Lu Xiu leaned back on the sofa, still wearing his usual cynical expression, which Su Qing had become accustomed to. Xu Mo's expression seemed unnatural, her hands repeatedly fidgeting on her knees, occasionally glancing at the two of them. Su Qing was all too familiar with this kind of gaze.
Suddenly, Xu Mo turned her head and said emotionlessly, "She likes you."
Lu Xiu, as if not expecting this, let out a small "hmph," neither too big nor too small, and then retorted, "So what?" He must have been accustomed to such scenes, with so many people liking him.
Su Qing regretted saying those words and bit her lip before continuing, "It doesn't matter."
Being too close, his scent enveloped her, deliberately or not brushing against her arm. She sighed inwardly.
Sitting across from them, Xu Mo seemed uninterested in conversation and didn't even touch her phone, just sitting quietly, lost in thought. Zhao Yi finished cooking, and Su Qing watched as Xu Mo skillfully set the table, knowing exactly where everything was, even the napkins.
Does she come here often?
The thought flashed through Su Qing's mind, and she immediately shook her head, trying to dispel it, but it remained firmly fixed.
She pulled out a chair and sat down. Xu Mo was still standing beside her, and Zhao Yi had gone to tidy up. Su Qing couldn't eat with Xu Mo standing there. "Xiao Mo, come help me wash the dishes," Zhao Yi's voice came from the kitchen.
Xu Mo hesitated for a moment before walking over.
Poking at her food, unable to contain her curiosity, Su Qing asked, "Does she come here often?"
Lu Xiu leaned in, lowering his voice, and said, "Not really often. She comes early if she finishes work early."
Su Qing lowered her head to look at her food, suddenly losing her appetite. There was a slight heaviness in her heart, a feeling she couldn't quite articulate. She gave a faint "oh" in response.
A clear laugh suddenly rang in her ears, and Lu Xiu's gaze seemed to devour her, his lips curved in a half-smile, exuding a lazy charm. "Are you angry?" he said.
She glanced at him before replying, "Why would I be angry? I'm not angry, and there's nothing for me to be angry about." She took a breath after speaking.
Feeling the tension in the air, she chided herself for speaking without thinking.
Lu Xiu's smile didn't dissipate, seeming to swallow her bit by bit. "Are you speaking in riddles? I haven't talked to her much," he said.
Haven't talked much? Does that mean they've talked before?
Su Qing didn't dwell on the topic any longer and struggled for a moment before saying, "I want some milk." Her eyes were fixed on Lu Xiu.
"Get some milk for her now," Lu Xiu called out to the kitchen. She saw Xu Mo glance over before taking out milk from the cabinet below and pouring it into a cup. There was a little cartoon character on the cup, something that hadn't been there before, likely bought specifically for someone.
In no time, Xu Mo brought the milk over, bending down to place it in front of Lu Xiu, her hair brushing lightly against his jawline.
Lu Xiu clearly felt it and furrowed his brow.
He handed the milk to Su Qing, who drank it slowly after hesitating for a moment. After finishing their meal, Xu Mo helped Zhao Yi clean up the table. Zhao Yi came over and stopped her. "Why don't you play with Qing Qing and Xiao Xiu? You're about the same age, so you must have things in common, right Qing Qing?" she said, smiling at Su Qing.
Su Qing paused when she heard her name and nodded, smiling. "Yes, Auntie."
She thought Xu Mo wouldn't come over and just gave a perfunctory response, but to her surprise, Xu Mo hesitated for a few seconds before walking over and sitting next to Su Qing. She was tall, with a sharp brow bone that gave her a natural sense of dominance.
Su Qing discreetly moved a little closer to Lu Xiu. She wasn't used to being touched by strangers and felt a bit resistant, but it wasn't too bad.
She bit her lip and, to ease the awkward atmosphere, stiffly said, "Hello."
Xu Mo's eyes briefly swept over her before landing directly on Lu Xiu, who was sitting with his legs crossed, playing games on his phone, paying her no attention whatsoever.
Then she suddenly realized and asked Su Qing, "What's your relationship with him?" Her voice was low, and she wasn't sure if Lu Xiu heard her.
Su Qing was caught off guard by the sudden question and replied, "We're just roommates." But that was the truth.
Lu Xiu tightened his arm around her waist, chuckled softly, and said ambiguously, "Yeah, just roommates."
Xu Mo hesitated for a moment, then said, "Is it fun abroad? You don't seem to have changed much." She started a conversation.
Su Qing suddenly
felt like she was sitting between them, blocking their interaction. This woman obviously wanted to talk to Lu Xiu. She lowered her head and forced a smile, feeling bored.
The large clock on the wall chimed softly, barely audible if one didn't listen carefully. She sighed, berating herself for being so boring.
He remained silent for a while, clearly not wanting to talk to Xu Mo at all, not even giving her a glance. He and Xu Mo were not familiar, and they hadn't exchanged more than a few words.
At this point, Zhao Yi finished tidying up and walked over, smiling, "What are you guys talking about?"
"We're not talking about anything, you wouldn't understand," Xu Mo immediately replied, her expression turning cold and distant.
Zhao Yi seemed to be accustomed to it and put on her coat before saying, "It's getting late, let's go."
Su Qing stood up from the sofa, stifling a yawn. "I'm going to sleep."
Lu Xiu also got up from the sofa, taking long strides to catch up with Su Qing, walking by her side. His eyes were dark and unreadable. When they reached the door of the room, Su Qing opened it.
But she was suddenly pulled back by him. She turned her head helplessly, only to be enveloped by a dark shadow.