Chapter 45
When they got back into the elevator, it was just the two of them again. Shen Li felt ashamed of her earlier outburst; anyone who didn't know better would think they were crazy, going up and down like that.
The elevator went up without stopping. They took the dog back to Aunt Zhang's house. To get back to Luo Mingxiu's house, they only needed to go down one floor, so the two of them took the nearest staircase.
On the way back, Luo Mingxiu kept a smile on his lips, looking extremely happy. Shen Li found this annoying and simply turned her head away.
Her mind kept replaying Luo Mingxiu's loss of control that night and his composure today; his passion was forcing her to retreat step by step.
She was well aware that her reaction was a sign that she was wavering because of his affection, but wavering did not mean she would allow herself to continue to fall for him. Her failed marriage with her ex-husband had taught her that she could not fall in love on a whim. She dared not gamble, nor was she willing to gamble.
"What are your plans for tomorrow, sister?" Luo Mingxiu tried to say something to get Shen Li's attention back. "There's a really popular movie coming out, it might..."
"Cheng Qingqing is here. I'll go see her tomorrow." Shen Li knew what he was planning to do and directly cut off his hopes.
Luo Mingxiu: "Then I'll wait for you to come back."
Shen Li frowned: "Qingqing and I have made plans for a road trip. We'll leave tomorrow and I'll come back to pick up my parents for an overseas trip after she leaves. You can make your own arrangements."
As expected, she refused. Luo Mingxiu had only said it casually and didn't expect her to agree, but he didn't expect her to leave directly the next day, not even willing to stay at his house for a few more days.
His sister had really arranged everything perfectly; he had nothing to say.
"You two walked the whole neighborhood with the dog? That took so long." After returning home, Chen's mother's voice came from the living room, where she and Aunt Luo were watching TV.
In the entryway, Shen Li and Luo Mingxiu were changing their shoes. Upon hearing the question, they both took out their phones to check the time.
Two hours have passed, which is quite a long time.
"Haha, I took a long walk," Shen Li put away her phone and walked inside somewhat guiltily, speaking quickly, "Hey, I'm tired from walking. Mom, I'm going to take a shower and go to bed. You and Aunt Luo should go to bed early too. Goodnight."
Luo Mingxiu came in shortly after, and seeing his mother's inquisitive expression, he lowered his eyes somewhat awkwardly: "You two take your time looking around, I'm going back to my room too."
Mother Shen turned around curiously: "Why are these two children behaving so strangely? Could they have gone off to play somewhere behind our backs?"
"Maybe so, young people just have a lot of energy." Luo Qiuli chuckled twice and continued discussing where they were going to go the next day.
Shen Li really wanted to take a shower; she felt like Xiu Xiu had rubbed against her a few times and left her with its scent.
She returned to her bedroom, took out her clothes from her luggage, and suddenly realized that there was no bathroom in the room, so she had to use the communal bathroom to wash up.
To make things easier for the elders, Luo Mingxiu gave up his bedroom, which originally included a bathroom, and moved to the room next door with the same layout as hers. So, if they wanted to take a shower, they had to go outside.
Shen Li stood at the door with her clothes in hand, waiting for Luo Mingxiu to come over. She asked him, "I want to take a shower first. Aren't you going to shower now?"
Upon hearing this, Luo Mingxiu's eyes deepened: "I'll wash later."
"I'll call you when I'm done showering," Shen Li said before walking into the bathroom.
He opened the door, closed it, and locked it. Luo Mingxiu's ears burned slightly. He stood there blankly until he heard the sound of water dripping inside. Only then did he step into his bedroom and sit on the edge of the bed, absentmindedly scrolling through his phone.
Half an hour later, I received a message.
Chen Li: I'm done washing.
Luo Mingxiu: Okay.
As soon as he typed those words, Luo Mingxiu stood up abruptly. His ears, which had just cooled down, started to burn again. He grabbed his clothes, quickly opened the door, and ran into the bathroom.
Steam rose and swirled, the lingering scent of shower gel still present—the familiar fragrance of Shen Li. Luo Mingxiu's throat went dry. He took a deep breath and looked down, the restlessness in his heart finally bursting forth…
The next day, Luo Mingxiu woke up from his sweet dream again and opened the door to find Shen Li just finished washing up.
She wore a pink headband, revealing her bare face, which made her look even more innocent and cute than when she wore makeup.
"Don't block my way." Shen Li took off her hairband and glared at him. Every time Luo Mingxiu stood close to her, even though he always kept his head down and didn't seem superior, the pressure from their size difference still reminded her of the night she was forcibly kissed, leaving her feeling confused and disoriented.
Luo Mingxiu's heart pounded. He mechanically stepped aside and entered the bathroom. A faint fragrance filled the air. He stared at the bottles and jars on the sink, and felt a sense of reality about everyday life.
He longed for things to stay like this forever, longed to live with her, and longed to see her every morning when he woke up.
However, the reality is that he lingered outside her territory, never able to enter.
Over the next few days, Luo Mingxiu and his mother took his godparents on a trip around the area, with Luo acting as the photographer for the elders.
His WeChat Moments were filled with pictures and posts from Shen Li, including landscape photos and selfies. He liked every single one of them. Shen Li and Cheng Qingqing were having a great time. Every time he looked at the smiles in the photos, he couldn't help but smile as he imagined himself traveling with her.
He thinks he's alright at taking photos, and if they travel together, Shen Li probably won't mind.
It was like telepathy. Just as I thought that, I saw a comment under the photo he took of his godmother on his WeChat Moments: "Mommy is so beautiful. The photographer's skills are great."
He immediately opened her chat interface and typed that he wanted to take pictures of his sister if he had the chance. After typing, he looked at the fragmented messages he had sent but had not received a reply to, then stopped and pressed delete.
*
The seven-day trip with Cheng Qingqing came to an end quickly. Shen Li planned to spend the Lantern Festival with her parents in City C before going abroad together.
Back at the Luo family home, Luo Mingxiu opened the door, took the luggage from her hands, and walked into the house.
Slightly surprised, Shen Li changed her shoes and followed him: "When are you flying to City B? I remember you have a new movie about to start filming?"
She thought he had left long ago. After all, Qingli had already returned to work. Didn't he need to go to the company early to prepare for joining the crew with Liang Jin?
Luo Mingxiu: "Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival. Brother Liang told me to stay until after it, and to go back to the group for a reading session the day after tomorrow."
Shen Li was skeptical: "In such a rush, have you even read the script?"
"I've read it many times, I read the script every night..." Luo Mingxiu paused, his tone softening, "But there are a few parts I'm having trouble understanding. Could I ask you for help, sister?"
Shen Li nodded without much thought and went into her room: "Okay, mark the parts you have questions about and send me the electronic version. I'll take a look after I take a shower."
"It's not like I'm grading homework," Luo Mingxiu muttered under his breath.
"What did you say?" Shen Li's eyes sharpened.
Luo Mingxiu's face turned red: "I understand the script to a large extent, but I'm not sure about some parts. I'd like to go through it with a rehearsal, is that okay?"
The reason for changing their tune so quickly is obvious.
"No, if you really don't understand something, just mark it on the script. I can give you suggestions, but I'm not obligated to personally rehearse and guide you in every film."
After saying that, Shen Li grabbed her clothes and left.
Luo Mingxiu behind him suddenly felt dejected, a sense of defeat welling up inside him. No amount of trickery was effective against her. What should he do? He couldn't even fulfill such a simple wish as wanting her to linger on him.
After taking a shower, Shen Li checked her phone and, as expected, the script hadn't been sent. Instead, she received three words: "Sorry."
She couldn't express the emotions in her heart; she was fed up with this feeling of being constantly suspicious.
But she could no longer look at him with the innocent eyes she once had; it was all his own doing.
Shen Li didn't reply. She exited WeChat and turned to look at the weather forecasts for various overseas vacation destinations, making travel plans for the next trip.
Around 9 p.m., she heard the sound of fireworks outside. She got up and ran to the balcony to watch. Streams of fireworks shot into the sky, bloomed in the night, and then fell into the surrounding fields.
From her angle, she could see the fireworks clearly. She wondered where the people were celebrating this joyous occasion, and she felt a bit of happiness herself, which eased her unhappiness.
Shen Li took out her phone to take a picture, and a video call popped up. Luo Mingxiu's name was clearly visible, which made her feel annoyed again. Why was she making a video call when she was right next door? Did she press the wrong button?
She pressed reject and continued taking pictures until the fireworks ended before turning her gaze away. Her phone beeped with a message tone, and when Shen Li opened WeChat, she saw Luo Mingxiu's message recall records one by one.
She returned to the main screen, puzzled, and saw a red dot on her Moments. She clicked on it and refreshed the page.
Luo Mingxiu's WeChat Moments post contained no text, only two pictures. One of them captured the final moment of the fireworks display, showing an open space.
The other image is a meme of a dog crying.
Based on the video he had just sent, Shen Li thought of a possibility, her heart skipped a beat, and her hand trembled involuntarily. She swiped down to refresh the screen again, and the post on Moments was reposted, this time with text added.
The puppy looks at you with teary eyes, but you never look at it.
This allegory has already proven everything. His apology went unanswered, so he went outside late at night to set off fireworks in an attempt to appease her. The video call was just so she could see it.
Shen Li's eyes welled up slightly as she opened the chat interface.
I saw it.
I'm not angry, you don't have to be.
Don't do this kind of thing again.
I typed and deleted what I wanted to say repeatedly, deliberating and hesitating, but in the end I sent nothing.
This madman, I really don't know what to do with him.
Frustrated, Shen Li bit her lip, quickly changed her clothes, went out, and made a voice call.
"Where are you?"
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