Three years after our breakup, you came back to China, and I'm just giving up. Why are you cryi

For the next few days, Lu Hao and the women did not leave the house.

No matter how turbulent the outside world was, they stayed in their little world, living a carefree and relaxed life.

For a fleeting moment, Lu Hao even forgot about Zhen Youqu and Qin Shou, who were still fighting with those people.

With nothing else to do, the group sat around the coffee table and started playing Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game).

"A royal flush!"

Zhou Mengmeng raised her eyebrows and eyes, deftly tossing her cards aside, her tone arrogant: "You two can't afford to go, can you? There's one against three left, I'll just finish it off, and I'll win again!"

After saying that, she picked up a black watercolor pen from the table, grinned, and approached Xiao Xiyue and Fang Ruoyun, drawing a black line on each of their fair cheeks.

Before long, several doodles appeared on Xiao Xiyue and Fang Ruoyun's delicate faces, making them look like two disheveled yet adorable little kittens.

Lu Hao leaned back on the sofa, watching the two of them looking both amused and exasperated, and couldn't help but chuckle. "How about I take over? I'll teach this arrogant little girl a lesson for you two."

"Need not!"

Xiao Xiyue and Fang Ruoyun refused in unison, their attitudes extremely firm.

Zhou Mengmeng, standing to the side, became even more smug, raising her chin high as she turned to Lu Hao, raising an eyebrow and showing off, "Haozi, you just stay here and watch how I continue to teach those two a lesson."

After they finished speaking, the three of them shuffled the cards again, and a new round of Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game) began.

Laughter filled every corner of the living room, washing away the oppression and unease that had been building up in everyone's hearts.

Lu Hao watched the card game quietly for a moment, then his gaze unconsciously turned to the kitchen.

Lin Ran and Ning Shu carried the dishes out one after the other, and the enticing aroma instantly filled the entire living room.

Ning Shu's doe-like eyes curved into crescents, and her soft, sweet voice rang out: "Time to eat."

Upon hearing the words "dinner is served," Zhou Mengmeng threw down her bad hand of cards, rushed to the dining table, pulled out a chair, and sat down in one swift motion.

"Zhou Mengmeng!" Fang Ruoyun immediately scolded angrily upon seeing this, "I was about to win, why are you running away?"

Xiao Xiyue turned around and looked at Zhou Mengmeng, who had already sat down, and chimed in, "You're not a sore loser, are you?"

Faced with their questions, Zhou Mengmeng confidently raised her head and replied, "If you're not enthusiastic about eating, you've got a problem with your brain. What's more important than playing cards?"

Before Zhou Mengmeng could even feel smug for two seconds, Xiao Xiyue and Fang Ruoyun exchanged a glance, perfectly in sync, and one of them grabbed Zhou Mengmeng from the left and the other from the right, dragging her into the bedroom.

The next second, Zhou Mengmeng's exaggerated wails and pleas for mercy came from inside the room.

Lu Hao was already used to this scene, and a familiar smile appeared on his face.

Over the past few days, this kind of scene has played out almost every day.

The carefree Zhou Mengmeng always manages to annoy both Xiao Xiyue and Fang Ruoyun at the same time, and in the end, the two of them team up to catch her and teach her a good lesson.

Lin Ran walked to the sofa next to Lu Hao and sat down. She glanced at the closed bedroom door, gently patted Lu Hao's shoulder, and murmured:

"Mengmeng really went to great lengths."

Lu Hao nodded slightly; how could he not understand Zhou Mengmeng's little scheme?

Among their group, Fang Ruoyun and Xiao Xiyue didn't get along very well. Zhou Mengmeng was using herself to help Fang Ruoyun and Xiao Xiyue get closer.

Lu Hao smiled gently: "This little girl, don't let her usual carefree attitude fool you, she can be quite thoughtful and perceptive at times."

"Ultimately, she did all of this for you," Lin Ran said calmly.

A simple sentence silenced Lu Hao.

He knew in his heart that the reason why these girls put aside all their tempers, tolerated each other, and were willing to be trapped in this small old house in fear was ultimately because of him.

Lu Hao composed himself, picked up his chopsticks, and silently served food to Lin Ran beside him, then served a piece of food to the well-behaved Ning Shu as well.

A few minutes later, the bedroom door was pushed open. Zhou Mengmeng walked out with messy long hair, wrinkled and disheveled clothes, her head hanging low, her little face full of resentment, and her eyes looking aggrieved.

She sat down at the table, sullen and silent, and just buried herself in her food, turning her anger into appetite.

In contrast, Xiao Xiyue and Fang Ruoyun looked quite relaxed as they sat down one after the other, talking in hushed tones about how to team up and outmaneuver Zhou Mengmeng during their card game that afternoon.

Lu Hao glanced at the three lively and warm-hearted people in front of him, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

His gaze fell on Lin Ran, who was eating slowly and deliberately. She was serene and composed, a picture of tranquility. Then, looking at Ning Shu, who was soft and adorable beside him, his sense of peace reached its peak.

At this moment, Lu Hao was incredibly greedy.

If time could stand still here forever, and everyone could live such carefree, peaceful, and joyful lives every day, how wonderful that would be.

A warm dinner ended. Everyone cleaned up the mess, and Lu Hao went into the inner bedroom alone.

In the room, Su Yu lay quietly on the bed, her eyes closed, her sleeping face serene.

Lu Hao sat on the edge of the bed, holding her cold little hand, and stroked her smooth and delicate cheek with his other hand, whispering in her ear.

These past few days, he has spent most of his time by Su Yu's side, hoping every second that she will open her eyes, show a sweet smile, and then rush into his arms.

Unfortunately, this fragile Sleeping Beauty remained immersed in her illusory dream, unwilling to awaken.

More than a week later, Lin Ran found Lu Hao smoking on the balcony.

"Lu Hao, I don't have much food left. What's the situation outside?" Lin Ran asked in a deep voice, gazing at the deserted old town streets in the distance.

Lu Hao tossed his cigarette butt into the ashtray beside him, turned and pulled Lin Ran inside, asking earnestly, "How many days' worth of food do we have left?"

"They'll be gone by tomorrow. Should I go out and buy some tonight?"

Lu Hao immediately raised his hand to stop them, his tone leaving no room for doubt: "No need, I'll go out and buy it. You all must not go out."

The two had barely finished talking when Zhou Mengmeng, who was playing cards with Xiao Xiyue and Fang Ruoyun in the living room, stopped and shouted in a loud voice:

"Lu Hao, why don't we ask what's going on over there? We can't stay here forever."

Lu Hao gently shook his head and reassured him in a calm tone, "The situation on their end is more dangerous than ours. They have a lot to deal with. They'll let me know when they're done."

"Sigh..." Zhou Mengmeng sighed deeply, put down the cards in her hand, and looked frustrated. "It's been almost half a month, and it still hasn't been resolved. I haven't seen any news about it either."

Fang Ruoyun put down her cards and patiently explained to her, "Mengmeng, this kind of thing won't be reported in the news unless the dust settles."

"I know, I was just venting," Zhou Mengmeng said, her head drooping and her voice muffled.

Lu Hao glanced around at everyone in the room, noticing their agitation and anxiety, and gently comforted them in a soft voice:

"Don't worry, everyone. The storm will pass, and this matter will eventually be resolved. Stay home and relax. I'm going downstairs to buy supplies."

After saying that, Lu Hao went into the bedroom, put on a baseball cap, wrapped a scarf around his neck, and put on a long trench coat.

Fully armed, Lu Hao left the house after receiving instructions from the women.