Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

The two exchanged a few pleasantries, and the atmosphere gradually became natural. Li Xiangqian found that Ms. Zhang was indeed as his friend said, with a gentle personality, and she spoke in an orderly manner, which did not make people feel stressed. He gradually relaxed and even laughed out loud at a little joke she occasionally told.

"What do you like to do in your daily life?" Ms. Zhang asked with a hint of curiosity in her tone.

Li Xiangqian was stunned for a moment. This question caught him off guard. His life was too monotonous, and he had almost no hobbies worth mentioning. After pondering for a moment, he smiled and said, "Nothing special in daily life, just reading a book occasionally or walking around in the yard."

Ms. Zhang nodded, not showing any disappointment, but said seriously: "A simple life is good, at least it won't make people feel too tired."

Just as the two were chatting happily, the door of the teahouse was pushed open and a familiar figure walked in. Li Xiangqian's heart sank suddenly and the smile on his face froze. It was his ex-girlfriend, Liu Fang.

Liu Fang saw Li Xiangqian at a glance. She obviously didn't expect to meet him here, let alone that he would sit with a woman. She glanced back and forth between Li Xiangqian and Ms. Zhang, raised a meaningful smile at the corner of her mouth, and walked straight over.

"Xiang Qian, long time no see." Liu Fang's voice was a bit teasing, breaking the silence at the table.

Li Xiangqian's face turned a little ugly, but he quickly adjusted his mood and forced a smile: "Liu Fang, why are you here?"

"I was just about to ask you something." Liu Fang's eyes fell on Ms. Zhang, with a hint of sarcasm in her tone, "Who is this?"

Ms. Zhang obviously felt that the atmosphere was not right, but she did not show panic, just smiled and said: "Hello, I am Xiang Qian's friend."

"Friends." Liu Fang said in a long voice, looking at Li Xiangqian meaningfully, "It seems that Xiangqian's life has been quite rich recently."

Li Xiangqian was unhappy, but he knew that he couldn't have a conflict with Liu Fang in such an occasion. He suppressed his anger and said calmly: "Liu Fang, since we just met by chance, let's just chat casually. Don't say anything that could lead to misunderstanding."

Liu Fang sneered and did not respond to his words. Instead, she sat down by herself: "Don't worry, I'm just saying hello. I won't delay your 'friends' gathering."

Ms. Zhang looked at Li Xiangqian, then at Liu Fang, and seemed to understand something. She stood up and said with a smile, "Xiangqian, I suddenly remembered that I have something else to do. Let's talk about it another day."

"Ms. Zhang..." Li Xiangqian wanted to persuade her to stay, but when the words came to his lips, he found that he couldn't say them. He could only watch Ms. Zhang leave, feeling annoyed and helpless.

Liu Fang looked at Li Xiangqian with a smug smile on her face: "Xiangqian, it seems you are quite busy. Are you going on a blind date so soon?"

"Liu Fang, what on earth do you want to do?" Li Xiangqian finally couldn't help but said with a hint of anger, "We have already separated, do you still want to mess with my life?"

Liu Fang shrugged, still with that provocative smile on her face: "Don't be so excited, I was just passing by, saw an old friend, and said hello. What, are you feeling guilty?"

"I have no guilty conscience." Li Xiangqian said coldly, with hidden anger in his eyes, "But I hope you understand that we no longer have any relationship. Please don't interfere in my affairs anymore."

Liu Fang's expression turned cold. She stood up and looked down at Li Xiangqian: "Xiangqian, you are still the same as before, without any responsibility. No wonder our relationship has come to an end."

After saying that, she turned and left, leaving Li Xiangqian with a complicated expression. He sat there, feeling extremely complicated, angry at Liu Fang and regretful about what happened just now. He knew that today's blind date was completely ruined, and all this seemed to be another joke played by fate on him.

Li Xiangqian was in a terrible mood after he came out of the teahouse. He walked hurriedly, as if he was trying to escape from something. People were coming and going on the street, and the hawking sounds were heard one after another, but all of this seemed to become background noise in his ears. His mind was filled with Liu Fang's face and the harsh words just now: "You are still the same as before, without any responsibility."

"Responsibility? Ha, what right does she have to say that I don't have responsibility!" Li Xiangqian was furious, his brows knitted, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly. He clenched his fists, his nails almost dug into his palms, but he didn't feel any pain. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down, but the irritability was like a thorn, stuck in his heart, and he couldn't pull it out.

He walked aimlessly and finally stopped in front of an inconspicuous little shop. There was a slightly old plaque hanging at the door of the shop, and the doors and windows were covered with a layer of dust, which seemed to be a quiet business. He pushed the door open and the wind chimes on the door made a crisp sound, breaking the silence in the shop.

"Welcome." An old voice came from behind the counter.

Li Xiangqian looked up and saw an elderly man sitting behind the counter. He was wearing a pair of thick glasses and was looking down at a book. The old man looked up at him with a scrutinizing look in his eyes, but he didn't ask any more questions.

"Is there a place to sit?" Li Xiangqian's voice was low and a little tired.

The old man pointed to a corner of the store and said, "Sit anywhere you want. No one will bother you."

Li nodded forward and walked to a small table in the corner and sat down. The table was close to the window, but the curtains were half-drawn, so not much light could get in. He leaned back in his chair and sighed deeply, his mind in a mess. He felt like he was trapped in a whirlpool, the more he struggled, the deeper he went, without even a chance to breathe.

"What would you like to order?" The old man came over with a menu in his hand.

Li Xiangqian took the menu, flipped through a few pages, and ordered a cup of tea and a simple snack. He knew he wasn't actually hungry, but at this moment, he needed some time to calm down.

The tea was served quickly, with steam rising and a faint fragrance. Li raised the teacup forward, but found that his hands were shaking slightly. He frowned, put the cup down, crossed his hands together, clenched them tightly, and tried to calm his inner fluctuations.

"You look worried." The old man's voice sounded again, with a hint of concern.

Li Xiangqian raised his head, glanced at the old man, hesitated for a moment, and finally shook his head: "Nothing, just a little trouble."

"Young people, everyone has some worries." The old man sat opposite him, speaking calmly and slowly, "But some things may make you feel better if you talk about them."