Chapter 315: A Broken Man

Seeing the shock on Peng Sijue’s face, Gu You explained, “I’m not trying to flirt with you or start a romance. I’m just proposing a mutually beneficial arrangement. I can see that, like me, you dislike the meaningless complications of romantic relationships and the tedious emotions they bring. We both appreciate efficiency and simplicity. You strike me as a man who wouldn’t overthink if I suggested we sleep together.”

Peng Sijue understood and replied, “We do share some similarities, but this…”

“Let’s keep some dignity for the lady, shall we? Just send me your answer on WeChat later,” Gu You said, taking out her phone and handing over a QR code.

After a moment’s thought, Peng Sijue scanned the code and then left silently.

Ji Changxin left the counseling center angrily, muttering “bitch” under his breath. He remembered he hadn’t eaten lunch and walked into a noodle shop. The waitstaff were chatting and laughing, and he had to shout three times before one lazily replied, “We’re out of food.”

Fuming, Ji left the shop and bought instant noodles and mineral water from a convenience store. He wanted to buy cigarettes but resisted; he had quit smoking years ago.

After finishing his noodles, Ji stared at his phone, hesitating to dial a number. After several failed attempts, he finally made the call.

The phone rang, and a curt female voice answered, “Who is this?”

“It’s me, Yuanyuan, your father,” Ji forced a smile, as if she could see it through the phone.

“What do you want?”

“Just checking in on you. How have you been? Do you need money?”

“No.”

“How’s your mother?”

“She’s fine.”

Her answers were curt and uninterested. Ji continued, “Yuanyuan, is anyone bullying you at school? Remember to tell your dad if—”

“I’m hanging up if there’s nothing else.”

“I’m coming to see you this weekend…”

No response. He heard her talking to another man, “Babe, who’s that?” “Just the old man who left my mom. Now he’s trying to care about me. So annoying!” “Hah, these people are the worst! Why did he leave your mom?” “It’s all embarrassing stuff. I don’t want to talk about it.”

Unable to listen any longer, Ji hung up and angrily swiped his leftover noodles and water bottle off the table. A waiter shouted, “Hey, what are you doing?”

Ji grabbed his bag and left, with the waiter yelling after him, “Old man, come back and clean this up! Damn…”

Everyone despises me, even my own daughter, he thought. Anger and frustration welled up inside him. He spent the afternoon wandering the streets aimlessly, passing several bus stops before deciding to take the subway home as dusk fell.

It seemed he couldn’t be a psychologist anymore. Maybe he could move to another city and start over, but who would hire him at his age? It was all that woman’s fault! Women are all bitches! They all just want to be fucked by men, he fumed silently as he looked at the women in the subway station.

Sitting in the subway, Ji’s thoughts were troubled until he noticed a young woman in revealing clothing next to him. Her bare legs were just inches from his. He thought, This girl is flaunting her body, begging to be touched.

As his finger brushed her cool, smooth skin, he felt a surge of perverse pleasure. The girl, thinking it was accidental, moved her leg slightly. Ji smirked internally, feeling justified in his actions.

His hand moved further up, touching her waist. The thin fabric allowed him to feel her soft flesh, sending waves of pleasure through him. His fantasies took over, imagining himself in bed with her.

A loud shout shattered his dream, “What the hell are you doing, old man?”

Ji jerked his hand back, a boy in a leather jacket and dyed hair pointing at him. “Were you touching this girl? Huh, old man?”

“What are you talking about?” Ji feigned anger. “I could be your…”

The boy wasn’t having it. “I saw you touch her leg, then move your hand up. Girl, did he touch you?”

The girl, embarrassed, fled to the next carriage. “Don’t go,” the boy called after her, then turned back to Ji. “Pervert! Disgusting old man. Did anyone else see this?” He asked the crowd. A few people nodded, then more joined in.

Feeling humiliated and exposed, Ji tried to defend himself, “I was asleep. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The boy slapped Ji’s face. “You lying bastard! Come with me to the police!”

“You… you…” Ji stood up. “I’ll sue you for assault.”

“Go ahead!” The boy grabbed the overhead bar and kicked Ji in the stomach, sending him back to his seat, feeling nauseous.

People around cheered, “Good job!”, “Beat the pervert!”, “We’ll testify for you at the police station.”

Ji’s face turned red and pale with shame and rage. He realized that in today’s society, perverts are treated worse than criminals.

Psychologically analyzing the situation, he thought, people hate in others what they secretly desire for themselves.

Stop analyzing! He roared internally. The best thing to do now was to escape.

When the subway stopped, Ji bolted out the door…