♡ Chapter 6 ♡

Yu Xia was at a loss for words, not knowing how to respond. How could he have forgotten? Was he trying to avoid having dinner with her?

“The fish is ready.”

At that moment, the man at the seafood counter called out and handed Lu Yanzhou the fish.

Lu Yanzhou thanked him, put the bag in his shopping cart, and when he turned to leave, he glanced at Yu Xia. “I’m leaving first.”

He was tall and had long legs, and with just a few steps, he was already walking away.

Yu Xia blinked and quickly called out, “Wait!”

Lu Yanzhou paused, actually stopping. Yu Xia hurried over to him with the two boxes of yogurt and looked up at him. “Let’s go together.”

Lu Yanzhou pursed his lips, saying nothing, and pushed his shopping cart to the checkout.

Yu Xia noticed that his cart was filled with steaks, lamb chops, eggs, and other fresh ingredients. The contrast between the food and his formal suit made her curious. “Do you cook often?”

“If I have time, I do,” Lu Yanzhou replied, placing his items on the counter. “I don’t like takeout.”

“…”

Yu Xia was speechless. She, who lived off takeout, couldn’t argue with him.

Lu Yanzhou’s car was parked by the roadside. As he loaded the two large shopping bags into the trunk, Yu Xia hesitated, wondering whether to ask him for a ride home. He looked at her and asked, “Do you want me to put your bags in the trunk?”

“Sure!” Yu Xia smiled and handed him her bags.

Why walk when she could get a ride?

As the car turned the corner, they passed a Thai restaurant. Yu Xia glanced at the restaurant and then asked Lu Yanzhou, “You really forgot?”

Lu Yanzhou casually turned the steering wheel and said, “After your reminder, I remember now.”

Yu Xia muttered quietly, “It sounds like you’re making it seem like I forced you.”

“…”

Lu Yanzhou wasn’t sure how to respond. Should he say she didn’t have to treat him? Or that he hadn’t been forced? After a few seconds of silence, he helplessly smiled. “That’s not the case.”

Yu Xia pouted, then looked at him. “Then were you just teasing me before?”

Lu Yanzhou didn’t answer, smoothly changing the topic. “I’m free tomorrow night.”

“…”

Yu Xia thought to herself, Alright, since you looked especially handsome in that suit today, I won’t hold it against you.

“Do you want hotpot or Thai food?”

Lu Yanzhou replied casually, “You decide.”

After all, it was all food he didn’t particularly like.

“Then let’s have hotpot,” Yu Xia decided happily. Last time, she and Tang Yue had Thai food, so this time, it was the perfect opportunity to change the flavor.

It took only a few minutes from the supermarket to the underground parking garage. The two of them carried the groceries and stepped into the elevator. The elevator stopped on the first floor, and a married elderly couple was standing outside. When they saw Yu Xia, they greeted her as they walked in, “Hey, Xia Xia, it’s rare to see you out!”

“…Yes, I’m out for a meal.”

Yu Xia didn’t expect to run into the elderly couple from next door and wasn’t sure if Lu Yanzhou had met them. She was about to introduce them, but their attention had already shifted to him.

Aunt Liu tilted her head to look at Lu Yanzhou and smiled at Yu Xia, “Is this your boyfriend? He’s tall and handsome, just like a celebrity on TV.”

“…”

“…”

Both of them were holding the same supermarket bags and had just come up from the underground parking garage, making them look like a couple coming home from shopping.

“No…” It seemed they hadn’t met Lu Yanzhou before. Yu Xia cleared her throat and introduced, “Aunt Liu, this is Lu Yanzhou. He just moved in across from me, we’re neighbors.”

Lu Yanzhou’s expression shifted slightly, and he glanced down at her.

“Oh, when did he move in? I haven’t seen him before.” Aunt Liu seemed genuinely delighted. She was short, and she craned her neck to look at Lu Yanzhou. “Young man, do you have a girlfriend?”

Yu Xia: “…”

She quickly raised her head to meet Lu Yanzhou’s eyes and gave him a firm blink, signaling, “Say you have a girlfriend!”

Lu Yanzhou: “?”

He raised an eyebrow as if he understood.

Yu Xia thought he got the hint, but then she heard him say, “No.”

“…”

She pressed her lips together, thinking, Don’t regret this.

When Aunt Liu heard this, she immediately smiled so wide that her eyes almost disappeared. “Really? Then I can introduce a girlfriend to you. My daughter likes your type, much more handsome than that idol she’s chasing. Next month, she…”

“…” Lu Yanzhou’s expression changed, and he decisively interrupted, “Auntie, sorry. I don’t have a girlfriend, but I do have someone I like, and I’m pursuing her.”

Ding—

At that moment, the elevator reached their floor, and Aunt Liu sighed regretfully as she linked arms with her husband and walked out, still muttering, “When will our kids find someone like that?”

Yu Xia and Lu Yanzhou silently walked to the door of their apartment. Yu Xia glanced at apartment 1203, noticing that the elderly couple next door was opening their door and didn’t pay attention to them.

Just as Lu Yanzhou was about to open the door, Yu Xia bumped into him, puffed up her cheeks, and looked up. “I just hinted that you should nod your head. Aunt Liu wants to introduce her son and daughter to someone good-looking…”

Lu Yanzhou paused, glancing at her. “Did she introduce her son to you?”

Hmm?

Did that mean he thought she was good-looking? Yu Xia blinked and nodded slightly, “Mm.” But back when she was with Zhou Yu, Aunt Liu had heard she had a boyfriend, and her reaction was almost the same as it was now.

Lu Yanzhou seemed to frown slightly. Yu Xia watched him, unable to resist asking, “You… really have a girl you’re pursuing?”

If that’s true, then she couldn’t think of him as a backup… No, backup was a bad word—more like a future potential boyfriend.

There was a thud as the elderly couple next door entered their home, and the hallway suddenly fell silent. Lu Yanzhou looked down at her, and their eyes met.

His lips curled slightly, and his gaze became more meaningful. Yu Xia, facing his strikingly handsome face so close, felt inexplicably nervous.

“No.”

Lu Yanzhou’s voice carried a teasing tone as he fixed his gaze on Yu Xia. She was uncomfortably pinned by his casual, scrutinizing eyes. In a fluster, she lowered her head, gripping the shopping bag tightly. She was about to say she would head home when she heard him casually laugh, “Actually, a few days ago, someone said they wanted to pursue me.”

“…”

Yu Xia’s face turned red. She hadn’t expected Lu Yanzhou to tease her like this. But she hadn’t said she wanted to pursue him, had she? How could he casually twist her words?

She pretended not to understand and pressed her lips together. “Who? They’re so bold.”

Was this her refusal to admit it?

Lu Yanzhou’s expression softened, focusing on her trembling lashes. Whether she was nervous or guilty, he scoffed and ruthlessly teased, “Bold? I think she’s pretty timid.”

“…”

Yu Xia’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly glanced up at him.

Lu Yanzhou had already turned to unlock the door. Yu Xia, itching to retort, “Who are you calling timid? I’m not timid!” But her subconscious held her back, and she just wanted to get home quickly.

Lu Yanzhou entered the apartment and looked back at her, raising an eyebrow. “Are you planning to stand here all night?”

“…”

Yu Xia quickly raised her head and smiled at him, “No, my place is close.”

With that, she turned and left.

—

Yu Xia opened the fridge door, and the cold air hit her face, causing the warmth on her cheeks to slowly fade. She took a deep breath and absentmindedly put the yogurt inside.

What did Lu Yanzhou mean?

She didn’t dare to think too deeply, but she couldn’t stop the unease inside. Deciding to calm herself down, she headed for a shower to clear her mind. After drying her hair, she looked at herself in the mirror. She wasn’t bad-looking, but not exactly a great beauty. Could someone as handsome as Lu Yanzhou really fall for anyone at first sight?

Wait, no, should it be “at first hug”?

Ugh, stop thinking!

She couldn’t think any further.

Yu Xia grabbed a cup of yogurt from the fridge and walked to her study, deciding to distract herself with work. She posted the second episode of her comic on Weibo. The comments started flooding in quickly.

She had expected the dramatic plot would divert the fans’ attention, but she realized she could no longer predict what they were thinking.

[What happens next? The heroine has a fever, is the hero going to take care of her closely? When will the sparks fly!]

[Wow, this slice-of-life comic is so fun! We demand more episodes! Don’t just leave us hanging like last time with just two or three episodes!]

The spicy comments were quickly moved to the top of the post.

It was too much!

Yu Xia couldn’t bring herself to look any longer. She hurriedly logged out of Weibo, afraid that if she kept looking, she would dream about Lu Yanzhou’s body and face that night. She couldn’t help it, her mind was vivid due to her artistic skills, and it was easy for her to picture things.

Just as she logged out, she received a text from her editor with a deathly serious question.

[Did you finish your drafts today?]

[Are you planning to move to the Arctic Circle?]

“…”

She was going to change her name!

Before bed, Lu Yanzhou checked his Moments and saw that Yu Xia had posted a status about half an hour ago. She had also changed her name.

“Living in Summer” had become “Living in Winter.”

Living in Winter: [Fear] [Fear] [Fear] [Fear] [Fear]…

Lu Yanzhou frowned. He had only teased her a bit about being scared. Did she really need to change her name and post two rows of [Fear] emojis?