Chapter 46: Keeping Distance

In the car, Lu Jingzhou looked at Mu Luoxi, who was dozing off in the passenger seat. He paused for a moment before slowly speaking, “I know you saw it. Why did you reject my friend request?”

Mu Luoxi smacked her lips, turning her head towards the window, as if she hadn’t heard Lu Jingzhou’s words.

Her cheeks were flushed, the alcohol was numbing her, her head was dizzy. Although she was drunk, she was still well-behaved.

Lu Jingzhou sighed. What was the point of arguing with someone who was drunk?

Mu Luoxi opened her eyes drowsily and looked out the window, “Are we here?”

She looked at Lu Jingzhou, “Thank you, big brother, for sending me back. I’m going home. See you later.”

She said, opening the car door and getting out.

Lu Jingzhou: “…”

Mu Luoxi staggered out of the car. After walking a few steps, she frowned uncomfortably, her stomach churned. She said unhappily, “Did this road also drink? Why is it so shaky?”

Lu Jingzhou: “…”

Lu Jingzhou opened the car door and got out. He reached out to support her. Mu Luoxi smiled at him, “Thank you for helping me hold up this road.”

Lu Jingzhou: “…”

Seeing Mu Luoxi like this, there was no way she could go upstairs. He said faintly, “What floor?”

Mu Luoxi held up three fingers.

Lu Jingzhou helped her walk upstairs. There was a security door, he patiently waited for Mu Luoxi to rummage through her bag for her access card.

It took a few minutes for Mu Luoxi to find her access card.

She swiped the access card and looked at Lu Jingzhou arrogantly, as if she was telling him, “See, I’m amazing.”

She met Lu Jingzhou’s gaze. His eyes seemed to hold a thousand stars, making the stars in the night sky seem dim in comparison, “There are stars in your eyes, brighter than the ones in the sky. They’re so beautiful.”

She reached out to touch his eyes. Lu Jingzhou stared at her blankly. Just as her hand was about to touch him, the door creaked open automatically.

Mu Luoxi lowered her hand, stared at the door for a few seconds, and swiped her access card again, walking inside.

Lu Jingzhou helped her to the third floor. She looked at him, her voice choked with tears, she pouted with grievance, “See, this is my home. It’s poor… really poor…”

She had never thought that her home was poor or felt inferior because of where she lived. But since she met Lu Jingzhou, she had gradually become self-conscious.

He was a rich young master who lived in a villa, he had more properties than he could count, while she was someone who made a living in this old apartment complex.

Before, she worked hard, even when she had a fever or a cold, she would still go to work, because if she took a day off, she would lose her monthly attendance bonus.

Now, thanks to her best friend Ruan Yu, she had escaped that kind of life. But compared to people who were born with a silver spoon in their mouth, it was far from enough.

Even if she had money in the future, it wouldn’t change her inherent self-consciousness. Even if she climbed up desperately, she wouldn’t be able to reach Lu Jingzhou’s level in this life. The gap between them would still exist.

Lu Jingzhou listened to her aggrieved voice, he felt a pang of heartache. What a silly girl. He gently brushed her messy hair behind her ear, “The meaning of home is warmth and happiness. Are you happy?”

Mu Luoxi nodded at first, then hesitated for a moment and shook her head, her voice choked, “I’m not happy. I don’t have a dad… I don’t have a dad.”

As she spoke, tears rolled down her cheeks, dripping onto Lu Jingzhou’s hand that was supporting her. The temperature of her tears burned his hand, his heart skipped a beat.

She cried sadly, “That man, he doesn’t want me or Mom. He doesn’t want us… He married his mistress.”

Lu Jingzhou hadn’t known Mu Luoxi for long, but they were quite familiar. But he had never known that Mu Luoxi had gone through such a thing.

He had originally thought that a girl as cheerful, lively, and rational as Mu Luoxi would have a happy family. But he never imagined that she had such a painful experience.

He didn’t know how to comfort her for the trauma her family had caused her. He gently hugged her in his arms and patted her lightly. After a while, Mu Luoxi stopped sobbing, she buried her head in Lu Jingzhou’s chest, her voice muffled, “No one knows except A-Yu, you have to keep it a secret.”

“Yeah.” Lu Jingzhou’s voice was soft, but it gave a sense of reassurance, “Don’t worry.”

Mu Luoxi wrapped her arms around Lu Jingzhou’s waist, feeling his warmth. A few seconds later, she released Lu Jingzhou and wiped her tears haphazardly, “Mr. Lu, let’s keep our distance as friends from now on.”

Her voice was cold. The day the coffee shop opened wasn’t the first time she had seen Lu Jingzhou. She had first seen him at the Gu residence a few months ago. At that time, Ruan Yu had cut her wrists in a fit of anger. When she went to see Ruan Yu, Lu Jingzhou was also at the Gu residence. She was so insignificant, she was dust, she was just a nameless face. Lu Jingzhou probably didn’t have any impression of her.

She didn’t fall for Lu Jingzhou when she saw him at the coffee shop. She had fallen for him the first time she saw him. After a few months, she thought that not seeing him again would make her forget about him.

But he was like a seed, taking root and growing in her heart. When they met again, it was like a breeze blowing across the lake, creating ripples again.

As long as the breeze was still blowing, the lake would never be calm.

The person you fall for at first sight, you will still fall for them when you see them again.

These days, there had been a hint of ambiguity between her and Lu Jingzhou. He would come to Time Imprint to have a cup of coffee whenever he had time, and he would bring her lunch. She could tell that he was different with her, especially his gaze, how could she not see it?

He was so excellent, his family naturally hoped that he would find a girl from a good family to marry and have children. So it was best to cut things off quickly between them. People and things that were impossible should be nipped in the bud.

She believed that Lu Jingzhou would forget about her soon.

Lu Jingzhou stood there, his fingertips twitching, his heart ached slightly. Just as he was about to say something, Mu Luoxi’s stomach churned violently. She opened the door, went inside, closed the door, and quickly went to the bathroom, where she vomited everything in her stomach.

Lu Jingzhou’s hand, which was halfway up, paused for a moment, then he lowered it again.

He went downstairs dejectedly, sat in the car, and lit a cigarette. He rarely smoked. The flickering cigarette butt was particularly bright in the darkness.

After vomiting, Mu Luoxi felt much better in her stomach, and her mind became clearer. Then she took a clean nightgown and went into the bathroom.

Half an hour later, she came out of the bathroom, her hair was still dripping. She took a towel and wiped her hair.

Her bedroom had a small balcony. She pushed open the balcony door, the breeze blew in, she didn’t feel cold after taking a shower, she felt comfortable, it made her head clear.

She lowered her head, the familiar car was still downstairs, there was a flickering light in the driver’s seat, it was easy to tell that he was smoking.