Lu Shizhen's heart pounded wildly in sync with the flashing streetlights outside the car window. She never expected Xu Shiyue to bring up the topic back to the initial question.
It was like solving a math problem; the subsequent dialogue consisted entirely of Xu Shiyue's steps, all to prove the question she had posed to herself at the beginning. The logic was impeccable, and she didn't seem like a drunk person at all.
The neon lights illuminated the darkness outside the window, making the man's eyes, which were filled with the smell of alcohol, appear even clearer.
Lu Shizhen couldn't tell whether Xu Shiyue's words were a genuine expression of her feelings while drunk, or whether she was pretending to be drunk to comfort her.
The closer proximity created an intimate atmosphere, and the lukewarm scent of alcohol, mixed with a unique fragrance emanating from this person, wafted into Lu Shizhen's nostrils.
Too much information flooded into Lu Shizhen's mind in that short time, causing confusion, wavering, joy, and a completely unbalanced heartbeat, all tangled together like a mess, leaving her somewhat at a loss for what to do.
So, feeling lost yet trying to sound nonchalant, he awkwardly replied, "I... I wasn't in a bad mood at all."
People are often unaware of changes in their tone of voice when they speak, just like Lu Shizhen's answer now, which was much softer than when she answered no earlier.
This is what it truly means to not be in a bad mood.
And there was also a sense of bewilderment.
Xu Shiyue's eyes crinkled slightly as she listened to the man's reply.
She was indeed a little drunk; even with the smell of alcohol in her clear eyes, she couldn't hide the satisfied joy that welled up inside.
Then her head tilted to the side, and she fell into a deep sleep, resting on Lu Shizhen's shoulder.
Even though there wasn't a trace of roses around her this time.
Lu Shizhen's shoulder was slightly twisted by Xu Shiyue's reassuring movement. She then carefully straightened her shoulder to try to make sure Xu Shiyue could sleep better.
The navigation voice gradually became clearer in the car. The driver glanced at the two people sitting in the rearview mirror and couldn't help but say to Lu Shizhen, "Young lady, your friend's way of expressing herself is really peculiar. Who uses their deceased first love to clarify current rumors? Isn't that cutting off their future path?"
Lu Shizhen was taken aback for a moment.
Then, upon further reflection, he realized that was indeed the case, and couldn't help but chuckle, trying to salvage Xu Shiyue's image by saying, "She's clumsy with words; she's just eager to explain herself."
Upon hearing this, the driver glanced at Xu Shiyue, who was leaning on Lu Shizhen's shoulder, and couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her delicate appearance: "Isn't this what you young people mean when you say, 'A perfectly fine person, but with a mouth'?"
As the driver spoke, her smile faded slightly: "But judging from your friend's attitude just now, this 'cinnabar mole' on her heart is quite deep."
"Auntie, just say something, but if you don't want to hear it, just pretend I didn't say anything." She looked at the little girl behind her who seemed somewhat familiar with her and said kindly, "We living people can never compete with the dead, especially those who haven't been forgotten all these years. You should think about this carefully."
The road home gradually became familiar, and the spring scenery outside the car window was the same one that Lu Shizhen had seen countless times in the past five years.
Five years is indeed a long time.
Lu Shizhen once thought that seeing Shen Yanxing helping Xu Shiyue in the snow was Xu Shiyue's future.
Five years have passed in the blink of an eye, and today Xu Shiyue is telling herself that she still misses him.
She said she loves me.
Even with the constraints of the main system, she still loves me.
So what have you been doing all this time, presumptuously avoiding and giving up?
Are you indulging in self-pity because of your own "greatness"?
Lu Shizhen chuckled, her eyes flashing with mockery.
Not only did she not stand on Xu Shiyue's side, she also became an accomplice of the main system.
Give her a kiss, then steal the person she's been longing for away from her.
The emotions that had been buried at the bottom of the sea finally broke free of their chains and were about to surge up with wind and rain.
Lu Shizhen watched as the taxi stopped in front of her building and paid the driver a little extra: "Thank you for reminding me. The extra money is to thank you."
"Young lady, I don't want your money. I'm glad you understand." The driver was about to return the money to Lu Shizhen, but Lu Shizhen put away her phone and got out of the car.
Xu Shiyue was asleep in the car with her head tilted slightly. The light from the streetlights enveloped her as the car door was opened. When they landed, Zhen awkwardly and carefully carried her out.
The gentle breath softly and slowly touched Lu Shizhen's heart, its warmth covering the thin fabric beneath.
She looked at the face leaning against her chest and said to the driver, "But... I think I should be that cinnabar mole."
As Xu Shiyue's bodyguard, Li was required to stay by her side at all times.
Despite his professional training, he still found himself at a loss for where to step after arriving at Lu Shizhen's house.
After he accidentally stepped on something and made a sound the third time, Li was glared at by Lu Shizhen and forced to leave her house. He then silently went back downstairs to wait in the bodyguard's car.
Perhaps due to being drunk, Lu Shizhen was startled three times by Li's voice, but Xu Shiyue was not woken up.
She had excellent drinking manners; even when drunk, she would simply fall asleep in Lu Shizhen's arms, her cool and aloof expression softened with a gentle sweetness.
Lu Shizhen then used the two-meter-tall teddy bear on her bed to replace herself and carefully placed Xu Shiyue on the bed.
The large, hairy brown hand rested on her face, making her appear exceptionally small against his massive body. She seemed completely unguarded, as if she were easy to manipulate.
Lu Shizhen sat by the bed, watching the sleeping Xu Shiyue, gently brushing aside the stray hairs on her face, her lips slightly moving.
The shadow cast on the wall slowly descended, descended, and then suddenly reappeared.
Lu Shizhen suddenly realized that Xu Shiyue was able to sleep so soundly without being disturbed because she had been too tired over the years.
The Xu Group is too big.
And she was all alone, stubbornly resisting the other half that fate was trying to give her.
Even if this person could make her future much easier.
Lu Shizhen felt a pang in her heart.
She watched Xu Shiyue sleeping soundly, and in her peripheral vision, the messy environment she was used to seemed to be baring its fangs and claws and enveloping her.
Suddenly finding the motivation, Lu Shizhen picked up Xu Shiyue's clothes, which seemed about to engulf her, and rolled up her sleeves to start tidying up the house.
In the dead of night, the washing machine, which hadn't been used for a long time, was pulled up and put into operation, and the garbage bags sealed in the storage cabinet were taken out in rolls.
Lu Shizhen picked up the clothes that were carelessly tossed everywhere, sorting them by light and dark colors and putting them into the washing machine.
Expired or long-opened snacks were all thrown into the trash bag, along with used paints, crumpled drafts, and even Qiuqiu's broken cat toys.
The first rays of morning sunlight fell on the entrance hall, and the cat and dog blind box figurines were warmly bathed in the sunlight.
The crisp sound of the electronic door lock opening rang out. Xiaoning skillfully entered the password, carried the two large breakfasts that Lu Shizhen had ordered, and walked in.
Then he froze on the spot.
The sofa appeared neatly in this house for the first time, and there were no comic strips scattered on the living room table. Even the dining table was clean and tidy, with nothing on it.
"Teacher Sixteen, Teacher Sixteen! Ten..." Xiaoning called out to Lu Shizhen frantically, like a frightened parrot.
Before her voice could get any louder, Lu Shizhen rushed out from the bathroom and covered her mouth: "Shh! What's all the noise about?"
"What...what happened to the house?" Xiaoning asked incredulously. "We were robbed?"
"Get lost," Lu Shizhen said helplessly. "Who would clean up after a thief?"
"That's true." Xiaoning nodded, her eyes still full of confusion. "Then what's wrong with you?"
"Can't I keep things clean from now on?" Lu Shizhen said, taking off her cleaning gloves. "What, you're disappointed that I'm not going to be a mess anymore?"
"No, no, I'm so happy for you! You don't know how much I've been dreaming about when you'll be able to tidy up the house and make it look presentable!" Xiaoning shook her head repeatedly, afraid that because of her reaction just now, Lu Shizhen would revert to her old ways.
"But... I just feel something's strange." Xiaoning placed the breakfast she was carrying on Lu Shizhen's clean table and said cautiously, "No matter how I tried to persuade you before, you wouldn't listen. Why did your personality suddenly change today?"
Although Xiaoning was delighted by Lu Shizhen's change today, she was also deeply puzzled.
Suddenly, as if she had just thought of something, she stared intently at Lu Shizhen, who was carrying out the washed clothes: "Teacher Sixteen, do you have someone you like? Or is someone you like coming to visit?"
Lu Shizhen was stunned for a moment, then put down the clothes basket in her hand and pushed Xiaoning toward the door: "Go, go, go back to the studio and get back to your work. All you do is gossip. Have you finished your report yet?"
Lu Shizhen spoke so rapidly, like a machine gun, that Xiaoning didn't even have a chance to interject before being kicked out.
Then Qiuqiu, tail held high, crawled out of its cat bed: "Meow~ Meow~ (Host, data shows you were making low-frequency noises all night last night. Are you having insomnia?)"
"I just wanted to clean up." Lu Shizhen picked up her laundry basket again, proudly showing Qiuqiu the empire she had amassed overnight. "I did a pretty good job cleaning, didn't I?"
"It's super nice!" Qiuqiu exclaimed crisply, sounding more like a dog enthusiastically supporting a cat. "Studies have shown that such a clean and refreshing environment can give people a positive attitude towards life!"
Lu Shizhen still enjoyed Qiuqiu's flattery and nodded smugly in agreement: "That's right, I want to live a good life."
"Host, is this because of Xu Shiyue?" Qiuqiu observed Lu Shizhen's expression and tentatively asked in a low voice, "I went to the bedroom to look for you just now, and I found that it was Xu Shiyue sleeping on your bed."
As Qiuqiu spoke, her voice was filled with fear.
Lu Shizhen could imagine the fear Qiuqiu would feel when it came to its room and found that the owner it wanted to cuddle with had become Xu Shiyue. She comforted Qiuqiu by stroking it from head to toe: "I'm sorry, I should have told you sooner. Xiaoning bought two starch sausages, and I'll give them to you later."
Upon hearing this, Qiuqiu flicked its tail and said, "Actually, it's up to the host whether to tell or not. I don't need starch sausage to compensate you."
This generous response caught Lu Shizhen off guard and even left her somewhat bewildered.
You should know that Qiuqiu's favorite food is starch sausage. Sometimes, she's even more cunning than a cat when it comes to snatching the starch sausage from her hand.
Why are you saying you don't want it this time?
Lu Shizhen was still worried that something might have happened to Qiuqiu when she heard it ask her a question: "I just want to ask the host, do you understand why you suddenly acted this way?"
"Research data suggests that when a person changes because of another person, it's often because..."
"like."
Qiuqiu had thought about it these past few days. It really didn't want to see its host so upset and awkward, so it decided to take this opportunity to give her a push.
But just as it was weighing its options and hesitating about how to help Lu Shizhen point out the psychological issues she was afraid to face, Lu Shizhen gave it a definite answer before it could.
A refreshing morning breeze swept across the balcony, causing the skirt that had just been hung on the clothes rack to billow in the wind.
Lu Shizhen carefully unfolded the edges of her folded skirt and said firmly to the kitten at her feet, "I like Xu Shiyue, I like her very much."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
