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

Zhou Suisui practically fled back to the living room. Chen Boxu was still sitting in the same spot, listening to what Lao Wu was saying, holding a wine glass in his hand and occasionally taking a sip.

Hearing footsteps, he turned around and his gaze fell on Zhou Suisui's face. Her cheeks were still flushed with an abnormal blush, and her breathing was a little rapid. She looked away for a moment before forcing herself to calm down and walk back to the seat next to him.

Chen Boxu's gaze lingered on her face for two seconds before sweeping over her slightly disheveled sideburns and tightly pursed lips.

Then, his gaze shifted and landed on Cheng Fang, who was a few steps behind and had wandered back from the direction of the corridor.

Cheng Fang wore his usual nonchalant smile, but the fresh, reddish teeth mark on his earlobe was particularly noticeable under the light.

Chen Boxu's fingers tightened almost imperceptibly for a moment as he gripped the wine glass. He looked away, neither asking Zhou Suisui anything nor glancing at Cheng Fang.

He simply downed the remaining whiskey in his glass. The icy liquid slid down his throat, but it couldn't suppress the sudden chill that rose in his heart.

Zhou Suisui was very anxious. She had just humiliated Su Wei, who was said to be very vengeful, in the bathroom, and now Cheng Fang, that despicable person, had caught her red-handed.

And she could only have Chen Boxu's old phone, and now there's Cheng Fang too. She felt like she was doomed.

But Cheng Fang said he likes her type. Does this prove that even if she leaves Chen Boxu, she still has a market?

No, we can't trust what he says. We should ask Xu Yan on Wednesday first.

Just then, my phone beeped with a text message from Cheng Fang: [Nervous?]

Zhou Suisui looked up and saw this guy grinning at her. It's all your fault! And you still have the nerve to smile.

She didn't reply, turning her head to look elsewhere. Unexpectedly, a series of notification sounds rang out. She looked down and saw it was that guy again.

"Miss Zhou is quite busy," Su Wei said meaningfully. She had clearly composed herself and showed no trace of the paleness she had just experienced after being humiliated in the restroom.

Chen Boxu turned to look at her. "Is something wrong?"

Zhou Suisui didn't want to stay here anymore; she was afraid that staying any longer would only cause more trouble. "Hmm, Weiwei asked me what time I'm going back."

Chen Boxu glanced at her, then turned away. Zhou Suisui seized the opportunity to glare fiercely at Cheng Fang. Cheng Fang laughed even harder.

The phone finally stopped vibrating. Zhou Suisui secretly breathed a sigh of relief; Cheng Fang had finally quieted down. She picked up her water glass, took a sip, and barely managed to suppress the irritation in her heart.

"Speaking of which," Su Wei's soft voice suddenly rang out. She turned to the side and approached a female companion wearing a light blue dress. Zhou Suisui remembered that her name seemed to be Li Menghan.

Who brought it? She had no recollection.

Su Wei's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for people nearby to hear clearly. "Last time, I went to Yuming Mountain with Bo Xu and the others to soak in the hot springs. It was so relaxing. Lin Xiao even brought some homemade plum wine, which was warmed up in the mountains and had a unique flavor."

Li Menghan replied knowingly, "Yes, I remember the moonlight was particularly beautiful that day."

Su Wei sighed softly, raised her hand to press her temples, and frowned. "For some reason, my head feels a little stuffy today. Maybe there's... something unclean here?"

As she spoke, her gaze seemed to drift casually towards Zhou Suisui, a gentle smile playing on her lips, yet her tone betrayed concern, "Young Master Xu, don't you all think so?"

Not clean!

The three words, like three fine needles, precisely pierced Zhou Suisui's eardrums.

Her fingers tightened slightly around the water glass, her knuckles turning slightly white. Her face remained expressionless; she simply looked down at the swirling, transparent liquid inside.

Is this ever going to end?! This woman has humiliated her in public again!

Zhou Suisui really wanted to curse her and confront her. But thinking about the restroom, she was afraid that the old woman across the street would become desperate and expose her. Then she, Zhou Suisui, would lose face along with Su Wei.

Zhou Suisui couldn't help but feel aggrieved. She had never experienced anything like this before. From childhood to adulthood, she had received mostly kindness because of her beauty.

Even when faced with unpleasant people, she would directly confront them; she had never suffered such humiliation before. She couldn't help but think of Chen Boxu, perhaps it was, as Xu Yan had said, a case of the fledgling complex or something else.

A flicker of attraction to him stirred within her, making her hope that Chen Boxu would stand up for her. She then looked up at him.

Chen Boxu leaned back on the sofa, fiddling with a metal lighter in his hand, making a soft "click" sound as he opened and closed it.

His face remained expressionless, as if he hadn't heard Su Wei's veiled insults, or perhaps he had heard them but didn't care.

Zhou Suisui felt disappointed, yet not overly so. She knew Chen Boxu had never been interested in her. A sense of unease settled over her. Perhaps every girl secretly hopes to be special.

The air seemed to quiet down.

Suddenly, Cheng Fang chuckled and said lazily, "Su Wei, you've had too much to drink, haven't you? The air here is perfectly fine." He took a deep breath, implying something, "Where's the pollution? It smells wonderful."

Su Wei's expression stiffened slightly, but she quickly regained her composure and gave Cheng Fang a reproachful look: "You talk too much."

Zhou Suisui didn't know how to describe this feeling. It was like eagerly anticipating a sweet lychee, only to be given a banana, which she disliked the most.

She suddenly realized that Cheng Fang might not be so bad after all. She decided to stop calling him that jerk in her mind. But…

Chen Boxu didn't react at all. The more I looked at him, the angrier I got. He should have joined forces with me to fight that old woman on the other side.

Zhou Suisui suddenly felt incredibly foolish for actually having feelings for him! The slight flutter in her heart instantly turned cold. It all happened in an instant.

I just had to get this off my chest!

She reached into her handbag and grabbed her phone. Using the sofa as cover, she quickly typed, her head down.

Sui Sui: [Weiwei, I'm so angry! Tonight I ran into a bitch named Su Wei, who kept giving me sarcastic and sarcastic remarks all night.]

As soon as the message was sent, I felt a gaze fall upon me from the side.

Zhou Suisui paused, then turned her head to the side.

Chen Boxu had put down his lighter at some point and was looking at her. His face was expressionless; his gaze lingered on her face for a moment, then swept over her hand holding the phone.

Zhou Suisui met his gaze, her amber eyes glistening with a thin layer of moisture under the light. What are you looking at!

She glanced at him, her eyes filled with accusation and a hint of grievance, then quickly turned her head away, her chin slightly raised, her profile showing a stubbornness.

Chen Boxu's gaze lingered for a moment at the corners of her reddened eyes.

At that moment, Zhou Suisui's phone vibrated slightly in her handbag.

She almost immediately lowered her head and took out her phone again. The screen lit up; it was Liu Weiwei's reply.

Weiwei: [Su Wei? Is she dressed very maturely and speaking in a sarcastic tone? I think I heard someone mention before that she has something going on with Young Master Xu. What did she do to you?]

Zhou Suisui's fingertips slid rapidly across the screen.

Sui Sui: [Yes! It must be her! You know what?! She's been giving me a hard time all night. She even said I wasn't clean. Is she crazy?!]

Weiwei: [Damn, what a jerk! Just ignore her. How dare she be sarcastic in a situation like this? Where's your sugar daddy?]

Sui Sui: [Don't even mention it, he and Su bullied me together.]

After sending the message, Zhou Suisui stared at the screen, feeling a tingling sensation in her fingertips. The screen quickly displayed "Typing...".

Weiwei: [What?? Chen Boxu is ganging up on you??]

Zhou Suisui bit the inside of her lower lip and typed quickly.

Sui Sui: [No, he didn't say anything.]

Sui Sui: [When Su Wei said I wasn't clean, he sat next to her and listened.]

Sui Sui: [So I assume he's standing opposite me.]

As she typed the last line, she felt Chen Boxu beside her move slightly. She didn't look up, but simply tilted the phone screen closer to her, her thumb hovering over the send button for a second before pressing it firmly.

A green checkmark will light up if the message is successfully sent.

Almost simultaneously, Chen Boxu gently placed the glass of water he hadn't drunk from on the coffee table in front of her. The bottom of the glass made a soft yet clear, crisp sound as it touched the glass surface.

despair.

Zhou Suisui caught a glimpse of the glass of water out of the corner of her eye. Without turning her head, she kept her eyes glued to her phone screen and said softly, "I'm not thirsty."

My phone vibrated again in my handbag.

Weiwei: [[…Holy shit. This is even more disgusting. Is he even a man?! Baby, you're so pitiful. (Comforting expression) But you absolutely must control your temper, don't fight back, just play dumb. Remember, you're there to make money, not to argue with scumbags and dog men.]]

Sui Sui: [Hmm. I'll earn enough money, then kick him to the curb.]

Sui Sui: [Then she ordered ten or eight male models to serve her.]

After sending the message, Zhou Suisui looked at the line of text on the screen, and the corner of her mouth twitched involuntarily, as if she had completed some kind of childish revenge.

She stuffed her phone back into her handbag, her fingers curled in her palm, her nails gently digging into her flesh.

At the other end of the sofa, Su Wei chuckled again, talking to Xu Shao as her eyes swept over her once more, intentionally or unintentionally.

Zhou Suisui didn't lower her head again. She raised her eyes and looked at the huge floor-to-ceiling window on the other side of the living room.

Outside the window, the night was deep, with only the blurry lights of the city in the distance. She suddenly remembered that night when she stood downstairs at the hotel, dragging her suitcase; the wind was cool.

Just then, Chen Boxu, who had been silent all along, suddenly moved. He withdrew his arm from the back of the sofa, leaned forward slightly, and reached out to pick up the untouched, exquisitely packaged box of mints on the coffee table.

He unwrapped the candy, but instead of eating it himself, he handed the light green candy to Zhou Suisui. The movement was natural and casual, as if he had just remembered it.

The candy was almost touching her lips, and the cool minty scent wafted into her nostrils.

Zhou Suisui froze, her eyelashes trembling. She looked at the candy, then glanced at Chen Boxu.