Who wants to be a male model after being reborn? I want to be a male god.

Chapter 437 Keep your distance and don't interfere

Summers in Linjiang are always accompanied by a sticky, humid heat.

Xia Ning pushed open the door of that familiar coffee shop, and the air conditioning and the aroma of coffee beans wafted towards her.

She still remembered the last time she met Lan Qiusheng here.

It was already very late, and she was working idly in a coffee shop when Lan Qiusheng arrived.

Since reuniting with Xu Wen, Xia Ning has gradually calmed down and stayed in Linjiang again.

Xu Wen's presence was like a giant magnet.

Both she and Lan Qiusheng were asteroids orbiting him.

Xia Ning wasn't stupid; she could tell at a glance what had happened while she was away.

Moreover, it was Lan Qiusheng who took the initiative to make the invitation to her today.

What they need to do is not to embrace, but to define new boundaries for each other.

Just as Xia Ning was sitting in her seat lost in thought, the copper bell on the door rang crisply.

She looked up.

Lan Qiusheng walked in.

She wore a light khaki suit, with a clean cut that accentuated her tall and slender figure.

What's most striking is her hair.

Her original long, flowing hair was gone, replaced by a neat and tidy short bob.

Her hair was neatly tucked into the side of her neck, revealing her well-defined jawline and a small pearl stud earring on her earlobe.

Efficient, calm, with a touch of aloofness.

This was completely different from the petite, gentle-looking, and even somewhat timid girl Xia Ning remembered.

Xia Ning was slightly taken aback, and almost blurted out, "You got a haircut?"

Lan Qiusheng had already walked to the table, pulled out a chair and sat down, his movements carrying a businesslike efficiency.

"Yes, there's a lot going on at headquarters, and long hair is a hassle." She replied calmly, her gaze sweeping over the glass of lemonade in front of Xia Ning, without any further pleasantries.

The waiter came over at just the right time.

Lan Qiusheng ordered an iced Americano, and Xia Ning ordered a hot latte.

A brief silence filled the air between the two, with only the soft music playing in the café playing in their ears.

"How has he been lately?" Xia Ning asked cautiously.

This is a safe topic, and it's the only point of common ground between them.

"Busy." Lan Qiusheng's answer was still concise. An iced Americano was served, and she gently stirred the ice cubes in the glass with a small silver spoon. "Flash City is integrating the Jiangsu and Zhejiang markets. There are quite a few people watching the vacuum area left by Meituan."

She looked up, her gaze falling frankly on Xia Ning's face. "You're back. He's been quite happy these past few days."

Lan Qiusheng smiled, a rare occurrence for him.

Although it was a smile, Xia Ning could feel the scrutiny in that gaze.

She picked up the warm latte, the aroma of the milk foam soothing her mind.

"I just don't want to run away anymore. There are no answers outside." She looked at the brown liquid in the glass, her voice low.

She didn't mention Xu Wen or Ai, she only talked about herself.

This is her boundary.

Lan Qiusheng picked up her iced Americano and took a sip. The cold liquid slid down her throat, but her expression remained unchanged.

“There is no safe haven outside.” She put down her cup, her voice calm. “The storms along the river have swept away many people.”

Her gaze seemed to pierce through Xia Ning, looking towards a more distant place.

There is Hongjing Industrial, which has been seized, Gu Hong's empty villa, and Xu Wen's silent, protective figure.

The air stagnated again.

Gu Hong's name loomed between the two like an invisible ghost.

They were all caught up in that storm, experiencing it in different ways, yet their lives were all completely altered.

Xia Ning murmured the name "Gu Xingruo" as if touching a taboo.

This is the third star they cannot ignore; its light may be distant and dim, but it will always exist.

"Any news?" she asked Lan Qiusheng, more like confirming a reality they both knew. Lan Qiusheng paused for a moment while stirring the ice, then resumed his normal hand movements.

She shook her head, her short hair swaying gently with the movement.

"No." Her tone was flat, devoid of expectation or disappointment, only a cold calm.

"Xu Wen is guarding that house, her car, and her best friend is managing her bar. He said she will definitely come back."

"Do you believe me?" Xia Ning pressed, her gaze fixed on Lan Qiusheng.

She wondered if, deep down, this calm girl also harbored a sliver of hope.

Or perhaps they simply accept this absurd reality with a clear mind.

Lan Qiusheng fell silent.

This silence was longer than the last.

She looked out the window at the street, which appeared somewhat distorted under the blazing sun, with pedestrians hurrying by.

After a long while, she turned back and her gaze fell on Xia Ning's face again.

"Does it matter whether you believe it or not?" she asked rhetorically, her voice low. "What matters is that we all choose to stay in this vortex."

Soon she seemed to be searching for a more precise expression: "After the storm, the ruins are still there. I don't like ruins, but he is still in the ruins, and I like him."

This was the first time Lan Qiusheng had expressed his feelings for Xia Ning so openly.

If this had happened in the past, the girl in front of him would probably have already thrown a tantrum.

She recalled that when she first entered university, Xia Ning would always come over to assert her dominance.

“So, Xia Ning,” she called her name clearly for the first time, “we don’t need to be friends, but we have to coexist.”

Lan Qiusheng's words stripped away all the pretense of warmth and went straight to the heart of the matter.

They were not allies, but survivors forced to share the same ruins and the same center.

tacit agreement?

Perhaps.

Friendship?

Not available at the moment.

What they need are clear boundaries and a bottom line of not hurting each other.

“I understand.” Xia Ning took a deep breath and nodded.

She picked up her latte, but instead of clinking glasses, she simply raised her glass to Lan Qiusheng and began to drink it by herself.

Lan Qiusheng looked at her, his face devoid of any smile, and merely nodded very slightly in response.

She also picked up her iced Americano, took a big gulp, and felt the icy bitterness spread in her mouth.

The atmosphere remained delicate, but it seemed to have eased somewhat.

They reached a tacit consensus: to accept each other's existence, maintain distance, and not interfere with each other.

Xia Ning took out the familiar transparent little sugar jar from her canvas bag.

It no longer contains just lemon candy, but rather a variety of colorful, crystal-clear fruit hard candies.

She opened the lid, but instead of handing it to Lan Qiusheng, she picked out a candy wrapped in a light yellow wrapper—a lemon candy.

She unwrapped the candy and put the translucent yellow candy into her mouth.

Instantly, a pure sour taste exploded on her tongue, making her eyes squint slightly.

Lan Qiusheng looked at her sour expression, his gaze lingering for a moment on the candy jar in her hand and her tightly pursed lips.

She said nothing, but simply picked up her nearly empty iced Americano and drank the last bit of cold, bitter liquid in one gulp.

The cicadas outside the window continued their noisy chirping, and the sun was scorching.

In the café, two girls received the same "absurd" meal: one with an extremely sour candy in her mouth, and the other swallowing a cold cup of coffee.

What the future holds? They don't know.

All they knew was that from this day forward, they would rebuild their lives on these ruins, each without disturbing the other.

It's not because they like ruins.

It's simply because the people they love are in the ruins.

(End of this chapter)