The game's heroine has come true? The aloof school beauty is in tears.

"Xu Zhixiao!"

"What are you doing?"

"Our marriage is fake; you'll still have to get married eventually!"

"Only you think it's a sham marriage."

Xu Zhixiao suddenly spoke, whispering in his ear, "Lu Yuan, do you know what 'I like you' means in Kazakh?"

"I don't know, but please don't suddenly switch to pure love when things are getting smutty."

"I didn't seduce anyone."

"You're still fucking holding on!"

"In Kazakh, 'I like you' means 'I see you'," Xu Zhixiao said, ignoring Lu Yuan's protest. "Thank you for seeing me, Lu Yuan."

"Everyone here can see you."

"It's different." Xu Zhixiao shook her head. She said, "There's a concept in psychology called the mental maze, which means that people can never truly see a person for who they truly are, including themselves. The seemingly upright philanthropist next to you might be thinking right now about how to become a street exhibitionist."

"I feel like you have that potential."

"That's not important."

Xu Zhixiao shook her head again and said very seriously, "The important thing is not sexual repression, foot fetish, or sexism, but who can see the more realistic and complete version of you."

"and then?"

"You will fall in love with the person who can see you, because the effort to go through mountains and rivers to see you is one of the greatest sacrifices in the world."

Feelings can only be fully realized in memories.

People often don't feel anything at the moment something happens.

Therefore, Xu Zhixiao always recalls that night when they first met.

In my father's traditional Chinese medicine clinic, on an evening when Zhang Zhongjing's portrait hung on the wall and the air was filled with the lingering smell of Chinese medicine.

She saw the man in front of her for the first time.

Even after she found out later that it was all a lie, and that he was just trying to get close to her and find her a partner.

But some things are true.

"Lu Yuan, you looked very tired at the time, and the medicine I prescribed for you was all sedatives."

"oh."

"I'm actually not angry at all that you lied to me, I'm even a little relieved," Xu Zhixiao said with a soft laugh.

"I'm so glad that someone is finally willing to skip over the external conditions like being from a wealthy family, being beautiful, and being a doctor, and is willing to get to know me more deeply, even though some of my inner qualities aren't as glamorous as they are in my self-introduction."

Lu Yuan nodded his thanks: "Thank you, but what exactly do you want to say?"

"I love you, and I really want to marry you."

"Fake, fake, fake, do I need to repeat it a few more times?"

"It doesn't matter how many times you repeat it, I'll treat it as a real marriage."

"Okay, you can get a divorce on the day you want, no need to notify me to sign the agreement."

"The concept of divorce has never existed in my life, because my parents always told me that divorce would be something to be ridiculed."

Xu Zhixiao didn't give Lu Yuan a chance to refute her at all.

She continued, "When you asked me to be the lead singer, my heart was pounding, until I realized that it might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"I guessed the next line."

"Even if I guessed it, I'd still tell you." Xu Zhixiao wrapped her other arm around Lu Yuan's waist and gently rested her head on his chest: "Marrying you might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me."

"You're being too pessimistic."

"Because you have worries that I can't resolve."

Xu Zhixiao raised her hand that was wrapped around Lu Yuan's waist and suddenly began to gently touch his back: "I once doubted your sexual orientation, Lu Yuan."

"I am not gay."

"I'm sure you're not gay, because you keep glancing at my collar during intimate moments."

"It's only human nature."

"So you're suppressing your desires. I don't know what kind of thing would make a young man in his early twenties restrain the impulses brought on by hormones."

"You're very observant."

"Because I am a doctor."

Xu Zhixiao had one hand behind her back and the other hand underneath.

The hand on his back gently patted his back, like a warm mother comforting a crying child.

Her other hand was down, like a nymphomaniac playing with her trophies.

She said, "When a person wants to hide something, you can never find out what's on their mind."

"Then why did you ask?"

"I didn't ask, I was just demonstrating."

"What are you showing?"

"I can catch you, in any way, whether it's bright or dirty, material or lustful."

Xu Zhixiao's hand moved downwards: "If it's lustful and unacceptable to outsiders, then I'll wait for you in bed, because I'm your ex-wife."

Xu Zhixiao gently patted her upward hand: "If you're feeling wronged and in tears, and you still want to come to me, then I'll wait for you at home, because I'm your ex-wife."

She said, "I want to see you."

This long bus ride seems to have no end.

The two of them continued their bumpy journey.

It's impossible to tell whether this scene is pornographic or purely romantic.

Or perhaps the boundary between the two is not clear to begin with.

Time seemed to stand still, and they remained in this strange pose.

Everything was just like in a Japanese movie.

A recent office worker, fast asleep with headphones on, sat at his desk, while behind him, students discussing games after school...

It's noisy here, so their corner is quiet.

It was so quiet that Xu Zhixiao could hear Lu Yuan's heart pounding.

My heart is pounding violently.

"Is it because I've reached your heart, or is the road too long?"

"I'm wondering if you'll do something even more outrageous."

"meeting."

"For example?"

"For example, wearing a wedding dress at a wedding..."

"If someone who hasn't seen the film can figure out the plot, then the director should hire you sexually repressed people to be the screenwriters."

So, are you still willing to attend the wedding?

"I took the cases as a matchmaker, and I don't have any cases that I abandoned halfway through."

"When can we invite Lu Yuan to the wedding?"

"Lu Yuan isn't here."

Xu Zhixiao glanced at his expression, didn't reply, but suddenly said something strange: "Lu Yuan, can you remember what I'm about to say forever?"

"Go ahead and tell me, I'm listening."

"I will always feel sorry for you."

"What's there to feel sorry for? Everyone works hard these days."

"Indeed, life is about suffering; everyone struggles, and it's a never-ending cycle." Xu Zhixiao patted him on the back, as if trying to etch those words into Lu Yuan's bones.

"But there is only one way to end this hardship."

"Tell me about it."

"If I feel you're suffering, then you won't feel suffering anymore."