In the evening, after everything was tidied up, she realized that Lu Xiu's room was right next to hers. She instinctively glanced inside, the grayish-white decor being his style. Just as she was about to retract her gaze, he caught her eye. Her right eyelid twitched involuntarily, and she quickly turned her head, pretending to be calm as she hurried downstairs.
Coincidentally, Zhao Yi was preparing dinner in the open kitchen, visible at a glance. Seeing Su Qing come downstairs, she greeted her, "Bought some fish today, I'll steam it for you all tonight. By the way, what do you like to eat? I'll buy it tomorrow." Su Qing blinked, shaking her head, "Anything is fine, I'm not picky."
Zhao Yi looked at the obedient girl in front of her, taking the initiative to start a conversation, "I have a daughter who's about your age. She often comes here too. You two can play together and have common topics." Su Qing looked at the fine lines at the corner of Zhao Yi's eyes, suddenly remembering her own mother. Four years had passed so quickly. "Alright." She felt a strange sense of intimacy towards Zhao Yi.
"How long have you and Xiao Xiu been together?" Zhao Yi asked as she picked vegetables, a hint of gossip in her eyes.
Su Qing pursed her lips, squinting her eyes, her voice sounding normal, "We're not together. I'm just temporarily staying here, haven't found a place to live yet." Zhao Yi's hand paused for a moment, a hint of surprise on her face, quickly replaced by a smile. "Oh, I see. The property prices here aren't cheap, but I've been working here for several years, and they're quite generous. I've managed to save some money over the years." Su Qing looked at Zhao Yi's face, feeling a strange sense of warmth.
Su Qing sat on the sofa, her eyes fixed on her phone screen. It was a message from Xiao Yin.
Xiao Yin: [Have you found a place? Come stay at my place. Free food and accommodation, how about it?]
[Found one.] Su Qing replied.
Xiao Yin: [Found one? Weren't you still looking a few days ago? So fast, you didn't even tell me.]
Su Qing paused for a moment, then replied, [Just moved in today, didn't have time to tell you.]
Xiao Yin: [Where is it? Send me the address, let me see if you're being scammed.]
Su Qing didn't hesitate and sent the address.
There was no response for a while. Su Qing was about to put down her phone when a dialogue box popped up.
Xiao Yin: [!! Qingqing, you're not being scammed, this is a well-known wealthy area! How did you find it?]
[No, it's safe. There are people I know inside.]
Xiao Yin looked at the message, frowning. People she knows? Su Qing has other friends here? Suddenly she remembered what Su Qing had said that day.
Xiao Yin: [Is it him?]
Su Qing knew she couldn't hide it from her, nor did she want to hide anything from anyone.
[It's him.]
Xiao Yin: [Your mood has improved a lot recently. You must be inseparable from him.]
After careful consideration, it did seem that she had changed a lot during this time. Strange thoughts that used to pop into her mind were now blocked.
Before she could reply, another message came in.
Xiao Yin: [I really want to see what kind of person he is that you can't forget him. But it's also a good thing, Qingqing. If you still like him, give it another try. Don't be afraid, there's nothing much to lose now, for yourself and for him.]
Indeed, there wasn't much left to lose. But this matter still seemed so far away from her. Taking another step forward was already difficult enough. Besides, she was the one who broke up with him before. Now she wanted to reconcile, what did she take him for?
She sighed and replied, [Let's talk about it later.]
After sending the message, she turned off her phone, and suddenly heard footsteps upstairs. She looked up and saw Lu Xiu's figure approaching.
There was still a suspicious blush on her face, and the whole villa was air-conditioned, but she could still feel the heat on her face.
He glanced at her with a casual look, raised an eyebrow, and then glanced away.
Su Qing, with her hands on her knees, felt a bit awkward. After all, this wasn't her home.
Soon, Zhao Yi brought the dishes to the table. Seeing the dishes laid out, Su Qing suddenly felt hungry. Lu Xiu walked over and pulled out the chair next to her, moving it a few inches closer to his seat.
"Sit here," Lu Xiu said, looking down at her fair little face.
She bit her lip, sat down, and inadvertently moved the chair a little to the side. Lu Xiu watched her little movements, chuckled, and then, with a hint of tenderness in his eyes, he gently moved her to sit next to him.
Close at hand, she was almost startled. She steadied herself and said, "You scared me."
Lu Xiu's lips curled up in a smile, his voice low and husky, "Am I scaring you?"
Su Qing furrowed her brows, wanting to retort but held back, deciding to eat instead.
She turned her head to pick up the chopsticks, and Lu Xiu helped her pick out the coriander. Su Qing ate slowly and sparingly, resulting in her
still looking a bit thin.
After dinner, Su Qing went back to her room to rest. She sat on the bed, counting the days until her mother's death anniversary. The warmth in the room was something she hadn't experienced in years. She had always been afraid of the cold, so she rarely turned on the air conditioning. Many times, she would stay in the mall for a while before going home.
Thinking about the past few years, she didn't know how she had made it through. But she seemed to have gotten used to being alone.
She opened the drawer and took out the medicine, then opened the door. The lights outside had already been turned off. She poured a glass of water and took the medicine. Before she could take a few steps, she ran into a warm embrace. Smelling the familiar faint fragrance, she instinctively hid the medicine in her pocket.
"I'm going up," she said, pushing him away.
In the darkness, Lu Xiu blocked her path. Su Qing furrowed her brows and asked, "I'm going to sleep." Her voice was small and a bit coquettish.
"Sleep with me," Lu Xiu suddenly leaned down and hugged her into his arms.
Su Qing's body trembled noticeably, a bit angry. "Lu Xiu! Can't you speak properly?" Lu Xiu pulled back, revealing a smile, his eyes soft and gentle, devoid of any anger from the girl. "Aren't I speaking properly?"
She couldn't push him away, her head leaning against his chest, her voice sounding a bit muffled. "I'm really sleepy."
Indeed, upon hearing these words, Lu Xiu let go of her, pulled her wrist, afraid she might stumble in the darkness.
When they reached the door of her room, Su Qing was about to close it, but Lu Xiu stopped her, pushing her against the door.
"Really going to sleep?" Lu Xiu leaned in and asked.
Su Qing pretended to yawn, tears welling up in her eyes, and nodded.
He looked down at the girl's obedient appearance, touched her cheek, and cleared his throat, wanting to tease her.
"Alright then, goodnight." Then, a hand landed on Su Qing's head, patting it gently.