Good Man Operation Guide

The flattery on Gu Chengbei’s face continued until several people walked out of that street. When they reached the intersection, his expression finally changed, and he laughed triumphantly.

“Did you see the expression on that guy’s face just now? I think he’s starting to doubt life, hahaha.”

Cheng Yue looked at him curiously. She had never heard of Gu Chengbei, the mechanic, having such methods before.

Ji Jiaqi’s earlier annoyance eased up a bit because of Gu Chengbei’s laughter, “How did you come up with that trick?”

“It’s not difficult at all. I used to love reading face-slapping novels. Even if I don’t know everything, I know a lot about the tropes. It’s just that in the past, I had no opportunity to use them since I was always cooped up at home. Now, I finally found a chance.”

After Gu Chengbei finished bragging, he turned to Ji Jiaqi and said, “Don’t underestimate me just because I don’t interact much with people. I’ve watched a lot of TV shows and novels. When someone stands in front of me and says a few words, I can quickly tell what kind of person they are just by looking at their eyes and listening with one ear. The guy who spoke just now had an air of arrogance and looked down on others as if he wanted to use his nostrils to see. He even had to pretend to be a modest and courteous person. It’s simply a case of being opportunistic. As long as I elevate you, Sister Ji, and show that you have a high status, he definitely won’t dare to cause trouble.”

Ji Jiaqi found Gu Chengbei’s smug tone both amusing and somewhat regretful.

She and Ji Hang had grown up together, but she still didn’t understand. Gu Chengbei, who had only met Ji Hang once, understood his true nature.

Cheng Yue, sensitive to the sense of loss emanating from Ji Jiaqi, wanted to ask but remembered that her sister never brought up those troublesome matters with her. She always said that Cheng Yue was just a child and should live happily.

Cheng Yue was about to go over while holding the cat, but Lin Shiheng, who had been quietly nestled in her arms, jumped down without making a sound and squatted quietly by Ji Jiaqi’s feet.

The little girl always treated her sister’s beloved cat as if it were her own. She didn’t force Lin Shiheng to go out with her. After all, she knew that Ragdoll cats were always obedient and seemed to understand human language. So she decided to go to the place to buy the bells herself.

She had supernatural abilities, but Ji Jiaqi was still a little worried. She stood in place and watched Cheng Yue squatting not far from them to look at the bells before she felt in the mood to talk to Gu Chengbei.

“You think I’m quite a failure, right? After knowing him for such a long time, I can’t even tell whether he’s human or a dog.”

The “he” mentioned naturally referred to Ji Hang.

As soon as Gu Chengbei saw Ji Jiaqi’s expression, the gossip soul that had spent countless years reading novels and watching TV dramas, knowing that appearances can be deceiving, instantly lit up.

He found a stone and sat on it, “It’s not as simple as that. Let’s talk about the person just now. Did he have this attitude towards you before he revealed his true colors?”

Ji Jiaqi shook her head, “I used to think he was great. We grew up together, so I knew him inside out. He was gentle, considerate, ambitious, and had good grades. When I was still in school and he was working, he would always call me to ask about my well-being. When I got sick, he was very concerned...”

As soon as Gu Chengbei heard this, he roughly understood the situation. He was also someone who didn’t receive much care from others. When someone was sick, they were at their most vulnerable, and they would always wish for someone to care and talk to them.

He clapped his hands, “Anyone can say caring words. If I had the opportunity, I could come up with a whole basket for you. When you were sick, did he only show concern? What about taking practical actions? Did he come to visit you? Did he buy medicine for you? Did he help you with cooking or anything?”

“No,” Ji Jiaqi shook her head and smiled bitterly. “He’s a medical student and he still has to attend classes. He doesn’t have time to come and see me.”

“Then why not order takeout and have someone deliver the medicine to you?”

Gu Chengbei looked disdainful, “Talking is easy for anyone. The most important thing is practical action. Although there are some clueless guys who can’t think beyond talking, just look at the face of that man earlier, you can tell that he’s all talk and no action. Does he have something he wants from you? Otherwise, why would he pretend to be like that?”

Ji Jiaqi had thought about this question for a long time on the night they broke up, and the only answer she could come up with was, “He’s a medical student, and I graduated and started working before him. Most of his expenses before the apocalypse were covered by me. I guess it’s because of money.”

Speaking of that, she sneered and imitated Gu Chengbei’s posture, sitting on the stone with her knees hugged, “We’re both orphans, grew up together. I thought I understood him well. After we got together, he mentioned getting married in the future. So, after I started working, he could directly use my money without asking. I would send him money every month, hoping to make his life easier. He had always been good to me. When we were in school, our friends thought he was a good guy. Who could have imagined...”

Who could have imagined that there would be someone so shameless and skilled at disguising themselves in this world?

Seeing Ji Jiaqi overwhelmed with discomfort, Gu Chengbei wanted to comfort her but didn’t know where to start. He could only cough and reach out his hand, gently patting her head.

“Well, don’t be too upset. You’re not the only one who fell for it. Look at that pretty girl from earlier, calling him ‘Brother Heng’ and being completely infatuated with him. It shows that it’s not your fault. He’s just really good at pretending.”

Speaking of that, he smirked with a sense of schadenfreude, “But this guy won’t be able to keep up the act for much longer. When you mentioned his affair, that girl’s eyes were about to pop out. She definitely won’t be fooled by him anymore. Plus, he already owes a debt at that shop. His future doesn’t look good.”

Ji Jiaqi nodded. She still harbored resentment in her heart. Given her personality, she wouldn’t actively provoke him, but if Ji Hang encountered any trouble, she wouldn’t mind watching him suffer.

“Thanks,” she smiled, her eyes slightly red. “I was thinking earlier if his affair was really because I wasn’t good enough...”

“What nonsense! You’re more than good enough! But if you ask me, you were just too good to that guy. Even if you’re in a genuine romantic relationship, that doesn’t mean the girlfriend should be the one supporting the guy. I’m not saying that women can’t support men, but I’m saying that regardless of gender, both parties have hands and feet. Why should the burden fall on the other person who isn’t their parent? Relationships should be reciprocal. If he could easily accept the money you gave him before, it shows that he’s fundamentally bad. He probably planned to kick you aside once he graduated and started earning money.”

She hugged her knees, sighing with a hint of exhaustion, “Maybe I’m one of those ‘giving’ personality types that people talk about online. Otherwise, how could I have been deceived by him for so long...”

“Meow-”

Lin Shiheng had been squatting nearby for a while and finally heard this sentence. He immediately extended his tail to playfully hook her leg.

“Hmm? What’s up, Heng Heng?”

Ji Jiaqi never saw Lin Shiheng as an ordinary cat. Seeing his current expression, she immediately wanted to pick him up. However, Lin Shiheng moved back and stood up, walking towards the left while glancing back at Ji Jiaqi.

It was obviously a guiding gesture.

Ji Jiaqi didn’t hesitate and shouted at Cheng Yue from a distance, “Yue Yue, let’s go.”

With a serious and expressionless face, Cheng Yue immediately took out a small handful of rice from her pocket and gave it to the stall owner in exchange for the bell. She took the bell and walked away.

Although this was called a cat bell, it wasn’t actually meant for cats. It’s the end of the world, and who has the leisure to keep cats?

This thing was used to divert zombies’ attention when going out, by placing it on a toy car. The stall owner was about to ask for the toy car, but when he saw that there was actually a cat at Cheng Yue’s feet, he immediately closed his mouth and carefully put the handful of rice into the rice bag.

Don’t underestimate this small amount of rice. If they were careful with their food, it would be enough for their whole family to have a meal.

Times were tough now, but as a father, no matter how difficult it was, he had to take care of his children.

The stall owner continued his sales pitch, while Lin Shiheng led the three of them to their rented house.

“Heng Heng, what’s wrong? Do you have something to show us?”

Ji Jiaqi caressed the cute head of the Ragdoll cat and spoke gently.

Gu Chengbei spoke from the side, “Sis, Heng Heng is probably just hungry. He’s just a cat. What else could he have to show us?”

Cheng Yue squatted down as well, earnestly looking at Heng Heng, “Heng Heng is very well-behaved. If there wasn’t something important, he wouldn’t behave like this.”

Gu Chengbei sighed. Well, women couldn't resist furry creatures. He understood that.

Indeed, Lin Shiheng had something to show them.

He pounced on Gu Chengbei like a descending tiger. Before Gu Chengbei could react, his coat had already been taken off by the increasingly chubby plush cat.

It wasn’t until Lin Shiheng carried the coat upstairs, leaving Gu Chengbei in just a vest, that he stood still, completely bewildered.

“l-lt...”

He looked at the stairs, where Heng Heng the cat had disappeared, then glanced at Ji Jiaqi, who seemed to have realized something, “What’s it doing?”

Damn it, it even started snatching clothes.

Ji Jiaqi’s body tensed slightly, “Yue Yue, go and close the front door.”

“Okay.”

Cheng Yue always obeyed her sister’s words, so she immediately turned around to close the door. Just as she was about to close it, her ears twitched, and her gaze turned sharp. She quickly drew the dual swords from her waist, infused with lightning, and took a defensive stance in front of Ji Jiaqi. She stared intently in the direction of the stairs.

“I hear footsteps!”

Gu Chengbei didn’t hear any footsteps, but he quickly joined Cheng Yue in standing before Ji Jiaqi, alertly looking in the direction she was watching.

“Tap, tap, tap—”

The cheerful sound of slippers dragging on the ground echoed, and then, under the gaze of three pairs of eyes, a figure of a young boy appeared in the stairwell.

He was wearing Gu Chengbei’s coat, with a pair of lively and beautiful eyes. He stepped on Ji Jiaqi’s pink slippers, and there seemed to be a cat ear headband on his head. Tap, tap, tap, he ran down the stairs.

Gu Chengbei began silently summoning his robots, while asserting his self-proclaimed role as the ‘only man in this household.’ He stepped forward, intentionally lowering his voice to appear authoritative. “Who are you?”

However, the young boy completely ignored him. He effortlessly bypassed the two blockers and grabbed Ji Jiaqi’s arm, his eyes shining brightly.

“You can trust me and invest in me. I won’t deceive you.”

Ji Jiaqi looked into his eyes, which resembled those of a child. She knew he had overheard her conversation with Gu Chengbei earlier. Softening her heart, she couldn’t help but smile and reach out to touch Lin Shiheng’s head.

“Heng Heng, how did you turn back into a human again?”

Gu Chengbei was shocked, “Heng Heng?!!"

Ji Jiaqi didn’t pay attention to him and gently touched Lin Shiheng’s ears this time, “The ears are still here, but where’s the tail?”

Gu Chengbei looked completely bewildered, “E-Ears, tail??”

On the other side, Cheng Yue wasn’t surprised for long. In her previous life, she had heard of supernaturally gifted animals turning into humans, but they were always incomplete transformations. Either they were half-human and half-animal, or their left side was human while the right side remained animal. In any case, they didn’t look very appealing.

After sniffing and confirming the familiar scent of Heng Heng, Cheng Yue’s tense body relaxed, and she approached to touch Lin Shiheng’s arm, “Heng Heng, you look really handsome as a human.”

Gu Chengbei, watching the two of them, one big and one small, smiling at the cat-eared young man as if everything was normal, was utterly puzzled, “???”

What's going on? Did I fast forward in the plot???