“I don’t want to live anymore,” Tan Zhen’s voice on the phone sounded exasperated, “I’ve never encountered such an embarrassing situation in my life.”
Xiao Can wanted to comfort him, but despite wracking his brain, he couldn’t come up with a single sentence. In the end, he could only sigh and say, “I told you He Xingzhou wasn’t trustworthy…”
“What’s going on in his head? What is he thinking?” Tan Zhen was on the verge of tears, “I never want to see boneless duck feet again, I hate duck feet.”
“The duck feet are innocent, blame him instead,” Xiao Can said.
“I regret it so much, I regret it too much,” Tan Zhen continued to lament, “I shouldn’t have sent the message without making things clear… No, I should have just gone to his place and sat next to him to watch him post!… No, I shouldn’t have mentioned the duck feet on the show in the first place!”
“Um…”
“If I hadn’t gone to that skewer restaurant that day, the clear soup hot pot wouldn’t have tasted so bad,” Tan Zhen kept retracing his steps, falling into an endless loop of regret, “No, no, no, if I hadn’t walked into his room that day, everything would have been fine. If I hadn’t deceived him in a moment of madness, I wouldn’t have ended up in this situation. Is this karma?”
“If you treat it as karma, will you feel any better?” Xiao Can asked.
“You’re really bad at comforting people,” Tan Zhen said.
“What can I do,” Xiao Can shrugged, “If you were here with me, I could at least give you a hug.”
“Virtual hug,” Tan Zhen sighed,
“Hug, hug, hug,” Xiao Can coaxed him. ” I’ll find a chance to help you scold him a bit.”
He Xingzhou’s reply in Tan Zhen’s comment section was deleted within five minutes of being posted.
But in today’s internet age, as a highly visible public figure, anything done will inevitably leave traces.
That expression of doubt, along with three question marks, was captured by numerous people, reposted, and spread rapidly, along with He Xingzhou’s open secret recipe for boneless duck feet, dominating the hot search list and becoming the hottest topic of the day.
Combining both sides’ statements, the netizens naturally inferred the whole story.
Tan Zhen, this ultimate ‘princess’, as a public figure, actually notified the other party of such a big matter through Weibo, which was truly no ordinary matter.
Although He Xingzhou has always seemed unreliable, his willingness to make amends with his lover after a conflict, evident in the effort he put into the recipe, was undoubtedly an attempt to win back Tan Zhen’s affection. However, sincere gestures of goodwill unexpectedly backfired, leading to a heartbreaking breakup.
Seeing his shocked and at a loss appearance in the comments, he must have been deeply affected.
The reputation on the Internet is truly unpredictable, changing at the drop of a hat.
Just a few days ago, He Xingzhou was embroiled in controversy for his enthusiastic support of Xiao Can on a variety show. Now, in the spotlight, he’s openly dumped, yet surprisingly few people are saying he deserved it, instead, he’s received an outpouring of sympathy.
Some individuals speculate that Tan Zhen may have been displeased with He Xingzhou’s behavior towards another omega after watching the show, leading to the breakup.
However, this viewpoint was countered with the argument, “even so, they should have communicated privately about it, right?”
One amateur’s Weibo post gained thousands of shares that day.
“I never expected to witness He Xingzhou being dumped in my lifetime, feels so refreshing!”
To this, Tan Zhen tearfully expressed, “Even if I die, I will crawl in front of He Xingzhou and write the word ‘injustice’ on his trouser leg.”
He Xingzhou himself had a completely different opinion.
“I’m also embarrassed, okay?” he said, sounding somewhat aggrieved. “Before we hung up that day, we were talking about duck feet the whole time. Anyone would have assumed he was referring to the duck feet, right?”
“No, only you would assume that,” Xiao Can retorted.
“He kept saying the duck feet that day weren’t tasty because of the clear soup,” He Xingzhou continued to shift the focus, “but that’s not true. Those duck feet were not fresh to begin with, they had been soaked for too long, and the texture was overly soft and mushy. If you’re looking for tenderness, you might as well eat chicken feet. It’s not chewy enough, completely unnecessary. Duck feet should be delicious, taste is one thing, texture is also very important! If it’s not crispy and bouncy, it’s a failure!”
“Is this the point?” Xiao Can frowned. “Even if it was about duck feet, why would he ask you to post on Weibo?”
“I also found it quite strange,” He Xingzhou said. “But thinking about it, it’s not a big deal. I agreed to it anyway, it’s not bad to let everyone know.”
“So you’re quite easygoing!” Xiao Can couldn’t help but taunt.
“Yeah,” He Xingzhou said, “and I’m also happy to share.”
“Tan Zhen is almost fainting with anger,” Xiao Can said. “Don’t you feel any guilt?”
He Xingzhou thought for a moment. “Responsibility is fifty-fifty. I can apologize, but he needs to apologize first for deceiving me, the order cannot be reversed.”
Xiao Can couldn’t help but doubt, “Are you doing this out of revenge, deliberately messing with him?”
“Am I that kind of person?” He Xingzhou was displeased. “How could you think like that?” After a pause, he emphasized again, “The fact is, he didn’t express it clearly.”
“But you’ve made him miserable,” Xiao Can said.
“I can explain it to him,” He Xingzhou said, “I asked him, but he said it wasn’t necessary.”
“Nonsense, who would believe that if you said it?” Xiao Can couldn’t help but raise his voice, “People would definitely think you were making up excuses to save face for him, only making him get scolded even more severely.”
“Why would it be making up excuses?” He Xingzhou protested, “You always take his side without distinguishing right from wrong.”
Xiao Can was speechless and could only be thankful that Tan Zhen didn’t hear this conversation, otherwise he might have spat blood on the spot.
Provoking such a person was indeed Tan Zhen’s biggest mistake.
“This is unfair to me,” He Xingzhou complained.
“I won’t talk to you anymore,” Xiao Can took a deep breath to try to calm down. “I’m going to bed early today, I might not be able to sleep if I get too angry.”
“You’re getting up early tomorrow?”
“Yeah,” Xiao Can said, “I have an 8 a.m. flight, I need to get up early.”
“Don’t overwork yourself,” He Xingzhou said, “Your illness requires more rest.”
“Huh?” Xiao Can was puzzled. “What illness?”
“Aren’t you hyperthyroidism?” He Xingzhou said, “I checked recently, you don’t have any external symptoms of hyperthyroidism, so it shouldn’t be serious, right?”
“…He Xingzhou, I warn you, if you mention my hyperthyroidism again, you’ll really become impotent this time,” Xiao Can gritted his teeth.
“Whether or not I have this kind of problem, you know best in this world,” He Xingzhou said.
“…” Xiao Can took a deep breath, “Get lost!”
After cursing, he angrily hung up the call.
Just as he was about to put down his phone, He Xingzhou sent a message.
—”Do you really have that illness?”
Xiao Can “tch”ed at the screen.
A new message came again.
—”I’ve been worried for a long time.”
Originally still pouting, Xiao Can suddenly wilted.
He hesitated for a while, then sent a reply.
—”I’m not sick! But you always irritate me, sooner or later, you’ll make me sick.”
He Xingzhou replied with a question mark.
Xiao Can became a little angry again.
He threw his phone aside, wondering in his heart why he had fallen for such a person.
Why is that?
Is it because life is too smooth, so subconsciously seeking excitement, needing to add some obstruction to balance oneself?
A few days later, He Xingzhou and boneless duck feet once again hit the hot search.
Someone tried to practice according to his tutorial and was pleasantly surprised to find that the taste and texture were excellent, so they praised it.
After this post was circulated, many people followed suit, and good news spread frequently.
Some busybodies specifically mentioned Tan Zhen and asked him, “Do you know what you’ve missed out on?”
The top comment in the comments section of Tan Zhen’s breakup announcement Weibo post was: “There was once the most sincere boneless duck feet in the world placed in front of you, but you only wished him all the best for the future [tears][tears]”
Tan Zhen was very silent on social media, but he was highly active in the conversation box with Xiao Can, looking very worried.
“He said he can apologize by treating me to duck feet,” Tan Zhen complained on the phone, “preferably bringing you along too.”
“…I might be busy recently.”
“Who wants to go,” Tan Zhen said, “He clearly just wants to use me.”
“Uh…probably not,” Xiao Can tapped the armrest of the chair with his finger, “What does he want to see me for?”
“I didn’t say he wants to use me to see you,” Tan Zhen suddenly laughed, “Why would you think that?”
“…”
Tan Zhen chuckled twice and then proactively changed the topic: “Stop, stop, let’s not talk about him anymore, let’s talk about something happy.”
For a while, Xiao Can couldn’t think of anything to cheer him up. After hesitating for a while, he said, “I’ll treat you to a meal when I have the chance!”
“I’m not talking about that,” Tan Zhen said, “Last time, you mentioned the web drama, hasn’t it been finalized yet?”
Bringing up this matter, Xiao Can suddenly felt a bit heavy-hearted.
This wasn’t something to be happy about.
Seeing him silent, Tan Zhen became uneasy, “It’s not canceled, is it?”
“Not exactly…” Xiao Can said with a hint of frustration, “But there have been some changes in the plan, it’s not quite what we initially agreed upon.”
“What do you mean?”
“The role is gone, they asked me if I’m willing to play the fourth male lead,” Xiao Can sighed, “That’s a big difference.”
“Why the change of heart?” Tan Zhen frowned, “Do you know who replaced you?”
“It seems to be another newcomer,” Xiao Can said, “I don’t know the specifics. From what I gathered, they weren’t too willing either, but there’s no choice.”
“Then I understand,” Tan Zhen sighed, “What kind of character is this so-called fourth male lead?”
“He’s supposed to be the one responsible for humor and lightening the atmosphere,” Xiao Can chuckled bitterly, “Cracking jokes, occasionally causing trouble, not very bright.”
“That doesn’t match your image, does it?” Tan Zhen remarked.
“Yeah, I said I needed to consider it a bit,” Xiao Can said, “But… I’ll probably still take it.”
Tan Zhen, who had once endured a long period of mediocrity, fully understood his choice and comforted him, “Well, at least it’s a stepping stone. I believe in you, gold will always shine.”
“I’m afraid it’s just a piece of stone,” Xiao Can self-deprecated.
“Don’t belittle yourself,” Tan Zhen said, “You’re not just any ordinary stone, unless it’s a diamond. Whoever takes your role, when you’re on screen together, it’s definitely not going to be you feeling embarrassed.”
