Is my roommate a caged bird? I'm stealing her away.

At 1:50 p.m., Zhou Suisui stood downstairs at the apartment building waiting.

Liu Weiwei's car pulled up in front of her right on time; it was a white Audi. The window rolled down, and Liu Weiwei gestured with her chin: "Get in."

Zhou Suisui opened the car door and got in. The car was very clean and had a faint grape scent.

"Fasten your seatbelt," Liu Weiwei said, starting the car.

The car merged into the traffic. Zhou Suisui looked out the window at the street scene rushing past, her mind still a jumbled mess.

"Your cousin..." she began, her voice a little dry, "What kind of person is she?"

Liu Weiwei turned the steering wheel, and the car turned onto the elevated road.

"My cousin's name is Xu Yan, and she's eight years older than me." She spoke calmly, as if she were talking about an ordinary relative. "The man she's with now is surnamed Lu. He made his fortune in real estate and is now semi-retired. He has countless businesses under his control."

Zhou Suisui's fingers curled up slightly.

"My parents lost money in business a few years ago and almost went bankrupt," Liu Weiwei continued, her voice flat. "It was my cousin who helped them out. She made the connection with President Lu, and that's how they turned things around. That's why my dad always calls her a lucky charm."

Zhou Suisui sensed the complexity in her tone. It wasn't simple gratitude, nor pure envy, but more like a kind of... helplessness that she had long since seen through.

"And your cousin..." she paused, "how long has she been with President Lu?"

"Ten years." Liu Weiwei said calmly, as if she were talking about something commonplace. "My cousin is the one he's been with the longest. And also the one with the most skill."

ten years.

Zhou Suisui silently counted the number in her mind. Longer than Lin Xiao, and much longer than her...

"She's a very capable woman," Liu Weiwei suddenly said, her tone unusually serious.

Zhou Suisui turned her head to look at her.

"My family is doing alright now," Liu Weiwei said with a forced smile, "partly thanks to my dad's own efforts, and partly thanks to my cousin's influence with Boss Lu. Don't look at me like that, it's not a secret. I've watched my cousin handle things and manipulate people since I was little, so she knows a thing or two, and I know a little bit too."

"She... teaches people?" Zhou Suisui asked.

"I don't teach outsiders." Liu Weiwei glanced at her. "But I told her that you were my college roommate, and now you're with Chen Boxu, you're a bit out of your mind, and you're about to ruin yourself. Only then did she agree to see you."

Zhou Suisui's heart skipped a beat, and her fingers unconsciously clenched. "I..."

"Don't rush to deny it," Liu Weiwei interrupted her. "Zhou Suisui, you can fool others, but you can't fool me. There's something wrong with your eyes."

Zhou Suisui stopped talking and turned to look at the street scene rushing past the window.

The car eventually entered an upscale residential area. The landscaping was excellent, the buildings were spaced far apart, and each building was a detached villa.

Liu Weiwei parked her car in front of a gray-white villa. The walls were high, and the iron gate was tightly closed. She honked the horn, and soon a uniformed security guard came out. Seeing that it was her, he respectfully opened the gate.

The car drove into the yard. Zhou Suisui looked out the car window. There was a neatly trimmed lawn, carefully tended flower beds, and a small outdoor swimming pool with blue water that shimmered in the sunlight.

The villa door opened, and a woman in her forties, dressed in a light gray suit, came out to greet them.

"Miss Liu has arrived." The woman smiled, her gaze falling on Zhou Suisui. "This must be Miss Zhou, right? Miss Xu is waiting for you in the tea room on the second floor."

Liu Weiwei nodded and led Zhou Suisui inside.

The villa's interior is decorated in a minimalist modern style, with gray and white as the main colors and clean lines in the furniture. However, every piece of furniture reveals its considerable value. This includes the abstract paintings on the walls, the inconspicuous sculptures in the corners, and even the seemingly ordinary white vase on the coffee table.

The staircase was spiral and covered with a thick carpet. Upon reaching the second floor, the woman led them to a double door and gently knocked.

"Come in." A woman's voice came from inside, gentle yet carrying an undeniable presence.

The door opened.

The tea room was large, with one entire wall made of floor-to-ceiling windows. A woman was standing by the window with her back to them, making a phone call.

She wore a beige knitted long dress that accentuated her waist perfectly, making her appear slender yet not frail from behind. Her long hair was loosely tied back, revealing her elegant neck.

"...Okay, I understand." Her voice was soft, with a hint of a smile. "You can handle it yourself, no need to ask me."

The person on the other end of the phone seemed to say something else, and she chuckled softly twice: "Okay, I'll wait for you to come back."

She hung up the phone and turned around.

Zhou Suisui saw her face clearly.

She wasn't the kind of beauty that would immediately grab your attention, but she had a captivating charm. Her skin was fair, her features were soft, and her eyes were slightly upturned, like phoenix eyes, giving her a natural, unintentional allure when she looked at people.

What was most striking was her demeanor—relaxed and composed, like a plant grown in a greenhouse, meticulously cared for, without any tension or struggle for survival. She walked over...

"Weiwei's here." Xu Yan walked over, her gaze falling on Zhou Suisui, her smile deepening. "This must be Miss Zhou, right? Please have a seat."

The maid quietly served tea and snacks and then left. Only the three of them remained in the tea room.

Zhou Suisui sat down somewhat awkwardly, placing her hands on her knees.

"Weiwei said you've been having some troubles lately?" Xu Yan picked up her bone china teacup, gently blew on the tea foam, and spoke casually, as if she were talking about the weather.

Zhou Suisui glanced at Liu Weiwei, who then gave her a wink.

"I..." Zhou Suisui began, her voice a little tense, "Miss Xu, I... I don't know how to say it."

Xu Yan looked at her, her gaze gentle yet insightful. "You've gone with Chen Boxu?"

"……Um."

"How long has it been?"

"Not long... just these last two weeks."

Xu Yan nodded and took a sip of tea. "I've heard a bit about Chen Boxu. He's picky and demanding. For him to agree to your proposal, you must be quite well-off." She paused, her gaze lingering on Zhou Suisui's face for a moment. "But why did Weiwei say you weren't thinking clearly? Was he treating you badly? Was he not giving you enough?"

Zhou Suisui bit her lower lip. "He... gave me a card. The credit limit... isn't low."

"That's a good thing," Xu Yan said calmly. "If you're satisfied materially, your worries are usually halved. But what about the other half?"

Zhou Suisui's fingers curled up. She didn't know how to describe those chaotic emotions, those feelings of resentment, shame, and... the heart-pounding excitement she felt in the car last night.

Xu Yan waited a moment, and seeing her silence, gently put down her teacup. "Let me guess. Are you feeling uncomfortable? Do you feel objectified, belittled? Or..." She leaned slightly forward, her voice softening, yet carrying a penetrating force, "...have you developed feelings for him that you shouldn't have?"