Chapter 9

In the afternoon, I arranged a time with the real estate agent and braved the scorching sun to view apartments, but after seeing several in a row, none of them satisfied me.

On the way back, I got stuck in traffic. After urging the driver, he took a shortcut, but I still didn’t get back to the complex until around eleven.

The sky was already pitch black, and my phone was about to die.

My heels were rubbing painfully against the backs of my feet, but I ignored the pain, clenched my fingers, and just wanted to get home as quickly as possible.

To my surprise, I saw Lu He and Zhao Yue at the corner.

Both of them were dressed in sportswear, as if they had just finished a run together.

Lu He held a cigarette between his fingers, smoking it carelessly.

Zhao Yue was saying something beside him, laughing happily.

Suddenly, Zhao Yue squatted down, apparently to tie her shoelaces.

Lu He walked a few steps ahead, noticed she hadn’t caught up, and stopped to wait for her, walking side by side with her.

The dim light stretched their shadows long and intertwined, giving off a sense of peacefulness and tranquility.

I stood frozen, watching them walk away, step by step.

It was as if, step by step, they were walking out of my world.

“Click.”

It felt like something deep inside me was slowly tearing apart, collapsing, and then gradually reassembling, healing.

In the end, everything became calm and indifferent.

In that moment, it seemed I no longer had any feelings for Lu He.

……

By the time I got home, it was already half past eleven, and to my surprise, the living room light was still on.

Shen Xianzhi was sitting on the sofa in gray loungewear, focused on typing on his laptop.

Hearing the noise, he turned his head slightly and glanced toward the door. “You’re back?”

His familiar and relaxed tone made me pause for a moment.

I looked at him for a while, then hesitantly asked, “Were you waiting for me?”

He closed his laptop and stood up, indirectly admitting it. “Since you’re back, I’ll go upstairs to sleep.”

I watched his back and lowered my head, lost in thought.

In the following days, since it was the workweek, I could only use my evenings after work to look at apartments.

But no matter how late it was, Shen Xianzhi would always wait for me in the living room.

A few times, when it got too late, he directly asked me to send him my location, then drove to pick me up.

One time, while riding in Shen Xianzhi’s car, I hesitated for a long time before finally telling him about my plan to move out.

He immediately stepped on the brakes.

After a long pause, he said seriously, “Next time, I’ll go with you to look at apartments. It’s not safe for a girl to go alone.”

I couldn’t help but suspect he had other feelings for me.

But why?

Just because of that one meeting?

Besides, he was Lu He’s uncle…

On Friday, I finally found an apartment close to my company with a nice environment, and was just waiting for the weekend to sign the contract.

On the way back, both Shen Xianzhi and I were rather quiet.

That night, after showering, I went to the kitchen to cut some fruit. My mind was elsewhere, and I accidentally cut my finger.

I gasped in pain as blood welled up at the tip of my index finger.

Shen Xianzhi hurried over, took my hand for a look, frowned slightly, then let go.

Soon, he returned with ointment and a band-aid, lowered his head, and started tending to my wound.

His fingers were cool, and so was the ointment, but when they touched my fingertip, it felt inexplicably hot.

After he finished, I quickly pulled my hand back. “I’m going to dry my hair.”

I almost fled the scene.

Sitting on the sofa with the hairdryer, just as I was about to dry my hair, I heard Shen Xianzhi’s low voice behind me, “Let me do it.”

He took the hairdryer with one hand, and with the other, gently ran his fingers through my hair.

The warm air blew against my scalp, and his fingers brushed lightly over my ear and the nape of my neck.

“Does that feel good?” His voice was a little hoarse at that moment.

I shivered, immediately stood up, and my face flushed bright red.

The hairdryer was knocked to the floor, still buzzing.

I bent down to pick it up, and just as I did, Shen Xianzhi also squatted down. Our eyes met unexpectedly.

At that moment, the sound of the door unlocking came from outside.

I turned my head.

Lu He was staring at us in silence, his expression icy cold.