get along

The sun has already set in the west, and the moon continues to rise in the east. It is said that monsters only come out at night, and it is safest to eat human hearts when it is dark and windy.

Su Anchi felt as if the moon hadn't even reached its zenith yet, but his heart felt hollowed out, as if it had been stolen by a demon.

Boys his age are most unable to control their lower bodies. The tissues dwindled at night. Even though it was summer, Su Anchi's hands were still cool, just right to relieve the burning sensation on his body.

Unsurprisingly, even though his sleep was over, his dream still stirred his emotions: he first saw a woman's butterfly-like back, her head swaying, her hair tied in a side bun, her other fair shoulder veiled by the white smoke from her pipe, creating an ethereal, misty atmosphere. As soon as he took a step forward, the woman turned her face, her fox-like eyes smiling at him. "Where's the ethereal aura? It's clearly demonic energy! Hahaha, how can you be so easily amused? Hmm?" the woman laughed as she watched him stop.

Just as he was about to touch it, the fog began to thicken, and that's how he woke up.

The stains on the sheets embarrassed him; she was really making a big fuss.

Su Anchi put the sheets in the washing machine, went out of the room, and saw Su Yao exercising on the treadmill.

Her face was covered in sweat, she was wearing tight-fitting workout clothes, and black sports headphones were on her ears. Her low ponytail bounced rhythmically with her body movements, her chest rose and fell constantly, and her breathing revealed her extremely regular exercise habits.

Su Yao was like a very alert animal. She stopped after a short while, turned her head, and said, "What are you standing there for? Let's go to the restaurant to eat. I'm going to take a shower, and then I'll take you to do some business."

An Chi almost held his breath for a moment. He could clearly see the blush on the woman's face, just like in his dream last night.

As he sat down to eat, although the breakfast in his mouth was hot, it tasted like cardboard to him.

He has a sexual response to a 28-year-old woman, to his adoptive mother.

Although he lived in a small county town, attended a mediocre school, and didn't go to many places, An Chi was certain that he had seen many beautiful women, but he had never experienced a moment like this, or such an unbearable event.

He also understood that this was wrong and not allowed, and that if he showed these behaviors, how would his mother and sister live? He couldn't disregard his family for his own selfish desires.

When Su came out, he saw that Su Anchi was absent-minded.

"Have you finished eating?"

"Okay, all done."

Su took the pre-packed lunchbox and the pre-filled water cup. "Let's go then."

"Aren't you eating at home?" An Chi wasn't stupid, but he still wanted to ask.

"After I finish your business, I have to go to the company. I shouldn't have much time to waste on this," Su said casually as she put on her shoes.

An Chi didn't say much, just followed along, "Okay."

Once in the car, he always assumed that someone like Su Yao would have a driver, but when she sat in the driver's seat, he had a different feeling.

"Hold on tight, you'll get your driver's license soon, don't worry."

He finally realized that they were teasing him.

His expression finally stopped showing all sorts of surprised changes. Su glanced at the rearview mirror and said, "Wow, you've improved so quickly? Looks like your IQ is definitely fine now."

With just one sentence, his expression softened slightly, and his lips twitched slightly.

"You still need to be careful when driving," Su said, and then stopped talking.

He could see Su Yao's serious expression in the rearview mirror when she didn't speak casually, just like the scene when she was on the balcony making a phone call that day. Her eyebrows and eyes were relaxed, her lips were slightly pursed, her hair was loose over her shoulders, and her fingers were tapping the steering wheel casually, sometimes following the countdown of the traffic lights, and sometimes following the music coming from inside the car.

Look away, he couldn't bear to watch any longer.

Upon arriving at a school, the school gate was particularly luxurious, with several large characters carved on a stone slab. From afar, one could see people coming to greet them, not to greet him, but to greet Su Yao.

"Mr. Su, hello. I am the principal of our school. This must be my son." The principal greeted Su with a smile from the moment Su got out of the car, either shaking hands or praising him.

“Principal Li, there’s no need for that. We just came to see the school environment.” Su Yao smiled at the Principal Li, just like she had smiled at Xiao Bai that day. An Chi felt she was wrong. How could she have the same feelings for a stranger as she did for Xiao Bai? Aunt Hong had said that Su Yao really liked Xiao Bai.

The two followed Principal Li, one in front and one behind. An Chi was not very talkative, and Su Yao did most of the talking with the principal.

Having gathered all sorts of information, Su wanted to ask him, "Do you want to study here?"

Su Anchi looked into those eyes, which were calm and indifferent, as if it didn't matter to him whether he went or not. But the eyes behind her were even brighter, filled with anticipation. He didn't understand what kind of conditions Su had agreed to for the school, but they were definitely not low. "Okay."

He heard himself say that it didn't really matter where he went to school, but Su Anchi could tell that Su Yao must be very busy and she didn't have much time to spend with him.

The procedures were completed very quickly, and it hardly required two people to do anything. Applying for an ID card and a citizen card was just as fast. It was as if I had a "Su Yao" identity, making it convenient to go anywhere.

Receiving the new card representing his identity left Su Anchi somewhat dazed. In one morning, she helped him resolve a problem that would have taken many days to resolve.

After getting in the car, Su Yao said to Su Anchi while moving the car. "I'll take you home. You can cook for yourself this afternoon if you want, or order takeout if you don't want to cook. Or you can tell Xiaobai and it will order takeout too, so you won't have to have trouble making a choice." In her memory, this boy was always hesitant and couldn't make a choice.

“I don’t have a choice… Will you come back?” Su Anchi hadn’t forgotten that Su Yao had come to help him resolve his identity and school transfer issues, but once those issues were resolved, would she come back? That was the question.

Su Anchi remembered that she had many houses. Several times, Aunt Hong said that she didn't like coming to the houses here. At first, she thought that she disliked her and that's why she was arranged to live there. But after seeing it all day, she probably didn't dislike it.

"Hmm? Go back where?"

"go home."

Su didn't respond immediately. It had been a long time since anyone had mentioned the word "home" to her, so she fell silent. Actually, she didn't care where she lived; sometimes she would even stay at the company for convenience. But the child's question made her think for a moment. "Yes, I'll go home today."

When the car arrived downstairs, he got out and watched it drive away. He then sluggishly waved to the disappearing shadow around the corner.

One o'clock in the morning.

The words "I'll be home today" were still in Su Anchi's mind, but looking at the tightly closed door, all he felt was sourness. The smell of unripe oranges on the table wafted out, and he didn't believe it. He took a bite, and the sour taste on his tongue filled his mouth.

He didn't want to wait any longer, so he went back to his room.

I can't sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, the sound of Su opening the door came from the doorway. The sound was so faint that it was almost inaudible unless you listened carefully. But in the quiet of the night, this sound made Su Anchi feel like the surface of water when a light rain was falling, with ripples spreading slowly and widely.

Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

The next morning, An Chi got up early to make breakfast for Su.

But looking at the empty bedroom, he couldn't help but smile to himself; he should have thought of that sooner.

Even the breakfast he made himself was as hard to swallow as chewing wax. He hid it better than anyone else. He also understood that the difference between the two of them was not something that could be summed up with a simple "impossible", but rather a world of difference, as difficult as climbing to the heavens.

The door opened at that moment, and Su Yao, panting and dressed in her sportswear, rushed back from outside. She had a habit of exercising in the morning. If the weather was nice, Su Yao preferred to go for a morning run; the fresh morning breeze would set a good mood for her day.

"You cooked by yourself?" Su Yao glanced at Su Anchi sitting at the dining table and made a perfunctory polite remark.

"Hmm...would you like to try some?"

"sure."

He carefully placed the plate on the dining table. His hands were long and slender, turning white as he handled the plate. Su Yao glanced at them and secretly thought that she should fatten up the child.

"Oh, it's even plated." She teased him relentlessly, always doing this, or rather, always looking for something to do, regardless of who it was. An Chi had only known her for less than three days, but he had gotten used to these remarks and rarely saw her take things seriously.

"I was afraid you wouldn't like it," he explained blankly.

Su Yao and Su Anchi were standing very close to each other at the rectangular dining table. He stood at the short corner, and she stood at the long corner, at the same corner.

Sensing someone's intense gaze, An Chi looked up and met Su Yao's eyes. Their faces magnified in each other's pupils. Less than a palm's width apart, An Chi was the first to give in, perhaps because Su Yao never really considered this a "battlefield."

Why are you looking at me like that?

"You silly child, let me be clear from the start: no matter how pretty something looks, I won't eat something that tastes bad."

"knew."

He spoke his words carefully, yet stubbornly, as if he were throwing a tantrum.

The first bite is a rich cheese sauce; the sandwich has few vegetables but lots of meat.

He swallowed the food in his mouth. "If you like eating meat so much, how come you don't get fat?"

"No...no, this was made for you." Seemingly afraid of misunderstanding, she added, "Mine doesn't have that much meat."

For the first time, Su Yao was able to discern the boy Su Wenxie had mentioned. Su Wenxie said the boy was probably a little shy, or perhaps he had no intention of making this place his home.

Su Yao initially thought Su Wenxie's earlier statement about being taciturn was fake, and while she didn't initially believe his statement that he "never intended to treat this place as his home," now she felt it was true. She wondered what the child's thought process was like, but he didn't seem very bright and wouldn't seize opportunities. If she had such a chance to turn her life around, she would utilize all resources to her advantage, but unfortunately, she estimated she would never have that opportunity in her lifetime. She was already at the top.

"If you're going to do it, do it the same way. What's the point of you making it different from me? You should eat more meat, you're too thin." Su was about to take her second bite when there was just too much cheese sauce, and it was already smeared on her lips. It wasn't that she thought it was unseemly, but she just didn't like things that were too sweet.

After the second bite, Su said, "Put less cheese sauce next time." Her tone wasn't like she was talking to a child, but rather to a subordinate. Suddenly realizing, she added, "I don't like things that are too sweet." It seemed that the more she explained, the worse it got; her attitude, which hadn't changed at all, made it sound even more like an order. Seeing that Su Anchi didn't seem to care much, she simply didn't say anything more.

"Okay." Su Anchi likes sweets. He always thinks that sweetness is the best taste in the world, and he wants to bring this taste to Su Yao.

After they finished speaking, they each ate their own meals without saying anything else.

While pondering, Su Yao had already realized that An Chi liked sweet flavors, but she hadn't thought much about it at the time.

She had read a research report that suggested childhood influences could last a lifetime, profoundly impacting eating habits. The more a child is prevented from eating something or from tasting it, the more curious they become, constantly trying it and developing a liking for the flavor, ultimately influencing their diet for life.

She didn't care at the time. Su had been able to have whatever she wanted since she was a child, let alone small food. She had almost no favorite foods. If we were to talk about taste, she preferred spicy food, but that was only because spicy food is physiologically more appetizing than other flavors.

And what kind of influence does the boy's love of sweets have on him?

“I prefer spicy food, but everything else is about the same. Too much sweetness would be too cloying,” Su blurted out without thinking. She just said it as soon as she thought of it, and then added, “If you like sweets, Su Wenxie brought some chocolates from abroad a while ago. I’ll have him send them over to you.”

An Chi clearly hadn't expected her to say these things, but her expression relaxed slightly, and she raised the corners of her mouth a little. "Yes, thank you, Sister Su."

It must be psychological; he doesn't want to call her "Mom," even if she's only in name.

After finishing her meal, Su wiped her mouth with a tissue and headed for the door.

Su Anchi understood that she was very busy, but still asked with a hint of expectation, "Are you coming home for dinner today?"

Su, who was putting on her shoes, looked up and asked, "Hmm?" She was puzzled. Don't all children hope that no one will interfere at home and that they can be more free? At least that's what she thought when she was a child.

“If you come back, I’ll buy more groceries. You haven’t tried my cooking before, and I’m afraid you won’t like it. I’ll give it a try first.” As he explained in one breath, the boy’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and his heart trembled even more intensely.

"Yeah, I should be back tonight." She wasn't sure. The schedule her assistant sent her yesterday didn't include any dinner appointments for the evening, but there was no guarantee that something might be arranged in the middle of the night.

Suddenly remembering something, he stopped tidying up, "Xiaobai."

Su glanced at the person who was speaking even softer than her, "Speak louder, it's charging in the room, the soundproofing here is pretty good. Xiaobai!" Then, the woman stepped out the door in her high heels.

Once again, she helped him.

This seems to be a bad habit. I've never been so timid before. It takes a lot of courage to take my sister out and about.

"What does Xiao Yao want?" Xiao Bai looked around but didn't see the woman. "Young Master, where is Xiao Yao?"

"I'm leaving. Could you help me clear the table?" An Chi could still hear the sound of the door closing and the clatter of high heels.

"sure."

He stood by the dining table, watching the short robot raise itself and clear the table, just like last time, pondering what dishes to cook that evening.

Plans can never keep up with changes.