Chapter 11 A thief broke into our house last night.
Su Tangtang didn't notice Gu Qingke looking in her direction, nor did she know what he was thinking. She was chatting happily with Huo Yizhou. After spending these past few days together, she realized that Huo Yizhou wasn't so difficult to approach; in fact, he was quite easy to get along with, as long as you didn't cause trouble.
When they had almost finished eating, Su Tangtang looked up and around, and suddenly realized that Wu Xiaojia and Zhao Zhiyi's seats were now empty.
She held the chopsticks in her hands, her brows furrowed slightly, a bad feeling creeping into her heart. She hoped she was just imagining things too badly.
After a moment, she turned to look at Huo Yizhou beside her, "Have you finished eating?"
Huo Yizhou looked up upon hearing this, "Want to go back?"
Su Tangtang covered her mouth and yawned at the right moment, her eyelashes casting dappled shadows under the light. "Yes, I'm a little sleepy."
I wasn't actually sleepy; I just wanted to go back and verify what I had in mind.
"Let's go," Huo Yizhou said, pulling out a tissue and wiping his mouth.
The two stood up and left.
At this moment, Gu Qingke also stood up.
Shen Yingying first glanced in the direction Su Tangtang and the others had left, then looked up at Gu Qingke. Moonlight cast a soft, shimmering glow in her eyes, and her voice carried a hint of coquettishness, "Qingke, what's wrong?"
Gu Qingke put one hand in his pocket, his brows revealing obvious weariness. "I've worked all day and want to go back and rest first."
"Huh?" Shen Yingying was clearly taken aback, then said, "But Xiaojia said she went to the restroom and asked me to wait for her so we could go together."
A night breeze swept by, and Gu Qingke had already turned and started walking. "Then you wait here, I'm leaving now."
Shen Yingying's smile froze on her face. She opened her mouth, but could only manage a dry "okay" as she watched that tall figure walk further and further away.
He didn't know what was wrong with him today; seeing Su Tangtang and Su Tangtang interacting made him feel inexplicably irritable.
He clearly hates her the most; he's probably gone mad.
As night deepened, only a few scattered lights remained in the alley, casting long, thin shadows of the three. Su Tangtang and Huo Yizhou walked side by side in front, while Gu Qingke trailed behind at a distance.
The closer Su Tangtang got to her residence, the faster her heart pounded. The cool spring night breeze brushed past her ears, mixed with the distant barking of dogs, making the surroundings even more silent.
Huo Yizhou keenly noticed her tension, glanced slightly to the side, but said nothing.
The alley wasn't long, and they soon arrived at their doorstep. Gu Qingke, standing behind them, gave the two people in front of her a deep look before opening the door and going inside.
The two people who arrived at the door saw that the door, which should have been tightly closed, was now ajar, with an unusual darkness shining through the crack.
Su Tangtang lowered her voice to a whisper, "When we left...did we lock the door?"
Huo Yizhou's eyes darkened slightly, and his voice remained calm. "Locked."
Unlike the city, the village is pitch black after nightfall, with faint rustling sounds coming from the courtyard, which are particularly jarring in the silence.
The two exchanged a glance, then tacitly turned on their phone flashlights. Huo Yizhou reached out and slowly pushed the door open completely.
The courtyard was deserted, with only a few fallen leaves swirling in the night breeze.
He strode toward the toilet on the right side of the main room. The moment the beam of his flashlight swept across the corner of the wall, a dark figure suddenly leaped over the wall, jumped down, and then ran away without a care in the world.
Su Tangtang walked to Huo Yizhou's side and glanced over the wall. "Should we chase after them?"
Huo Yizhou shook his head, "No need."
Her heart was still pounding, and she whispered, "A thief?"
Huo Yizhou glanced at her, his gaze deep and his tone resolute, "Don't you already have the answer in your heart?"
Su Tangtang was taken aback and couldn't help but think to herself, "Is this person a mind reader?"
She pursed her lips and tentatively asked, "Do you think... it could be him?"
“Possibly,” Huo Yizhou’s voice sounded particularly low in the darkness.
He took out his keys, the clanging of metal ringing out crisply in the quiet courtyard.
With a click, the kitchen door opened.
Huo Yizhou found the light switch on the wall.
The energy-saving light bulb isn't very bright when first turned on; it takes a while for it to light up.
He squatted down, lifted the lid on the pot, and saw that the cucumber seeds were safe and sound, and had not been tampered with. Only then did he stand up. "Luckily, I came back in time."
Su Tangtang leaned against the door frame, a cold smile playing on her lips. "They ran fast, looks like someone tipped them off beforehand."
"Hmm," Huo Yizhou responded briefly, walked out of the kitchen, and glanced thoughtfully over the courtyard wall.
Su Tangtang looked at him and said, "I wonder who this person who tipped us off is?" Her voice was so soft that it sounded like she was talking to herself, but a knowing glint flashed in her eyes.
-
The next morning, as soon as Su Tangtang woke up, she went to the kitchen to check on the cucumber sprouting. She saw that the seeds had already broken through the skin and were showing white.
She stared at it for a while.
When Huo Yizhou returned from his morning run, his thin T-shirt was soaked with sweat, clinging to his body and outlining his distinct muscle lines.
Su Tangtang caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of her eye, quickly looked away, and said casually, "There's nothing to eat."
Huo Yizhou glanced at her upon hearing this, "I'll go take a shower at the program location first, and then I'll come back to town to buy some things."
Su Tangtang nodded, "Okay, I'll go with you."
Huo Yizhou grunted in agreement and went inside to get his clothes.
The two locked the door and set off. The photographer followed closely behind them as they left.
As soon as they stepped out of the alley and onto the road, they ran into Zhao Zhiyi and Wu Xiaojia. Su Tangtang keenly noticed that Zhao Zhiyi's walking posture was a bit awkward, and his steps were obviously unnatural.
Su Tangtang and Huo Yizhou exchanged a glance.
Su Tangtang quickened her pace and greeted them warmly, "Good morning, Wu Xiaojia and Zhao Zhiyi."
The two people walking ahead paused upon hearing the voice. Wu Xiaojia turned around and forced a smile, "Good morning."
Wu Xiaojia felt she was really furious. After borrowing money from Su Tangtang and the others yesterday and being charged exorbitant interest rates, the two of them became increasingly angry and uncomfortable. They decided to find an opportunity to destroy their seed and make things difficult for them.
Just then, in the evening, the director announced that he had prepared a big meal and invited them to eat, so they thought this was a good opportunity.
During the meal, the two took the opportunity to leave the table and went to Su Tangtang's place.
Unexpectedly, the two were so wary that they locked the door when they left. Yesterday, Zhao Zhiyi struggled for a long time to open the front door, only to find that the kitchen door and the main room door were also locked.
After struggling with the kitchen door lock for ages without success, she received a message from Su Tangtang and the others returning. They rushed off, but just as she jumped down, she heard their voices. She told Zhao Zhiyi to come down quickly, but he jumped too fast and didn't land on the pile of firewood next to him. Instead, he landed directly on the ground and twisted his ankle.
Su Tangtang moved closer to Zhao Zhiyi with concern, tilting her head as she asked, "Zhao Zhiyi, what's wrong with your leg? It doesn't look quite right."
Zhao Zhiyi's face stiffened, then he forced a laugh and explained, "I was half asleep last night and accidentally fell off the bed."
"Oh my god!" Su Tangtang exaggeratedly covered her mouth, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "How could this happen? Are you badly hurt? Are you alright?"
Zhao Zhiyi and Wu Xiaojia exchanged a glance, both looking somewhat embarrassed.
"It's nothing, just a few bruises," Zhao Zhiyi stammered.
Huo Yizhou interjected at the right moment, his tone sincere yet tinged with a hint of teasing, "Medical conditions in rural areas are limited, so you have to be careful next time. If you fall and get seriously injured, the ambulance won't be able to get there in time."
Zhao Zhiyi: "..."
He cursed the two men in his heart: Damn it, if it weren't for them, would he have fallen?
The more I think about it, the angrier I get.
Su Tangtang sighed softly, "You're quite unlucky, but I think we're even more unfortunate than you."
Wu Xiaojia and Zhao Zhiyi's hearts skipped a beat. What did those words mean?
Perhaps feeling guilty, the two were unusually nervous whenever they heard any conversation.
Su Tangtang clutched her chest, her voice trembling slightly, "Last night really scared us to death."
As soon as the words were spoken, Zhou Yan and her husband, Lin Lang and his wife, as well as Gu Qingke and Shen Yingying, walked out of the alley one after another.
Su Tangtang was halfway through her sentence when she saw them and immediately waved enthusiastically, "Good morning, everyone!"
Zhou Yan quickly walked to Su Tangtang's side and asked curiously, "What are you talking about?"
Su Tangtang immediately chimed in, "We're comparing our family with Xiaojia's family to see who's more unlucky."
Qu Xian raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Su Tangtang immediately sighed dramatically, as if possessed by a drama queen, "Oh, don't even mention it, Zhao Zhiyi fell off the bed last night."
Everyone asked with concern, "Are you alright?"
Zhao Zhiyi glared at Su Tangtang and waved his hand awkwardly, "It's nothing, it's just a little sprain."
Su Tangtang continued, "We're in a much worse situation than Zhao Zhiyi."
All eyes turned to her, waiting for what she would say next.
"A thief broke into our house last night."
These words immediately caused an uproar in the audience.
Among the crowd, three people unconsciously tensed up.
Su Tangtang secretly observed everyone's expressions, trying to find the mysterious third person. Although she had some guesses, she still needed to confirm them.
Unfortunately, apart from Wu Xiaojia and Zhao Zhiyi, who clearly looked unwell, everyone else kept their expressions well-controlled, revealing nothing.
"No wonder she's an actress..." she thought to herself.
Not noticing, Su Tangtang was slightly disappointed.
However, this third person will eventually slip up, so there's no rush.
Lin Lang asked with concern, "Did you lose anything?"
Su Tangtang shook her head, her tone thankful, "Luckily we came back in time."
Lin Lang frowned and suggested, "We need to talk to the director about this and ask him to increase security."
Zhou Yan immediately chimed in, "Yes, at least we should install surveillance cameras in the yard."
Qiu Nan chimed in, "Normally, the cameraman would follow us in the yard, so I guess the director didn't expect there to be a thief."
She deliberately dragged out the last syllable, her gaze lightly sweeping over Wu Xiaojia and Zhao Zhiyi, secretly pleased to see their tense expressions.
“There was actually a camera installed in the kitchen,” Su Tangtang added casually.
Wu Xiaojia and Zhao Zhiyi's hearts sank. Although they didn't go into the kitchen, they unconsciously clenched their clothes in fear of being recorded.
A note from the author:
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
