Love Apartment: Yifei is my junior aunt

Chapter 176 Xiaoli is a Big Swing

Picking up girls is an incredibly easy thing.

If you want to pick up girls, you need to understand one thing first.

Picking up girls is a war, and the most important thing in a war is always intelligence.

This is why Zi Qiao's entire "Lüshi Chunqiu" only records one move, the legendary "fleeting glimpse".

In short, for Ziqiao, apart from spending a lot of time observing the target from afar, the rest of the preparations for picking up girls were almost as easy as anyone could do.

He did a quick search for some relevant knowledge about clinical veterinary medicine and specifically looked up some diseases that kittens might get.

These diseases share the common feature of a long incubation period, making it difficult for veterinarians to make accurate judgments based on their own experience. Comprehensive testing with instruments is required to obtain results.

Immediately afterwards, Ziqiao went to buy a dog tag and had the shop assistant engrave his phone number on it.

Then it's very simple to do.

I've decided on you! Go for it, braised pork knuckle!

It has to be said that Jiang Zhouzi is a very smart puppy. Even though it was only born recently, it can slowly move to Xiaoli's side according to Ziqiao's instructions, seemingly understanding but not quite.

In Ziqiao's opinion, it would be best if Xiaoli could contact him using the contact information on the dog tag.

It's just that young girls these days seem a bit too indifferent. Xiaoli only teased the braised pork knuckle a little and then ignored it, let alone call her.

Fortunately, Ziqiao had already made two preparations. He rushed in carrying a bag of boiled eggs, pretending to be in a great hurry.

The way he called out "braised pork knuckle" was filled with anxiety, panic, and helplessness at the thought of his beloved dog disappearing.

In this world, acting skills are everything.

It's no exaggeration to say that with his current acting skills, he could easily compete for the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor.

After all, Ziqiao's life has no rehearsals. Every day is a live broadcast.

The next step was quite formulaic. He first found the braised pork knuckle, and upon seeing Xiaoli next to it, he naturally assumed that she was the one taking care of the puppy.

Even though Xiaoli hadn't done anything, she still felt a strange sense of joy in Ziqiao's sincere gratitude.

People always like to be appreciated by others.

Therefore, when navigating the world, polite language is extremely important.

A fool like Chen Meijia, who only knows how to spray people with salt water all day long, should just obediently retire from the underworld and find an honest man to marry.

Later, Ziqiao naturally offered to treat Xiaoli to a meal, but after much hesitation, Xiaoli still chose to refuse.

According to her, she was going to have lunch with her best friend today.

Ziqiao noticed the hesitation Xiaoli showed when she mentioned the words "good sister," and knew in his heart that this so-called good sister must be some treacherous brother.

But Zi Qiao doesn't care about this illegitimate son whose gender is even distorted.

Picking up girls is a war, and every war has winners and losers.

Ziqiao wouldn't care about the losers' painful wails behind their backs, just as he didn't care about Xiaoli at all.

He's just a womanizer.

Knowing that going too far would be counterproductive, Ziqiao had no choice but to temporarily abandon his plan to invite Xiaoli to lunch. Instead, he picked out a few pretty pet clothes and gave them to Xiaoli's blue British Shorthair as a thank you gift.

Then Ziqiao got up and prepared to leave without looking back, as if he really had only come to look for his dog.

However, just as he was about to step out of the store, Zi Qiao finally revealed his true colors.

"Xiaoli, if possible, you should take Xiaolan to the hospital for a more thorough check-up. I suspect..."

"Well, actually I'm not sure either. Anyway, just to be on the safe side, you should take Xiao Lan for a thorough check-up."

Like a riddle teller, Ziqiao only spoke halfway through his sentence before preparing to leave.

When Ziqiao heard Xiaoli anxiously telling him to wait behind him, he knew the fish had taken the bait.

And then... that's the situation we have now.

Ziqiao successfully left Xiaoli with the image of a passionate, free-spirited, determined, and loving clinical veterinary graduate student.

A person's first impression of you can largely determine their subsequent perception of you, so having such a shining image is very important.

As long as Zi Qiao's disguise remains undiscovered, his strategy will be much simpler.

Hearing that Ziqiao had resolutely moved out of the dormitory because of this little dog, Xiaoli couldn't help but feel a little fondness for him.

"You're such a good person."

When Ziqiao heard the word "good person," he almost couldn't help but burst out laughing. However, he was a veteran actor with many years of experience, so he wouldn't burst out laughing over something so trivial.

"I just did what I was supposed to do."

Ziqiao showed no trace of smugness after being praised, as if he truly believed that these were things he should do.

He continued, "Because my son and I are still sharing an apartment with other people, the plan for this cartoon town has to be postponed for the time being."

"But this is good too, I can learn how to design a cartoon town that is suitable for both cats and dogs."

"By then I should have my own house, and I can get another cat to keep my braised pork knuckle company. Then I can enjoy a single retirement life with both cats and dogs."

Ziqiao slightly emphasized the pronunciation of the word "single".

Sure enough, Xiaoli followed up by asking, "Are you still single?"

Ziqiao also revealed a touch of youthful shyness: "It's not that I've always focused on my studies, so I haven't had time for dating. It's just too boring."

"I haven't met anyone who sparked my interest since then, so I guess I'll just let things take their course."

"Mainly, I don't want to find someone who is just suitable and easy to get along with. A relationship without any spark is ultimately dull and boring."

He had only said it casually, but seeing Xiaoli stunned by his words, silently murmuring that she was moved and that they were a good match, he realized that Xiaoli was stunned by his words.

Joe understood immediately.

I thought this girl was some kind of seductress who preyed on unlucky men, but it turns out she's a giant pendulum.

It sways left and right, always wavering and indecisive, lacking any clear direction.

I wonder if the guy she had lunch with today was just interested in her or if he was a good match.

Ziqiao rarely looks down on other people's character, because most people in this world have a higher moral standard than him.

However, the giant pendulum swing is an exception.

Those who are in the middle—lacking the awareness to be a good person but unable to bring themselves to be a bad one—are typical examples of pleasing neither side.

Of course, if this girl named Xiaoli is simply trying to hook up with both sides, then pretend you didn't say anything.

As Ziqiao was thinking, he felt the pain in his abdomen intensifying.

This is a deadly duodenal ulcer!

He skillfully took out a few hard-boiled eggs from the bag, tapped them on the table, rolled them, and the shells were peeled clean.

Seeing Xiaoli's surprised look, Ziqiao had a flash of inspiration and came up with a brilliant excuse.

"I'm sorry, lately I've been either in class or working part-time, which has not only disrupted my schedule but also left me no time to eat."

Ziqiao held up the hard-boiled egg in his hand with a calm but slightly embarrassed expression: "I've been eating eggs all the time these past few days, since they're cheap and nutritious."

His persona this time is quite unusual; he didn't choose the template of a successful career or a wealthy family.

Because the stupidest thing in the world is to pretend to be rich in front of wealthy people.

Putting aside how easily people will see through your act, even if you act like a rich person, you still can't keep up with their spending habits.

Therefore, when Ziqiao is pursuing wealthy women, he never talks about how outstanding he is, but tries his best to portray himself as someone from an ordinary family.

After all, when you can't offer anything in return, it doesn't matter to them whether you're rich or poor.

Xiao Li noticed Zi Qiao's deliberate display of embarrassment and asked hesitantly, "Xiao Bu, have you been a little broke lately?"

"No," Ziqiao answered decisively, "I have food and shelter, and I'm doing very well."

His face revealed a resolute expression, as if he were in dire straits but would rather starve than accept charity.

Even if you are indeed poor, you can't give off a poor or stingy vibe in front of a wealthy woman. Otherwise, she will only think you are of low class.

[Zhang Wei: ???]

[Can't this paragraph be omitted?]

That's so rude!

Xiaoli, of course, did not believe Ziqiao's words. Only after her repeated questioning did Ziqiao reluctantly reveal the "truth".

"I had saved up quite a bit of my scholarship money, but after getting my son vaccinated, seeing a vet, and buying pet supplies, I didn't have much money left."

"Later, because of the braised pork knuckle incident, I chose to move out and share an apartment with others. The rent, which included a deposit of one month's rent and three months' rent in advance, was another big expense."

"I don't want to trouble my family with my own affairs, so I'm a little short on money right now."

Ziqiao patted his chest and said casually, "But once I receive my scholarship this year, my financial situation should improve considerably."

Looking at Ziqiao's stubborn face, Xiaoli was filled with mixed feelings.

How come Xiao Bu looks so much better than Zhang Weiqiang, even though they were both born into poor families?

"But you just said you'd treat me to dinner."

Ziqiao said embarrassedly, "Braised pork knuckle is like family to me. You took care of it and kept it from running around. I should thank you for that."

"I really did have the money to treat you to dinner just now."

"Since you refused, I can only buy Xiaolan clothes as a way of thanking her."

Xiaoli covered her mouth in surprise: "You mean the money you just spent on clothes for Xiaolan is your last savings?"

Ziqiao waved his hand, not admitting it: "It's not that exaggerated, I still have money on me."

"Besides, I still have this big bag of boiled eggs, enough to last until my part-time pay comes in."

Xiaoli sighed. Xiaobu was such an honest man; he couldn't even lie.

If he really had money, why would he expect to survive on just a bag of boiled eggs until he gets paid?

Ziqiao couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he looked at Xiaoli's gaze.

Sometimes, you don't have to tell a perfect lie to make someone believe you.

Occasionally revealing a small, planned flaw, allowing the other party to think and deduce for themselves, will actually make them more convinced.

People tend to accept their own deductions as the truth.

Tell a flawed lie, and let the other person think along the loopholes you've designed, ultimately leading to the result you want.

This is the "throwing a brick to attract jade" technique from the Lüshi Chunqiu.

Just like...

Looking at Xiao Bu, who was penniless, Xiao Li finally made up her mind.

"Xiao Bu, how about I treat you to lunch?"

Ziqiao refused outright, but couldn't resist Xiaoli's repeated invitations and finally reluctantly agreed.

See? Rich people aren't necessarily any smarter than poor people.

Meanwhile, Yifei and Meijia finally found Ziqiao and Jiangzhouzi.