Financial freedom starts with cracked apps.

Talk about it?
Seeing Xu Lei's expression—which showed no surprise but rather complete calm—Zhang Xu's heart skipped a beat.

Could it be that Leilei is about to confront me about something?

impossible!
Although we haven't been talking for very long, I've been pursuing her for a year or two!

She definitely knows that I'm sincere towards her!
Completely different from Lin Shen, that rich second-generation who only knows how to play around with women!

"Um, Leilei..."

Zhang Xu asked tentatively.

"What do you want to talk to me about?"

"It's not convenient to talk here, let's find somewhere else."

Xu Lei was the first to step out of the first floor of the Huamao Building, her beautiful legs clad in black stockings.

Gazing at his girlfriend's sexy back, Zhang Xun's resolve not to break up with her grew even stronger.

How could I possibly give up on this relationship before I've even tasted it?!

You have to do it at least once!

Otherwise, wouldn't all the feelings I've invested over the years be a complete waste?
Zhang Xu immediately followed Xu Lei, walking beside her, attracting many strange glances along the way.

Because the two of them are really mismatched.

Zhang Xu is the kind of person who doesn't care much about his appearance; his everyday clothes are just typical programmer attire.

A white polo shirt paired with faded jeans, sneakers, and a backpack.

My hair is oily because I don't wash it often, and it's even showing M-shaped hair loss due to long working hours.

His appearance wasn't exactly slovenly, but it certainly wasn't handsome.

Xu Lei, however, is different.

It is said that the key factors for a female secretary's success, in addition to her work ability, also include dressing in a way that gives the boss face and emotional value.

After all, nobody likes having an ugly woman by their side.

If the boss saw this, he'd probably lose all motivation for the day.

Therefore, the image of a secretary is particularly important.

She is essentially the boss's second face when he goes out to discuss business. If you dress plainly, others will look down on you and your boss as well.

Therefore, Xu Lei focused on choosing an outfit that highlighted her rather petite figure.

With the addition of exquisite makeup, her already beautiful face was made even more stunning.

Although she doesn't have Qin Yuennan's aloof and cold face, her sculpted face, which exudes a strong sense of desire, has its own unique charm.

It will at least be more attractive to men and make women more jealous.

Therefore, when Xu Lei and Zhang Xu are seen together, few people would associate them with a couple.

Zhang Xu is not even as tall as Xu Lei when she's wearing high heels, so how could they possibly be a couple?

Perhaps noticing the surprised looks from those around him, Zhang Xun felt a little smug.

He felt that these stares were out of envy for having such a beautiful girlfriend.

So Zhang Xu tried to hold Xu Lei's hand, wanting to assert his ownership, but she dodged him and pointed to the Starbucks not far away, whispering.

"Come in and have a seat."

"I remember Starbucks being very expensive..."

Seeing Zhang Xu's hesitant expression, Xu Lei sighed softly.

"I invite you."

"OK then."

Upon hearing that he didn't have to pay, Zhang Xu happily walked into Starbucks and ordered a coffee from the menu behind the counter.

Xu Lei, on the other hand, didn't order anything.

"Leilei, aren't you going to drink?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Lei shook her head, then found a seat and crossed her beautiful legs in black stockings.

Seeing this, Zhang Xu subconsciously swallowed, thinking of sitting with his girlfriend.

With their thighs so close together, they might even be able to touch each other's legs!
However, Xu Lei pointed to the opposite side and said softly.

"You sit across from me, and I'll talk to you about what's going on between us."

"Ok."

Zhang Xu felt somewhat dejected and annoyed.

He always felt that Xu Lei was intentionally distancing herself from him, and even unwilling to sit with him at all.

This has never happened before.

Is she really angry?

Zhang Xu was filled with worry and apologized immediately after sitting down.

"I'm sorry, Leilei. It's my fault for not contacting you lately, because I've been talking to my family about us."

"How did the talk go?"

"very good!"

Zhang Xu said with a smile.

“My parents said that as long as you are willing to come back to my hometown with me to develop your career, they will pay the 18.8 yuan dowry plus the three gold pieces! They even have a new wedding house ready!”

"You mean, you want me to go back to your hometown with you to develop our careers?"

"Ah."

Seeing Zhang Xu nod, Xu Lei narrowed her eyes and snorted coldly.

"You mean, I'm giving up my job in Shanghai that pays over 20,000 yuan a month, quitting it to come back to your remote mountain village and find a job that pays 4,000 or 5,000 yuan a month?"

"I'm still here."

Zhang Xu quickly replied.

“If I go home, my parents can arrange a job for me. Our combined salaries will be enough to live in a small county town.”

That kind of life is not the life I want.

Xu Lei shook her head, then immediately stated it directly.

"I prefer bustling and fashionable metropolises to peaceful and tranquil small towns. What you're saying is something I can't do."

"But living in a big city comes at a cost!"

Zhang Xu tried his best to persuade her, telling Xu Lei about the disadvantages of living in a big city.

"Look, you spend four or five thousand on rent alone, plus food and transportation costs. How do you save any money at the end of the year?"

"I couldn't save up before, but it's different now."

Xu Lei said softly.

“My salary used to be only seven or eight thousand yuan, which really couldn’t support my current life in Shanghai.”

"My monthly salary is now over 20,000 yuan! Employee benefits such as meal allowances and transportation subsidies have greatly reduced my cost of living in Shanghai."

“I even have employee benefits such as half rent and full utilities, so I don’t have to worry about the cost of living at all.”

"With my current abilities, I can live very well in Shanghai."

what?
Upon hearing the benefits Xu Lei mentioned, Zhang Xu was completely dumbfounded.

Why is it so good?

Are there various subsidies, including rental subsidies?

They even offered a monthly salary of over 20,000 yuan?
Is this really a level that Leilei can reach?
She clearly obtained it through other means!

Zhang Xu was furious, and with his extremely low emotional intelligence, he blurted out what was on his mind.

"Leilei, are you sure you got this job because of your abilities?"

"Why not?"

Xu Lei countered with a question, then listed all the hard work she had put into preparing for the interview over the past few days, and how she had gone through two rounds of interviews to become Lin Shen's secretary.

But only men truly understand men.

Zhang Xu knew very well that these so-called interviews were completely unimportant.

Lin Shen only had eyes for Xu Lei's appearance!
Zhang Xu was somewhat anxious, fearing that Xu Lei might go astray and take extreme measures.

"Leilei, Lin Shen isn't after your abilities! He only cares about your looks! He's got ulterior motives, that's why he offered you a high salary to keep you here!" "Heh."

Xu Lei laughed out loud with a disdainful look on her face, her expression full of coldness.

"President Lin has a very beautiful girlfriend, several times prettier than me, and she's also one of our company's senior executives. Do you think he would harass me right under his nose?"

"Don't think so badly of me! I got this job based on my abilities, not my looks! Are you trying to discredit me?"

Xu Lei's words silenced Zhang Xu completely; after all, the ability to bring up old matters is a killer move that many girls are good at.

"You're always like this, you never respect me. Like last time when I shared my joy at passing the interview with you, you poured cold water on me, saying I was lucky and it was just a coincidence. You try being lucky and it doesn't work out for me!"

"that……"

Zhang Xu was speechless after being rebuked. He scratched his head and stammered before managing to utter a few words.

"Don't you think it's weird?"

"Why is it weird?"

"This is your first time being a secretary, how could we possibly offer you a monthly salary of over 20,000?"

Zhang Xu still couldn't understand this.

"Even if you are very capable, there should still be an initial internship period, right?"

"This shows that General Manager Lin treats his employees very well."

When Lin Shen was mentioned, Xu Lei's expression softened considerably, and her tone became much gentler and less sharp.

"You know what? I've heard many of our employees say that their salaries are much higher than before they switched jobs, and their benefits are also better."

"Of course, a large number of people are also followers of President Lin and want to work with him, which is why they switched jobs."

"This shows that President Lin has both personal charisma and treats his employees very well. There are very few such good bosses on the market, and they can even be said to be unique."

"Yes, yes, he's the best."

Hearing his girlfriend praise another man, Zhang Xu was naturally very jealous and couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"How could I not know what a man is thinking?"

"Don't always have such a big problem with President Lin."

Xu Lei said impatiently.

"We're here to talk about your business. Are you sure you want to go back home to develop your career?"

"Ah."

Zhang Xu lay slumped on a soft chair, looking extremely exhausted.

"The pressure of living in Shanghai is too great. I work overtime every day and there seems to be no end in sight. I want to go home and rest for a while before I think about anything else."

"I see."

After learning of Zhang Xu's intentions, Xu Lei spoke softly without any hesitation.

"In that case, let's break up."

what?
Upon hearing Xu Lei mention breaking up, Zhang Xu immediately sat up straight, feeling flustered and at a loss. A surge of heat even rushed to his mind, leaving him completely at a loss for words.

"Um...why?"

"Because I don't want to talk about long-distance relationships."

Xu Lei said firmly.

"I don't want to go home with you, and you don't want to stay in Shanghai. We're not on the same path to begin with, so it's better to separate."

"no!"

I haven't even slept with you yet, how could we break up?

Zhang Xu didn't dare to say what was on his mind, but instead scratched his head and compromised.

"Then I won't go back to my hometown for now, is that okay?"

"Didn't you hear what I said? We're not on the same wavelength."

Xu Lei squinted and spoke the most ruthless words in the softest tone.

"When we got together, I didn't think you were that great. I just thought you had been pursuing me for so long, so I was giving you a chance to prove yourself."

"Now it seems that we are not suitable at all. I don't like the way you look, and I dislike your indecisive personality even more."

"Face reality, Zhang Xu, there's no future for us."

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

Seeing Xu Lei's serious expression, Zhang Xu was clearly getting anxious.

"Were you just pretending when you cooked for me and treated me so well? You clearly like me too!"

"This is just dating, and it's just my job as the woman to do this."

Xu Lei's words struck a nerve with Zhang Xu.

"I've been so good to you, what have you ever done for me?"

"I……"

Zhang Xu couldn't answer for a while.

Since he started dating Xu Lei, he has indeed become less enthusiastic than at the beginning.

But at least he was considerate and caring towards her in daily life, so how come she says he didn't do anything?
Zhang Xu wanted to explain, but Xu Lei interrupted him directly, her gentle tone carrying a hint of advice.

"Go back to your hometown. Life there suits you. Find a girlfriend there, and life should be pretty good."

"But……"

Where in this area can you find a girl as beautiful as you?
Most beautiful women only appear in the Yangtze River Delta region because they have the ability to stay in such bustling metropolises.

Although there are pretty girls in my family, they've all been taken by other men long ago. How could it be my turn?

Zhang Xu thought this in his heart, but he didn't dare to say these words to Xu Lei's face.

Therefore, he could only point the finger at Lin Shen, at the third party who had ruined his relationship with Xu Lei!
"Leilei, do you like Lin Shen?"

Zhang Xu's tone was somewhat exasperated, but more than that, it reflected his inferiority complex.

He knew he was no match for Lin Shen in any way, whether it was appearance or family background; Lin Shen was far superior to him.

But he just couldn't swallow his anger.

"You broke up with me because you thought I was inferior to Lin Shen in every way and looked down on me!"

"You brought this up yourself, I didn't say anything."

Xu Lei shrugged, her indifferent expression striking Zhang Xu like a bolt from the blue. He stared wide-eyed as he sat back down on the sofa, his voice filled with bitterness and helplessness.

"So that's what you really thought..."

"I never said I liked President Lin, but you're right about one thing."

Xu Lei felt it was time to be ruthless, otherwise she would never be able to completely sever her relationship with Zhang Xu.

So she stared straight into Zhang Xu's eyes and said coldly.

"You are indeed not as good as General Manager Lin."

"He's taller than you, more handsome than you, younger than you, and his physique is way better than yours."

"And he has better taste in clothing than you. He knows how to dress to highlight his handsomeness, which isn't something money can buy. Of course, he's also very rich, look!"

Xu Lei held up the MacBook next to her feet and showed it off.

"I had always been reluctant to buy a laptop that cost over ten thousand yuan, but Mr. Lin said he would give it to me for free."

"Although material things are not the foundation of love, they are at least the elastic band of love."

"Love without material support will always be in a tense state, and even a slight setback will lead to the breakdown of the relationship."

"So, Zhang Xu, you can't give me the life I want, so it's right for us to break up."

"Don't act like you're such a good person!"

Zhang Xu was so anxious that his temper flared up.

"You just like Lin Shen! You cheated on him!"

"Yes."

Seeing that Zhang Xu wouldn't listen to her, Xu Lei simply stopped pretending and laid her cards on the table.

“I liked Mr. Lin from the very beginning when we were colleagues. You were just a spice for me to relieve my feelings of loss after he left the company.”

"Now that I'm Mr. Lin's secretary, someone close to him, you're naturally useless now, understand?" (End of Chapter)