A black pattern emerged on his left chest, and she frowned, focusing to see clearly:
It was a tattoo!
The light was dim, and the further back she looked, the harder it was to discern, but she could vaguely make out a figure drawn.
Lu Xiu leaned in close, their breaths mingling, creating an ambiguous and dreamlike atmosphere.
"I'll ask again later," he suddenly smiled, looking at her. Su Qing watched his serious expression and almost impulsively wanted to agree. He had a face of unrestrained charm, but every time he looked at her, his gaze would make her heart flutter, both affectionate and romantic.
She was particular about looks. Despite having many admirers in middle and high school, none had caught her eye. It was strange; the first time she saw Lu Xiu, she was amazed. She had heard of him early on, how he was a rebellious troublemaker.
Who could say otherwise? Even so, there were still countless girls chasing after him.
She reminisced about the first time she saw Lu Xiu, although some memories were hazy.
It was after two classes had already passed. During break time, she went to the small shop near the school gate to buy water. There were many people gathered at the gate, and she glanced over, seeing Lu Xiu getting out of a luxurious car.
He rubbed his eyes sleepily, lazily ran his fingers through his hair, every move catching the attention of the girls. He was too dazzling; it was that moment that made Su Qing feel as if someone had been born in Rome.
No one could catch up to him; there was a gap.
She held the bottle of mineral water, and the shopkeeper called her several times before she snapped back to reality and hurriedly paid.
She later found out that Lu Xiu had transferred to their school and sat behind her. He rarely attended classes, and even she, who seldom used the internet, knew his family was disgustingly wealthy.
He was often invited by the principal to dine. At that time, she had no friends in school, and her personality was unpleasant. Although she performed well academically, teachers often scolded her. She had grown accustomed to it all.
It could be said that Lu Xiu was the only ray of light during her high school years.
Her thoughts were interrupted as she hurriedly opened the car door and fled.
Su Qing didn't know how she got back home, but her neck had suspicious red marks creeping up to her ears.
She slapped her face, finished washing up, and returned to bed, where she saw a message from her landlord.
Landlord: [Qingqing, I need to take back this house. Please tidy up properly these days. I've already refunded the money to the man who came that day.]
Su Qing blinked, feeling puzzled.
[Is there something wrong? Didn't we already sign the contract?]
Landlord: [You know my house is in a remote location and barely earns any money. Someone wants to buy it recently, and they'll come to inspect it in a few days. I thought I'd sell it and give you the penalty fee.]
Su Qing furrowed her brows as she finished reading. She had been living here for almost a year. Although it was far from the company, it was very cheap. The housing prices in Ancheng were ridiculously high, and she wouldn't be able to find a suitable place to live now if she started looking again.
She rubbed her temples. Forget it, let's talk about it tomorrow.
She buried her head in the blanket, enduring the long night.
*
At work, she was still thinking about the house. Her mind wasn't focused. She had to move again...
When she received a message from Lu Xiu, she was still worried about finding a house. Although she no longer rejected him as before, she still maintained her distance.
Lu Xiu: [Do you want to hang out?]
[No time, I have to work.]
Lu Xiu: [I'll come to see you tonight.]
Su Qing decided not to respond to him. Her eyes returned to the computer screen, looking at the sheets with a headache. Yang Zhiyan hadn't bothered her lately, but she knew he must have been gossiping about her behind her back.
After a short while, the boss brought in a girl from outside. With a melon-seed face, fair skin, and wearing a loose white coat, her eyes sparkled, and her smile revealed a row of white teeth.
The boss knocked twice, and the surrounding people quieted down, staring at the girl beside him.
"This is the new intern. Let's encourage each other and work together from now on," the girl glanced around the room and said, "Hello, everyone. We'll be working together from now on. My name is Li Xuanqi." Her voice was loud and clear.
The people around greeted her one after another. Su Qing remembered when she first came to the company, she had always been reserved and quiet, not fond of talking. Coupled with her depression, she simply didn't like interacting with others.
At that time, almost no one in the company said anything good to her. Some people even refused to let her help with their work during overtime.
Thinking about it now was quite ridiculous. After Liang Qingqing left, that position had been vacant, and Li Xuanqi naturally took over that position.
Su Qing saw her smiling and greeting her, "Hi, what's your name? You're so pretty!"
"Su Qing."
This sociable girl quickly integrated into the company.
In the evening.
Su Qing stretched lazily,
her eyes sore from staring at the computer for so long. Just as she was about to leave, she saw Li Xuanqi and Yang Zhiyan holding hands like old friends.
"Qingqing, let's go down together!" Li Xuanqi glanced at Su Qing, who was standing beside her carrying her bag.
She nodded lightly, and Yang Zhiyan's expression didn't look good, but she pretended not to see it.
As they descended the stairs, Li Xuanqi was very excited, standing in the middle and exclaiming, "The people in your company are so nice! Even the guy sitting in the middle gave me a bottle of yogurt."
Her voice echoed throughout the building, perhaps because of her appearance, it didn't sound like she was bragging.
"Of course, with such a cute face like yours, there will be many people giving you yogurt in the future."
Yang Zhiyan began to speak, and this was the first time Su Qing had seen him complimenting someone like this, which was truly unbelievable.
As they reached the entrance and saw the conspicuous car, Su Qing suddenly remembered that Lu Xiu was coming to see her tonight. Before she could approach, he opened the car door and came out.
He was wearing a gray hoodie and a pair of limited edition blue AJ sneakers. He wore a baseball cap low over his eyes, making it impossible to see his expression from afar, only his sharp profile could be seen, his gait lazy, giving off an unrestrained vibe.
"So handsome." Su Qing heard Li Xuanqi's voice, speaking loudly as if specifically for him to hear.
Su Qing put her hands in her pockets and walked up to him. Lu Xiu raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, his eyes never leaving her.
The two of them stared at each other like this, but Li Xuanqi ran over and said loudly, "Do you two know each other? Is this your boyfriend, Qingqing?"
Su Qing looked at her speechlessly and said softly, "No."
"So familiar, isn't he... Lu... Lu Xiu?"
Li Xuanqi came over, eyeing Lu Xiu, her gaze almost sticking to him.