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

Zhou Suisui felt both happy and uneasy. She was happy that Chen Boxu had given her a villa, but uneasy because she had just lost her temper with him.

He seemed very unhappy when he left.

Zhou Suisui suddenly remembered what Su Wei had told her, fearing that she would be abandoned before next Saturday. Then she thought of how Xu Shao had brought his female companion to slap Su Wei in the face.

She suddenly felt a bit annoyed, just like in those melodramatic scenarios where your lover gives you something you really want, and before the joy has even faded, you realize that it's actually a breakup keepsake!

She was afraid that Chen Boxu would also give her a Ye Zhen No. 2.

Suddenly, a strong sense of loss welled up inside me, and I felt like I was about to miss out on a life of immense wealth!

No, we have to find a way back! Damn it, she knew Chen Boxu was only telling half the story. If he had told her earlier, she would have listened quietly to him talking about his interest in Lin Xiao, and might even have applauded.

Did she no longer hate Lin Xiao? She didn't think so; she still wished her dead. But the villa felt like she was trapped in a gold mine, and she couldn't think about anything else.

Indeed, she has the same dream as all working people: to own her own house, not necessarily a big one, but one that belongs to her.

Now her dream had unexpectedly come true. She suddenly had a feeling that the angel who had helped her fulfill her dream was about to turn around and leave.

"Ms. Zhou, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now." Eva stood to the side, her tone calm. "I'll pick you up on Monday morning."

Zhou Suisui snapped out of her daze, her throat feeling a little dry. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but her mind went completely blank.

Seeing that Eva had already turned to leave, Zhou Suisui panicked and blurted out, "Wait!"

Eva stopped, turned around, and looked at her questioningly.

Zhou Suisui gripped the keys, her palms slightly sweaty. She racked her brains, coming up with a clumsy but plausible excuse:

"I...I left something with Mr. Chen. Something very important." She paused, trying to make her voice sound natural. "I'd like to...go and get it now."

Eva's expression remained unchanged; she simply replied businesslike, "Ms. Zhou, this requires consulting Mr. Chen."

Zhou Suisui immediately nodded: "Okay, go ahead and ask."

Eva took out her phone, walked aside, and dialed a number. She whispered a few words, then walked back with the phone and handed it to Zhou Suisui: "Ms. Zhou, Mr. Chen would like to speak to you."

Zhou Suisui took the phone and held it to her ear. It was quiet through the receiver, with only a faint static and Chen Boxu's steady breathing.

"What's missing?" Chen Boxu's voice came over, neither loud nor soft, revealing no emotion.

Zhou Suisui's heart began to pound. She licked her lips, her mind racing.

What should she say? Say she'd lost her heart? Would he think she was crazy? Say she'd lost her lipstick? If she couldn't find it, she feared Chen Boxu would not only think she had a bad temper but was also a liar, and then Ye Zhen 2.0 would probably arrive even faster!

In a moment of quick thinking, she took an unconventional approach, softening her voice and adding a touch of deliberate grievance:

"I...I didn't eat breakfast. I'm hungry."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

Then, Chen Boxu's voice rang out again, even calmer than before, and even carrying a clear chill:

"I'm not hungry."

The three words hit me like ice beads.

Zhou Suisui tightened her grip on her phone. She could tell he was angry.

Damn! The beautiful woman has already offered him a way out, and he's not taking it!

Fine… she chose to back down, lowering her voice even further for the sake of the house, her tone clearly pleading:

"I was wrong." She paused, her voice tinged with a hint of coquettishness. "I... shouldn't have lost my temper just now."

There was still silence on the other end of the phone.

But Zhou Suisui could feel that the chill transmitted through the radio waves seemed to have eased a little bit.

She pressed her advantage, adding in a pitiful whisper, "I promise I won't do it again." Of course not!

She'll continue like this unless he tries to win her over with money!

A few more seconds of silence followed.

Then, Chen Boxu's voice rang out again, revealing neither joy nor anger, and he simply gave an address:

"come over."

After saying that, the phone was hung up.

Hearing the busy tone, Zhou Suisui breathed a sigh of relief, handed the phone back to Eva, and gave her the address.

Eva took it, her face still expressionless: "Okay, Miss Zhou, I'll see you off."

"Okay, thank you." Zhou Suisui nodded, turned around, opened the car door, and got back in.

The car drove away from Yunlan Mansion, heading towards the address Chen Boxu had given her. Zhou Suisui leaned back in her seat, watching the street scenes rushing past the window, the key in her handbag.

She glanced furtively at Eva in front of her—well, she wasn't paying attention—then quickly pulled out her phone, opened a rental app, and typed in "Yunlan Mansion"...

She had just wanted to search, but Eva was there, and she was afraid of being seen and embarrassed!

Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands

My God... 100,000 yuan per square meter!! She could work honestly for a year without eating or drinking, and it still wouldn't be enough to buy one square meter!

Zhou Suisui hadn't expected it to be so expensive! The place looked quite large, a detached house, it must be worth a lot of money! But then she seemed to suddenly remember something, and became indignant.

Damn, Chen Boxu is so rich! Was it really fair that he gave her so little money before?!

And... does Lin Xiao have one? Zhou Suisui also felt that it was annoying for her to be so concerned about this at this moment, but...

Zhou Suisui understood that ever since Chen Boxu said "I've taken a liking to Lin Xiao," it was tantamount to him admitting that he was the one who took the initiative to like her, the one who made the choice, and even the one who liked her... unlike her, Zhou Suisui.

She was also reluctant to admit, or to use that word to define her relationship with Chen Boxu.

Yes… she was the one who threw herself at him… a woman who offered herself up. Therefore, she didn't want to hear any evidence that Chen Boxu liked Lin Xiao more than her; she knew she still had some feelings for him.

How frustrating! She always felt like that woman was dominating her. But she knew she couldn't ask anymore, at least not now.

She temporarily suppressed the resentment she felt towards Lin Xiao.

As for why Chen Boxu gave her the house, that's not important! What's given to her is hers. Who cares about the reason?

She assumed that he had been blessed by a Bodhisattva and had taken pity on her, a poor and suffering child.

The car stopped in front of a high-end office building in the city center. Eva escorted Zhou Suisui to the elevator and then left.

The elevator ascended, the numbers flashing. Zhou Suisui looked at her face reflected in the smooth, mirror-like walls of the elevator car.

Her makeup was still exquisite, but there was something new in her eyes. She took a deep breath and adjusted her expression.

The elevator doors opened, revealing a spacious top-floor area with an excellent view. The office door was ajar.

Zhou Suisui walked over and gently knocked.

"Come in." Chen Boxu's deep voice came from inside. She pushed the door open and went in.

He sat behind his large desk, looking down at a document, a half-empty cup of black coffee beside him. He didn't look up, as if the person who had entered was just an insignificant subordinate.

Zhou Suisui closed the door and stood there, not going over immediately. The office was quiet, with only the soft sound of him turning the pages.

After waiting for five minutes.

"Aren't you hungry?" Chen Boxu didn't look up, tapping the edge of the document with his fingertip, his tone flat. "There's food on the table."

Zhou Suisui then noticed that on the small round table by the window, there was an exquisite platter and a steaming cup of milk tea, which was her favorite flavor.

Zhou Suisui's heart suddenly felt like fireworks had gone off. She was still pretending!

She went over, sat down on the armchair, picked up a silver fork, and began to eat in small bites. The food was delicious, but her mind wasn't entirely on it.

After taking a few bites, she looked up at Chen Boxu behind the desk.

He was still looking at the documents, his brows slightly furrowed, focused and aloof. Sunlight fell on his high nose and thin lips, outlining his sharp features.

Zhou Suisui looked at him for a few seconds, put down her fork, and silently cheered herself up.

"The house..." she began softly, breaking the silence, "...thank you."

Chen Boxu paused in his page-turning motion. He finally looked up, his gaze sweeping over indifferently.

Those amber eyes appeared exceptionally calm in the sunlight, devoid of any warmth.

"Leave if you're not hungry." He uttered only five words before lowering his head again and returning his attention to the documents.