On What Grounds

At seven o'clock the next morning, Chen Xu woke up on time as usual. Over the past month, he had developed a biological clock.

There were sounds coming from outside the window that differed somewhat from usual. Without guessing, he knew they had to be caused by Luo Xiyun, who had just moved in.

After a night's sleep, his mood had calmed considerably.

Actually, looking at it from another angle, from Luo Xiyun's perspective, having to live with a man who was practically a stranger made it perfectly normal for her to be more guarded. It was also a form of self-protection.

It was just that she did not care much about other people's feelings when she spoke.

Of course, why would someone like her usually need to care about other people's feelings?

Still, understanding her did not mean he could accept it. He was still somewhat upset.

If he had known from the start that this "Virtual Dream" could be so realistic—identical in both appearance and personality—he definitely would not have chosen a woman like Luo Xiyun to accompany him here.

At the company, Luo Xiyun had always been a figure of discussion.

In private, there was plenty of gossip about her. What people talked about most was her sharp tongue; she never spared anyone's feelings. As a result, she had offended quite a few people.

It was said that once, she had nearly made the company's Old Director unable to save face in public. In the end, the Old Director did nothing to her, but her reputation spread completely.

He had experienced it for himself now.

Honestly, there had been a moment last night when he had genuinely felt an impulse.

But it was only a thought. He could not bring himself to do something like that.

Although he often told himself that this was only a dream, the longer he stayed here, the less he could treat everything as nothing more than a dream.

At most, he could keep out of sight and out of mind.

That was what he thought, and that was what he intended to do.

After breakfast, he took his schedule and went to find Luo Xiyun. She lived next door, in what had originally been a coffee shop. He had later cleared it out to store daily necessities, then emptied it for her yesterday.

Just as he was about to knock, he noticed a newly installed intercom-style doorbell on the door. Clearly, it had been installed specifically for him. Its purpose was equally obvious: to hint that he should not enter without permission.

"So she spent the whole morning tinkering around just to install this?"

Thinking that, he pressed the doorbell.

"Come in." The voice from the intercom was slightly distorted.

Chen Xu opened the door and walked in.

As soon as he entered, he found the floor wet, and everything inside had been rearranged. The tables and chairs were neatly lined up.

Further in was an office, which was now her bedroom.

The bedroom door was open. Holding a towel, she was bent over, wiping the desk.

Chen Xu found it a little strange. "Didn't you just clean it yesterday?"

Strange as it was, he did not ask anything. Instead, he said, "Let's discuss how we'll divide the work."

Luo Xiyun folded the towel neatly and set it aside. "Let's talk outside."

The two walked out and found a table to sit at.

Chen Xu had just taken out the schedule when he saw her pull out a wet wipe and carefully wipe both hands. Understanding dawned on him. "So she's a germaphobe." He thought that this past month must have been very difficult for her.

Of course, that had nothing to do with him. Right now, he only wanted to finish the discussion quickly and leave as soon as possible.

"This is a list of the daily tasks I made. I've drafted a rough plan—it's this one. Take a look, and if there are no issues, we can discuss it further."

His plan was very simple: the heavy physical work would be Chen Xu's responsibility, while laundry, cleaning, organizing, and similar tasks would be Luo Xiyun's.

Luo Xiyun took the notebook and quickly read through it. Before long, she asked, "What areas are included under cleaning?"

"Just the common areas," Chen Xu said. "You don't need to worry about where I live, including the first floor. I'll take care of that myself."

Luo Xiyun nodded, indicating that she agreed with that point. She continued reading, and shortly afterward raised several questions in succession. Chen Xu answered them one by one.

Finally, Luo Xiyun finished reading the entire list and placed it on the table.

Chen Xu relaxed as well and said, "If there are no problems, then we'll tentatively settle on this division of work. If we think anything needs changing later, we can discuss it together."

After saying that, he was about to leave when he heard Luo Xiyun say, "There's one problem."

He had no choice but to sit down again. "Go ahead."

"I don't seem to see cooking and washing dishes listed here." Luo Xiyun voiced her question. "How do you plan to arrange that?"

"Oh, that."

Chen Xu said, "After thinking it over, I feel it would be better if we each handled our own."

Luo Xiyun looked at him for a long while before asking, "Why?"

Why? Did she really need to ask? Chen Xu simply said it outright. "That way, you won't have to force yourself to face me, and I won't have to feel awkward facing you."

Luo Xiyun stared at him steadily, a faint trace of disdain in her eyes as she said, "Is it because what I said yesterday made you lash out in embarrassment? You're a man—can't you show even a little gentlemanly grace?"

A stretch of silence followed.

"Why should I?"

After a while, Chen Xu spoke. His voice was not loud, but it carried a hint of mockery. "Just because I'm a man and you're a woman, you can disregard my feelings and say things that hurt my self-esteem. And even if I'm unhappy, I'm not allowed to show it?"

"Just because you're a woman, your family is rich, you're beautiful, and your position is higher than mine, I'm supposed to cater to your feelings in everything and disgust myself to accommodate you?"

"If that's what they call gentlemanly conduct, then I have this to say—"

Chen Xu enunciated every word. "To hell with gentlemanly conduct."

"You—" Luo Xiyun's face flushed slightly. It was unclear whether she was angry or anxious.

Since Chen Xu had already gone this far, he decided to let it all out. "Of course, I may not have the 'gentlemanly conduct' you keep talking about, but I still have basic principles. Since you look down on me, you don't need to worry about what I might do to you."

"Still, I'm a twenty-six-year-old man, perfectly normal inside and out. So there's no need for us to meet. It's better for both you and me."

After saying that, Chen Xu felt thoroughly relieved. There were things he had long wanted to get off his chest. In reality, no matter how dissatisfied he was, he often had no choice but to bottle it up.

Now that he was in his own dream, he could naturally say whatever he wanted without considering the consequences.

It didn't matter if Luo Xiyun got so angry at his words that she left. If she wanted to go, she could go.

He had already made it through one month. The remaining five months wouldn't be a problem. At a time like this, clearing his mind was what mattered most.

Chen Xu didn't look at Luo Xiyun's ugly expression. He turned and left.