Chapter 47: Is it attractive?

Approaching the Azure Dragon Temple, the path turned into a mountain trail paved with stone steps.

Not many people were around here; only the occasional passerby could be seen. Perhaps tourists didn't frequent this side, or perhaps it simply wasn't a weekend.

The large group gradually broke down into pairs, hiking up the mountain as family units.

Xu Shujian walked very fast. This kind of speed, combined with the upward climb, was not something the average person could keep up with. Even the cameraman was left far behind.

Xu Shujian was pleasantly surprised by his physical stamina and strength. At thirty-two, he felt much like a man in his early twenties, possessing a physique superior to that of his past life.

Xu Shujian remembered that after he started making money in his past life, he also took up fitness. But later on, as he dated a succession of girlfriends, his body deteriorated. By twenty-seven or twenty-eight, he had developed a belly, after which he entered a mode of pure indulgence—controlling only his weight rather than his actual physique.

The people around him had also been full of praise. Aside from being an artist whose songs were famous while he remained obscure, Xu Shujian's life after twenty-five had been quite smooth sailing.

Thinking about it now, it felt rather ironic.

There was no such thing as songs being famous while the artist remained obscure; he had simply chosen indulgence just as his career was taking off. Naturally, he could never break through the bottleneck where both the songs and the artist became famous.

Yet that indulgence was nothing more than blind play, a satisfaction with remaining snugly within his own small comfort zone.

Therefore, when the present Xu Shujian looked at these mountains and waters, he actually felt a fresh perspective he had never experienced before.

Given a second choice, infinite yearnings welled up within his heart: a career was essential, but he must not be held hostage by it; enjoyment was even more crucial, otherwise, life would be meaningless.

After these past few days, Xu Shujian was quite satisfied with himself. Indeed, one shouldn't try to construct some flawless persona, for that was merely building a pedestal to trap oneself. He had been ignored and neglected for several years, so acting a bit more flamboyant upon his comeback was entirely reasonable.

Having suffered grievances at the hands of women, it was only normal to reclaim his pride.

Actually, being cursed at online didn't matter much either. Look at Pan Yun—even if she were reviled by the entire internet, she could still find people who liked her. Then there was Zhang Qidong; Zhang Qidong actually wished the entire internet would curse him, provided he didn't have to fear Lin Xiaoxian leaving him afterward.

Well, even if Lin Xiaoxian did leave, Zhang Qidong still had the capital to retire comfortably. He was merely driven by a desire to achieve breakthroughs, which was yet another form of self-imposed imprisonment. That was why he appeared somewhat helpless when facing Pan Yun.

China's population base was simply too massive. Never mind a million fans; if you could secure the recognition of fifty to one hundred thousand people, and dedicate yourself to creating works for them, you could live a life free from worries about food and clothing for the rest of your days.

This was the very reason why ordinary entertainers in the entertainment industry could still live quite comfortably.

At over thirty, who plays the idol anymore?

Of course, the prerequisite was getting a divorce from Song Yue first. Being with Song Yue always brought a sense of confinement.

This sense of confinement might stem from his life philosophy in his past life, or perhaps because this relationship was not his active choice. In his past life, he had never possessed the rigid concept of having to start a family; otherwise, he wouldn't have remained unmarried for so long.

It wasn't that he wanted to be a scumbag, but rather a lingering doubt: even if he had children, could those children truly live a fulfilling life?

He had witnessed many second-generation the wealthy heirs, and their lives were just so-so. In his memory, Song Yue's family upheaval was quite simple: she had an older brother who had been very obedient since childhood, but upon finishing his education, he flatly refused to inherit the family business, choosing instead to start his own AI venture.

His relationship with the family had always been antagonistic. At first, when he lost money, the family helped bail him out. Later on, the family stopped caring altogether, and he went around trying to secure investments himself. Eventually, he ran into financial disputes, ended up on the list of discredited debtors, and still refused to come home.

Did Song Yue find happiness after inheriting the family business? Just so-so.

Xu Shujian looked back over his shoulder. Song Yue's stamina was better than he had anticipated. Although she was breathing slightly heavily and her face was flushed, she was keeping up.

Only, that flush on her face might not have been caused by exhaustion the way Xu Shujian thought.

The stone steps were only two or three meters wide, making it hard for someone walking behind not to fix their gaze on the person in front, especially on their hips.

Xu Shujian's sudden turn startled Song Yue, and she hurriedly looked back as well, following the direction of his gaze.

A moment later, Song Yue began to pick up her pace, overtaking Xu Shujian.

"Old Xu, do you think Sister Yun's love for Chen Linhe is more like an investment?" Song Yue asked, striking up a conversation after passing him.

Xu Shujian simply stopped, unscrewed the cap of his mineral water bottle, and took a sip. "I certainly get that feeling. Your information should be more reliable than mine; after all, you once shared a room with Sister Yun."

Song Yue also stopped and waited for Xu Shujian to catch up slightly. "I asked Sister Yun some questions. She said she was indeed the one who pursued Chen Linhe first, but I can't quite agree with her reasoning. She said she felt Chen Linhe was very ambitious back then—working during the day and singing at bars at night. When she visited his home, she noticed many details, like how clean it was, and how the refrigerator was not only neat but also stocked with various vegetables."

The two continued walking forward.

"It seems my judgment was correct. Sister Yun grafted the self-worth she wanted to achieve onto Brother He. To put it bluntly, her love can only be interpreted from the perspective of an investment. Any investment demands returns, and only an investor can afford to fund a project even if they don't strictly like it, simply because it has potential—provided that the people doing the work constantly give the investor a sense of security."

Song Yue glanced back. "Do you think everything we're chatting about right now will be broadcasted?"

Xu Shujian remained nonchalant. "Probably not. The cameraman hasn't even caught up. Even if it is broadcast, it's fine; people gossip behind our backs all the time anyway, it's completely normal."

Song Yue let out a chuckle. "It seems love really does have different perspectives. Take Sister Xiaoxian and the others, for instance—that's a completely different kind of love."

Xu Shujian nodded. He, too, had begun to sense something amiss; walking in this single-file formation made it awfully difficult to ignore the person right in front of him.

The trousers Song Yue wore were quite form-fitting, making the curve of her perky hips very distinct, and her legs were exceptionally long.

Song Yue wasn't bringing up this topic randomly; she was also rationalizing her own inner changes.

Pan Yun's love wasn't love from an ordinary perspective, nor was Zhang Qidong's, and the same applied to Yu Hui and Huang Miomiao.

So her own changing feelings were entirely normal. Who ordained that so-called love could only have one single direction?

"Old Xu, to be honest, I think our divorce is actually a pretty good thing. Compared to the you of the past, I like the current you much more."

Xu Shujian raised his head. "What do you mean?"

"I feel like to you, I was somewhat like a tightly binding magic headband. I don't like the version of you that wears that headband. Can you understand that?"

"Seemingly, yes."

Song Yue glanced back at Xu Shujian, thinking to herself: *You understand my foot. Do you have any idea how much attraction you hold for me right now?*

That pure, visceral physical pull was an experience Song Yue had never felt before.

If Xu Shujian remained insistent on a divorce, Song Yue felt she could let go. She genuinely liked the present Xu Shujian; perhaps divorce would mark the second spring of his life.

Allowing him to maintain this state wasn't a bad idea either.

"Does it look good?"

Song Yue suddenly asked out of nowhere.

Xu Shujian was stunned for a moment, then adopted a flippant expression. "Not bad, you've maintained your shape well. It would definitely look even better if you wore yoga pants."

Ahead of him, Song Yue's face turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye. "Mind your words! Even if the cameraman isn't filming, the audio recording equipment is still running. Who knows, someone might be cursing you out right now for being sleazy."

Xu Shujian glanced at the microphone clipped inside his chest and deliberately leaned closer to it. "Hello, hello, hello? Is anyone listening out there? Do you want me to drop some insider gossip? Remember the old LG boy band? One of our members used to be cuckolded."

Song Yue glared, hurriedly rushing back to pull him away. "Keep a lid on it."

Xu Shujian laughed heartily. "It's fine, they wouldn't dare broadcast it. Besides, every single one of my brothers is doing better than the last these days."