88: Chapter 88: It's like seeing my former self.

As soon as they sat down, Gao Wenqiang couldn't wait to start his "confrontation" with Zhao Xiaoshuai.

"I'm three years older than Wenwen, and this Mr. Zhao looks quite a bit older than me. May I ask how old you are this year?"

Asking a stranger's age right off the bat is considered somewhat impolite anywhere. The elders all frowned slightly, but Zhao Xiaoshuai maintained an indifferent attitude.

"Thirty."

Gao Wenqiang felt relieved. Meng Yawen hadn't had her 22nd birthday yet, and he was a little over three years older than her at 25. This man was clearly a bit old.

"And what do you do for a living?"

"I don't have a specific job. I just wander around the city every day."

"Then, if I may be so bold as to ask, do you have a relationship history?"

"I have."

Meng Yawen was a bit unhappy. "Brother Wenqiang, what are you doing? Are you conducting a background check?"

Gao Wenqiang gave Meng Yawen an apologetic look before continuing.

"Mr. Zhao asked me earlier why I think I'm more suitable for Wenwen."

"I'm 25 this year. In terms of age, I'm certainly more suitable."

"Although I haven't found a job yet, with my academic credentials, I believe it won't be too difficult to find a position in Chuncheng with an annual income of two to three hundred thousand."

"Finally, Wenwen is the first and only girl I've ever liked. I will treat her with devotion for the rest of my life!"

"I gave up my potential future and development in Beijing to return to Chuncheng just for Wenwen. I can give up everything for her. Can you?"

Zhao Xiaoshuai smiled and placed his hand on his little girlfriend's leg under the table to soothe her emotions.

In this refined boy, he actually saw a few traces of his own youthful and naive self.

"There's nothing much to say about age. Dong Ge is a full eighteen years older than Milk Tea Sister."

"And I'm confident that when I'm forty, I'll still be far healthier and stronger than you are now."

"Whether it's strength, endurance, or anything else, I have that confidence. As my fitness coach, Wenwen definitely knows better than you."

Zhao Xiaoshuai was, of course, relying on his attribute boosts, although attribute points weren't something one could just set and forget.

He had only done fitness for fat loss and hadn't undergone much heavy strength training; all his strength was obtained through system mission rewards.

By this morning, his strength had dropped a point, and the long periods of continuous combat had also caused Kidney Bro to drop a point.

But even so, his speed in acquiring attribute points was still more than enough to support a continuous stream of attribute enhancement.

So he had absolute confidence that even at forty, when physical functions decline more rapidly, he could maintain a body far stronger and healthier than the average young adult.

"As for work, you've just come out of school and perhaps hold many unrealistic fantasies. You have no idea how far academic credentials have devalued these days."

"But let's assume you can find a job with an annual salary of three hundred thousand. And suppose you can squeeze out the old fogies holding onto their positions in the company, get promoted, and get raises, saving an average of three hundred thousand a year."

"Then in ten years, you'll only have earned three million."

"Not counting the small things I've given Wenwen, a car and a house already exceed three million. And that's not the end of it; I'll continue to give in the future. I can satisfy whatever Wenwen wants."

Zhao Xiaoshuai was being very honest. He really did just wander around all day, but that didn't mean he had no money.

Gao Wenqiang's eyes widened. Although he believed he would earn far more than three to five million in his lifetime, he absolutely refused to believe the man before him could casually give away three million worth of property and a car.

Suddenly, he remembered the fleeting glimpse of the Porsche he'd caught before coming upstairs. It was as if he'd been struck by a bolt of lightning. Looking at the calm expressions of the Meng parents and Meng Yawen, a truth he didn't want to believe seemed to have become clear.

"What's so great about having money! I can also give Wenwen a good enough life. The most important thing is still feelings!"

"Of course, the most important thing is feelings," Zhao Xiaoshuai said. Although he didn't really believe that anymore, it didn't stop him from following Gao Wenqiang's lead.

"I was just following your lead earlier. Speaking of feelings, from the very beginning, you never seemed to ask for Wenwen's opinion. You just confessed and spoke of your sacrifices to yourself."

Zhao Xiaoshuai straightened up and spoke with a slight sense of pressure. "You're just moving yourself. You're the only one who cares about the sacrifices you've made, but how much emotion is actually gained is a matter between two people."

Of course, the most cruel thing was something Zhao Xiaoshuai didn't say out loud.

One person exhausts everything to give their 100, while another might not be as sincere but gives one million.

As for which one is more important, everyone has their own answer. This isn't about right or wrong; it's just naked reality.

Gao Wenqiang was somewhat speechless. Just as he was about to force an argument, Meng Yawen grabbed Zhao Xiaoshuai's hand, their fingers interlocking.

"I've already decided that I'll only like Xiao Shuai for the rest of my life. I'm grateful that you like me, but I've always thought of you as a brother. You're a good man, and you'll definitely find a better girl than me in the future."

Gao Wenqiang looked quite dejected.

The emotion given by one party and the emotion received by the other are two different things.

Zhao Xiaoshuai understood this all too well.

He once believed that effort would be rewarded.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for either relationships or work.

A boss wants profit and value. If you can't bring him enough profit, working overtime until you vomit blood is useless. You're not even worth a single leg hair of a big client's son who was shoved into the company to pad his resume and engage in Slacking off.

What a girlfriend actually wants is also value—emotional value and material value.

These values are in companionship, in responses, in satisfaction, in cosmetics, in luxury goods, and in everything she wants.

People really do have a favorability rating. Every time you disappoint her, it might be -1; every time you satisfy her emotional or material needs, it might be +1.

After getting Cheat Dad, all of this was clearly visible to Zhao Xiaoshuai.

If it were ten or so days ago, Gao Wenqiang's conditions in all aspects would indeed have far surpassed Zhao Xiaoshuai's.

Even if Zhao Xiaoshuai had chosen to work hard at a major internet company after graduation, he would be nothing more than a balding powerhouse now, not much better than Gao Wenqiang.

But talking about personal conditions now, Zhao Xiaoshuai couldn't even be considered a bully anymore.

This was a crushing defeat across dimensions. Even if the richest man in Chuncheng came today, it would be the same.

However, comparing conditions and capital is for bidding.

The most important thing in a relationship is still who she actually likes, or rather, who can better satisfy everything she wants.

But in this regard, Zhao Xiaoshuai still crushed him. He had captured Meng Yawen's heart long ago, and her favorability clearly proclaimed this fact.

"There's nothing wrong with liking someone."

"But being 'trash' is the original sin. It's true in games, and it's also true in life."

"Strive to live as your best self. A person's life won't be ruined by a single day or a single person. The right person will be waiting for you in your future."

Zhao Xiaoshuai didn't humiliate Gao Wenqiang excessively. Instead, he spoke some sincere words—words not just for Gao Wenqiang, but also for his younger self in other parallel universes.

Looking at the two people with their fingers interlocked, gazing warmly at each other, Gao Wenqiang felt another surge of blood rush to his head. But the other man's words left him with no way to argue. In a fit of impotent rage, he pushed the table aside and left the Meng Family home.

"Oh, look at this child! Old Meng, I'm really sorry about today. I have to go check on my son."

"It's fine, Old Gao, we're close. Young people are just prone to being impulsive. Give him some advice when you get home. Go on."

With the Gao father and son suddenly leaving, it seemed only "family" were left in the house.

The atmosphere changed once again.