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

A crisp sound came from the other end of the phone: a glass gently tapping on the table.

Then came Xu Shao's vague yet direct questioning, his voice, tinged with drunkenness, penetrating the static and clearly reaching Zhou Suisui's ears:

"Bo Xu, so...do you like Lin Xiao more? I see you treat her...almost differently..."

Zhou Suisui's heart tightened suddenly, and she gripped her phone tightly.

She wanted to hear it, but was also a little afraid to.

In the background noise, someone coughed softly; it seemed to be Old Wu.

Chen Boxu's voice came through the electricity, even colder than before, and even carrying a hint of obvious impatience:

"Young Master Xu," he said calmly, yet with an unmistakable warning, "have you settled your matter cleanly?"

There was a moment of silence on the phone.

Then Xu Shao gave a somewhat embarrassed dry laugh: "I was just... asking out of curiosity."

At this moment, Lin Shen's voice also chimed in, his tone gentle, yet equally inquisitive:

"Yes, Bo Xu, I'm quite curious too. So many people come and go around you," he paused, his tone steady, "but Lin Xiao seems to... always be there?"

Zhou Suisui's heart skipped a beat.

What did Lin Shen mean by that?

Old Wu's loud laughter followed, carrying the knowing air of someone who had been through it all:

"Oh, what's the point of asking that! Over the years, how many people have come and gone around Bo Xu? Can you even count them all? But Lin Xiao has always been there, hasn't he? Doesn't that speak for itself?"

Old Wu's words were like a boulder, crashing heavily into Zhou Suisui's heart.

I had heard Xu Yan say that he had a lot of people around him, but it wasn't until I heard Lao Wu say it himself that I realized that among all the people who came and went around Chen Boxu, only Lin Xiao was the one who had always been there.

This harsh reality still made her feel a tightness in her chest, as if something was blocking her throat.

As if enlightened by Lao Wu's words, Xu Shao exclaimed "Ah!" with a sudden realization, his tone becoming more certain:

"That's true... Old Wu is right! Thinking about it that way... it does seem to be true."

He mumbled something afterward, but his voice was so low that it was quickly drowned out by the noisy background and couldn't be heard clearly.

Zhou Suisui closed her eyes, suppressing her emotions.

She felt like a clown, performing her one-woman show in front of everyone who knew the truth.

She seemed to be losing patience.

Just as Zhou Suisui was about to hang up the phone and end this humiliating listening session, Chen Boxu's voice suddenly rang out again.

His voice was lower and deeper than before, coming through the receiver with an unusual calm as he spoke softly:

"Why," he paused, "do you all think I like Lin Xiao?"

An eerie silence fell over the other end of the phone; even the laughter and conversation in the background seemed to abruptly stop.

Zhou Suisui didn't hear any sound for a while.

Until Old Wu let out a muffled "uh..."

Then came the sound of drinking, exceptionally clear against the quiet background. Old Wu, as if trying to smooth things over, said:

"Tsk, Bo Xu, look at the question you asked... Isn't it obvious! Yes, there were others around you... uh, Qin Yue, Su Qian, and... Sun... yes, Sun Yuwei."

Old Wu seemed to be recalling something, speaking haltingly. Then he changed the subject...

"But aren't those all just fleeting appearances, like a passing breeze? Take Lin Xiao, for example. Over the years, in formal occasions, like Uncle Cheng's birthday banquet this time, or the day we talked with Chairman Li, wasn't she the one you brought along? Isn't that enough to prove the point?"

Xu Shao found even more evidence and immediately followed up, his drunkenness making him speak even more bluntly:

"That's right, Bo Xu! Old Wu is right! Qin Yue and the others... and Zhou Suisui, have you ever taken them to any proper occasions? No, right? Isn't this discrimination obvious enough?"

There was another brief silence on the other end of the phone.

A few seconds later, Chen Boxu's voice rang out again, still steady and devoid of emotion, but his words were unusually cold:

"There's not much difference."

Xu Shao let out an "Ah".

Then came Chen Boxu's voice, colder and deeper than before, devoid of any special emotion, as if he were evaluating a handy tool:

"Bring her along, because it'll save you trouble."

"As for liking," he paused slightly, as if he felt the word was somewhat superfluous.

"no."

Lin Shen interjected gently, "Bo Xu, if that's the case, then you actually... prefer Qin Yue and the others?"

"No," Chen Boxu answered crisply, without any hesitation or embellishment.

Cheng Fang suddenly chuckled softly, his tone tinged with a playful inquiry: "Then... what about Zhou Suisui?"

Chen Boxu's voice suddenly turned cold, filled with obvious displeasure: "Cheng Fang, you seem to care a lot about her."

"I'm just curious," Cheng Fang immediately denied, his voice still languid, "After all... it's the first time I've seen you so clingy to a woman."

Xu Shao chimed in, his drunkenness making his words even more blunt: "Yeah, Bo Xu, you were so close to her in the front... tsk tsk, and you were being so intense, your clothes were even..."

"Cough!" Old Wu coughed heavily, interrupting Xu Shao's increasingly blatant words.

Chen Boxu's voice rang out again. Even through the phone, Zhou Suisui could feel the coldness in his words, carrying an undeniable possessiveness and a clear warning:

"Zhou Suisui," he said, his tone carrying a certainty of ownership, "is mine."

"Others," each word seemed chilled to the bone, "Don't dwell on them."

Xu Shao chuckled, trying to ease the tension: "How could that be, Bo Xu? Who would dare to covet your woman?"

He paused, the alcohol taking effect, and added with a touch of knowing teasing: "But if you spoil her like this... be careful you won't be able to get rid of her later."

Lin Shen laughed heartily and continued, "Young Master Xu sounds like he really understands what you're saying. How's it going with Su Wei...?"

"Get out!" Xu Shao interrupted him impatiently, the sound of a glass hitting the table loudly reaching Zhou Suisui's ears through the phone.

Then she heard Chen Boxu's voice ring out again, as if he had returned to his usual aloofness, his tone devoid of emotion:

"Zhou Suisui." Chen Boxu paused for a few seconds, and Zhou Suisui's heart pounded.

"More greedy than Lin Xiao. This kind of woman," his voice revealed a cold, controlling quality, "is the easiest to deal with."

On the other end of the phone, Cheng Fang seemed to chuckle softly again, and then the call was abruptly cut off.

A sharp busy signal rang out.

Zhou Suisui lowered her hand from her phone and tossed it onto the bed.

"A thing to kill time."

"More greedy than Lin Xiao."

"This kind of woman is the easiest to deal with."

Chen Boxu's words, word by word, replayed clearly in her mind.

Yes, he's right. She was greedy, greedy for his money, greedy for his house, greedy for things she never dared to dream of before.

Moreover... she even sadly felt that she seemed to be a little more important than Lin Xiao.

My cheek suddenly felt cool.

She raised her hand and wiped it, her fingertips damp. She paused, staring at the water stain, somewhat bewildered.

Why are you crying? What's there to cry about? Isn't this the path you chose? You got the money, you got the house.

Compared to that woman Lin Xiao, you can even make him put in more effort and spend more time talking to you... You should be proud of yourself.

But the tears flowed uncontrollably, like a dam bursting. The more I wiped them away, the more they came, completely out of control. The dull, aching pain in my heart grew clearer and clearer.

No. We can't do this; Chen Boxu will come back.

She took a deep breath, hastily wiped away her tears, and dialed Liu Weiwei's number.

The phone rang a few times before being answered, with a slightly noisy background: "Feed? Sui Sui?"

"Weiwei," Zhou Suisui's voice was thick with nasal tone, but she tried her best to remain calm, "Go ahead and scold me."