Transmigrated as a vicious stepmother, I raised a child who became a heartthrob.

Huo Wang held the irregularly shaped coconut in his hand and sighed heavily. Dating is really annoying.

She's genuinely sweet, but when it comes to relationship problems, she's completely flustered.

The group strolled around for a while, returned to the hotel to rest, and then rushed out early the next morning to watch the sunrise. They were already there.

"So annoying!"

Jiang Zhuhua slammed his head on his desk in frustration. Relationship problems were really annoying. He felt like he couldn't be idle; as soon as he had a moment to himself, he felt restless.

"What's troubling you, Mr. Jiang?"

Zhang Wuling came here to find an actor, and when she heard that Jiang Zhuhua was better, she came to check on her. She didn't expect to see Jiang Zhuhua looking somewhat devastated as soon as she arrived.

The weather was still cold, so Zhang Wuling wore a white shirt, black suit pants, and a camel coat. This slightly toned down her cool and aloof demeanor, making her appear more gentle.

"You've come at the perfect time, please have a seat."

Jiang Zhuhua was at her wit's end. She knew a lot of people in this world, but she didn't have many true friends. They were all just people she could chat with for a few minutes.

"How to say?"

Seeing that she seemed to have a story to tell, Zhang Wuling picked out a stool and sat down, not getting too close to her. Before, at the coffee shop, he might have thought he had a chance, but afterwards, the two of them hadn't been in contact for a long time, and her attitude was already very clear.

"You mean if one of my friends... never mind, that's not a good excuse."

As soon as Jiang Zhuhua said he had a friend, everyone knew what he meant. His thoughts became even more chaotic.

"I angered my partner, but they want a deep conversation, but I don't know how to bring it up."

Perhaps it was her pride or something else, but Jiang Zhuhua always found it difficult to apologize or say anything to the other person. It was a kind of inner awkwardness; she wanted to show weakness, but she felt she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Zhang Wuling listened as the other party recounted the whole story. He didn't like to talk much, so he just listened quietly.

"President Jiang, I may be saying something unpleasant, but do you want to hear it?"

After careful consideration, Zhang Wuling finally spoke up. This kind of topic could easily offend the boss if not handled carefully. However, the two had some connection, and Zhang Wuling hoped to help him out. Besides, the other party had already asked him for help.

"It's ok."

Jiang Zhuhua gestured for the other party to speak.

“They’re overpraising you. I’ve seen the rumors circulating online before, and I’ve even seen Mr. Huo’s paintings and know about his work. I don’t know if you’re aware, but he’s even been invited to draw a few comics. As an independent person, he’s not bad at all.”

Logically speaking, the two were rivals in love in some ways. However, Zhang Wuling gave a very objective assessment.

“I don’t know why you two have formed a situation where one side is strong and the other is weak. It’s even more likely that you are in charge of external affairs and he is in charge of internal affairs. But this situation may give you the illusion that the other party needs to depend on you, that he is a dodder, a canary, a vine, a weak person who needs to be relied on.”

Such short dramas are actually very common. Zhang Wuling has even studied the elements of angst in some tragic novels. Why are they so tragic? It's mostly due to inequality, imbalance, and core issues.

"Subconsciously, you believe he can't live without you, so you naturally put him last. I've certainly heard about what happened at your company; it's quite a big deal. But as Mr. Huo said, no matter how busy you are, you can always find time to reply to a message or glance at your phone."

Even the assistant can find time to check their phone, so the boss's job must be relatively easy. Zhang Wuling's cool, clear eyes seemed to see through everything.

"You might even think that you don't need to bow down to a weak person, and you're hesitant about whether to. But relationships aren't a game of chess. Occasional arguments can be fun, but putting pressure on the other person is not."

Zhang Wuling's throat was a little dry after talking for a while. Jiang Zhuhua brought him a glass of water.

"If you could perceive his needs as keenly as you perceive my thirst, then many things would be easily resolved."

The two people's positions are like an upside-down CEO and a naive girl. But they're not quite that upside down, and they haven't experienced that much hardship together, which makes the imbalance all the more obvious and painful.

Zhang Wuling took a sip of tea to moisten her throat, and then said:

"You two are both pursuing a balance and equality. However, influenced by external material factors, everyone's mindset will change."

The two of them huddled together discussing relationship issues, acting like dating coaches. Zhang Wuling herself had never been in a relationship, so she was relying entirely on her feelings to talk to the other person.

It was a case of one daring to speak and the other daring to listen. After thinking it over, Jiang Zhuhua felt that what the other person said made sense.

What brings you here?

After discussing relationship issues, Jiang Zhuhua finally belatedly realized and asked the other person what they wanted to do.

"I'm going to talk to an actor about some personal matters. It's getting late, I have to go now."

Zhang Wuling drank the water from the disposable cup and casually threw it into the trash can. She said goodbye very politely, without any ambiguous behavior from beginning to end.

Jiang Zhuhua felt as if his Ren and Du meridians had been opened after talking with the other party.

Where are you traveling to now? I'll come visit you after I finish what I'm doing, okay?

Jiang Zhuhua took the initiative to send a message to the other party, saying that she was indeed unable to leave at the moment, but that she could leave once things were gradually on track.

A little while later, the other person sent her a message with pictures of seafood. Judging from the background, it wasn't a fancy restaurant, just the kind you'd find there, but the shrimp on the table looked incredibly fresh.

A little while later, there was a short video clip showing a chopstick holding a shrimp, which was still thrashing around.

【Is it tasty? 】

Jiang Zhuhua sent the other party all sorts of cute emojis.

Be careful out there. I'll come see you after I'm done with this. My work keeps me quite busy. The restaurant issue is resolved, but the car accident is still serious, mainly because of the person who did it.

He proactively reported his recent itinerary to the other party, without involving any confidential information. Jiang Zhuhua tried his best to bring his arrogant and aloof mind down a bit.

Be careful when you're out and about, and remember to message me; I'll check it. It's my fault for not letting you feel my love.

Compared to his previous apologies, which aimed to quickly bury the matter, this apology was noticeably more sincere. Jiang Zhuhua sent the other party messages one by one, his tone gentle.

She suddenly realized a very simple truth that everyone should know: in relationships, everyone needs to be pampered, and no one can keep giving forever.