"Then what do you want?" Sha Zhu retorted indignantly. "What does Liu Kai Xuan's excellence have to do with you?"
"He's already married, and his child is several years old!"
"I don't believe you can still shamelessly try to live with Liu Kai Xuan!"
"Hmph!"
Qin Jing Ru shot back with a cold laugh, "Who I choose to live with is my business, none of yours!"
"I..." Sha Zhu's temper flared up instantly.
However, Sha Zhu managed to suppress the rage boiling within him, refraining from unleashing his animosity.
Even with his limited intelligence, Sha Zhu could see that Qin Jing Ru was beginning to dislike him.
At this point, the more stubborn he acted, the more she would push him away.
He couldn't use the same tactics he employed against Xu Da Mao to deal with a girl like Qin Jing Ru.
Otherwise, this duck, already cooked, would fly away again.
This was absolutely not a situation Sha Zhu wanted.
"Alright, I won't argue with you anymore. I'll do whatever you want me to do, okay?"
Sha Zhu, steeling himself, tried to maintain communication with Qin Jing Ru.
But Qin Jing Ru replied coldly, her face set, "Didn't I already tell you not to bother me?"
Sha Zhu said with a deep voice, "You said not to bother you *until* I found a job!"
"And I've found a job now, to meet your requirements!"
Qin Jing Ru responded with a cold laugh, "Sha Zhu, why are you so clueless?"
"I gave you a chance to save face, but you didn't take it. Do you really need me to completely lose my temper and scold you before you're satisfied?"
"I'm not interested in you, okay? Please stop harassing me from now on!"
At this point, Sha Zhu's mental state completely collapsed.
All his painstaking efforts to win Qin Jing Ru over for so long had resulted in this outcome.
Qin Jing Ru's words had rendered all of Sha Zhu's previous efforts utterly futile.
...
As night fell, Qin Huai Ru arrived at Sha Zhu's home and found him there.
She saw Sha Zhu looking ashen, as if he had lost all will to live.
Qin Huai Ru quickly comforted him, "Come on, Sha Zhu, stop looking like that. The sky isn't falling!"
"I know that girl Jing Ru very well. She speaks without thinking!"
"If she truly didn't want to be with you, she would have already gone back to the countryside!"
"The fact that she's still in the city means she still has hope for you!"
Sha Zhu replied listlessly, "That's enough, Sister Qin, please stop comforting me!"
"I see it clearly now. Jing Ru has fallen for another man. She's lost all interest in me!"
"Look at what you're saying!"
Qin Huai Ru said cheerfully, "Sha Zhu, no matter what, you can't just be depressed like this!"
"That girl Jing Ru, after all, is still too young!"
"Young girls always like to live in dreams!"
"She envies Liu Kai Xuan's high salary? That's nonsense!"
"Liu Kai Xuan is already married, and his wife, Zhao Fei Yan, is a university graduate. How can she compare to a country girl like Jing Ru?"
Sha Zhu forced himself to say, "But Qin Jing Ru made it very clear with me today!"
"If I pester her anymore, she'll definitely accuse me of harassment!"
Sha Zhu's despondent demeanor finally annoyed Qin Huai Ru.
"Sha Zhu, if you don't listen to my advice, then this matter is completely over!"
"Don't blame me later for not helping you. I tried to help, but you just didn't know how to seize the opportunity!"
Sha Zhu quickly explained, "Sister Qin, don't get agitated!"
"It's not that I'm not listening to your advice. It's just that I'm out of options right now!"
Qin Jing Ru had explicitly told Sha Zhu not to bother her anymore.
With things having reached this point, how much thicker could Sha Zhu's skin be?
As Sha Zhu's attitude softened, Qin Huai Ru continued, "My suggestion is, you should continue bringing food to Jing Ru every day!"
"Haven't you noticed that Jing Ru really enjoys the meals you make for her?"
"To conquer a woman, you must first conquer her stomach!"
"This sort of thing cannot be rushed. Rushing it is useless!"
"But I..."
"Enough with the 'buts'!"
Before Sha Zhu could say more, Qin Huai Ru interrupted him again, "Sha Zhu, just listen to me!"
"As long as Jing Ru doesn't leave, you still have a chance!"
Qin Huai Ru's advice gradually restored Sha Zhu's confidence.
Sha Zhu decided he couldn't give up on Qin Jing Ru yet and would have to continue pursuing her shamelessly.
After "reaching an agreement" with Sha Zhu, Qin Huai Ru returned home, satisfied.
At this moment, He Yu Shui came to Sha Zhu's room.
He Yu Shui got straight to the point, "Brother, please don't let Qin Huai Ru trick you again!"
"Let me put it this way, if Qin Jing Ru doesn't like you, nothing you say now will matter!"
"All the meat you bring her every day is going to the dogs!"
"If you have money, why not use it to buy some meat for yourself? Why give it to these ungrateful wretches?"
"They eat your meat, yet they won't even give you a pleasant look. Why are you trying to curry favor with them?"
"Besides, you don't have any money right now. The money you're spending on buying meat for Qin Jing Ru is borrowed!"
"I don't know why you're putting yourself through this."
"Hmm!" Sha Zhu nodded in agreement. "Yu Shui, you make a lot of sense!"
"Since Qin Jing Ru has no interest in me, I don't need to try to please her anymore!"
"Let's just drop this matter for now."
"Mm!"
He Yu Shui continued to comfort Sha Zhu, "Brother, as long as you work hard and earn money, are you afraid you won't find a woman?"
Sha Zhu could only manage an awkward smile at He Yu Shui's comfort.
Given his ingrained "simp" tendencies, Sha Zhu found it hard to let go of Qin Jing Ru.
The only reason Sha Zhu was giving up now was because he had no other choice.
To pursue Qin Jing Ru, Sha Zhu had paid a heavy price.
Sha Zhu had covered all the travel expenses for Qin Huai Ru and her sister between the city and their hometown.
Moreover, during Qin Jing Ru's stay, Sha Zhu had been sending her meat almost three times a day.
If Sha Zhu had a salary like Liu Kai Xuan's, sending Qin Jing Ru meat three meals a day would have been fine.
The key was that Sha Zhu hadn't even had stable employment during this period.
The money he spent trying to win over Qin Jing Ru was all borrowed from Ma Hua.