Afternoon at the Public Service Department

Gu Luo lounged comfortably on the sofa, savoring the fruit platter Luo Shuling had personally prepared for him. It was pure bliss.

Before he knew it, he was completely immersed in the warmth of his little sun, unable to extricate himself.

Truly, a doting younger sister was the best.

About twenty leisurely minutes passed before the clubroom door slowly creaked open again.

A boy walked in, his medium-length bangs slightly covering his eyebrows. He was slender, with a weary expression that gave off the aura of a melancholic youth.

"Hello, senior. Please follow me to the small meeting room," Huang Anlu stepped forward, speaking calmly and politely to the boy.

"Thank you," he replied softly.

"Brother, you come too." Luo Shuling approached and gently patted Gu Luo's shoulder.

"Okey-dokey." Gu Luo popped the last piece of dragon fruit into his mouth, relishing its sweet freshness, then stood up and followed the three into the small meeting room.

Though called a "small" meeting room, the space inside was surprisingly spacious.

A cozy sofa sat in the center, while lush potted plants adorned the corners, breathing life into the room.

"Senior, please sit here," Huang Anlu gestured to a seat before taking her place opposite him.

"Mm... okay..."

The boy responded quietly, his voice laced with exhaustion. He sat down and slowly lowered his head.

Luo Shuling fetched a cup of warm water from the dispenser and placed it on the table in front of him, smiling brightly. "Senior, have some water."

"Ah... thank you, junior." He took a small sip from the plastic cup before setting it back down.

"You're welcome!" Luo Shuling cheerfully waved her hand, then poured cups for Gu Luo and Huang Anlu as well.

Huang Anlu sat upright and cut straight to the point. "So, senior, what's troubling you?"

"Don’t worry, we’ll keep it confidential."

The boy fell silent for several seconds before speaking slowly. "It's... because of my girlfriend."

"Relationship issues?"

"...Yeah." He nodded faintly, as if the motion drained all his energy.

"Could you elaborate?"

The boy kept his head down, carefully choosing his words. "I... over something trivial, I yelled at her, called her crazy, a lunatic..."

His voice grew quieter, thick with guilt.

"If it was just over a small matter, then you might have violent tendencies," Huang Anlu offered her initial assessment.

"I..." The boy’s head drooped even lower, his hands gripping his hair in distress. "I want to apologize... but she’s been ignoring me..."

"Then maybe you could buy her favorite things as gifts and try again. No matter how you spin it, insulting her was wrong."

"Y-yeah... sorry for troubling you all."

Just as the boy started to rise, two hands simultaneously pressed down on his shoulders—one belonging to Luo Shuling, the other to Gu Luo.

The two exchanged a glance. Gu Luo was about to withdraw, but Luo Shuling beat him to it, stepping back with a playful wink.

Her message was clear—Brother, it’s your turn!

Gu Luo winked back before turning to the boy and speaking gently. "Senior, can I ask you something?"

"Mm... sure, go ahead."

"What exactly was the 'trivial matter' you mentioned earlier?"

"My girlfriend asked me... if she were disfigured one day, and another really beautiful girl started pursuing me, who would I choose..."

His voice was laced with exhaustion, as if the question had worn him down completely.

Gu Luo raised an eyebrow. Instead of asking about the boy’s answer, he zeroed in on something else. "Does she often ask you these kinds of 'what if' questions?"

"Yeah... all the time..." The boy nodded helplessly.

"And do you usually treat her exceptionally well?"

"I wouldn’t say exceptionally... but I do everything I can." A trace of bitterness flickered across his face.

"Mm." Gu Luo nodded, already forming a conclusion. "Senior, if I had to guess, she frequently uses these 'what if' scenarios to interrogate you, right? No matter how you answer, she either doesn’t believe you or isn’t satisfied."

"And once this topic starts, it drags on—sometimes half an hour, sometimes hours."

"Junior... how did you know?" The boy looked up, startled.

Gu Luo smiled faintly. "Simple. From the moment you walked in, you’ve been polite and composed. For someone like you to resort to cursing, you must’ve been pushed to your limit."

His expression then turned serious. "Senior, I think you two need to have a serious talk. Your relationship is unhealthy."

"To put it bluntly, she grinds you down with these little things, pushes you until you snap and lash out, then just watches you unravel. After that, she takes the moral high ground, accusing you of being unstable, of having issues."

"She frames everything as insignificant, then scatters these 'insignificant' things everywhere, leaving you to pick them up alone."

"She torments you with selfishness and indifference, all while playing the victim—the one you hurt."

"In the end, you’re the one at fault."

"You’re the unstable one."

"You’re even the abuser."

Each word struck the boy like a hammer to the chest.

Finally, Gu Luo sighed. "So whether she means to or not, this behavior is emotional manipulation—PUA."

"Senior, she’s the one who should be apologizing and reflecting, not you. You were just pushed to your breaking point."

"And if I’m not mistaken, this is your first love, right? That’s why you’ve given it your all, held nothing back."

"There’s nothing wrong with how you love. It’s not pathetic—it’s admirable."

"But... you’ve loved the wrong person. Some people just don’t deserve it."

The boy listened in stunned silence, his eyes flickering with realization.

He absorbed every word, as if a fog had lifted from his mind.

"Love should be mutual." Gu Luo waved at Luo Shuling, who immediately skipped over and sat beside him like an obedient little maid, massaging his shoulders with stars of admiration in her eyes.

"Shuling is my sister. I treat her well, and she treats me even better. Then I treat her even more well. That’s how a healthy relationship grows."

"Someone who truly loves you would never want to see you suffer."

Watching the affectionate scene before him, the boy’s confusion gradually cleared.

Then he stood up and bowed deeply to Gu Luo.

"Junior... thank you."

"It's alright. If you ever need any help in the future, you can always come to the Public Service Department." Gu Luo also stood up, reaching out to help the young man to his feet.

"Mhm!"

The boy nodded emphatically, thanked the three of them once more, and hurried away.

His retreating figure no longer seemed burdened, as if he had shed a heavy weight from his shoulders.

"Ah—! Brother, you're amazing!" Luo Shuling immediately threw herself into Gu Luo's arms, bouncing around like an excited little rabbit.

"Not at all. It's just easier to see things clearly from the outside. The person involved would feel very differently." As he spoke, Gu Luo couldn't help but think of the little angel and little devil in his mind.

That's how emotions are—everyone has their own struggles to bear.

Meanwhile, Huang Anlu, who had remained seated the whole time, silently picked up her cup and took a small sip, her expression unreadable.

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