Back home, Su Yao sat down on the sofa, staring blankly at the empty space before her.
It was just past three in the afternoon, yet she was wasting time like this.
Even Su Yao herself didn’t know what she should be doing…
Feeling truly bored, she thought about doing something, but all she could do was rummage through some snacks and eat them.
Sweet ones, salty ones, crispy cat ears—the snack was quite flavorful and could bring a moment of joy, but that only helped pass the time briefly.
She considered playing games but found she couldn’t focus anymore.
Sigh,
“What’s wrong with me?”
She touched her forehead but didn’t feel any abnormal temperature.
Su Yao sighed softly and lazily leaned back on the sofa, her whole body relaxing.
“Can’t help but think again. Is this loneliness? Do I really feel lonely?”
If it were before, she would have loved this quiet time alone—no one disturbing her from enjoying herself.
But now, it felt like something was missing from her life.
“It’s such a strange feeling…”
Su Yao reached out and pressed her hand to her chest.
She could feel a longing in her heart for interaction with others, driving her to find someone to talk to.
As for who to find, the answer was obvious.
Whether it was Luo Yu, Ji Yun, or other classmates, they all had their own lives and couldn’t always keep her company.
So after parting ways with Luo Yu during their walk, the two went separate directions.
With nowhere else to go, she headed home, strolling slowly and feeling the cold wind for nearly half an hour before finally returning inside.
She took out her phone, unlocked it, and looked at the account pinned at the top of her message list.
Su Yao hesitated for a moment but decided to send Mu Nanqiu a message.
Her fingers hovered over the input bar for quite a while, unsure what to say.
In the end, she sent a cute peeking emoji.
Mu Nanqiu had mentioned she was really going back to her hometown and wouldn’t return until after the New Year.
She had even told her mother not to take Su Yao along.
Honestly, Su Yao felt a little disappointed when she heard that.
It felt as if she was a burden, left alone at home to endure the emptiness, loneliness, and cold of the harsh winter.
The more she thought about it, the stranger the feeling became.
Su Yao sealed away the thought deep inside but clearly, it was sprouting again.
Remembering what Luo Yu said earlier—that it might be possible—Su Yao didn’t feel quite so desolate anymore.
Beep beep~
At the sound, Su Yao’s eyes immediately shifted to the new message notification at the bottom of the screen.
Mu Nanqiu had sent a cat-petting emoji.
The little cat looked very content, but Su Yao’s mind inexplicably conjured an identical one—with the cat sticking out its tongue and hearts in its eyes—that Bei Zhi had sent in their gaming group chat.
Her sister-in-law was terrifying, capable of wielding such a frightening emoji.
Since Su Yao learned that Bei Zhi was Mu Nanqiu’s younger sister, her perspective on Bei Zhi changed.
Before, she had thought of her as a flirtatious older brother’s sister, but now, she saw her as an online hot-blooded firecracker.
She recalled the last time she met Bei Zhi, who had behaved with such grace and propriety—a stark contrast to her online persona—which made Su Yao want to laugh quietly.
She wondered, if Bei Zhi was like that, what was Nanqiu like when no one was watching?
Getting off track, she returned to the main point.
Staring at the emoji, Su Yao had a bold thought—or rather, the truest thought in her heart.
She opened the voice message button and, lowering her voice like a secret, spoke into the microphone:
“I miss you. I’m all alone right now. It’s the holiday and I don’t even know what to do.”
After sending the voice message, Su Yao listened to it once herself.
No matter how she heard it, it sounded like she was acting spoiled.
She then flopped down on the sofa, turning her face away to avoid looking at the phone.
However, she didn’t feel the phone vibrate with a reply.
She stealthily glanced again—there really was no new message.
She felt a bit hurt, and just then, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Su Yao immediately sat up straight, her brows slightly furrowing.
Her home rarely had visitors all year round, but this year seemed unusually frequent.
She got up, put on her slippers, and walked to the door.
Part of her hoped it might be Mu Nanqiu showing up unexpectedly, but realizing how unlikely that was, she dismissed the unrealistic thought early.
At the door, she stood on tiptoe to look outside.
She guessed it might be a salesperson or someone from the Neighborhood Committee.
But through the peephole, she saw a young girl.
She didn’t recognize her.
Probably…
She opened the door a crack and cautiously stared at the girl outside.
“Who are you looking for?”
“It’s me, Su Yao, it’s me!”
“?”
“No, who are you?”
Su Yao stared for a long time but couldn’t recognize this girl with long black hair.
She truly had no impression of her, but the girl seemed confident that they knew each other.
“I’m Bai Jianlian.”
Before she could finish, the door slammed shut, louder than her words.
After getting a cold shoulder, Bai Jianlian didn’t give up.
She knocked on the door again, but there was no response.
Bai Jianlian shouted through the door, not afraid of being overheard.
The old neighborhood’s sound insulation wasn’t good, so Su Yao could hear her.
The second time Su Yao opened the door, the gap was no wider than a single eye.
“Su Yao, how am I doing now?”
Su Yao was increasingly convinced this girl was crazy.
She just dyed her hair black and changed to simple makeup.
They weren’t close, so why did she come here asking for an opinion?
“What exactly do you want?”
“What she can give you, I can too. You don’t need to choose her over me.”
“Can you say that more clearly…”
“Leave that woman.”
“Why would I leave her?”
“Because she’ll treat you badly.”
“She hasn’t treated me badly.”
“Not now doesn’t mean never. Su Yao, don’t trust her. You don’t understand how dark human nature can be.”
Before Bai Jianlian could finish, Su Yao cut her off forcefully.
“You… are you sick? Please stop bothering me, okay? This is my own business, none of yours. We’re just strangers with no feelings for each other!”
Bai Jianlian kept at it again and again, but this time Su Yao was truly angry, even letting some frustration slip into her tone.
Yet Bai Jianlian acted as if she already knew this was Su Yao’s weak spot and was ready to continue, but Su Yao shut the door once more.
Bai Jianlian left, but she would come again.
Su Yao gently rubbed her temples.
Bai Jianlian was a huge headache—stubborn and unyielding.
No matter what Su Yao said, she could always twist it in her own head.
Su Yao really didn’t want any connection with her.
Beep beep~ Another message popped up on her phone.