Chapter 138: The Ex-Girlfriend Strikes (Please Subscribe and Vote)

The second time he encountered Joe Lu, he was dragged off to a singles night party, drank himself senseless, and missed his own wedding; his fiancée ran away. Later, after moving into the Love Apartment, he took the bar exam for lawyers again and again, always failing, and when he finally passed, he never won a single case. Misfortune followed him endlessly, but Xiao Xie didn’t bother listing them all—in any case, ever since Zhang Wei appeared, he had been unlucky without pause.

At this moment, Zeng Xiaoxian, freshly off the phone, ran over excitedly, slapped the sofa, and said, “Lisa just called—tomorrow night’s guest on my show is a famous beauty, a renowned journalist!”

Lin Wanyu’s face stiffened at his words. Lu Zhanbo, shocked, asked, “A famous… courtesan?”

Zeng Xiaoxian, realizing Lu Zhanbo’s misunderstanding, hurriedly explained, “A famous entertainment reporter! I heard she’s a big name, and she’s just won the Pulitzer Prize.”

Joe Lu, puzzled, asked, “Isn’t Pulitzer a tire brand?”

Shenqi Guangu explained, “No, it’s an international journalism award. It’s well-known even in Japan!”

Zeng Xiaoxian grinned mischievously. “Not only that, she’s also a columnist for National Geographic Magazine!”

Joe Lu, feigning erudition, interjected, “Geography, the subject I hate most in exams. Free fall, acceleration, centrifugal force! All those formulas—my head feels like it’s going to explode!”

“Pfft!” Hearing Joe Lu’s solemn nonsense, Xiao Xie sprayed his drink everywhere.

Lu Zhanbo added, “Joe, I think you mean physics.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

“So this is Teacher Zeng’s guest—not bad looking!” Xiao Xie searched for recent news about the Pulitzer Prize and found a photo of the latest winner. With a mischievous smile, he said, “Let’s have a look.”

“A beauty, you say?” Joe Lu immediately crowded over to Xiao Xie to see for himself.

“Really? Let me see…” Zeng Xiaoxian took the phone, looked smugly at the screen, then suddenly, as if struck, threw the phone away and collapsed to the floor, despair etched across his face. “Laura? How could it be Laura?! Out of everyone in the world, how could my guest be her?!”

Lin Wanyu went over to help Zeng Xiaoxian up, asking, “Teacher Zeng, what’s wrong?”

Zeng Xiaoxian didn’t answer, mumbling to himself. Lin Wanyu comforted him, “Why don’t you sit down for a moment?”

“That’s a good idea!” Zeng Xiaoxian nodded, attempting to return to the sofa, but instead landed squarely on the floor.

“Are you alright, Teacher Zeng?” Joe Lu and Lu Zhanbo quickly helped him onto the sofa.

Chen Meijia asked curiously, “Teacher Zeng, who is Laura?”

Zeng Xiaoxian muttered, “She’s my nightmare—my nightmare!”

Lu Zhanbo asked, “Didn’t you say my sister was your nightmare?”

Hearing this, Hu Yifei shot Lu Zhanbo a fierce glare, instantly silencing him.

Zeng Xiaoxian, utterly distraught, cried, “Yes, my god! Now I have two nightmares!”

Lin Wanyu comforted him, “Teacher Zeng, do you know this Laura?”

Zeng Xiaoxian, flustered, stammered, “I know her all too well! So many things happened between us, it’s very complicated. To be brief—well, it’s a long story!”

Xiao Xie knew Laura was a knot in Zeng Xiaoxian’s heart; otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone to see a therapist. But this was a knot he had to untie himself—no one could help.

“Take your time,” Lin Wanyu handed him a glass of water.

Zeng Xiaoxian took a sip, calmed himself, and said, “She dumped me.”

“That’s not exactly a long story,” Lin Wanyu replied, puzzled at his strong reaction.

At that moment, Hu Yifei suddenly interjected, “This Laura—she’s the one who cheated on you, isn’t she?”

“Oh!” Everyone exchanged glances, understanding dawning on their faces.

Zeng Xiaoxian, exposed by Hu Yifei’s blunt question, cried out in despair, “I told you, both of them are my nightmares!”

Now everyone understood why Zeng Xiaoxian reacted so intensely. They all knew he’d been cheated on, and now the infamous woman was to be his guest, Laura.

“Teacher Zeng, isn’t she your ex? Why not take the opportunity to catch up, or talk about something else?” Joe Lu joked, for him, a notorious playboy, such matters were trivial.

“Heh, catch up? Should I recall the pain of my past, or look forward to whether my future will be even more miserable?” Zeng Xiaoxian babbled incoherently.

“Teacher Zeng, aren’t you overreacting? It’s been so long!” Lin Wanyu felt he was making too much of it.

“It’s precisely because it’s been so long! I’ve forgotten her—I never want to see her again, never want to hear anything about her!” Zeng Xiaoxian shouted, agitated.

Chen Meijia soothed him, “Teacher Zeng, breakups happen every day. Try to let it go.”

Zeng Xiaoxian seemed to recall his pain, lowering his head, murmuring, “We were together for eight years. In the end, she told me, ‘You’re a good man, truly outstanding! You should…’”

“You should find a girl who loves you more than I do! Please, every lousy movie uses that line!” Hu Yifei interjected, exasperated.

Lin Wanyu sighed, “Eight years is tough for any girl.”

“I agree—it’s not easy, especially since I later learned she spent six of those eight years cheating on me!” Zeng Xiaoxian broke down, his world darkening.

Xiao Xie thought to himself, this wouldn’t do; he needed to distract Teacher Zeng. Teasing, he said, “Teacher Zeng, if you care so much, could it be you’re still a… virgin?”

Zeng Xiaoxian’s face turned ashen at the brutal revelation.

“A virgin, hahahaha… You and Laura were together for eight years…” Hu Yifei was nearly hysterical with laughter.

Everyone else, hearing Xiao Xie’s words, burst into laughter as well.

“Xiao Xie, I hate you!” Zeng Xiaoxian yelled, seeing everyone laughing.

“Teacher Zeng, some things you can’t escape. You have to face them, so—good luck!” Xiao Xie said earnestly.

“I understand. I’ll give it a try,” Zeng Xiaoxian resigned himself.

…

The next morning, Apartment 3601 next door was lively—Zeng Xiaoxian’s ex-girlfriend Laura arrived in person.

“Xiao Xie, Teacher Zeng’s ex is here—come see the drama!” Chen Meijia held a bag of popcorn in one hand, a soda in the other, clearly relishing the spectacle.

“Let’s go! We should give Teacher Zeng some moral support!” Joe Lu said, impatiently opening the door.

Xiao Xie shook his head helplessly and followed, with Guangu as well.

In the living room of Zeng Xiaoxian’s apartment, Laura had her arm linked with Zeng Xiaoxian’s. “Xian’er, it’s been so long,” she said.

“Xian’er?” Xiao Xie and the others exchanged glances, feeling goosebumps.

Laura, arm in arm with Zeng Xiaoxian, sat on the sofa, gazing at him tenderly. Zeng Xiaoxian, unable to resist her gentle affection, looked at her, utterly captivated.

“Xian’er, it’s been six hundred and sixty-four days since we last met!”

Zeng Xiaoxian asked in surprise, “You remember?”

Laura replied deeply, “How could I forget? Your eyes, your face, your nose, and even your wild hair!”

Zeng Xiaoxian, incredulous, asked, “You really remember all that?”

“Of course, otherwise why would I come on your show?”

“Laura!”

“Xian’er!”

“Laura!”

…

Everyone listened to their exchange, shivering with embarrassment. Chen Meijia whispered, “Isn’t this way too mushy?”

Lin Wanyu muttered, “Teacher Zeng is doomed! Even his hair’s standing on end!”

“Didn’t you say just now Teacher Zeng was a mighty ocean liner?” Lu Zhanbo asked curiously.

Lin Wanyu sneered, “He’s the Titanic. I always knew he’d sink sooner or later, but I never expected him to go under so quickly—or so completely!”