Ex-Girlfriend

Former Girlfriend

In the prosperous golden district stood a skyscraper that towered above the rest. This mountain-like structure was called Bauhinia Building. The entire magnificent building gleamed brilliantly beneath the sunlight, its transparent crystal-metal walls reflecting wave after wave of dazzling halos. Like a giant steel castle, it looked down upon the "small" buildings around it with lofty disdain, unrivaled in its arrogance.

Outside the building, high-end jet-powered maglev sports cars could be seen everywhere, streaking white trails across the blue sky as they sped in and out. At that moment, Mu Xiao arrived at the entrance as well. After parking his "cheap" little maglev scooter, he put on his employee badge and entered the building.

Bauhinia was a component manufacturing conglomerate. Many household robots used its parts, and the group's technology was highly mature, so there was good reason for it to have grown to such a scale.

The moment Mu Xiao entered the brightly lit, softly elegant lobby, light gathered beside him and formed a virtual beauty as tall as he was. She smiled faintly and said something along the lines of, "Welcome back to work..." The entire lobby was monitored by the AI system, which could invisibly scan the work cards linked to people's identities, so it knew exactly who Mu Xiao was.

Fortunately, I took measures to block the signals from all my weapons. Otherwise, if the company AI scanned the weapons on me, there'd be no end of trouble. Mu Xiao knew what kind of technology his company possessed, so he had naturally made thorough preparations.

Bauhinia's AI was extremely advanced. Mu Xiao could not possibly hack its system, but he still had the knowledge needed to fool its ordinary scans. After all, in the later stages of the Age of Evolution, human knowledge had advanced far beyond that of the present. Evolution did not only concern bloodlines and genes; intelligence had to evolve in step as well.

Mu Xiao was about to ask a colleague whether the company boss had come to work when a cute, clear voice like a mountain spring drifted over from nearby.

"Mu Xiao, why didn't you come say hello to us?"

At the front desk stood a pretty, clean-looking girl with fair skin. She pursed her lips in a sweet, silly smile and waved at Mu Xiao as he looked over. There was also a breathtaking beauty at the front desk, even more charming and alluring than the girl greeting him. However, her expression was somewhat cold, and she did not even glance at Mu Xiao.

The larger the company, the less likely it was to use virtual attendants generated by computers or robots at the front desk. They employed real staff instead, because using real people better conveyed the company's sincerity and regard for its guests.

Isn't this exactly the colleague I was looking for? Mu Xiao recalled his past memories. The girl greeting him now was called Lü Xiaoman, a former colleague and friend of his past self.

The river of time seemed to have washed everything away. Her youthful face now felt both real and dreamlike, as though he himself were the one who had grown old.

He would not deliberately seek out those ordinary memories from the past unless some opportunity brought them back to him naturally, like now. That only made it clearer that he was himself, rather than someone living in the past. He regarded the experiences and memories of his former self as nothing more than a movie. He would not succumb to some childish delusion and insert himself into them again, repeating the mistakes that had already been made.

Mu Xiao walked up to the front desk, his gaze sweeping once over the dazzling, charming beauty beside Lü Xiaoman. Her appearance was identical to the holographic beauty created by his home computer. Understanding dawned on him, and he thought, No wonder she gave me such a strong sense of déjà vu. So she was my past self's ex-girlfriend.

She was Xia Qian, the girlfriend who had broken up with Mu Xiao the day before yesterday.

Mu Xiao had no desire to pursue the matters of the past. Besides, the two of them were already over, and she was wearing such a cold expression. He did not even know whether she would survive what was to come, so naturally he would not make a fool of himself or humiliate himself by approaching her. He withdrew his indifferent glance and looked instead at Lü Xiaoman, the pretty, clean girl with slightly chubby cheeks. At a glance, one could tell she was a simple-minded young girl who was very easy to fool.

Mu Xiao intended to leave as soon as he had asked his question, but before he could speak, Lü Xiaoman spoke first. "Aren't you off today? Why did you come back to work? And you even got a haircut. This image doesn't suit your personality at all."

"Mm." Mu Xiao nodded perfunctorily. "There are some things..."

Before he could finish, Lü Xiaoman glanced at the still-cold Xia Qian beside her and deliberately lowered her voice. "Qianqian was with me last night. She told me about breaking up with you. Don't be sad. She still hasn't agreed to Manager Jin's pursuit. Hurry up and win her back..."

Before she could finish, Xia Qian's beautiful face darkened as she cut her off without ceremony. "Lü Xiaoman, you talk too much."

Lü Xiaoman cutely stuck out her pink tongue and did not dare continue. It was clear that she held a certain amount of awe toward Xia Qian.

Xia Qian looked at Mu Xiao with an indifferent expression. She had expected "Mu Xiao" to look at her with pleading eyes, then seize the chance to say sweet words and try to win back their relationship, hoping to make her change her mind. She had even expected him to come to work today, and his mention of "some things" only seemed to confirm her prediction.

But once a decision had been made, it could not be changed. Xia Qian had already prepared several ways to reject him. Yet the sweet words she expected never came. Instead, he looked as though nothing had happened, as if what had just been said had nothing to do with him at all. His gaze did not linger on her face in the slightest.

Was he still the Mu Xiao who spoiled me endlessly and loved me wholeheartedly? But hadn't he desperately tried to contact me last night? Could he really have figured everything out in a single night?

Xia Qian could not help feeling puzzled.

The current Mu Xiao could not be bothered with his former self's messy affairs. He treated her as someone completely unrelated and focused solely on taking care of his own business.

"Has Shangguan Yuanxin come to work?" Mu Xiao asked Lü Xiaoman.

This was the full name of Bauhinia Group's president. Subordinates generally would not rudely address their boss by her full name, so Lü Xiaoman froze for a moment. Seeing her blank, slightly foolish expression, Mu Xiao immediately realized she had not caught on and clarified, "I mean President Shangguan."

Lü Xiaoman suddenly looked enlightened. Just as she was about to scold Mu Xiao for being so disrespectful, someone spoke before her. It was not Xia Qian beside her, but a man's voice from behind Mu Xiao, filled with rebuke. "Mu Xiao, who gave you permission to address President Shangguan like that?! You have no respect for your superiors at all! How are you supposed to work in this company in the future?!"

Having been interrupted repeatedly and still unable to ask what he wanted, especially with time running short, Mu Xiao was already growing impatient. He turned and glanced at the man speaking. The man was well-groomed and full of swagger, with a fair, punchable face.

He was the "Manager Jin" Lü Xiaoman had just mentioned, the so-called romantic rival of Mu Xiao's former self.

Jin Gaoyi had spotted Mu Xiao, his rival in love, early that morning. He also knew that Xia Qian had already broken up with him, and assumed Mu Xiao had come to beg for reconciliation. He had therefore planned to come over and crush him a little, so that he would give up completely and surrender Xia Qian—a luscious beauty with full, rounded curves, a slim waist and wide hips, the radiance of a young girl and the alluring charm of a mature woman, every inch of her exuding temptation.

Jin Gaoyi had coveted Xia Qian's beauty for more than a day or two, and all employees below middle management knew it. Previously, "Mu Xiao" and Jin Gaoyi had been equals, but Jin Gaoyi had recently been promoted to manager, making him "Mu Xiao's" superior. From then on, Jin Gaoyi frequently made things difficult for "Mu Xiao," gradually lowering his standing in the company. Even Xia Qian, a practical woman, began to grow cold toward "Mu Xiao," until the two officially broke up yesterday.

Now, hearing "Mu Xiao" address President Shangguan so disrespectfully, Jin Gaoyi naturally seized on the mistake and refused to let it go. He was ready to make an issue of it, preferably knocking Mu Xiao down to the lowest ranks and eliminating any thought he might have of clinging to Xia Qian or rekindling their old relationship.

"Mu Xiao only said it too quickly. He's always been very polite at the company. He definitely didn't mean it... right, Qianqian?" Lü Xiaoman immediately spoke up for Mu Xiao. She even tugged Xia Qian's arm, hoping Xia Qian would help say a few words too. After all, they had still been a couple yesterday. If Xia Qian spoke up, perhaps Jin Gaoyi would let it slide for her sake.

"I don't know. Don't ask me." Xia Qian replied flatly, with no desire to get involved. Lü Xiaoman's pretty face immediately crumpled in worry for Mu Xiao.

When Jin Gaoyi heard her, he mistakenly believed she was trying to draw a clear line between herself and "Mu Xiao." His mood improved even further, and his gaze toward Mu Xiao was full of mockery and cold amusement. "Mu Xiao, do you admit that you were disrespectful just now? If you're willing to admit your mistake in front of everyone, I'll pretend none of this happened. Otherwise, I'll report this to management, and you won't be able to avoid punishment from above."

What he said was clearly intended to make Mu Xiao bow his head to him.

Mu Xiao's gaze was calm as water as he said something shocking. "If you want to be a servant, that's your business. But don't bark like a dog in front of me."

The moment the words left his mouth, Xia Qian, Lü Xiaoman, and Jin Gaoyi were all stunned, their minds unable to process it for a moment. The image of the former "Mu Xiao" as an agreeable, harmless man had been far too deeply ingrained. No one had expected this Mu Xiao's tongue to be so vicious.

Mu Xiao, who had experienced countless killings, was no longer the agreeable man he once was. Besides, he had originally been a man of the Moon, with an incomparable pride buried deep within him. Back then, that pride had not been ground away so much as deeply hidden. But now that he knew the world was about to change, what was there left for him to fear doing or saying?

"Mu Xiao!" When Jin Gaoyi came back to his senses, his furious voice involuntarily rose, drawing the attention of other employees and several guests. Blood rushed to his fair, punchable face, turning it crimson with rage. But sensing the gazes around him, he forcibly suppressed his anger and said through gritted teeth, "Mu Xiao, do you even know what you're saying?! Don't tell me you don't want this job anymore. If you don't apologize to me, then based on your two acts of disrespect toward your superior just now, you really won't need to keep working here."

At that moment, Xia Qian's gaze upon Mu Xiao grew increasingly strange and unfamiliar. Meanwhile, little Lü Xiaoman stood with her mouth slightly open, staring blankly at Mu Xiao with an adorably dumbfounded expression, unable to say a word.

Was this the rage of an honest man finally exploding? Lü Xiaoman's thoughts ran wild.

"An idiot who can't understand human speech." Mu Xiao did not want to waste time arguing with him. He turned away, refusing to look at Jin Gaoyi's face as it turned bluish-black.

Having been insulted again, Jin Gaoyi was both furious and resentful. Behind Mu Xiao's back, he gritted his teeth and said, "Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? Isn't it because I took your manager position and you're not convinced?! Or is it because I'm pursuing Xia Qian that you're unhappy?!"

When Xia Qian heard Jin Gaoyi drag her into the matter, she would normally have refuted him without giving him any face, given her usual self-centered personality. But Mu Xiao had been far too strange today. Wanting to test his attitude, she remained silent and watched to see how he would react.

But Mu Xiao's reaction disappointed her. There was none of the infatuation or devotion he had shown in the past—only a strange, detached expression. As a company receptionist, she could not fail to read people's expressions, so she was certain that Mu Xiao's indifference was genuine. It was the indifference of someone who truly did not care.

An emotion called unwillingness immediately stirred within Xia Qian's heart.

Women were just like that. Even after a breakup, a man's heart still had to remain tied to her for her to feel her unparalleled charm and presence.

"A dying man's words are nothing but a waste of breath." Mu Xiao ignored Jin Gaoyi, who continued spouting threats behind him, and kept asking Lü Xiaoman about Shangguan Yuanxin.

"The CEO has been coming in rather late lately. She hasn't started work yet." Lü Xiaoman answered Mu Xiao. At that moment, the virtual beauty by the entrance appeared. A peerlessly stunning woman entered the lobby under the escort of several female bodyguards. Even the virtual beauty's normally unchanging voice seemed to carry a hint of respect.

"Welcome, President Shangguan..."

Mu Xiao watched the person arriving at the entrance, a teasing smile curling across his lips. "The target has finally appeared."