Full-time master: I have a spirit behind me.

After becoming the vice-captain, Bai Shu was extremely proud of himself. His back no longer ached, his legs no longer hurt, and he could climb from the first floor to the training room in one breath without getting out of breath. He could even straighten his back.

Although Bai Shu wasn't the type to flaunt his authority within the team or act superior to newcomers, those repeated "Good job, Vice Captain" greetings were really easy to make people lose themselves in.

Bai Shu's favorite thing to do now is to inspect the training sessions beforehand and then show off.

listen.

"Good morning, Deputy Captain Bai."

"Thank you for your hard work, Vice Captain Bai!"

It feels so different!

Hello everyone, thank you for your hard work!

He greeted her as he passed the manager's office, then took a few steps back: "Hey? Brother Lü, didn't you go out on fieldwork today?"

"No..." Lü Liang looked at the phone in front of him with a worried expression.

Bai Shu scratched his head, looked around, and went inside: "What's wrong? Is work not going well?"

“That’s not it…” Lü Liang sighed, looked up at Bai Shu, and said, “Tell me, who is more handsome, me or Lao Wei?”

"You are so handsome, even I, Lao Wei, cannot compare to you... Alright, Brother Lü, stop with this Zou Ji-style satire of King Qi's remonstrance. Why are you starting to worry about your appearance too?" Bai Shu pulled up a stool and sat down, asking with some curiosity, "Tell me about it, brother?"

"Damn it, my family's pressuring me to get married..." Lu Liang sighed. "No, I just find it strange. Old Wei can find a partner, so why can't I?"

To be fair, Lü Liang's looks are not bad at all; at least he's much better looking than Wei Laoda used to be, with his slovenly appearance.

But when it comes to finding a partner...

Bai Shu scratched his head: "Well, I don't have a partner either, so asking me won't help. Why don't you go ask someone who does?"

“That’s right, you’re a good-for-nothing and you don’t have a girlfriend either.” Lü Liang glanced at Bai Shu with disdain: “I’ll go ask someone else.”

"Hey, I don't want to look for it, you know? If I wanted to, it would be a piece of cake, you know?" Bai Shu emphasized anxiously.

"Ah, yes, yes, yes, please, please, please, get lost, get lost, get lost..." After a series of perfunctory replies and the finishing move, Lü Liang simply extended the middle finger.

……

"Finding a partner...it depends on compatibility, right?" Zhang Jiale paused for a moment, then smiled. "Xiao Li and I fell in love at first sight..."

"Wait, wait a minute." Lu Liang frowned. "I heard from Xiao Zhao that you were the one who took a liking to Li at first sight and then relentlessly pursued her. It was only thanks to Xiao Zhao acting as your wingman that you managed to win over Xiao Li?"

"Bullshit! We fell in love at first sight, okay? Love at first sight, and then our souls clicked!" Zhang Jiale immediately retorted, "What do you know! No wonder you don't have a boyfriend! Get lost, get lost, I'm going to training!"

He's getting anxious, he's getting anxious.

Lu Liang glanced at what was written in the notebook, tore it off, and threw it into the trash can.

It's completely useless for reference; it's a waste of a piece of paper.

Lü Liang sighed. "Why don't we ask Da Sun? Da Sun is definitely reliable."

……

"How did I meet her?" Sun Zheping was slightly taken aback.

"Yes, yes, explain it to me." Lü Liang asked impatiently.

Sun Zheping was silent for a moment: "She is the granddaughter of the doctor who treated my hand. When I was feeling anxious about this before, the doctor recommended that I go to her psychological clinic. That's how we got to know each other..."

"After a while... wait, when you took leave before, you weren't going on a date, were you?" Lu Liang's eyes widened. Sun Zheping would go out one night a week, and no one had ever asked him what he was doing there. Could it be that they had already started?

“Yes…we recently became a couple.” Sun Zheping looked to the side.

Damn, he's feeling guilty. That bastard Sun Zheping is feeling guilty.

Lü Liang cursed under his breath. This... isn't easy to replicate, is it? He couldn't very well break his own hand and ask a doctor to recommend him, could he? How could that be so risky?
But is it reliable to ask a friend to recommend this?

Lü Liang hesitated for a moment.

Next, should I... go find Lao Wei?

……

"Me? That's a long story!" Old Wei sighed melancholically, walked to the window, opened it, and lit a cigarette. "It all started the day I hoisted up that enormous thing weighing over twenty kilograms..."

That's bullshitting, absolutely bullshitting.

Lu Liang looked at Lao Wei's sighing expressionless. Lao Wei was a qualified air force player, and he was always air force players. There was never a time when he didn't air force players. As for his fishing, he should just listen to it.

To prevent Lao Wei from getting angry, Lü Liang patiently listened to a long string of Lao Wei's boasts.

"...Then, I looked at the old man who helped me with the net, and hey, what a coincidence! He's the former principal of the kindergarten in front of us!"

I saw how envious the old dean was of my fish, so he immediately waved his hand and said, "Take this fish home for your health! As for me, I can easily catch another one!"
The old dean was so grateful that he insisted on taking me home for dinner. I couldn't refuse at all, so I had no choice but to go back with him.

Then when I went back, I saw that the girl's granddaughter had also returned, and she couldn't move an inch when she saw me..."

"Wei Chen! You're smoking again!" A voice rang out, startling Old Wei, who instinctively stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray on the windowsill. "What? You...you must be mistaken! I'm not smoking!"

"You bullshit!"

Lu Liang glanced to the side and saw a pretty girl with a lunchbox standing downstairs, looking angrily at the second floor.

Old Wei's wife came to deliver food...

Old Wei panicked a bit: "No, it was Lü Liang who gave it to me, I didn't..."

A moment later, Lao Wei's wife came up. Lü Liang considerately stopped Lao Wei for his sister-in-law: "Good afternoon, sister-in-law. Um, I was just asking Lao Wei how you and he met. He just said that you couldn't walk past him when you saw him. Is that true, sister-in-law?"

"I can't take my eyes off you, Wei Chen, right?" His sister-in-law looked at Old Wei with a smile.

"Uh, no, that kid Lü Liang was just jealous and talking nonsense..."

"...His granddaughter is back too, and that girl couldn't walk past me as soon as she saw me..." Lü Liang chuckled as he clicked on the replay.

"Damn it, Lü Liang, you little brat..." Old Wei's eyes widened.

"Wei Chen?!"

"No, honey, let me explain, I was just blowing... Ouch, it hurts, honey, be gentle!"

Lu Liang watched with amusement as the two people walked up the stairs to the third floor. They must be going to have lunch. Old Wei... damn, I'm so envious. He even gets someone to bring him lunch.

Lü Liang laughed for a while, then almost cried. What the hell was going on?! I'm so envious of this shameless guy…

None of these things are reliable! I'll go ask Xiao Wen...

"...Huh? Me...Me and Sister Xue?" Li Wen's face turned slightly red. "I...I'm not really sure, but I just feel very comfortable around Sister Xue, and over time..."

Lü Liang nodded expressionlessly: "So, the most important thing is still to get the woman to pursue you..."

"No, it's not that, is it?" Chu Yunxiu, who was passing by, paused for a moment: "You're looking for a partner?"

"Yes, yes, does the boss have any recommendations for my best friends or anything like that?" Lü Liang's eyes lit up.

"The key isn't that I'm introducing you to someone, the most important thing is... you need to go out and interact with girls, right?" Chu Yunxiu raised an eyebrow: "You're the kind of person who always says you want to find a girlfriend, but when it comes to actually talking to a girl, you're completely clueless, you can't even be helped up. What's the use of just being anxious all the time? You might as well just spend your life with your Ah Zuo and Ah You."

"You son of a bitch..." Lü Liang's face darkened as he watched Chu Yunxiu whistling and dragging Li Wen away. He was furious...

What the hell...

……

"Huh?" Fang Shijing was taken aback. "You're asking me... I don't know either. I didn't even want to look for it?"

Lu Liang, who was drinking alone, was stunned for a moment: "Then how did you withstand the pressure from your family?"

“Go on blind dates if they suggest it, then just say you couldn’t reach an agreement when you get back. They’ll get annoyed after a few introductions.” Fang Shijing clinked glasses with Lü Liang: “Actually, do you really want to find a girlfriend yourself?”

“I…” Lü Liang was stunned.

Do I genuinely want to find a girlfriend, or is this need for a girlfriend simply a product of pressure from my surroundings?

Lü Liang scratched his head: "I...don't know."

"Before you find a girlfriend, you need to be prepared to take on another person's life." Fang Shijing thought for a moment, "No, it's not just two people, but also two families. You need to adjust to each other, there will be arguments, there will be happiness, and there will be weariness as time goes by. And after that weariness, it's less about love and more about a harmonious family bond..."

Just like Lao Wei and his wife, Sun Zheping and Dr. Liu, Lao Zhang and Xiao Li, Xiao Wen and our boss's wife.

Their relationship wasn't anything dramatic; it seemed quite ordinary to us. They weren't together because they needed each other, but rather purely because of... compatibility? Perhaps that's it?

These things can't be rushed, Lao Lü.

Fang Shijing sighed: "With your mindset, you're just trying it out because of the novelty. But what will happen after the novelty wears off? Have you thought about that yourself?"

Lü Liang opened his mouth.

"So, don't rush, and don't settle. If you can't find the one you like, staying single isn't a bad thing," Fang Shijing said with a smile as he poured Lü Liang a cup.

"Is this just an excuse for not having a partner?" Lu Liang blurted out out of nowhere.

Fang Shijing's face darkened: "I'm trying to comfort you, okay? You deserve to be so conflicted."

“Ah, but what you said does make some sense. I’m not looking for someone who’s just lustful at first sight.” Lü Liang sighed and finished his drink. “Alright, that’s enough for today. I have to work tomorrow. You’re right. Before I find the person I’m looking for, it’s good to improve myself and prepare for the future.”

Is this an epiphany?
Fang Shijing watched Lü Liang grab his clothes and leave the stall, a slight smile appearing on his face. Ah, what those relationship bloggers said actually had some merit…

Alright, tonight wasn't a complete waste after all.

Fang Shijing opened his phone and found the small group chat he had hastily created that afternoon: [Alright, this guy shouldn't do anything crazy anymore; this should be the end of it.]

Zhang Jiale: [That's fine then.]

Old Wei: [At this stage, if he goes to extremes, he's really vulnerable to being swindled out of money and sexually exploited!]

Bai Shu: [So, why did I see you kneeling and eating in your break room at noon, Boss Wei?]

Old Wei: [Can you stop wandering around aimlessly?! Quite a few people have reported this to me! Xiao Wen, shouldn't you remove him from the vice-captain position?!]

Li Wen: [Uh...]

Fang Shijing smiled. Not only had he helped Lao Lü solve his psychological problems, but he'd also gotten a free meal. Not bad...

"Hello, your friend said to ask you to settle the bill..." The waiter called out to Fang Shijing, who was about to leave.

Fang Shijing's face darkened.

This grandson...

……

Since that day, Lü Liang has changed. Although it's hard to pinpoint exactly what it is, the restless feeling that had always surrounded him has disappeared.

A person's maturity seems to happen overnight; the transformation from boy to man can perhaps be achieved with just a single sentence.

Lu Liang became more composed. Although he still joked with everyone, he gave off a completely different vibe.

"I don't know why, but lately Manager Lü seems to have gotten a lot more handsome..." the receptionists whispered among themselves during their break.

"Yes, are you in a relationship?"

"I don't know. Speaking of which, I'm thinking of giving Manager Lü a try..."

"Huh? I wanted to try it too..."

……

"That's what they said," Chu Yunxiu said to Lü Liang while eating, "How about I introduce you to someone?"

"Ah..." Lü Liang paused for a moment, then thought for a moment: "Never mind, I wasn't ready yet..."

"Tsk, you really are different now." Chu Yunxiu raised an eyebrow. "Have you really had a complete awakening? You should have reverted to your old self long ago, right?"

“Hey, what you’re saying…” Lü Liang rolled his eyes: “Just like Lao Fang said, I’m not ready to take on the responsibilities of two families yet…”

Chu Yunxiu glanced at Lao Fang with some surprise, then nudged him with her elbow: "Wow, when did you become an emotional guru?"

"...I...I've been listening to late-night radio lately." Fang Shijing muttered, then opened his phone and showed Chu Yunxiu the bloggers he was following.

"Bai Bai... Damn, it's him?" Chu Yunxiu said in a low voice.

"Huh? You know him?" Fang Shijing was taken aback.

"This is the kid Li Hua used to date, me, him, and..." Chu Yunxiu said with a dark face, "As far as I know, he's been single since birth, and now he's suddenly become a relationship guru?"

"Huh?!" Fang Shijing was stunned. He looked at his phone, then at Lü Liang: "Damn it, we can't just let Old Lü do this..."

"Shh, at least for now, it's a good thing. Don't tell him." Chu Yunxiu muttered softly, "Let's leave it at that for now..."

“You’re right…” Fang Shijing nodded silently.

Although he's never been in a relationship, what he said still makes sense...

Keep striving to become even better, Lao Lü!

(End of this chapter)