"Ah...my head hurts."
Liu Xin'an rather liked this reclining chair, but it wasn't easy to clean after it got wet.
Looking at the chair he had moved back in from the balcony, dripping wet, Liu Xin'an couldn't help frowning.
If he was at home, a simple "Mom" would have solved the problem, but now he had to deal with it himself.
After a long thought and not coming up with a good solution, Liu Xin'an earnestly decided to first wipe the chair dry and then just left it aside.
He'll deal with it once it's dry.
Back in the living room, Liu Xin'an began to wait for his breakfast (or lunch), but before the takeout arrived, he got a phone call from his mom.
Ever since he misunderstood his Mom's intentions on the first day, he hadn't called home again.
Although his family had always had a hands-off policy, this was still the first time Liu Xin'an had traveled so far, and his family was definitely worried.
Liu Xin'an had no reason not to answer the call, so he picked it up and turned on the speakerphone.
Soon, his mother's familiar voice filled the quiet living room.
"Hello, how's everything going?"
Look at that, what a distant greeting that was.
Liu Xin'an grumbled to himself internally, but he still faithfully replied aloud.
"Not bad."
"I saw it was raining over there. You didn't get soaked, did you?"
"Of course not." How could he get drenched when he hadn't even gone out?
"I thought so. You're the type who won't step outside your door unless there's a hole in the roof; how could you possibly get wet?"
Years of living in Huaxia had honed Liu Xin'an's mother's Mandarin to a native level.
Perhaps it was from his mother that he inherited his linguistic talent.
"Mom, you really know me."
"Of course, are you getting accustomed to living there? I saw that you ate fried chicken yesterday? Eat less of that stuff, it's not good for your health, very greasy."
His mother began to nag tirelessly, which gave Liu Xin'an a headache, but he also knew this was his mother's way of showing care, so he just had to grit his teeth and listen.
"Yes, yes, all right, stop preaching, will you? I've run so far away, and you still can't forget to give me lectures, can you?"
"Otherwise? You think you can be independent?"
"Why not!" Liu Xin'an felt quite indignant. He could wash his clothes, tidy up his room, and prepare everything himself.
He wasn't short of money, his job was good, and he didn't look bad either.
How could he not be independent?
But his defiance dissipated with his mother's next sentence.
"Fine, then find yourself a girlfriend."
He was already 27 years old this year, not exactly a young age in his home country.
Many of his friends of the same age were already parents by now. How unlike him, still a solitary singleton.
"Mom...do you really have to rush me?"
"Mmm-hmm. Whose child would still not be dating at 27? You want to grow old alone without anyone to take care of you, that it?"
"But finding a girlfriend isn't like hiring a caretaker. Who would want to do that?"
"Hey, you unlucky kid!"
When she couldn't win the argument, she'd get angry. This was his mother's usual tactic.
Familiar with this routine, Liu Xin'an casually shook his leg.
"You're the one coming at me. If you really want me to get married that badly, why don't you introduce someone to me?"
"Oh? Haven't I introduced someone to you? Isn't it because you're so picky, turning down this one, turning down that one?"
Liu Xin'an had indeed been on quite a few blind dates. Personally, he wasn't too averse to the idea of marriage and having children.
So, he wasn't particularly opposed to blind dates either.
But... With a tall stature, handsome features, a good job and savings, it truly wasn't easy for Liu Xin'an to find a girl who suited him.
Firstly, in terms of looks... his own appearance was there for all to see, he couldn't possibly settle for a plain-looking girlfriend, right? What if they had children and they didn't inherit his looks? Wouldn't that be a disaster?
Moreover, a relationship required equal values.
If even the income levels weren't on the same page, how could they fall in love without any reservations?
And the last point... his job.
Although Liu Xin'an's job may seem easy, he was still somewhat of a public figure.
Being busy with work and having no time to take care of a girlfriend was one thing; wanting to be his girlfriend would mean dealing with a lot of pressure.
Sometimes even Liu Xin'an, who had been a content creator for quite some time, would be overwhelmed by some of the keyboard warriors in the comments. If it were an ordinary person… Who could withstand such a barrage of abuse?
So, taking the above three points into account...
Beautiful, wealthy, unperturbed by his job and resilient to pressure, and preferably someone more famous than himself - that was Liu Xin'an's ideal girlfriend profile.
Finding someone who met even one of these criteria was hard enough, let alone someone who combined all three...
Unless the heavens took pity on him and delivered someone right to his doorstep, Liu Xin'an felt it was unlikely he'd ever meet such a person in his lifetime...
"Ding-dong~"
The doorbell rang, Liu Xin'an was startled, a look of disbelief flashing in his eyes.
Holy shit, did the heavens really open their eyes?
"Mom, gotta hang up now."
"Huh? Hello?"
Liu Xin'an, on an impulse, hurried to the door. He opened it excitedly and was stunned by the girl standing in front of him.
He examined Bae Juhyun from head to toe and finally sighed.
Apart from the first point, he didn't think the girl in front of him met the other two.
```
Um...maybe having money is also important here? The houses here are not cheap, and Bae Juhyun has said her house was bought with her own money.
"Why do you look so disappointed?"
She had been planning to apologize to Liu Xin'an once again and then mention that she might temporarily move out these days, but Liu Xin'an's clearly disappointed look piqued her curiosity.
Seeing her looking so dejected after opening the door...could it be Liu Xin'an was actually waiting for someone?
Had he made friends other than her already, even though he just moved in?
"I thought my takeout had arrived."
Bae Juhyun huffed, about to speak, when suddenly the sound of the elevator behind her gave her a start.
Wait a minute...
Takeout?
She looked up at Liu Xin'an's expression and saw him smiling at something behind her.
In an instant, Bae Juhyun realized something.
She couldn't let the delivery guy recognize her!!
So, she grabbed Liu Xin'an and swiftly circumvented him, darting into Liu Xin'an's apartment.
This series of actions left Liu Xin'an stupefied, while the delivery guy gave him a knowing eyebrow raise.
"Had a fight with your girlfriend?"
"Ah? No, she's not my girlfriend..."
"Come on, just try to sweet talk her a bit, girls need to be coaxed."
The delivery guy wore a "I get it" expression and earnestly advised the bewildered Liu Xin'an, leaving behind a cool figure.
Only after watching the delivery guy disappear into the elevator did Liu Xin'an turn around in confusion.
Similarly, only after hearing the elevator door close did Bae Juhyun dare to peek out.
She was afraid of being recognized by the delivery guy...that's why she ran so desperately into Liu Xin'an's place.
But now that everything was calm, Bae Juhyun also felt that her actions had been somewhat outrageous.
Bae Juhyun, her cheeks tinged with red, apologized to Liu Xin'an with a polite bow.
"I'm sorry, I thought you might be a bad person just now..."
This was the best excuse she could come up with on the spot.
Hearing this, Liu Xin'an's expression turned odd as he looked around and then lowered his voice.
"...Did you offend someone?"
Good, her brain wasn't the only one making wild jumps.
Upon hearing Liu Xin'an's guess, Bae Juhyun was stunned.
But to support one lie often requires many more to fill it in.
Now that it had come to this, Bae Juhyun could only bite the bullet and nod.
"Yes...I've offended someone, so I may leave for a while in a few days."
She incidentally mentioned the real reason for her disturbance.
Of course, she couldn't tell the whole truth about what she was going to do, but with this excuse as a prelude, she would be able to smoothly cover up her actual intentions.
"Oh my...then you should leave quickly. Don't worry, I'm tight-lipped. No matter what people ask, I won't tell," Liu Xin'an reassured her, patting his chest with a "thump, thump."
Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to fully trust a friend he had known for only a few days; his words were merely a polite formality.
If Bae Juhyun really had offended some nefarious organization, he...would definitely explain the truth about these past days.
After all, he's just an ordinary person, not worth risking his life for Bae Juhyun.
Meanwhile, he was also considering whether he should distance himself from Bae Juhyun in the future.
This person...to be honest, is quite mysterious.
Liu Xin'an's "attitude" made Bae Juhyun's mouth twitch.
She had an inexplicable feeling that she shouldn't have told this lie.
But the words were already out, and to take them back now would make it seem like she was insincere.
So, Bae Juhyun honestly walked out of Liu Xin'an's apartment and gave him a grateful look.
"Thank you."
"No big deal!"
Another misunderstanding had been unwittingly added to the list.
----------
Because she had a new schedule, even though it was two months away, on the first day of the New Year, Bae Juhyun agreed to her sisters' invitation to return to the dormitory to maintain her condition.
She didn't have many belongings to take with her; her things at the dormitory were well-kept.
So, after simply packing up her commonly used electronics, Bae Juhyun left home with her bag in hand.
While waiting for the elevator, she gazed wistfully at her neighbor's closed door across the hall.
She was still troubled by her own far-fetched lie.
She had never intended to go and never come back; the dorm leader had already said that this family concert was merely to gauge the fans' receptiveness.
No matter the outcome, she still needed to lie low for a while.
Later, she would still return to live here, and so would continue to deal with this neighbor, who matched her preferences quite well.
Um...don't misunderstand; her so-called preferences simply mean she thinks the person is a very good friend, not that she has any romantic feelings or anything.
This is a crucial period!
Bae Juhyun, you absolutely cannot slip up!
Bae Juhyun cautioned herself in this way.
```