Chapter 102
Although she was going to rent a place near the company in a couple of days, Xu Qingzhou still tidied up her daily necessities in her suitcase after Wang Shuai and Li Rui left.
When Xu Qingzhou pushed the suitcase to the corner, she accidentally tripped over the storage box next to it.
All the clutter inside spilled out and scattered all over the floor.
Xu Qingzhou sighed, bent down to pick them up one by one, and paused slightly when he landed on the thick photo album.
She stared at it silently for a long time, but in the end she didn't have the courage to open it and put it back into the storage box along with other things.
It was already dark.
Feeling tired after tidying up for only a short while, Xu Qingzhou collapsed onto the bed in a staring-the-ceiling position, staring blankly at the ceiling for a while before her gaze fell on the rabbit in the cage.
The rabbit remained curled up in its cage the entire time, without making a sound, to the point that she almost forgot about it.
Xu Qingzhou struggled to get out of bed, found a small bowl, poured in some of the pet food that Li Rui had brought, and put it in the rabbit cage.
The rabbit saw the food, got up, walked to the bowl, and started eating.
Xu Qingzhou stared at her for a while, then reached out and tugged at the rabbit's ears.
The rabbit didn't react.
As if possessed, Xu Qingzhou suddenly made a "shoot" gesture towards it.
The rabbit seemed to sense something, but only glanced up at her before falling silent again and continuing to eat.
Xu Qingzhou: "..."
She silently withdrew her hand, suddenly realizing why her action felt somewhat familiar—it was something Chi Jun used to do to rabbits: pulling their ears and masturbating.
Every time he does it, the rabbit jumps up and squeals.
Xu Qingzhou couldn't understand what the rabbit was saying, but he could sense its anger.
However, faced with this anger, Chi Jun acted like a child who had successfully pulled off a prank, laughing contentedly and walking away.
He really has been gone for too long.
The rabbit didn't react to any of these actions...
Or perhaps he took the rabbit's soul with him when he left?
Xu Qingzhou couldn't explain it, nor did he want to think about it anymore.
She got up, grabbed her nightgown, knocked on the door of the cleaning lady across the street, and borrowed her card to go downstairs to the public bathroom to take a shower.
After showering and drying my hair, I collapsed onto the bed and went to sleep.
*
The following day, Xu Qingzhou spent the day idly resting in the courtyard of his rented house.
A day later, Li Rui took some time to drive over and pick her up to go see an apartment together.
Xu Qingzhou didn't want to trouble him, but Li Rui said that a young girl like her was easily taken advantage of, and with an old hand like him around, others would have to think twice before trying to rip her off. If she really felt it was too much trouble, she could just treat him to a big meal after the meal.
Xu Qingzhou smiled and agreed.
Finding an apartment went relatively smoothly; it's only two subway stops from my company, which is very convenient.
It was only after renting the place that Xu Qingzhou realized it was quite close to the bar that Li Rui and Wang Shuai co-owned, and that the two guys lived in another neighborhood across the street.
That's convenient.
If Xu Qingzhou had any problems with light bulbs or water pipes that he couldn't solve immediately, he would send a message to Li Rui.
Li Rui always arrives quickly within an hour.
Knowing that the two boys were careless and wouldn't take good care of themselves, Xu Qingzhou would cook some ribs, meat, dumplings, and steamed buns after get off work and bring some over in a thermal container.
Sometimes we just eat together, and then come back with the empty insulated food containers after we're done.
They looked after each other, and life went on peacefully and quietly, day after day.
November arrived in the blink of an eye, and the weather got much colder.
Xu Qingzhou is doing very well in the editorial department. Her superiors like her, and she gets along well with her colleagues. Not only did she get a permanent position smoothly, but she was also promoted and received a raise the week before.
Upon hearing this, Li Rui kept insisting that she treat him to a meal.
Xu Qingzhou asked him what he wanted to eat, but he couldn't say. After thinking for a long time, he finally said:
"How about we have hot pot and barbecue at your place tonight? A friend gave me a pot that can be used for both hot pot and barbecue, but Wang Shuai and I don't need it, so I'll bring it over for you."
Over the past few months, Xu Qingzhou and Wang Shuai and Li Rui's relationship has grown even closer.
She didn't refuse and readily agreed.
Okay, then I'll tell Brother Wang Shuai again.
"OK".
Wang Shuai quickly responded.
Xu Qingzhou asked them in the group what meat and vegetables they wanted to eat. Wang Shuai was probably busy and didn't reply for a while, but Li Rui gave a long and detailed answer.
Xu Qingzhou: [Then I'll go to the market to buy it after get off work.]
Li Rui: "Okay, I'll pick you up from get off work tonight, and we can drive together to buy things. Otherwise, there are too many things for you to carry by yourself."
Xu Qingzhou: [Okay]
After putting down his phone, Xu Qingzhou dealt with some work for a while.
Just before it was time to leave work, Li Rui sent a message saying that he had arrived and his car was parked outside the gate with its hazard lights on.
Xu Qingzhou glanced at the time, turned off the computer, put on his coat and scarf, slung his bag over his shoulder, and walked out.
A gust of cold wind blew, and fallen leaves tumbled on the ground, revealing a touch of the desolate chill of late autumn.
As Xu Qingzhou descended the steps, he couldn't help but shrink his neck.
Li Rui stood by the car door waiting for her, holding a cup of hot cocoa as usual.
As Xu Qingzhou approached, he handed her the hot cocoa and helped open the door.
Xu Qingzhou made a "thank you" gesture and was bending down to go inside when she suddenly heard someone call her name.
"Qingzhou!"
Xu Qingzhou paused, feeling that the voice was somewhat familiar, and turned his head to look.
"..."
It was Chen Binglie.
He actually followed us.
Xu Qingzhou stood up straight and looked at him without moving.
Li Rui was also taken aback. Someone actually called her "Qingzhou" so intimately. Looking in the direction of the voice, she saw it was a man, and her brows furrowed involuntarily.
"Who is he?"
Before Xu Qingzhou could answer, Chen Binglie had already strode up to him.
"Qing Zhou."
He tried to pull Xu Qingzhou away, but Li Rui quickly blocked him.
"Hey, who are you? Let's talk this out. What kind of behavior is this, resorting to physical violence?"
Chen Binglie felt awkward for a moment, but instead of answering the question, he glared at Li Rui with hostility:
And who are you?
Li Rui wasn't stupid; he quickly discerned something from the situation.
He turned to look at Xu Qingzhou, and suddenly, he stretched out his long arm and put his arm around Xu Qingzhou's shoulder, pulling her closer to him.
"I will not change my name or surname. I am Li Rui, Xu Qingzhou's boyfriend."
Xu Qingzhou felt rather uncomfortable being suddenly embraced like that.
But considering that Li Rui was usually very close to her, and that this was a special attempt to help her out of a predicament, she obediently let Li Rui hold her, remaining motionless and quietly watching Chen Binglie.
Seeing that she neither struggled nor denied it, Chen Binglie believed her as expected.
His expression was somber.
"Qingzhou, didn't you tell me that Xu Jun was the only boyfriend you would ever have in this life? How come you've already got a new boyfriend after only a few months back?"
Before Xu Qingzhou could even speak, Li Rui started yelling unhappily.
"Hey, what's it to you? The fact that someone likes me means I'm good enough. That excuse is for people like you who are persistent and clingy, understand?"
Chen Binglie's eyes were filled with resentment.
But in the end, he held back.
"Okay, since that statement no longer counts, then if he has a chance, it means I also have a chance."
Xu Qingzhou: ?
What kind of thought process is this?
However, before Li Rui could question him about his intention to steal his girlfriend, Chen Binglie turned and left after uttering some harsh words.
Li Rui stared blankly at the young man's receding figure, then turned to look at Xu Qingzhou with a bewildered expression.
"No way, is he crazy? Saying that in front of her current boyfriend?"
Xu Qingzhou smiled awkwardly and gently broke free from his embrace.
Seeing this, Li Rui quickly let go and lowered his head to touch his nose.
Xu Qingzhou took out paper and pen to explain:
He was my college classmate, and he's been pursuing me for three years.
"Huh?" Li Rui's eyes widened: "How come you have idiots at Huaqing University?"
Xu Qingzhou: "..."
*
Chen Binglie's sudden appearance slightly affected Xu Qingzhou's mood.
She felt a little annoyed.
Li Rui noticed this and continued to comfort her on the way to the market: "It's okay, your brother is here. If he dares to harass you, call me and I'll beat him to a pulp."
Xu Qingzhou smiled but didn't say anything.
After a while, Xu Qingzhou said, "Brother Li Rui, you'd better not say you're my boyfriend anymore."
Li Rui's expression froze for a moment, then he smiled.
"Okay, I understand."
Xu Qingzhou sighed:
I'm worried you'll have trouble finding a girlfriend later.
She genuinely felt that way, and Li Rui, listening, felt a little uneasy. Nevertheless, he nodded and said casually:
"Oh, what girlfriend? There's no such thing as a girlfriend yet. Once I find one, I'll definitely bring her to meet you, little sister."
Xu Qingzhou smiled: [It's a deal]
"It's settled."
The two went into the market for a big shopping spree, spending a full twenty minutes there before coming out.
Looking at the colorful array of fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats, Xu Qingzhou felt much better. After returning home, she washed her hands, tied on an apron, and went into the kitchen.
Li Rui didn't sit idle either. First, he went back to his own neighborhood to bring the pot over, and then he kept fiddling with it according to the instructions.
When Wang Shuai arrived in the evening, the three of them sat at the small dining table, with the TV on in the background, chatting and eating hot pot and barbecue while enjoying the steaming food.
After eating for a while, Li Rui looked at the rabbit in the cage next to the sofa and suddenly asked:
"Little sister, does this rabbit want to eat meat too?"
Xu Qingzhou turned his head to look.
The rabbit kept circling in the cage, scratching at it with its paws, and making noises from time to time, looking somewhat anxious and impatient.
[It shouldn't be; it's been like this for the past few days, quite restless.]
"Wow," Li Rui said, putting a piece of meat in his mouth, "I've never seen it so lively before."
Xu Qingzhou smiled.
Not to mention he had never seen her before, even she hadn't seen her in a long time.
Wang Shuai's speech became slurred after being scalded by a bite of hot beef:
"Shouldn't we take it to the vet to get it checked out?"
Xu Qingzhou: [I've been there, and the check-up showed nothing wrong.]
"That's strange... Did it change its gender? Or did it see a female rabbit?"
Xu Qingzhou: [...She is female]
Li Rui pointed with his chopsticks, very confidently.
"That means we've spotted a male rabbit!"
Xu Qingzhou: "..."
After the dinner, Li Rui and Wang Shuai had to go to the bar, so they didn't linger. They originally wanted to help Xu Qingzhou wash the dishes, but the young girl pushed them away.
The rented room returned to silence. Xu Qingzhou quietly finished washing the dishes and wiping the table by herself. She took a shower first, dried her hair, and then, not wanting to sleep, nestled in the soft sofa to watch TV.
The TV program was rather boring, and Xu Qingzhou couldn't help but doze off while watching it.
In just this short time, I even had a dream.
In my dream, Chi Jun appeared once again.
At that moment, Xu Qingzhou was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the coffee table, writing a plan on his laptop, when he suddenly heard the sound of keys at the door, and then the door opened.
Xu Qingzhou was startled and turned to look.
But she saw Chi Jun leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, tilting his head and smiling at her.
After a long while, he raised an eyebrow at her.
"What, long time no see, don't you recognize me?"
The dream was so vivid that Xu Qingzhou didn't want to wake up, but she was still startled awake by the overwhelming emotional turmoil.
The plush blanket slipped to the ground, and a slight chill ran through my body.
Xu Qingzhou rubbed his temples, listlessly picked up the blanket, and covered himself with it again.
Turning my head, I saw that the door was closed and the light at the entrance was dim. There was only a dining table nearby with a clean barbecue hot pot set on it.
There was no one there.
The room was empty.
Only the jarring sound of television commercials and the scratching of a rabbit in its cage made the night seem even more desolate.
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