After looking over the room, only then did Su Yao remember to show Mu Nanqiu around the house. In truth, this place was quite small; it only seemed spacious because Su Yao lived alone.
There weren’t many things here, and there wasn’t much to say either.
Thinking about how, from now on, they’d be in the same space every minute and second, Su Yao felt a little anxious and uneasy, not even sure what to say anymore. Sometimes, there needs to be a bit of distance between people.
Still, she couldn’t help but feel a little excited.
“Yaoyao, aren’t you going to show me around your room?”
“Ah.”
Mu Nanqiu suddenly leaned closer to her. Earlier, Su Yao hadn’t looked her way, but the tone in which she said this now carried a hint of teasing. Yet, when Su Yao turned to look at her, Mu Nanqiu’s face was perfectly serious.
It was as if she was the only one thinking those thoughts.
But was that really the case?
Of course not. Mu Nanqiu was just better at hiding her emotions, not wearing her thoughts on her face the way Su Yao did. Su Yao, in the end, was still too young and innocent, not knowing how harsh the world could be. Her senior had far more on her mind.
“If it’s not convenient, that’s fine.”
“No, no, it’s fine! I just live in this room here. Nanqiu, if you need anything, you can always come find me.”
“Anything at all?”
“Ah, umm, yes, anything at all.”
With her lips pressed tight, Su Yao hurriedly opened her room, revealing her most private space to Mu Nanqiu. Mu Nanqiu’s lips curled into a barely noticeable smile, extremely subtle, while Su Yao led her into the bedroom where she usually slept.
As soon as they entered, the window was directly across from the door. To the right of the window was the desk and wardrobe; to the left was Su Yao’s bed. The light yellow duvet lay messily on the bed—a masterpiece she’d created that morning.
But that wasn’t the point. The real problem was the black piece of fabric lying on Su Yao’s bed. The moment she saw it, Su Yao rushed over, grabbed it, and stuffed it under the quilt, pretending she was just straightening up the bed.
Her whole body felt hot; she hardly dared to face Mu Nanqiu.
“This is my room. There’s really not much here.”
“There isn’t, indeed. B↑……”
“So, where’s the plushie I gave you?”
Su Yao froze for a moment, frowning as she tried to recall. Only then did she remember she’d thrown the plushie into the wardrobe. It got in the way when she rolled around on the bed—if the bed couldn’t be used for rolling, what was the point of it!
She opened her mouth, avoided Mu Nanqiu’s gaze, and mumbled softly, “It’s in the wardrobe.”
“Oh? That’s good, then.”
Mu Nanqiu smiled at Su Yao, then started looking around at the details of the room. Her own room was packed with stuff, making it a little cramped, and her little sister Beizhi’s room was even messier. After all, she’d never developed a habit of tidying up, and now it felt exhausting, so she’d just toss things wherever.
She walked to the wardrobe, making Su Yao’s heart race with worry, but Mu Nanqiu didn’t open it or look inside.
The thought was there, but desire had to be restrained, especially when dealing with a little cutie; if you gobble it down in one go, you won’t get to savor all the flavor. She strolled over to the desk, glancing at the heavily dusted Desktop Computer, and remembered how, when they first met online, Su Yao would sit here chatting with her.
She pulled open the curtains. Outside, the sunlight was dazzling. Since the floor was high up, you could see far. This area wasn’t allowed to have tall buildings, so only in the distance could you barely make out some blurry office towers—those must be on campus.
Mu Nanqiu turned her head to look at Su Yao, who stood not far away, hands clasped tightly and watching her nervously.
She seemed so reserved—even though Su Yao was the owner here.
Mu Nanqiu smiled and asked Su Yao, “Yaoyao, are you hungry?”
“Ah? Now that you mention it, I do feel a bit hungry…………..”
Su Yao blinked a few times, her face dawning with realization as she nodded eagerly. Clearly, she was all for going out to eat right now—this way, Mu Nanqiu wouldn’t get a chance to see more things in her room.
But after asking the question, Mu Nanqiu kept her eyes fixed on Su Yao, as if waiting for her to say something. Su Yao, though, had no idea what to say, so she just stared with her wide, watery eyes, silently asking Mu Nanqiu for help.
So what am I supposed to say?
“I want to eat food made by Yaoyao.”
M
M
Alright, now she understood. Gulping, Su Yao swallowed and nodded her agreement to Mu Nanqiu’s request.
Once she agreed, Mu Nanqiu’s smile brightened considerably.
The two walked out of the bedroom. After returning to the living room, Su Yao walked over to the fridge. Looking at the food stored inside, she realized they’d have to go out and buy groceries—there wasn’t even enough for one person, let alone two.
Mu Nanqiu noticed too, and suggested, “Let’s go out and buy groceries together. I have a few things I need as well.”
Su Yao agreed. After a bit of preparation, she grabbed a backpack from her room. Even though Mu Nanqiu had a car, which made getting around easy, you couldn’t exactly drive a car into the mall or the market, could you?
Since they had a lot to buy, Su Yao brought a backpack.
Mu Nanqiu, on the other hand, traveled light—not even a small purse, just her phone in her pocket as she headed downstairs. Su Yao walked beside her.
When they passed the Security Booth, the old man there, as expected, didn’t miss the chance to chat.
Su Yao had heard him say before: if your attitude gets old, you’re truly old. For men, you should be a young man until your dying day.
Su Yao thought, That’s no excuse to keep watching busty beauties and leggy dancing videos all day, is it?
She remembered her grandfather, whose memory lingered from years ago. In his final days, after packing up, he seemed to be entrusting his legacy, visiting many places and giving Su Yao everything he could. He left some money for himself, then took a bus back to his distant hometown.
“What’s wrong, Yaoyao?”
Mu Nanqiu noticed the shift in Su Yao’s mood and asked gently.
Su Yao forced a smile and shook her head. “It’s nothing, I just thought of my grandpa.”
Mu Nanqiu quietly took Su Yao’s hand. After a while, she spoke.
“Yaoyao, what do you plan to cook tonight?”
“……”
“You haven’t thought about it, have you?”
“Uh……………… I have, sort of.”
“So you haven’t! Actually, I’m not picky. As long as you don’t make it too spicy, that’s fine. Yes, please don’t make it too spicy.”
“Oh, okay.”
Hearing she couldn’t make the food spicy, Su Yao felt a little disappointed. How could you cook without chili?
But since Mu Nanqiu insisted, she started thinking up a few light, homestyle dishes.