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

(44 at the usual place)

On Saturday morning, sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains of the apartment. Lin Xiao sat by the bay window in the living room, her thoughts drifting away.

How boring! Zhou Suisui has been gone for several days now. She's wondering if she should find a new roommate.

Owning a dog is exhausting, you know. She has to put away those expensive clothes and wear cheap, low-quality clothes that don't suit her current status at all.

Lin Xiao didn't know when it started, but she began to seek a sense of existence in this way.

How long has she been with Chen Boxu? Several years, I think. She clearly had a vibrant side at the beginning, so when did she start to change?

Oh, right! It was after I fell for Chen Boxu. It's hard not to like him, isn't it?

Rich, handsome, and wealthy.

He always seemed to notice when something was wrong with her and would immediately protect her. But... as she became increasingly unable to hide her emotions...

She saw it; Chen Boxu cruelly abandoned that woman. Yes. She was his new love then, how ironic. Now she's starting to repeat that path of that pathetic woman.

Chen Boxu has become increasingly perfunctory lately. She won't allow herself to fall into the same category as that woman.

She knew that as long as she maintained this aloof and pure demeanor, he wouldn't abandon her.

But these days of suppressing her true nature seemed to last forever. Later, she saw Zhou Suisui.

gorgeous!

Very vivid, very lively, very cheeky. Yes, very cheeky.

Why would she show up in front of her with something she didn't have? She must have done it on purpose.

Money really is a wonderful thing. It made her the envy of her relatives and friends. It made it increasingly difficult for her to leave Chen Boxu.

Finally, in a simple way, Zhou Suisui became her roommate...

Just then, the phone lying next to her suddenly vibrated, and Su Wei's name appeared on the screen.

Lin Xiao's long eyelashes trembled slightly. She disliked the presence of this person spying on Chen Boxu. She picked up her phone, her fingertip hovering over the screen for a second before gently swiping to answer.

"Feed? Sister Su Wei." Her voice was as soft as ever, with just the right amount of politeness and a hint of barely perceptible aloofness.

From the other end of the phone came Su Wei's slightly raised voice, clearly wanting to confide: "Lin Xiao? Did I disturb you?"

"No, you say." Lin Xiao's gaze returned to the window, her voice calm.

"Hey, let me tell you, last night was truly an eye-opener." Su Wei's tone was filled with barely concealed excitement. "Bo Xu brought his new lover over, wow, the scene..."

Lin Xiao's fingers tightened slightly as she gripped her phone. She didn't interrupt, but listened quietly.

"You didn't see it," Su Wei continued, her speech quickening, "that young girl, she didn't look very old, maybe in her early twenties? She was dressed quite properly, and at first glance she seemed to be the right person. But once she sat down, her flirtatious nature couldn't be hidden."

She paused, lowered her voice, and said with a hint of ambiguous disdain, "She's like she has no bones, always sticking to Bo Xu. And the way she talks... tsk tsk, so sweet and coquettish, with such a direct gaze, as if she's afraid others won't know what she's thinking."

Lin Xiao held her breath almost imperceptibly for a moment, her light brown eyes looking at her blurry reflection in the windowpane, her face losing its usual coldness.

"Oh?" she responded softly, her voice rising slightly at the end, carrying just the right amount of curiosity. "What kind of person would Mr. Chen bring out?"

"What do you mean?" Su Wei scoffed. "She looks innocent, but she's incredibly slutty at heart. I don't know why Bo Xu changed his tastes. He was doing just fine with her..." Her tone subtly shifted, becoming concerned. "Lin Xiao, how have things been between you two lately?"

"It's alright." Lin Xiao's voice remained calm and even. "Mr. Chen has been quite busy lately."

"Busy?" Su Wei repeated the word meaningfully, then sighed, her voice carrying a sense of understanding as a woman. "That's true, with a new person, it's inevitable... But Lin Xiao, don't take it too seriously. Men, especially someone like Bo Xu, are just looking for something new; he knows what he's doing."

Lin Xiao didn't respond to that question, but instead asked, "What...what's that person's name?"

"A new love interest? I think her name is... Zhou Suisui," Su Wei recalled casually. "By the way, this girl's got quite the nerve. Last night I just mentioned you, and guess what she said?"

Lin Xiao's heart skipped a beat at that moment. She could even clearly hear the sound of her blood rushing backward.

"What did she say?" Her voice was still very soft, but if you listened carefully, you could detect a slight tension.

Su Wei seemed quite satisfied with her reaction, deliberately slowing down her speech and exaggerating, "She said, Lin Xiao? I don't know her. I have absolutely no interest in someone as ugly as me."

The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

There was silence on both ends of the phone call.

Lin Xiao held her phone, her fingertips icy cold. In the reflection on the windowpane, she saw the corners of her mouth seem to have pursed down very slightly, so quickly it was like an illusion.

"Is that so?" she finally spoke, her voice returning to its previous calm. "Then she... must be very beautiful."

"Pretty?" Su Wei's tone became complex, mixed with a secret satisfaction that you finally asked. "She is quite pretty. Young, her skin is incredibly smooth, big eyes, full lips... the kind of girl men like these days. However..."

She changed the subject, her tone becoming caring again, "Right now. Her behavior isn't presentable. Bo Xu protected her last night only because it was new. Next week, when Lao Wu's new club opens, I specifically advised Bo Xu that it would be more appropriate to bring you to such formal occasions, since you are composed and proper, and everyone is familiar with you."

She paused, her voice filled with obvious grievance and dissatisfaction: "And guess what? Bo Xu directly said Lin Xiao was busy, and I saw it clearly! That bitch clearly used her weapon to get the time. Lin Xiao, I'm not trying to stir things up, I just feel sorry for you. You've been with him for so long, when have you ever seen him... so disrespectful to one woman to elevate another?"

Lin Xiao listened quietly, a mist rising in her light brown eyes.

"Next week... Mr. Chen is taking her to Mr. Wu's event?" she asked softly.

"That's right!" Su Wei immediately chimed in, "I've already put my point to him, but he still insists. I don't know what kind of spell Zhou Suisui has cast on him."

"I understand," Lin Xiao said softly, her tone devoid of emotion. "Thank you for telling me this, Sister Su Wei."

"Don't thank me. We've known each other for so long, of course I'm on your side." Su Wei's tone was sincere. "That Zhou Suisui, she's obviously no pushover, you need to be careful. But don't worry too much, Bo Xu still has feelings for you, otherwise he wouldn't..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear.

"Hmm." Lin Xiao responded, having lost interest in further conversation. "I have some things to take care of, so I'll stop talking now, Sister Su Wei."

"Okay, then you go ahead with your work. Feel free to contact me anytime if you need anything." Su Wei hung up the phone, still feeling a bit unsatisfied.

The receiver was busy.

Lin Xiao slowly put down her phone and placed it on the cushion on the bay window, her eyes revealing a resentment that was completely out of character for her.

---

On Sunday, Zhou Suisui, looking haggard, listlessly got into Liu Weiwei's car.

Liu Weiwei asked worriedly, "You haven't gotten involved in anything bad, have you?"

Zhou Suisui seemed to understand, yet also not quite. She understood because she knew it wasn't a compliment, but she didn't understand because she didn't know exactly what the negative aspect of the words referred to.

"I haven't eaten much these past two days."

"Why? Your heartbreak is already so deep."

Zhou Suisui's gaze was sharp as a knife, yet she still had the mind to joke at a time like this.

"I gained two pounds on Saturday morning. It's a lie to say that exercise can help you lose weight," she said weakly.

Liu Weiwei didn't understand. She felt that the other person was speaking in riddles. She could understand each part separately, but not the whole thing together.

What happened to you on Friday night?

"Just thinking about it gives me a headache."

"What, that bitch Su Wei is causing you trouble again?"

"I managed to thwart them all with my intelligence, but..." Zhou Suisui deliberately dragged out her words.

"...Damn it, you're still keeping me in suspense!" Liu Weiwei said with an expression that seemed to be waiting for some juicy gossip. "Are we sisters or not?"

"Chen Boxu. He saw our chat history."

"What!" Liu Weiwei's voice suddenly rose.

"Don't be surprised! I haven't said the crucial part yet."

"Speak quickly! Otherwise, before Lin Xiaodao even gets to you, I might be the one to cut you first."

Zhou Suisui deliberately spoke slowly: "He saw the text message I sent saying I was going to kick him out and find ten or eight male models to serve me to die."

"...You're not dead?"

"Does dying from pleasure count?"

"Damn it, burn the couple."