The same stratum

"Ding - dong — Ding - dong —"

Ji Chen and Li Xuan were watching a horror movie on the sofa. Suddenly, someone rang the doorbell. Ji Chen was so frightened that she immediately threw herself into Li Xuan's arms. Li Xuan softly comforted Ji Chen and was about to make a further move...

The doorbell rang again: "Ding - dong —"

Li Xuan got impatient. It came neither early nor late, but just at this moment when the atmosphere was nice. So Li Xuan went to open the door, puffing with anger.

"Who is it! Stop ringing!"

As Li Xuan spoke, he opened the door. The person outside the door was Fu Xi.

As soon as Li Xuan saw him, he got angry. After all, if it weren't for him, his wife wouldn't have almost been beaten.

"What are you doing here? Do you want a beating?"

Li Xuan didn't give him a good look.

"Who's here?"

Ji Chen came over.

"Fu Xi? Why are you here?"

"Can we talk in private?" Fu Xi finally spoke.

"No! What do you mean by talking in private? What else do you want to do!" Li Xuan blocked in front of Ji Chen.

Ji Chen pushed Li Xuan aside, "Oh, stop making trouble. Let him in!"

"I won't. It's all his fault that you were in such a situation!"

"What situation? Nothing happened at all, okay! Moreover, if we talk about who caused trouble to whom, actually it's me who caused trouble to him. If I hadn't insisted on meeting Fu Xi, he wouldn't have so many troubles!"

"I don't care. Anyway, it's his fault!" Li Xuan firmly protected his wife.

"Okay, okay. I'll just talk to him for a while. Can you leave for a little bit?"

Ji Chen started to act coquettishly towards Li Xuan.

"No!"

"Oh, I'm hungry. Can you go cook for me?"

"Okay then!"

Li Xuan obediently walked towards the kitchen, then turned back uneasily and told Ji Chen, "Just talk! Don't do anything else!"

"Okay, I know!"

As Ji Chen sent Li Xuan away, she motioned for Fu Xi to come in, "Come in!"

Li Xuan, in the kitchen, used his magic power to eavesdrop on the conversation between Ji Chen and Fu Xi...

"You two have a really good relationship!" Fu Xi said with a smile.

"Hmph, hypocritical. Of course it's good. She's my wife, come on!" Li Xuan muttered to himself while chopping the tomato, which has the same 'xi' sound as Fu Xi's name, with an arrogant air.

"Today, I came here first to apologize to you. I really didn't expect this matter to affect you. I'm really sorry!" Fu Xi sincerely bowed to Ji Chen.

"Exactly! It's all your fault!" "Dong - dong - dong..." Li Xuan increased the strength of chopping the tomato in his hand.

"What are you doing? Get up quickly. It's me who should apologize. If it weren't for my being unreasonable, you wouldn't have been misunderstood by the fans like this."

"No, no. Well, forget it. Let's not talk about this for now. Secondly, I came to thank you. It's you who made me figure out what I really want. And it's also you who made me realize that those so - called fans actually don't value me as a person, but the additional conditions on me."

"That's right. You're not worthy of being liked at all!" After cutting one tomato, Li Xuan picked up another one and started cutting.

"No, don't think like that. Those additional conditions, after all, still belong to you! Don't think too much!" Ji Chen quickly comforted him.

"It's okay. I've also made up my mind. I want to do what I really like and let others see the real me. I want to travel around the world and be a travel writer. I've decided to quit the entertainment industry. I came here today just to thank you for your support all the time and to tell you this with apology."

"What apology? I'm more than happy to congratulate you for being able to do what you like! Also, don't generalize. Not all fans value your so - called omnipotent title. Everyone knows that no one is perfect and can't be flawless. There are still true fans like me! We value your kindness more!"

"What true fan? D*mn it!" Jealousy surged up in Li Xuan again.

"Thank you really for what you said! I'm really touched to have fans like you..."

"Stop talking. It's time for dinner!" Li Xuan didn't want to hear another word from Fu Xi.

"Right, right. It's dinner time. Let's talk while eating!" Ji Chen got up and prepared to take Fu Xi to the dining table.

"I only cooked for two people. There's no food for him!" Li Xuan obviously targeted Fu Xi.

How could Fu Xi not know? So he tactfully but awkwardly said, "No, I'm leaving right away. I've said what I wanted to say. I'll go back and pack my luggage."

"Ah, leaving so soon?"

"Yeah." Fu Xi smiled awkwardly and nodded.

"Okay then." Ji Chen saw him out.

Then she quickly came back and questioned Li Xuan, "Why are you being so mean to him? He's leaving!"

Li Xuan took off the apron and said in a fierce - yet - cute way, "I don't know who was reluctant to let him go and even invited him to stay for dinner! Aren't you afraid of wasting food!"

Ji Chen looked at Li Xuan with a sly smile and pinched Li Xuan's cheek, "Are you jealous? So cute!"

Li Xuan slapped Ji Chen's hand away, "What's cute! Eat!"

Ji Chen sat down at the dining table with a smile. She was stunned. What was in front of her? Cold - dressed tomatoes, tomato - fried eggs, tomato and egg soup... All were tomato - based dishes...

"You, what's wrong with you and tomatoes today!" Ji Chen looked at the tomato feast in front of her with disgust.

"There are too many tomatoes. They're about to expire. We need to eat them quickly!" Li Xuan felt a bit guilty.

"Really? But I just bought them from the supermarket yesterday!"

"Come on, eat quickly!" Li Xuan, feeling guilty, picked up a chopstick of cold - dressed tomatoes and stuffed them into Ji Chen's mouth.

"Hey, have you heard? Fu Xi has quit the entertainment industry!"

"Yeah, I heard that when he announced his withdrawal, his manager called him from behind, but he just walked away without looking back. So cool!"

"Exactly. I always thought everyone would want to be an artist, earning a lot of money and getting so much attention. I really don't know why he suddenly quit the entertainment industry!"

"Is it because the false reports from those entertainment journalists made him disappointed? It's really too much. They slandered Fu Xi without clear investigation!"

For a long time after that, people were sighing over Fu Xi's departure and were cold - shouldering Ji Chen, who had been slandered together with Fu Xi. Some even formed a group to block those journalists, demanding that they give them back their Fu Xi...

And those journalists not only had to face public condemnation on the Internet every day, but also were often blocked and couldn't get out of their doors. The scene was really satisfying!

"Hey, I didn't expect that pretty - boy's departure to have this effect. Well, it can be considered as one of the few good things he's done!"

"What pretty - boy? Can you stop calling him that all the time? Has he eaten or used anything of yours?"

As soon as Li Xuan saw Ji Chen standing up for Fu Xi, he got angry. So... Ji Chen suffered again! "What are you doing! I warn you not to come over! I'll call for help if you come closer!"

Ji Chen stepped back step by step, almost reaching the end.

"Don't be nervous! It won't hurt!"

Li Xuan was still approaching step by step.

"You, you, you! Help!"

Ji Chen shouted in a panic.

"Call out. Even if you shout your throat hoarse, no one will come to save you!"

"Throat hoarse! Throat hoarse!"

"... What are you doing?"

"Didn't you say that if I shout 'throat hoarse', 'no one' will come to save me?"

"Then you call!"

Ji Chen was forced to the corner. Seeing Li Xuan approaching, she had to plead loudly, "I was wrong, I was wrong!"

"What were you wrong about?"

"I, I shouldn't have lied and said how excellent other men were. You're the best in the world. Others are just showing off in front of an expert!"

"Okay. Seeing that your apology attitude is not bad, I'll reluctantly forgive you!"

...

"I really didn't expect that you, a vet, would be afraid of a little mantis! Sigh, what a shame! Shameful!"

That's right. At this time, Li Xuan was scaring Ji Chen half - to - death with just a little mantis in his hand.

"What if I'm a vet? Who said vets are not afraid of all creatures? Ridiculous!"

"I really don't know how you became a vet!"

"Being a vet doesn't mean I have to treat mantises! Why can't I be afraid?"

Suddenly, a report came from the TV: Many fans found out Fu Xi's flight and wanted to go with him. Some even put up a banner at the airport, which read: I love you, Fu Xi. Please be with me!

Ji Chen said seriously again, "sYou know, this matter of Fu Xi really made me understand that people must do what they like. Have you noticed that he's really different today? Although he's still as gentle as before, there seems to be something more... Well, more down - to - earth. Before, his persona was like a god, omnipotent, but he always seemed too far away from us... Now it's good. He's no longer an idol or an artist, without the omnipotent label. It seems that everyone feels that he's on the same level as themselves, and they can be with him without any scruples."

After listening for a while, Ji Chen continued, "I think people really can't just think that just saying 'I like you' means they should get something in return. What's the use of just liking? They didn't accompany him to relieve boredom when he was bored, nor did they give him support when he was down. Just saying 'I like you' and wanting to be with him... It's really ridiculous!"

Li Xuan didn't quite know how to respond to this. He just saw some glimmers in Ji Chen's eyes, crystal - clear, just swirling in her eyes but not falling. He didn't understand these sighs. He only had this woman in front of him. How could Li Xuan, who was in the budding stage of love, understand Ji Chen's moaning without illness.

But he seemed to know who these words were commemorating. Li Xuan wanted to comfort her...

"Oh, it's getting late. You'd better go back."

The hand that Li Xuan had just raised was still in mid - air. After hearing this, he felt a bit disappointed. He didn't know why.

"Okay, then. Call me if you need anything. I'm leaving."

Li Xuan slowly put down the hand in mid - air, got up and walked towards the door.

His back looked a bit downcast.

For some reason, the sense of loss he felt in that heavy rain came back again.

In fact, he knew that Ji Chen had never forgotten someone. That person existed in her memory. He had no way to compete with him, and even at the beginning, he was completely defeated...