Is she the ex-girlfriend? After the original host was expelled from school, it seems he wrote her more than a dozen letters in a row, but she never replied. Doesn’t that mean they broke up? But in the “farewell letter” the original host left behind, he still wanted to make a comeback and find her again. Was there some kind of promise between them?

Why should she say hello? If they broke up, wouldn’t it be better to pretend not to know each other when they meet?

Or does it not count as a breakup? Then what kind of attitude should he have when facing her?

He didn’t have much experience with relationships, so he hesitated for a moment. Meanwhile, Ariel Kent saw that he wasn’t speaking and just looked at her with a “melancholy” expression, which made her even more nervous. She hurriedly walked over, lowered her voice, and continued to press him: “Chandler, how did you find me? Never mind, forget that—why did you come to see me?”

Oh no, how did he know I work at Tokyo Broadcasting TEB? And his timing is so precise—he came to block me just as I got back from the Chitanda filming base?

Which blabbermouth told him? Was it that little brat Sophie or that shrew Lena? Or are both of them jealous that I’m about to make it big and just want to mess with me?

Why did he come to block me? Back then, after he dropped out, I stopped replying to his letters, so that should have been the end of it. Why is he here again? Is it because I’m so attractive that he can’t forget our old feelings, or did he hear I got a job at the TV station and am about to get famous, so he’s up to no good and wants to pester me?

Does he want money?

Has he turned into a deadbeat?! Otherwise, what is a loser like him doing at a TV station? This is not a place for someone like him!

What bad luck. If I’d known his family was going bankrupt, I wouldn’t have dated him in college!

As soon as she got close, a pungent perfume smell hit, making Ryan Chandler immediately take a step back and cover his nose, casually explaining, “You’re Miss Kent, right? Please don’t misunderstand, I’m not here to see you, I came to see…”

Ariel Kent got even more nervous, interrupting him with a soft exclamation, “You’re here to see Mr. Irving?”

She quickly tried to persuade him earnestly: “Chandler, I really am with Mr. Irving now, but it’s not my fault. We’re already over. Can you please not make things difficult for me, so at least we can keep some good memories?”

After a pause, she took out her wallet from her small shoulder bag, pulled out two 1,000-yen bills, hesitated, then took out one more, and stuffed them directly into Ryan Chandler’s hand. “Take this money for now. I’ll return the things you bought me before, too. Please don’t make a scene here, okay? Go home first, and I’ll come find you later.”

She was very nervous. If a scene broke out at the TV station entrance, as a newcomer who had just started, even if she had a boyfriend to rely on, her reputation would plummet. She couldn’t accept that. If it even affected her new boyfriend and he got angry and broke up with her, how would she act, become famous, enjoy wealth and glory, and live a brilliant life?

This was a matter of her entire future, extremely important. If murder weren’t illegal, she’d want to just stab Ryan Chandler and be done with it!

Ryan Chandler took another step back to avoid her hand, unable to help raising his eyebrows—what’s that supposed to mean, do you take me for a beggar?

Even if I were the original host, isn’t this way too insulting?

He had just been keeping a low profile because he was unfamiliar with the place, but now he felt a bit insulted. His gaze dropped, coldly staring at Ariel Kent’s hand holding the money, his face slowly becoming expressionless—he was very skilled at this move; even back in kindergarten before he transmigrated, he’d scared off many little girls who tried to feed him candy beans.

When he got to middle school, the neighbor’s little girl always came to ask him about homework, but she never really studied and always wanted to drag him out to play. He’d stare at her like this, and eventually she left crying and never came back. In high school, his deskmate confessed to him, and he did the same—just stared at her without saying a word. The next day, she asked the teacher to change seats, and after that, she never tried to talk to him again. Only at graduation did she write a single question in his yearbook: Why?

The handwriting was blurry, as if stained with tears, but he didn’t reply. Not only was she not his goal, she even affected his chances of getting into his dream university, so he really had no choice—there are too many wonderful things in life, you have to make choices.

When someone like him stares at a person expressionlessly, it makes them feel uneasy, almost magically so—especially effective on women. Thanks to this trick, he’d saved a lot of time since childhood, never got entangled in messy relationships, and successfully got into the university he wanted, only to unexpectedly meet the first person who moved his heart.

He really liked this talent, feeling it was a great help in living a perfect life—if someone truly needed help and he was able, he didn’t mind lending a hand, but only if it didn’t interfere with his planned goals.

Ariel Kent inexplicably felt as if the air had slightly solidified. Her hand holding the money involuntarily began to withdraw, no longer daring to force it into his hand.

She felt a bit awkward, but also found it strange. She felt that this “ex-boyfriend” in front of her seemed like a different person—she couldn’t quite say why. He looked the same, still a bit handsome, but his micro-expressions, body language, and gaze had all changed, making her feel a subtle pressure.