree.

"Huh? You're Qin Yue? Why are you here?" Wang Tao was initially stunned, then regained his arrogant composure, "Hey, this is perfect. I'll tell you, stop bothering Xiao Yun. She's not someone you can match, got it?"

Qin Yue's face turned red, and he remained silent, tightly biting his lips, staring at them.

"Why aren't you talking? Here, take this 20,000 yuan as compensation. Pick it up, hehe, you won't earn this much in half a year. Be happy about it." Seeing Qin Yue's silence, Wang Tao took out a thick wad of cash from his pocket, looked at him with disdain, and threw the money at his feet.

"Qin Yue, we're not a good match. Take the money and go. Consider it my apology." Zhou Yun, seeing Qin Yue's face turn the color of liver, lowered her head and said softly.

"Alright, let's go, Xiao Yun. What's there to talk about with this poor loser?" Wang Tao put his arm around Zhou Yun's shoulder and walked past Qin Yue, not even glancing at him.

Qin Yue stood there, watching the two leave, his heart aching, his tightly bitten lips slowly bleeding. He didn't say a word, knowing that anything he said would only humiliate himself.

After a while, he let out a bitter laugh and walked resolutely towards the entrance of the neighborhood, leaving behind a stack of red hundred-yuan bills on the ground...

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