Chapter 163: It's Just That He Looks Too Much Like Him

"If I hadn't heard that you have other pursuits in mind, I would have thought you've been slacking off lately." Xiaoxiao actually envied Nina, because she herself lacked the courage to act on every impulse like Nina did, doing everything according to her own whims and moods, with self-pleasing as her sole starting point. In the past, she felt the weight of her family's worries pressing on her shoulders, making it impossible to live a carefree life. Now, she had come to realize that deep down, she was simply not a free-spirited person. Her worldly attachments were too numerous, and moreover, she was quite willing to be bound by them. This was the difference between her and Nina, yet she felt there was nothing wrong with it—at least she feared loneliness, and now she no longer had to be held hostage by it.

Perhaps it was a matter of each taking what they needed; the less one possessed of something, the more one pursued it. As long as everyone found their proper place, what did it matter which path they walked?

Toward the end of their conversation, Nina once again emphasized her concerns regarding Cai Yirou, repeatedly urging Xiaoxiao not to invest too much effort. Though Xiaoxiao was left in the dark about the reasons, she agreed nonetheless.

Accompanying Cai Yirou to meet her blind date, Xiaoxiao found Cai Yirou's patience this time so exceptional that it felt almost surreal. Not only did she chat with the man for over an hour, but she also kept the atmosphere delightfully lively. Sitting quietly at the table behind them, Xiaoxiao listened in and genuinely felt happy for Cai Yirou from the bottom of her heart.

She pondered privately how she could help Cai Yirou without making Nina worry. The only solution was to successfully market Cai Yirou to this match. Based on her superficial understanding of Cai Yirou, as long as she could endure a two-hour conversation, it meant she was deeply interested; and if they managed a second meeting, the matter was practically settled.

Perhaps her luck had simply been good lately, with everything going smoothly—even the heavens seemed inclined to grant her wish. Cai Yirou ended up chatting with the man for a full two and a half hours. Had the man not been summoned back to work overtime by his supervisor at the last minute, they probably would have gone to dinner and a movie together.

After the man left, Xiaoxiao walked over and sat at Cai Yirou's table. Cai Yirou stirred her coffee, a smile playing at the corners of her lips.

"Has your heart been stirred by spring?"

Cai Yirou retorted, "Does it look like it?"

Xiaoxiao nodded firmly, prompting Cai Yirou to curl her lips in a pout. "Actually, I'm not very happy."

"How can that be?" Xiaoxiao asked in surprise. "Weren't you quite satisfied with his background, and didn't you two have such a wonderful chat?"

To her surprise, Cai Yirou lowered her head and fell silent for a long moment. Xiaoxiao could not see her expression, and when Cai Yirou finally raised her head again, her eyes were swimming with surging tears, which she stubbornly fought back to keep from falling.

"What's wrong? It's completely fine if you don't like him; I can find someone else for you." Xiaoxiao grew somewhat flustered. Although she had her own experiences of waking up crying from dreams every day, she still couldn't bear to see others cry.

Cai Yirou wiped away her tears. "This has nothing to do with you guys. I was just struck by the scene and touched by the past. The guy just now was really wonderful, it's just... it's just that in every single aspect, he is too much like him."

Him!

In an instant, Xiaoxiao understood. The person Cai Yirou was referring to was her ex-boyfriend.