Lu Xiu smiled faintly, obediently lowering his head. In this moment, the arrogant and unruly youth seemed like someone eagerly awaiting a treat, his eyelashes fluttering, eyes shining brightly.
Intentionally or unintentionally, his hair brushed against his arms, and the flame in his heart grew stronger.
Su Qing's eyes flickered slightly. After hesitating for a moment, she tiptoed and swiftly kissed his cheek, so lightly as if brushed by feathers, tender yet with a hint of affection.
"Is that all?" The man's deep voice sounded, leaving her a bit bewildered.
Seeing him about to lean in again, Su Qing quickly turned her head, coincidentally meeting his shoulder, her head rubbing against his neck, her voice sounding somewhat coquettish, "You don't keep your promises."
Lu Xiu chuckled softly and nonchalantly replied, "Does that even count as a kiss?"
Su Qing realized she couldn't communicate with him at all and glanced sideways, "Lu Xiu! I'm getting angry!"
He seemed a bit slow, standing lazily and releasing her. He spoke leisurely, "Got it." After the exchange just now, her face felt a bit warm. She turned away and didn't want to bother with Lu Xiu anymore, but as soon as she turned, she saw the incredulous expression on Xu Mo's face.
Now it was impossible to explain. Well, why bother explaining?
Su Qing walked past her and helped Zhao Yi bring the cooked dumplings to the table. Sitting down at the table, she saw Zhao Yi still busy and not eating. She pursed her lips and asked Lu Xiu, "Can we invite them to join us for New Year's Day today?"
It would feel like a family gathering around the table for the holiday. She liked that, liked the lively atmosphere.
Lu Xiu raised his eyes and said softly, "If you say so, then it's fine."
Su Qing licked her lips, and just as Zhao Yi walked over, she spoke, "Auntie, why don't you sit down and eat with us?"
Zhao Yi paused for a moment, then smiled as she realized, "I'm just a servant, how can I eat with you all?"
After she said this, Xu Mo's expression didn't look too good.
"It's okay, Auntie, please join us." Su Qing said gently.
She still hesitated, her eyes glancing at Lu Xiu. Su Qing noticed and subtly pushed his arm.
Lu Xiu watched Su Qing's little gesture and suddenly smiled, "Let's all sit down and eat together."
Hearing Lu Xiu's words, Zhao Yi didn't resist further and called out to Xu Mo, "Xiao Mo, come wash your hands and eat." Xu Mo didn't show any expression, but she lifted her feet and went to wash her hands.
Su Qing waited for them to sit down before picking up her chopsticks. There was a moment of silence at the table. She took a bite of the dumplings in her bowl, filled with sesame paste.
Perhaps there was too much sugar, it tasted unexpectedly sweet.
"Is it delicious?" Zhao Yi asked.
Su Qing swallowed the dumpling and replied with a slight smile, "Very delicious, Auntie."
Zhao Yi smiled a few times, and the fine lines at the corners of her eyes became visible, "Then I'll make them more often. Whatever you want to eat, Auntie will make it for you."
She took a breath and nodded.
However, Xu Mo seemed less happy. Sitting on the other side of Lu Xiu, intentionally or unintentionally, her arm brushed against his. Su Qing didn't know if Lu Xiu noticed, but his expression didn't seem unhappy. Su Qing suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable mixed with a hint of anger.
This resulted in her losing her appetite.
After dinner.
Su Qing's mood had already diminished by the time she finished eating. Seeing Lu Xiu coming over, she avoided him.
As soon as she reached the stairs, preparing to open her room door, Lu Xiu grabbed her delicate white arm and pulled her into his room. She was already petite, and being pulled like this, she was brought over effortlessly.
Su Qing was startled and almost screamed out. Lu Xiu trapped her against the door, and before she could react, the man in front of her lowered his head and kissed her neck.
It sent shivers down her spine, tingling so much that she couldn't help but tremble.
Her eyelashes fluttered, her voice trembling as well, "Let go of me!"
The sensation on her neck made her slightly more awake. Lu Xiu's hands weren't staying still either. Even through their clothes, she could feel the warmth of his body.
Su Qing's face flushed with anger, but she couldn't do anything about him.
"Why are you avoiding me?" His head rested on Su Qing's shoulder, his voice somewhat muffled.
Hearing his voice, she suddenly felt that her tone just now was a bit heavy, so she softened her voice, "Where did I avoid you?"
"Don't you say you didn't? I saw everything."
Su Qing wrinkled her nose and stuttered for a moment, "At the table, Xu Mo brushed against your arm like that, and you didn't avoid her." Her voice grew quieter, almost muttering towards the end, sounding a bit aggrieved.
Fortunately, there was no gap between the two, and Lu Xiu, after listening, chuckled softly a few times, sniffing the fragrance on her body, "And you say you don't like me?"
She felt a sense of shame being exposed.
There was a moment of awkward silence, then suddenly Lu Xiu's husky voice came, "Want another kiss?" with a certain tempting allure.
Her mind went blank, heated in the moment, she blurted out, "Yes."
Without giving her a chance to take it back, a faint tobacco scent surrounded her, followed by the soft touch of his lips.
Her mind was fuzzy, her heart pounding incessantly. Luckily, the curtains were drawn, and the lights were off.
She didn't know how long they kissed until she was led to the bed.
The room was dim, but she could still clearly see his enigmatic eyes, one after another, seeming to want to devour her.
Their fingers intertwined, his sanity collapsing from this moment onward.
In the bright outside world, the cabinet reflected the silhouette of the two, ambiguous and surging.
...
Night.
Su Qing's eyelashes fluttered, furrowing her brows as she rubbed her waist. Seeing the man beside her, her heart trembled.
To be honest, she was starting to regret it a little, but now there was no escaping. We are together like this now, right?
Suddenly.
Her gaze froze on the black tattoo on his chest, clearly visible. Her eyes were fixated, as if drawn by some magic to that spot. More accurately, it was the silhouette of her back, wearing a long skirt and holding a kite, the skirt swaying in the wind, with a row of English letters below—
i love you forever
Simple yet forceful, she suddenly felt a sourness in her eyes, as if there was still someone in this world who loved her.
...
Lu Xiu slept soundly, his disheveled hair covering his eyebrows. His long and thick eyelashes, and under his wild appearance,
She reached out, her slender nails falling on the teardrop mole on his chest. Immediately, his eyelashes flickered twice, as if noticing something. He embraced her waist, pulling her into his arms and nuzzling against her.
Su Qing giggled softly as she felt ticklish from his nuzzling.
Lu Xiu buried his head in her neck, his voice slightly hoarse as if he had just woken up, and somewhat clingy, he hugged Su Qing tightly, saying, "Let's sleep a bit more."
Through the gap in the curtains, the darkness outside was evident. She reached down to stroke the man's head in her arms. The quiet night, the bright moonlight, destined it to be an extraordinary night.