053. Divorced and Unemployed

If Lin Shan were here right now, he would undoubtedly be speechless with astonishment, for the woman talking with Liu Ying was none other than the woman who had just been chatting with him on WeChat.

Zhu Zhu.

Zhu Zhu was twenty-eight years old. While not old, she had indeed passed a woman's prime years. She was not a local and currently worked an administrative job at a company. Belonging to the "moon-clan" who spent every penny they earned by the end of the month, she was still sharing an apartment with Liu Ying at this age.

Hearing this, Liu Ying, busy bustling about in the kitchen, blushed slightly and then said, "Zhu Zhu, stop talking nonsense. We're just normal friends."

Zhu Zhu let out a light huff, wearing a look of utter disdain as she said, "Friends? Tell me, Liu Ying, how old are you, and you still believe that? Is there ever a purely platonic friendship between a man and a woman? I certainly don't believe it. He even sent a gift like that; can you really say he has no designs on you? Come on, tell me, what is this man's background like?"

Zhu Zhu was not a native of Qiantang City, but she desperately wanted to stay there, so she had always been on the lookout for a wealthy local bachelor.

While wealthy local bachelors might be foolish, their parents certainly were not. Although she had dated a few men previously and managed to extract a bit of money, whenever the topic turned to marriage, those men would instantly vanish into thin air. Zhu Zhu was starting to grow somewhat anxious.

Liu Ying looked out the window in a daze.

"Well... how should I put it? I never expected him to be quite so wealthy either. Just a while ago, he was agonizing over his father's medical bills, but suddenly he seemed to become very rich overnight. It's a bit strange."

"How old is he?"

Liu Ying: "Thirty."

"Has he ever been married?"

Liu Ying looked at Zhu Zhu with a helpless expression, but finally answered, "He was married, but they're already divorced. His ex-wife was truly awful."

Hearing this, Zhu Zhu burst into laughter, walked into the kitchen, and teased, "Tsk tsk, you're already starting to speak up for him, aren't you? And his ex-wife is something else—with a man this wealthy, how could she bear to divorce him? If it were me, I'd definitely latch onto this long-term meal ticket for good."

Liu Ying shook her head and sighed inwardly.

She had long since known that Zhu Zhu was materialistic and realistic, but there was nothing she could do to change it. Besides this flaw, Zhu Zhu was an absolute gem as a friend, which was why the two of them had remained roommates for so long.

"Let's not talk about him anymore. Isn't that suitor of yours coming over for dinner in a little while? What are your actual plans regarding him?"

"Him..."

Speaking of this person, Zhu Zhu's expression turned somewhat helpless as she sighed softly, "Not a local, but his job is decent, barely passable I suppose. I'll observe him a bit longer. If there are no issues... I guess I'll settle for him."

With that, she gave Liu Ying a meaningful look. Inviting this suitor over for dinner today could be considered tossing him a small bone so he would continue to willingly let himself be reeled along by her. Yet a sudden thought crossed her mind: compared to Liu Ying, she herself was completely outclassed—would her own obedient lapdog catch sight of someone like Liu Ying and start harboring other ideas?

"Forget it, why worry about that? Liu Ying's big shot of a man will definitely be able to hold his own. As for me, I should figure out whether there's any possibility of establishing a connection with that big shot myself. Liu Ying, don't blame me, alright? Well, you know—when there's money to be made, shouldn't we make it together?"

At that moment, the doorbell rang. Liu Ying quickly said to Zhu Zhu, "Zhu Zhu, that should be my friend arriving. Could you please get the door for me?"

"You got it!"

Zhu Zhu hastily stood up and opened the front door. The person standing there was indeed Lin Shan. The moment Lin Shan saw Zhu Zhu, he froze for a split second, feeling that the woman in front of him looked somewhat familiar, though he couldn't quite place where he had seen her.

Meanwhile, the moment Zhu Zhu saw Lin Shan, she instantly took him in from head to toe and thought to herself: *Hmm... his clothes are all affordable everyday brands, and he doesn't have any luxury accessories. He doesn't look like a rich man at all. But that Hermès bag is definitely authentic. What's going on here? Could he be some penniless poser putting on a facade of wealth?*

A flurry of thoughts raced through her mind, but Zhu Zhu showed no sign of it on the surface. Instead, she said with extreme enthusiasm, "Hello there, please come in, come in."

Lin Shan smiled faintly, stepped into the apartment, and cast a glance around.

It was a three-bedroom, one-living-room unit with an area of around seventy square meters, which was very suitable for a family of three.

The decor was simple, cozy, clean, and tidy.

Hearing the commotion, Liu Ying emerged from the kitchen. She had tied her long hair into a high ponytail at the back of her head, wore an apron, and held a spatula in her hand, giving off a very domestic and virtuous vibe. Upon seeing that Lin Shan had arrived, she immediately said, "Lin Shan, have a seat for a moment longer, dinner will be ready in just a minute."

Lin Shan smiled and said, "No rush at all, take your time."

Liu Ying flashed a sweet smile and hurried back into the kitchen to continue working.

After sitting down, Lin Shan noticed that the woman opposite him kept staring at him. After watching her for a little longer, Lin Shan suddenly realized—wasn't this woman the exact same person he had been set up on a blind date with just a little while ago?

Yes... exactly.

Although her photos had been enhanced with filters and beauty settings, her real-life appearance wasn't too far off; she was easily a six out of ten, though one could tell she was getting slightly older.

This was truly awkward. Lin Shan had never expected that his blind date would turn out to be Liu Ying's roommate.

Naturally, Zhu Zhu couldn't have imagined it either, because Lin Shan's WeChat moments contained no selfies, leaving her completely unaware that the "wealthy tycoon" sitting across from her was someone she had already politely rejected.

"Hello, I'm Liu Ying's roommate, my name is Zhu Zhu."

Zhu Zhu extended her hand with immense warmth, acting completely unlike her online persona on WeChat. Lin Shan extended his hand and replied, "Hello, Lin Shan."

"Lin Shan?"

Zhu Zhu suffered a slight internal jolt, feeling that the name sounded somewhat familiar, but she didn't dwell on it. She glanced toward the kitchen and said, "You're really in for a treat today; Liu Ying's cooking skills are exceptional. I've always told her that even if she quit being a doctor, she could easily make a roaring success of herself just by working in any restaurant. We've been roommates for a year now, and you're actually the very first man she's ever invited over to the apartment for a meal."

"Is that so?"

Lin Shan looked toward Liu Ying's retreating figure, a subtle ripple stirring within his heart.

"Speaking of which, while quite a few men pursue Liu Ying, it's rare to find someone as generous as you. Big bro, what kind of work do you do?"

Lin Shan was momentarily taken aback, gradually catching the drift. So she was trying to fish for his background info! Lin Shan smiled faintly and said, "Right now, I suppose I'm an unemployed vagrant."

Zhu Zhu paused for a second, then forced a dry laugh and said, "Hehe, I get it—a freelancer!"

She grew increasingly suspicious of Lin Shan's true identity. At that moment, the doorbell rang once more. Zhu Zhu quickly said, "That must be my friend arriving."

With that, she stood up and opened the front door to find a man standing outside holding a massive bouquet of flowers. Seeing Zhu Zhu open the door, he eagerly thrust the flowers forward and said, "Zhu Zhu, these are for you!"

Zhu Zhu's expression turned cold. She accepted the flowers and said, "Thank you, come on inside."

The man stepped into the apartment and, upon noticing the presence of another male like Lin Shan, his expression instantly darkened.