Can Three Girlfriends All Be Neglected

It was time to get off work.

The Deep Space Technology office area on the twentieth floor of the World Trade Center gradually quieted down.

Chen Zhi leaned back in his chair, spun halfway around, and watched the neon lights gradually light up outside the window as he began to ponder an extremely serious question.

Where should he go tonight?

He picked up his phone and tapped on Pei Ningxue's profile picture.

Pei Ningxue had just finished putting on a big show. Logically, he should go back to her, but the thought of that woman turning on him faster than flipping the page of a book and playing him for a fool all afternoon made Chen Zhi angry.

He took out his phone and sent Pei Ningxue a WeChat message.

[Did you and the old geezer set me up today?]

Pei Ningxue replied quickly.

[No, how could I? [Innocent]]

Chen Zhi stared at that innocent emoji, getting angrier the more he thought about it.

How could she?

Just a moment ago in the private room, you played along with my act in front of your dad, but the moment we walked out the door, you completely changed your tune, threw out a "go cool off somewhere else," and ran off.

And she still asks "how could I?"

Chen Zhi took a deep breath and typed a line of text.

[Hehe, just you wait tonight.]

[You don't need to come back tonight.]

Chen Zhi froze for a moment.

[?]

[I have things to do and won't be home, you don't need to come back.]

Chen Zhi looked at the screen, almost laughing out of anger.

Just last night they were all sweet and tender, and today, after using him, she just kicked him straight to the curb.

She didn't know how to cherish what she had.

Scumbag woman.

An absolute scumbag.

Forget it, I'm not serving her anymore.

Chen Zhi threw his phone on the desk and rubbed his chin.

Since he couldn't go to Wanliu Academy, he might as well go find Li Zhiyi.

Calculating the time, it had been a few days since he last saw this girl. He wondered if she had gained or lost weight.

Chen Zhi picked up his phone again and scrolled to Li Zhiyi's chat window. Speaking of which, it really had been a while since he saw her. The last time they met was... well, the last time. Later, he was busy accompanying Pei Ningxue on a business trip to Shanghai and spending one-on-one time with Lin Wanwan. He had neglected Li Zhiyi for almost a week.

He felt somewhat guilty.

[Zhiyi, are you there?]

After sending the message, Chen Zhi waited.

Unexpectedly, Li Zhiyi replied extremely fast.

[I'm here.]

Chen Zhi's spirits lifted.

There's hope.

He hurried to strike while the iron was hot.

[You must be tired from studying lately. Let me treat you to dinner.]

After this message was sent, the "other party is typing" indicator on the screen flashed several times.

It flashed, stopped, and flashed again.

Chen Zhi waited for almost three minutes before receiving a reply.

[I went out with my advisor today, so I can't have dinner with you]

Chen Zhi stared at that, his heart skipping a beat.

She wasn't the polite type. Usually, when sending messages, she would at most add an emoji. When did she become so distant?

Chen Zhi thought for a moment and didn't press the issue, replying with, "That's fine, you go ahead and stay busy."

After a dozen seconds, the other side replied with an "Mm."

A single word.

Chen Zhi put down his phone and started muttering in his heart.

Pei Ningxue wouldn't let him come home, and Li Zhiyi had turned him down.

What day was it today? Collective Blocking Day?

He thought about it and opened Lin Wanwan's chat window.

Among the three of them, Lin Wanwan was the easiest to talk to.

Sweet, clingy, never gave him attitude, and went along with whatever he said.

[Are you there, wifey?]

[I'm here, hubby!]

Followed by a string of heart emojis, which warmed Chen Zhi's heart.

Wanwan was still the best.

Truly, all women in the world should learn from Lin Wanwan.

[It's been a while, I miss you so much.]

Wanwan sent a facepalm crying emoji.

[I miss you too woo woo woo. I've been so busy these past few days. I recorded two episodes of the variety show, and Sister Su Man scheduled three more gigs for me. I can't even get enough sleep.]

[Then let's go on a date tonight, I'll come find you.]

After sending this message, Chen Zhi waited full of anticipation.

The other side went silent again.

After almost a minute, Lin Wanwan's reply finally popped up.

[But I'm so busy lately. I have a show rehearsal tonight, and tomorrow morning I have to fly to Hangzhou to record a variety show...]

Chen Zhi's mouth twitched.

[Alright then. Remember to rest well, don't get too tired.]

[Love you hubby! Once I'm done with work, I will definitely spend some quality time with you! Mwah!]

Chen Zhi looked at the string of kissing emojis on the screen with mixed feelings.

Three people.

All rejected him.

Chen Zhi crossed his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling.

Did the three of them secretly create a group chat behind my back?

Or did that old fox Pei Dongcheng's email from noon actually get half-sent out?

That shouldn't be it.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

In the past, no matter how busy he was, at least one of them was always on call. Not to mention Lin Wanwan, that hopelessly romantic girl who wished she could be glued to him every day. Although Li Zhiyi was quiet, she never refused when Chen Zhi asked her out. Although Pei Ningxue was stubborn, every time her mouth said no, her body was very honest.

Did they collectively malfunction today?

Chen Zhi calmed down for two seconds, and a terrifying thought popped up.

Could it be... he had been found out?

About him juggling three women at once?

He quickly recalled his recent actions.

There shouldn't have been any loopholes.

Chen Zhi pulled up the three conversations and read them over again.

Pei Ningxue — "I have things to do and won't be home."

Normal. She was usually like this.

Li Zhiyi — "Went out with my advisor."

Also normal. She was a law school student, after all; eating with her advisor was standard procedure.

Lin Wanwan — "Too busy."

Even more normal. She had just won the championship on "The Singer" and was currently the hottest star in town. Having a fully booked schedule was to be expected.

So was he just overthinking it?

Chen Zhi scratched his head. He still felt something was weird, but couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Forget it.

Since he couldn't go to any of the three places, Chen Zhi could only accept the cruel reality that he would be a lonely old man tonight.

He stood up, put on his jacket, and turned off the office lights.

He went downstairs, hailed a cab, and headed straight to Peking University.

He pushed open the door to Dorm 404.

Guo Yang was lying on his bed playing games, Li Zicong was sitting in his chair watching a postgraduate entrance exam video, and Zhang Tianyang was not there, having run off who knows where.

"Yo, the busy man is back?" Guo Yang didn't even look up. "Didn't go looking for your rich, beautiful girlfriend today?"

"Don't bring it up." Chen Zhi threw his backpack onto the bed and sat down heavily. "Today is the lowest point of my, Chen Zhi's, life."

"What's wrong?" Li Zicong took off his headphones and turned his chair around.

"Three women, and not a single one paid attention to me."

Chen Zhi slammed his phone onto the desk, his face full of grievance.

Guo Yang finally moved his eyes away from his phone screen and glanced at Chen Zhi.

"Aren't you afraid of getting struck by lightning for saying something like that?"

"You have three girlfriends, and you're complaining they're ignoring you?" Li Zicong cursed loudly. "I don't even have one girlfriend, and you have the nerve to cry about your misery in front of me?"

"Is that the same?" Chen Zhi rolled over. "You just don't have one. I have them, but I'm being given the cold shoulder. You don't understand this kind of psychological drop."

"Get lost."

Guo Yang and Li Zicong said in unison.

Chen Zhi ignored them and lay on his bed, tossing and turning while scrolling through his phone.

Pei Ningxue's WeChat Moments' latest post was from three days ago, a screenshot of a PowerPoint presentation.

Li Zhiyi's WeChat Moments' last post was from a week ago, sharing a legal paper with an encouraging emoji.

Lin Wanwan's WeChat Moments feed was actually quite active. Half an hour ago, she had posted a selfie wearing a white hoodie and holding up a cup of milk tea, accompanied by the caption: Hangzhou! Here I come!

In the comments section, Su Man had left a reply: Go easy on the milk tea.

Chen Zhi silently liked the post, and then quietly unliked it.

Leaving a like was too easy for others to spot. If Pei Ningxue or Li Zhiyi happened to be scrolling through their feeds and saw it, it would just start another whole dramatic ordeal.

He locked his phone screen and stared blankly at the bed board of the top bunk.

Damn it, he never thought the day would come when a guy with three girlfriends would end up being left out in the cold. Were three girlfriends really not enough?

Chen Zhi began to seriously question his life.