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

At three o'clock in the morning on Thursday, Zhou Suisui lay in her room, not asleep.

Lin Xiao hadn't returned yet, and the fact that Chen Boxu had taken her to the banquet was like a dull knife, slowly cutting away Zhou Suisui's last bit of self-deceiving fantasy.

The light from the phone screen reflected on her face, making her look cold and pale.

Xu Yan is right. Online chatting can indeed distract you, but it can't fill the emptiness in your heart.

She suddenly remembered the look in his eyes when he pressed her wrist and said, "They're all mine."

She remembered him protecting her in the restaurant and telling Cheng Fang, "She's mine."

Those moments made her mistakenly believe that she might be a little different.

Looking back now, it's both pathetic and laughable.

It turns out that those weren't acts of favoritism, but rather declarations of ownership. They had nothing to do with feelings; they were simply to prevent others from getting their hands on it.

Lin Xiao and she were never the same. At least Lin Xiao was someone outsiders could see, but what about her? Was she just a substitute in bed?

The feeling that had made her heart race and pound was now completely gone.

---

On Thursday afternoon, Zhou Suisui left work early and went home.

The moment she opened the door, she immediately sensed that something was wrong in the living room.

Only one floor lamp was on, its dim yellow light barely illuminating a corner of the sofa.

Lin Xiao was curled up there, with a beige cashmere blanket draped over her knees, and her phone in her hand.

She was facing away from the doorway, her long hair hanging down to cover half of her face, making it impossible to see her expression. But her whole demeanor exuded a sense of tension, like a fully drawn string.

Zhou Suisui paused, bending down to change her shoes. The sound of her heels clicking on the floor tiles was exceptionally clear in the overly quiet living room.

Lin Xiao seemed unaware of her return, remaining motionless in the same position.

Zhou Suisui changed her shoes, straightened up, and her gaze fell on Lin Xiao. Seeing that Lin Xiao was clearly in a bad mood, a dark thought popped into her mind.

Deserve it.

I'll make you oppose me.

She ignored it and headed straight for her room. As she passed the coffee table, she noticed an empty wine bottle on it, with a small amount of dark red wine stain remaining in the wine glass next to it.

Looks like he drank quite a bit.

Zhou Suisui pushed open her bedroom door, went inside, and closed it. But she didn't close it completely, leaving a crack.

She sat down on the edge of the bed and took her phone out of her bag. The screen lit up, and several unread messages popped up, all from that social media app.

She clicked on it, and the latest message came from a man nicknamed Qingfeng.

[What are you doing?]

It was followed by a cute emoji.

Zhou Suisui stared at the message for a few seconds, then typed a reply:

[Just got home, I'm exhausted.]

send.

Almost immediately, the other party replied:

[You've worked hard! Have you eaten? Would you like me to order takeout for you?]

Zhou Suisui slid her finger across the screen, a slight smile unconsciously curving her lips.

Even though she knew it was all fake, cheap concern from across the screen, at least for now, someone cared whether she was tired or hungry.

"I've eaten. What about you?" she replied.

[I just finished eating too. Work was so hectic today, it was really annoying. But the thought of chatting with you makes me feel much better.]

[Glib and smooth-talking.]

[Honestly! By the way, you said yesterday you like watching movies. There's a new one out recently with pretty high ratings. Want to go see it together next weekend?]

Zhou Suisui stared at the invitation, her fingers pausing. She remembered Xu Yan's advice: no face-to-face meetings, no video calls, and no real emotional involvement.

[Something's come up next week, so I might not be able to go.] she typed.

That's a pity. But it's okay, we can talk about it again when you're free.

The other person was tactful and didn't press for details. Instead, they started telling Zhou Suisui funny stories about what happened at the company, which made her chuckle softly as she looked at her phone screen.

The laughter wasn't loud, but it still faintly carried through the quiet apartment.

Zhou Suisui was typing a reply when the door was suddenly pushed open.

Lin Xiao stood at the door, still wearing her silk loungewear, her hair a little messy, and her face looking particularly pale in the dim light.

Her gaze fell on Zhou Suisui's face, and seeing the smile that had not yet completely faded from the corners of her lips, her eyes turned cold.

"What are you chatting about so happily?" Lin Xiao asked, her voice a little hoarse, carrying obvious fatigue and displeasure.

Zhou Suisui raised her head, her smile fading slightly, but the light of joy in her eyes hadn't completely disappeared.

"It's nothing," she said casually, "just chatting with a friend."

"Friend?" Lin Xiao repeated, a faint, almost mocking smile curving her lips. "Oh, a random man."

Zhou Suisui's expression froze for a moment.

She looked at Lin Xiao's face, which was clearly in a bad mood but still tried to put on a condescending attitude, and said disdainfully, "Don't be a sour grapes."

Lin Xiao's face instantly darkened. She straightened up, her tone clearly angry and condescendingly disdainful: "Can your lover compare to Mr. Chen?"

These words were like a needle, piercing Zhou Suisui's heart unexpectedly.

She tightened her grip on the phone, looked up, and met Lin Xiao's gaze.

"No," Zhou Suisui said, her voice calm but each word clear, "Since Mr. Chen is so kind, why are you still angry?"

She paused, looking at Lin Xiao's suddenly changed expression, and continued slowly and deliberately:

"No way...they don't want you anymore, right?"

Lin Xiao's face turned pale instantly.

She stared intently at Zhou Suisui, her light brown pupils swirling with clear anger and a certain embarrassment at having been touched on a sore spot.

Yesterday at the banquet, Cheng Fang's mention of a new love, Chen Boxu's departing figure, and the news that had been going nowhere all day... all the pent-up emotions were completely ignited at this moment by Zhou Suisui's casual remark.

"Shut up." Lin Xiao's voice was icy cold.

Seeing her reaction, Zhou Suisui felt a darker sense of pleasure. But she didn't provoke her further, simply watching her calmly.

Lin Xiao took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She couldn't lose her composure in front of a pheasant.

"This month's rent," she began, her voice returning to its usual light and flat tone, yet carrying a condescending, condescending tone, "was still paid by Mr. Chen."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over Zhou Suisui's face as if she were looking at an eyesore of trash.

"You probably didn't understand what I meant," Lin Xiao continued, her tone icy. "I told you to get lost."

The expression on Zhou Suisui's face completely disappeared.

She looked at Lin Xiao, at the undisguised disgust and rejection in his eyes.

The air froze for a few seconds.

Then, Zhou Suisui suddenly smiled.

It wasn't an angry laugh, nor a sad laugh, but a light laugh that was almost resigned, tinged with a touch of mockery.

"Okay," she said, her voice soft but unusually clear.

She got up from the bedside, walked to the wardrobe, opened the door, and began to pack her things.

The movements were neither hurried nor slow, without the slightest hesitation.

Lin Xiao stood there, watching her back, seemingly surprised that she would agree so readily. She had thought Zhou Suisui would argue or plead.

But Zhou Suisui didn't.

She simply packed quietly, folding each piece of clothing neatly and putting it into the worn-out suitcase.

Cosmetics, skincare products, a few books, and some other odds and ends. Everything that belonged to her was carefully put away.

The whole process took less than twenty minutes.

Zhou Suisui zipped up her suitcase, picked it up, and walked to the door.

Lin Xiao was still standing there, blocking the way.

Zhou Suisui raised her eyes and looked at her.

Their eyes met.

One was cold and disgusted, the other calm and indifferent.

"Make way," Zhou Suisui said.

Lin Xiao stepped aside to make way.

Zhou Suisui pulled her suitcase out without looking back.

In the living room, the floor lamp still cast a dim, yellowish light. The empty wine bottles and remaining wine stains were still on the coffee table.

Zhou Suisui walked to the entrance, changed her shoes, opened the door, and went out.

The door closed gently behind me.

"Click".

---

The streets were a bit noisy in the evening.

Zhou Suisui stood downstairs at the apartment building, pulling her suitcase. A cool autumn breeze blew by.

She took out her phone, opened the bank's app, and logged in.

The screen displays the balance: 70,0000.00.

Zhou Suisui stared at the string of numbers for a few seconds, then without hesitation, turned around and went to the bank, where she transferred the full 700,000 yuan to her card at the counter.

As she walked out of the bank, she hailed a taxi on the roadside.

"Go to the nearest five-star hotel," she told the driver.