Chapter Thirty-Four: I really liked him when I was little
"Xiaoxiao."
Yan Mingshen's voice suddenly interrupted as he stubbed out his cigarette and threw it into the nearby trash can.
He tried to grab her arm, but Su Xiao took a half step back to avoid him.
His hand froze in mid-air, his face growing even darker.
"I'll take you back, and we'll talk."
What should we talk about?
Xu Bozhou scoffed.
"Are you talking about feeding Xia Zhi cake at your birthday party, or about holding her hand and making Su Xiao stand there like she was invisible?"
Yan Mingshen suddenly turned to look at Xu Bozhou, his eyes as cold as ice:
"What business is it of yours to interfere in my affairs with Su Xiao?"
"She doesn't want to talk to you right now."
Xu Bozhou didn't back down either, pushing open the car door and getting out, walking to Su Xiao's side.
Their gazes collided in mid-air, sparks flying.
"..."
Su Xiao was speechless.
Two lunatics.
She ignored everyone and turned to walk towards her 911.
She has her own car, so why does she have to ride in their car?
Xu Bozhou followed closely behind and successfully squeezed into the passenger seat.
His movements were so fluid and graceful that Su Xiao couldn't stop him.
She glanced at Yan Mingshen, whose face was dark outside the window.
In the end, he resisted the urge to throw the person out and drove out of the underground parking garage.
*
Yan Mingshen watched the moon-white 911 disappear from sight, then lowered his eyes and lit a cigarette.
She now feels it's superfluous to even say another word to him, yet she can calmly let another man squeeze into her car.
Yan Mingshen felt a surge of frustration.
"Ming Shen?"
A familiar voice came from behind her, and Xia Zhi quickly approached, carrying her bag.
With just the right amount of worry on her face, she reached out and hugged his arm.
Are you here to pick me up from get off work?
Yan Mingshen didn't answer, but he didn't reject her intimacy either.
Xia Zhi looked at the desolation in his eyes and secretly dug her nails into her palm.
It's Su Xiao again.
Even though Su Xiao has already left with someone else, why is he still so distracted?
She was so good to him, accompanying him to social events, taking care of his household affairs, and even watching over him when he was drunk.
But in his heart, there was only the image of that woman.
Xia Zhi took a deep breath, suppressing the surging hatred in her heart.
Su Xiao, do you think everything will be fine just because Xu Bozhou is protecting you?
Sooner or later I will make you pay the price.
*
The car's air conditioning was quietly turned up to 24 degrees Celsius, and warm air was blowing on my arms.
Su Xiao glanced at the person in the passenger seat but didn't say anything.
Xu Bozhou held a mineral water bottle, the cap already unscrewed.
When I handed it to her, my fingertip brushed against her fingertip, carrying a slightly cool temperature.
"You like him that much?"
Xu Bozhou spoke first, his gaze falling on her hands gripping the steering wheel.
There was a ring mark on her ring finger that wouldn't fade.
Su Xiao took the water, took a sip, and said in a flat tone:
"Mr. Xu, you're so free? You should mind your own business."
She doesn't like Yan Mingshen, but she also can't possibly like Xu Bozhou.
Xu Bozhou leaned back in his chair, his fingertips tapping his knees casually.
"He owes me so much money, yet he dares to act like a hero in a bar. Shouldn't I keep a closer eye on him?"
"That was an accident!"
Su Xiao couldn't help but retort, but her ears were secretly burning.
The image of him protecting me at the bar yesterday keeps replaying in my mind.
"Even accidents won't do."
Xu Bozhou leaned over and suddenly reached out to brush away the stray hairs that had fallen beside her ear.
The touch of his fingertip on the skin behind her ear caused Su Xiao to abruptly turn her head away.
The car lurched and almost scraped against the roadside guardrail.
"Xu Bozhou! Have you gone mad?"
Su Xiao's voice was a little tense.
She glanced at Xu Bozhou furtively, only to see a smile playing in his eyes, clearly teasing her on purpose.
"Drive carefully and don't get distracted."
Xu Bozhou sat back down, feeling much better.
He looked at the sycamore trees flashing past the window and changed the subject.
"To the studio?"
"Um."
Su Xiao nodded, her tone softening when work was mentioned.
"The painting that Old Master Qin sent over is already brittle; we need to determine a restoration plan first."
Xu Bozhou didn't say anything more, leaning back in his chair and looking at her.
Sunlight streamed through the car window and fell on her face, casting a soft shadow under her eyelashes.
He knew what she was bothered by, but he couldn't explain it to her.
He was indeed the one who did what happened back then.
She knows everything, even though they're just a wall apart.
Even if he told her, she wouldn't believe him.
We arrived at the studio.
As soon as Su Xiao went upstairs, she saw Qin Yu lying on the table with a pile of ancient books spread out in front of him.
Hearing the noise, he looked up from his thick book and greeted them with a smile.
"Senior sister, Brother Bozhou, you're here."
"Um, Qin Yu, can you help me look at something?"
Su Xiao placed the wooden box on the table, opened it, carefully took out the scroll, and beckoned him over.
"Look at this paper, is there a substitute?"
"Let me see."
Qin Yu leaned closer, put on gloves, and flipped through them:
"This paper is quite old. Where did you find this antique, Senior Sister?"
"It was sent by your patriarch."
Su Xiao glanced at him.
Qin Yu wasn't close to his family, but they also didn't have any grudges against each other.
I guess they've never seen this painting before.
"I remember there were similar ones in the warehouse, but it was difficult to standardize the thickness."
Qin Yu placed the scroll on the table.
"There are now two options..."
Xu Bozhou sat on the sofa watching her, not interrupting, just listening quietly.
The studio was quiet, with only the occasional soft sound of Qin Yu analyzing the papers.
The warm yellow light enveloped the three of them, creating a rare sense of peace.
Su Xiao stayed up all night and finally finalized the repair plan with Qin Yu.
By the time she remembered Xu Bozhou, he was already asleep on the table.
Xu Bozhou's profile was pressed against the open documents, with stray hairs hanging down his forehead.
Her usually flamboyant eyebrows and eyes were concealed, and her long eyelashes cast a faint shadow beneath her eyes.
It has gained a rare touch of gentleness.
Su Xiao squatted down, her gaze level with his.
He hasn't had a good night's sleep these past two days because of the project, and yesterday he was busy with her again.
Someone as particular as Xu Bozhou would never sleep on the table unless he was truly unable to stay awake any longer.
She used to think that Xu Bozhou's kindness was ulterior motives, like Yan Mingshen's "ulterior motives".
But looking at his current exhaustion, she suddenly felt a little dazed.
"Senior sister, perhaps what happened back then..."
Qin Yu sat to one side, pursed his lips, and said nothing more.
He watched Xu Bozhou grow up alongside her, and could be considered an observer of the breakdown of their relationship.
"But what's done is done."
Su Xiao's gaze gradually turned cold as she reached out and gently traced his eyebrows and eyes.
Xu Bozhou is even more handsome now that he's grown up than he was as a child.
"I really, really liked him when I was a child."
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