MTMIO Chapter 56

Chapter 56 “…How much of a chance do I have?”

The bodyguard stood dutifully at the gate. After Lu You got out of the car, she went up to ask him if there had been any suspicious people loitering around in the past few days.

“There were two. I felt they were a bit off, but I haven’t seen them do anything strange yet, so I can’t be sure if they’re with the previous guy. The surveillance cameras should have caught them. You can take a look. They were wandering back and forth on this road three or four times.”

As he spoke, the bodyguard gestured towards the road outside the courtyard gate, stopping abruptly as his finger reached the right.

“Oh, right! Yesterday afternoon, around four or five o’clock, there was also a car parked next to those red and green trees over there.”

Lu You and Yue Yunxi followed his finger.

It was a Chinese Flame Tree, laden with fruit, its lush green foliage dotted with strings of red lanterns. It was planted at the end of the road, quite a distance away, already within the area of the row of villas.

If it were just a private car parked normally in front of its own house, the bodyguard wouldn’t need to report it to them specifically.

Lu You asked, “Was there anything suspicious about it?”

“The colleague in charge of the night watch told me that when he came to hand over, he passed by there and saw someone inside holding a camera, seemingly taking pictures of our place.

He felt uneasy, so he paid extra attention to that car at night and found that it was parked there all night, with someone sitting inside the whole time,” the bodyguard said. “But besides taking pictures, they didn’t do anything else. I’m not sure if we’re being too sensitive, or if they really have a problem.”

It didn’t sound like a crazed fan, more like paparazzi.

Since the singing competition aired, Tao Xin had been trending on social media every week. First, she was exposed for having a bad temper and being unpopular, her words and actions were endlessly magnified and analyzed, and she was criticized by countless netizens. It wasn’t until halfway through the competition, when Tao Xin was almost hit by a falling scaffold, that things took a turn.

After that stage accident, many marketing accounts began to promote the story of Tao Xin being bullied.

Later, Tao Xin began to turn the tables against the odds, her popularity soared, and she became the dark horse of the show.

Whether Tao Xin’s bad temper led to her being bullied, or whether she retaliated fiercely after being bullied, no one knew. But what was certain was that she did not get along well with the other contestants.

It wasn’t surprising that someone would pay paparazzi to stake out and catch her doing something wrong.

Lu You thought for a moment and said, “Let’s observe for a few more days. If they do anything unusual, contact me immediately. Thank you for your hard work. I’ll get you a bottle of water.”

The bodyguard said, “You’re too kind.”

Lu You smiled slightly, reached back and to the side, grabbed Yue Yunxi’s hand, and led her into the yard. She lowered her voice and asked, “Is she coming back?”

“Who?”

With Yue Yunxi’s intelligence, it was impossible that she didn’t know who she was talking about. She was clearly playing dumb.

Lu You didn’t say Tao Xin’s name.

Sure enough, after two or three seconds, Yue Yunxi said in a drawn-out tone, “Oh… I’m not too sure. I’ve been focusing all my attention on the people I should be paying attention to these days. I don’t have time to ask about the itinerary of insignificant people.”

Hearing that last sentence, Lu You couldn’t even be bothered to feel embarrassed. She glanced at Yue Yunxi with amusement and said, “She’s your sister in name only, at least.”

“You said it yourself, in name only.”

Lu You was both speechless and amused. After a moment, just as she was about to mention the paparazzi, she heard Yue Yunxi ask, “So, you dragged me home just to ask about her?”

More than jealousy, there was a heavier emotion in her tone, all concentrated in that last sentence.

Lu You was stunned for a moment, stopped in her tracks, and followed her gaze down.

Her eyes fell on their clasped hands, lingering there, belatedly feeling the warmth of their combined body heat and the thin layer of sweat covering their skin where their hands overlapped. She didn’t know whose palm it had seeped out of first.

Lu You’s fingertips twitched slightly, but she didn’t let go immediately.

She didn’t raise her eyes until she saw Tao Xin’s front door being pushed open through the iron fence.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly released Yue Yunxi’s hand, gripping the giraffe charm on her crossbody bag in an extremely unnatural manner.

It was Tao’s family’s housekeeper who came out of the house. The housekeeper didn’t notice them and walked straight out of the yard with a garbage bag.

Lu You’s tense shoulders relaxed, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she heard a soft chuckle beside her.

Turning her head, she saw Yue Yunxi looking at her, her eyes gentle and tolerant. However, after slightly raising her eyebrows, the gaze that met hers changed, revealing a hint of teasing.

She didn’t say anything, but Lu You could read a sentence in her eyes: “So timid?”

She could even imagine her unique gentle tone, always able to perfectly combine mockery and affection.

Lu You turned her head, pressed her fingerprint to open the security door, and said, “I wrote the invitations for the birthday banquet before, and they’re all at home. I’ll go get them. Help me take them to Auntie Yue and Uncle Tao, and that insignificant person. Oh, right, and the water. Give it to the bodyguard when you leave.”

The way she said it made it sound as if she had pulled her inside because she was too lazy to walk those few extra steps and was using her as a errand runner.

She had completely forgotten that she also wanted her to remind Tao Xin to watch out for the paparazzi.

A low, breathy laugh was carried to her ear by the wind.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Lu You pinched the little giraffe’s ear, changed into indoor slippers, and went into the kitchen.

Yue Yunxi stopped in the entryway, closed the door behind her, and then stopped when there was still a palm’s width of space left. She adjusted her angle and leaned against the cabinet door, looking out.

Her gaze passed through the two iron fences, and she could vaguely see Yue Shao holding a pot of flowers and placing them in the yard.

Lu You walked to the coffee table, took a stack of invitations from the drawer, checked the names on them, and pulled out three copies. Then, she went to the kitchen and took a bottle of vitamin drink from the refrigerator.

Hearing Lu You’s footsteps approaching, Yue Yunxi remained in the position of turning her face to look outside and suddenly asked, “I’m a little curious. If it had been my mother and Uncle Tao who came out of the house just now, and I hadn’t cooperated with you to let go of your hand, and they had seen you and Tao Xin’s sister in name only… holding hands so intimately…”

Lu You’s steps slowed, stopping with her words.

It was also at this moment that Yue Yunxi turned her head, her gaze falling heavily on her face, as if not wanting to miss any of her reactions when asking the question. “How would you explain it to them?”

Her voice was so soft, but the content had a particularly heavy weight.

Lu You’s pupils shrank slightly. She drooped her head, not daring to look at Yue Yunxi, and said awkwardly, “I… I haven’t seriously thought about these kinds of questions.”

In her hoarse voice, she concealed a guilty conscience.

This answer also meant that, at least for the time being, she wasn’t ready to start a new relationship with Yue Yunxi.

So she had never seriously thought about how to respond if they were discovered.

It was very contradictory, because in Xicheng, she hadn’t directly rejected Yue Yunxi’s pursuit, nor had she resisted the current ambiguous development.

In fact, not long ago, she had just said to Yue Yunxi, “I think I like you a little.”

She was really like a scumbag who only teased and didn’t take responsibility.

“I understand.”

It was still soft-spoken, but the tone seemed a little nonchalant.

Lu You’s breath hitched, and she raised her head and asked, “Understand what?”

She saw Yue Yunxi silently curl the corners of her lips, then raise her hand and gently pat her head twice, with a comforting meaning.

Her eyelashes continued to rise, and she crashed into Yue Yunxi’s eyes. In the deep black, her gaze was particularly gentle.

Like a silent, nourishing rain, or like a thin mist connecting the sky and the earth.

The mouth ulcer on the inner wall of her lower lip hadn’t completely healed, and it was being bitten by her teeth, causing a sharp pain.

“Give me the things,” Yue Yunxi said, not intending to continue the previous topic.

Lu You was like a robot receiving an instruction, mechanically handing over the water and invitations in her hand.

“Go pack up. I’ll go get the piano,” Yue Yunxi said softly, pushing the door open and walking out.

After standing there in a daze for a few seconds, Lu You hesitantly took a few steps forward. For a moment, she wanted to chase after her and say something.

But soon, she stopped, holding onto the door frame.

In her line of sight, Yue Yunxi was wearing a green sweater, a silk long skirt in a deeper shade. The color suited her temperament very well. Her thin back was straight, and she was excessively refined.

She was like an early autumn painting, lush with greenery.

Unless it was a spark-like fruit, adding any other stroke would be superfluous.

ˉ

After giving the water to the security guard at the door, Yue Yunxi returned to Tao’s house. She entered the password, pushed the door open, and was about to call out to Yue Shao when she heard voices coming from inside.

“You too, can’t you just talk nicely? What are you doing being so fierce? You scared your daughter to tears,” Yue Shao said, half-scolding and half-coaxing. “And you’re getting yourself worked up. Your health isn’t as good as before, so you need to be careful.”

“If I’m not fierce, she’ll never know how serious this is! Luckily, nothing happened. If that bodyguard hadn’t stopped them, what would I say to Lao Lu if Yoyo had an accident?”

It was Tao Mingyuan’s voice.

Yue Yunxi changed her shoes and took two steps towards the inner room, stopping at the corner.

Tilting her head slightly, she could see Tao Mingyuan sitting in the massage chair in the living room, getting a massage. His suitcase was lying open on the floor next to him, and Yue Shao was helping him pack his clothes.

It seemed that Tao Mingyuan hadn’t been back for long.

“Oh, right, what’s going on between her and Yoyo?” Tao Mingyuan asked.

Yue Shao replied vaguely, “I’m not really sure.”

“They came to tell us they were together, all high and mighty, and Lao Lu and I weren’t optimistic about it from the start!”

Yue Yunxi’s brow furrowed slightly, and the hand hanging by her side unconsciously tightened.

She happened to have been there the day Lu You came out to her family.

She still remembered when Lu Huai’an asked, “Don’t you feel ashamed?”

Lu You instantly raised her chin, her eyebrows lifting slightly, a flash of pride in her stubbornness: “Not at all.”

Even though she had known about their relationship for a long time and had done countless mental preparations, she would still feel envious and jealous at that moment.

“What is this all about? Not getting married and having children, just messing around with this nonsense. Originally, Lao Lu and I were thinking that we had a lot of business dealings, and if they were together, our two families would be even closer, which wouldn’t be bad, so we agreed! Now, I don’t know what’s going on with these two,” Tao Mingyuan said angrily. “And she even caused such a thing to happen! It’s really going to be the death of me.”

“Alright, alright, don’t get angry, okay? Tao Tao didn’t want this to happen either. She didn’t know there would be such people in the fan group. She knows she was wrong now and will definitely be more careful in the future.” Yue Shao picked up a shirt from the suitcase, stretched open the collar, and planned to shake it out.

Tao Mingyuan “heh” laughed and said, “She, ah, has never let anyone rest easy since she was little. Her brain is so stupid, and she’s so stubborn. She never listens to adults! It’s not like her brother, who was very smart. Before he was three years old, he could recognize 90% of the car brands on the road…”

Approximately in the second year of moving into this house, Yue Yunxi noticed that Tao Mingyuan would often mention Tao Xin’s younger brother, who had died in an accident with his mother.

At first, she saw Tao Mingyuan mention it when he was educating Tao Xin, and thought he was just too biased towards his son and missed him too much, which was why he always compared the deceased child with Tao Xin.

Many times, Yue Yunxi felt that Tao Mingyuan was too harsh on Tao Xin.

It seemed that in Tao Mingyuan’s eyes, no matter how well Tao Xin behaved or how excellent she was, she couldn’t compare to a single finger of his son.

Out of sympathy, she had comforted and enlightened Tao Xin a lot.

Later, Yue Yunxi gradually realized that Tao Mingyuan would also mention his son when Tao Xin wasn’t around.

She then realized that Tao Mingyuan’s main intention was actually to hint to Yue Shao—

That he wanted a son.

And Yue Shao believed that if they had another child, the situation of Yue Yunxi and Tao Xin in this blended family would become very awkward, so she had never agreed to Tao Mingyuan’s suggestion.

She had accidentally become pregnant once, but Yue Shao had an abortion and later had surgery.

After that, Tao Mingyuan never mentioned the words “brother” or “son” again.

The fact that they suddenly came out of his mouth again at this moment inevitably made people feel surprised.

Yue Yunxi saw Yue Shao’s hands stop moving, stiff for six or seven seconds, before she draped the shirt over her arm.

Tao Mingyuan ended his reminiscence of his son, sighed with regret, and said angrily, “…I really shouldn’t have let his mother see him back then!”

Yue Shao also exhaled a long breath, unsure whether it was from hearing too much and becoming impatient, or for other reasons.

Behind her, the front door clicked open, and not long after, it clicked shut again.

The housekeeper put on shoe covers, took a few steps, saw Yue Yunxi, and asked with a smile, “You’re back? Why aren’t you going inside?”

Hearing this, Yue Shao turned around and looked over, slightly surprised, “Eh?”

The massage chair finished operating, slowly returning to its original position. Tao Mingyuan also glanced over here.

“Uncle Tao,” Yue Yunxi greeted politely.

Tao Mingyuan picked up his glasses from the coffee table, put them on, and smiled kindly, “When did you get back?”

“Just now,” Yue Yunxi replied flatly. “I’m helping… Grandma Lu deliver the birthday banquet invitations, and also picking up the piano.”

She walked forward and handed all three invitations that Lu You had given her to Yue Shao.

Her gaze swept over the shirt Yue Shao was hanging on her arm.

It was white, and any dirt would be very obvious, even skin-colored foundation.

The shirt’s owner was completely unaware of this, stretched out his neck to look at the invitations in Yue Shao’s hand, and said with a smile, “I still have some official business to take care of. I’ll give you and your mother some alone time.”

Tao Mingyuan instructed the housekeeper to prepare a pot of tea and send it to his study, and then left the living room.

Yue Shao took the opportunity to hand the clothes in her hand to the housekeeper, dusted off her hands, and asked, “Why didn’t you tell me in advance that you were coming back?”

“I thought I’d just pick up the piano and leave, so I didn’t say anything,” Yue Yunxi explained.

“I made some egg yolk Crispy this morning. Take some back later and let Yoyo and them try it,” Yue Shao went to the bathroom to wash her hands.

Yue Yunxi followed her and asked, “Do you want to go stay in the apartment I bought for you for a while?”

Yue Shao squeezed out some hand sanitizer, but didn’t answer immediately.

Yue Yunxi pursed her lips, hesitated, and reviewed what Lu You had said to her that night. She was just about to ask Yue Shao to move to her place for a few days.

Yue Shao spoke first, “Your Uncle Tao is home these few days, so I won’t move for now.”

Yue Yunxi stared at Yue Shao, swallowing the suggestion that was about to come out of her mouth.

Complex emotions flowed in her chest. The disappointment that arose after her expectations were shattered, her anger at her lack of ambition, and her sorrow for her misfortune were all mixed in with the kinship that was thicker than water.

She watched until the foam covered Yue Shao’s hands, which had done hard labor and weren’t very beautiful, watched the foam being washed away by the water, and then reluctantly responded with an “Mm.”

“I’m going to get the piano.”

“Okay, I’ll go pack up the egg yolk Crispy for you.”

Returning to the bedroom, Yue Yunxi put the piano case on her back, then walked to the desk, opened a drawer, and took out a light blue folder with thick papers clipped inside. She unhooked the rope on the buckle and flipped to the last page.

“Knock, knock.” There were two knocks on the door.

Yue Yunxi turned her head.

Yue Shao stopped at the door, holding a paper bag with a very fresh print, “I got you eight. Is that enough?”

“That’s enough,” Yue Yunxi withdrew her gaze. “Is Tao Xin coming back?”

“Yes. Isn’t there that thing about the crazed fan? Your Uncle Tao felt bad for your Uncle Lu, so he called Tao Tao and asked her to come back to attend Little Lu’s grandma’s birthday banquet. Firstly, to apologize to Yoyo in person, and secondly, isn’t she a little celebrity now? She can sing a song on stage to help liven things up.”

Yue Yunxi slowly stroked the staff on the paper with her index finger, “Can you not let her sing ‘Shi Ye’ at that time?”

“Why?” Yue Shao asked, puzzled. “Isn’t that her most popular song?”

“Because that song is a love song written for Yoyo.” As she spoke, Yue Yunxi moved her finger, eventually stopping on the sentences that had been scribbled and edited next to the staff. Her fingertips curled slightly, and she suddenly closed the folder and said, “It’s not suitable to sing it at grandma’s birthday banquet.”

Yue Shao thought carefully and felt that it made sense: “A birthday banquet for the elderly should have songs that the elderly like. I’ll talk to your Uncle Tao about it tonight.”

Yue Yunxi nodded and added, “Also, Yoyo doesn’t want to hear Tao Xin sing this song in front of her again. Since the main thing is to apologize, don’t make her unhappy.”

Yue Shao frowned, her red lips slightly opened, wanting to say something but stopping.

Yue Yunxi glanced at her, took the cake box filled with egg yolk Crispy with one hand while holding the folder with the other, and closed the door.

“How did you get here?” Yue Shao followed her, walking towards the door together.

“I drove.”

Yue Shao thought for a moment and asked, “With Yoyo?”

“Mm,” Yue Yunxi said. “She also needs to get some things.”

“How has Yoyo and them been doing staying at your place these past few days?” It was a casual tone of conversation.

“Pretty good.”

Reaching the entrance, Yue Yunxi placed the bag in her hand on the cabinet and bent down to change her shoes.

“I see that you’re getting closer and closer to Yoyo now. You guys have a pretty good relationship, huh?”

Although Yue Shao tried her best to control her tone, trying to give off the appearance of a naturally occurring topic, Yue Yunxi still keenly noticed the poorly concealed probing in her voice, as well as the examination and observation in the gaze she directed at herself, which she couldn’t fully restrain.

For those who had already prepared for the worst, it didn’t matter how the window paper was broken.

What mattered was the other person’s attitude.

But that person hadn’t prepared themselves like she had.

She couldn’t afford to gamble.

Yue Yunxi sighed softly, “Isn’t it always been this kind of relationship? It’s also thanks to Tao Xin that we’re closer,”

These words, along with the sigh, fell into Yue Shao’s ears, and immediately became another meaning.

As if complaining that if it weren’t for Tao Xin, there wouldn’t have been that crazed fan injuring people, and without this matter, Lu You wouldn’t have had to move in with her.

The curve of Yue Shao’s mouth pulled out a few traces of awkwardness, “Yes, you should take care of Yoyo more during this period. She can be considered half your sister,”

Perhaps to prevent her from having the idea of cleaning up the mess that Tao Xin made, or perhaps to warn her, Yue Shao emphasized the pronunciation of the word “sister”.

Yue Yunxi tightened the hand holding the bag, “What do you want to say?”

A direct ball, causing Yue Shao to pause for a moment, the smile hanging on her lips becoming stiff and unnatural, “Ah? It’s nothing, I just wanted to ask you, has Yoyo ever told you why she and Tao Xin broke up?”

“This is their private matter. I don’t suggest you interfere, don’t ask too much,” Yue Yunxi said indifferently. “If you really need to find out, it’s more appropriate to ask Tao Xin.”

Yue Shao said helplessly, “I asked her, but she cries as soon as I ask. She did say some things intermittently when your Uncle Tao called her today.”

“What did she say?”

“She said she was framed, and Yoyo didn’t believe her, etc. I didn’t understand it too well, but I feel like there should be some misunderstanding between them. So I was thinking, can you mediate and help them reconcile—”

“Cannot,” Yue Yunxi interrupted impatiently, almost word by word, “I don’t want to, and I’m not willing to.”

Yue Shao was stunned.

Yue Yunxi fixed her gaze on Yue Shao, “Is it impossible for them to break up? Is it that even if they’re not suitable, they must be together for the rest of their lives?”

“Of course not,” Yue Shao hurriedly denied.

“Then why do you want me to mediate?”

Yue Shao explained, “The way you say it… I just feel that they grew up together since they were little, and it’s a pity that they’ve become like this now.”

“That’s all Tao Xin’s own doing.”

Yue Shao was slightly surprised.

That vague guess in her mind that had been restrained from developing, was like the thin film covering it being cut open by this slightly sharp sentence, clearly revealing itself.

Realizing her gaffe, Yue Yunxi shifted her gaze and took a deep breath. “Mom, I don’t want every time I spend time with you, the topic is inseparable from Tao Xin. It makes me feel particularly tired. Never mind, I’ll leave first.”

Yue Shao hadn’t been able to pull herself out of her dazed state. When Yue Yunxi pushed the door open, she came back to her senses and called out to her, “Jiaojiao! You…”

But when Yue Yunxi looked back, she stopped talking, not daring to say anything further.

Finally, Yue Shao changed the subject and said, “Be careful on the way back. Send me a message when you get there.”

Yue Yunxi nodded slightly, stepped on the rising and falling chaotic heartbeat, and walked out quickly.

Looking out from the fence, the moving company’s car was parked at the door, and the piano movers were transporting the piano, which had been properly protected, into the car.

Lu You was standing next to the car, facing her direction, carrying a large backpack on one shoulder, which was bulging and full of who-knew-what. Her hands were hanging in front of her, fiddling with the ears of a small deer doll, and her feet were slightly tiptoeing, looking around and waiting for her to come out.

The courtyard door opened, and after clearly seeing Yue Yunxi’s figure, Lu You stomped her tiptoed feet down, firmly stepping on the ground.

Yue Yunxi felt that the restless heart in her chest also sank back to its original position.

Lu You stared at Yue Yunxi, having the urge to say something, but she quickly suppressed it with reason.

If she still hadn’t seriously thought about it, saying anything more would be ineffective comfort.

Since the topic had already been skipped, it was better not to mention it until she had figured it out.

So, she twisted the little deer’s ear, her gaze fell on the folder in Yue Yunxi’s hand, and she asked as naturally as possible, “What’s that?”

“Sheet music.”

Lu You asked, “Can I see it?”

Yue Yunxi hugged the folder to her chest, as if afraid that she would grab it, and refused outright, “Not for now.”

Lu You: “…”

She was as decisive as when she refused to answer when she started liking her.

Yue Yunxi also looked at her bag, changing the subject, “What did you pack in here? It’s so full.”

“Invitations, cheongsam, cups, and—” Lu You stopped herself in time, “I can’t tell you yet.”

Yue Yunxi raised her eyebrows, knowing better than to ask further, but just repeated, “Cups…”

Lu You held her breath, explaining dryly, “It’s a pity to leave them unused.”

Those tacitly understood mountain-shaped glass cups.

Yue Yunxi chuckled softly and said in a low voice, “Understood.”

Here it is again, Lu You thought, you understand too well!

The car door slammed shut with a “bang—”, and the movers confirmed the address again.

Lu You turned her head and said expressionlessly, “Let’s go home.”

The breeze blowing on her face was filled with the faint fragrance of osmanthus.

Yue Yunxi responded with a lip-Tighten: “Okay.”

As if they had never experienced any unpleasantness.

ˉ

People’s emotions usually erupt late at night, because there are no interesting things to divert their thoughts.

What comes into view is the darkness without end, and what is heard is the wind blowing through the cracks in the window, sawing through the chirping of insects and the sound of traffic, all magnifying the emptiness. So good things and bad things are used to fill it.

Even though she was hugging her little deer doll, even though Yue Yunxi had burned sleep-aiding incense before going to bed, Lu You couldn’t sleep at all.

Closing her eyes, her mind was like an automatically playing slideshow, flashing some pictures in a disorganized manner.

In her memories related to Tao Xin, she felt uneasy about the conversion of friendship into love; and in the scenes with Yue Yunxi, she gave birth to longing and anticipation; finally, in the scene of Zhang Wenyin leaving, in the hopeless wait on the swing, she felt disappointment.

Could she take a gamble?

Gamble that even if she and Yue Yunxi don’t make it to the end, she won’t regret her choice.

Unconsciously biting her lower lip, it seemed to make the oral ulcer on the inner wall more serious, causing a sour pain.

It made her even more sleepless.

Behind her, Yue Yunxi’s breathing was even, as if she was sleeping soundly.

However, in less than two minutes, Lu You was slapped in the face.

Yue Yunxi got up.

Lu You quickly closed her eyelids, pricked up her ears, and listened to the rustling movements. She was surprised to find that Yue Yunxi had directly left the room.

Where was she going so late?

Was she going to the kitchen to pour water?

Not knowing how long she waited, Yue Yunxi didn’t come back. Lu You got up, hugging the little deer doll. Out of some kind of intuition, she went straight to the window.

Opening the curtains, the glass window was half-open for ventilation, and the wind outside was shaking the leaves in the courtyard, rustling.

Lu You lifted the long hair that was sticking to her face in the wind, and her eyes fell on the study in the courtyard.

There was a small night light lit there. On the platform outside the study, there was someone sitting in the orange-yellow halo.

Sure enough.

The only thing that surprised her was that there was also a point of scarlet fire light in that group of light and shadow.

The last time she saw such a scene was when she was talking with Tao Xin in the practice room.

She was also looking out from the glass window, and then she saw the fire light flickering dimly in Yue Yunxi’s fingers.

Lu You suddenly understood why Yue Yunxi didn’t show any surprise when she first saw her smoking on the night she looked at the mailbox.

Because they were the same.

When they couldn’t adjust their unhappy emotions, they would choose to use nicotine to numb themselves for a short time.

Lu You put on a knitted cardigan, and took another one of the same style in a different color and hung it on her arm. She put the little deer doll under her arm, picked up her phone from the bedside table, and opened the photo of the ceramic little deer as her profile picture.

She realized that Yue Yunxi’s nickname had changed—

From a waning moon with shadows on the back, to a waxing moon with shadows on the front, still in a half-bright, half-dark state.

Lu You switched back to the chat page and sent a message: [Where are you sleepwalking to?]

Passing by the window, she glanced over and could vaguely see a cold light belonging to the phone screen lighting up in the warm light.

Yue Yunxi looked at the content in the chat box, chuckled softly, and when the curve of her lips slightly narrowed, she replied to Lu You: [Did I wake you up?]

Lu You went downstairs, typing one word at a time: [You’ve been out for more than half an hour, how could you not wake me up]

The screen was bright, the environment was dark, and she still had to type. She bumped into the sofa or touched the tables and chairs all the way.

Yue Yunxi: [Couldn’t sleep?]

She could grasp the key points.

Lu You rubbed her sore knee and didn’t reply. She tiptoed to open the door and walked out.

Stepping on the bluestone slabs dampened by dew, she approached step by step, gradually seeing the person in the light. Dressed in a silk suspender dress, she was sitting on a Futon in a cross-legged posture, hugging her knees. Her left hand, draped over her right shoulder, was holding a slender woman’s cigarette. On the scarlet flame, wisps of smoke swirled in the night.

Her head was slightly tilted, her gaze falling on the phone screen held in her right hand, waiting for a message that didn’t know when it would pop up.

The light from the night light was very soft and warm, but it seemed to put a lonely filter on the scene.

Lu You thought of the green dress in “Atonement”.

Beautiful and empty, the sitting posture had the appearance of a soul.

She was distracted, and her footsteps weren’t suppressed.

Hearing the movement, Yue Yunxi suddenly turned her head and looked over.

Her mood was like the pond water stirred by the wind in front of her, rippling with the ripples of spring in the early autumn night.

“You…” Yue Yunxi’s throat was tight.

Lu You walked over while responding, “What about me?”

Yue Yunxi extinguished the cigarette in her hand on a flat wet tissue, glanced at the doll she was holding in her arms, and rolled her throat before saying, “Why aren’t you sleeping in the house? What are you doing coming out?”

Lu You didn’t answer her, but asked, “What about you? Why aren’t you sleeping in the house and coming out here? And wearing so little, aren’t you afraid of catching a cold?”

Stepping onto the platform, she walked to her side, stopped, looked down, met Yue Yunxi’s eyes, and handed over the soft cardigan.

It seemed that this was the reason she came out.

Yue Yunxi took it and put it on.

The cardigan was Lu You’s, a very comfortable material, softly conforming to her skin, with a fresh, sweet citrus scent.

Her body slowly warmed in the scent that belonged to her. Yue Yunxi gathered the front of the cardigan and said, “Thank you.”

She was being polite now.

Lu You curled her lips, moved another Futon over, and sat next to Yue Yunxi.

Less than two or three seconds after sitting down, Lu You moved the lamp that radiated soft light between them to the side, adjusting the angle to face Yue Yunxi.

Yue Yunxi took in her actions, and an imperceptible smile unconsciously floated on her face.

Lu You played with the doll’s ears and said softly, “I couldn’t sleep, and I saw that you had been out for a long time and hadn’t come back, so I was worried about you being here alone, so… I came out to be with you on purpose.”

Her voice was wrapped in the wind, stirring up a pool of autumn water.

Yue Yunxi’s breathing was slow and deep, “How did you know I was here?”

“Intuition.” Lu You stroked the fluff on the doll’s body in her arms, thought for a moment, and said, “If I was unhappy, I would probably come and sit here too.”

Yue Yunxi didn’t reply, just quietly glanced at her hand messing with the doll, and then looked at the unlit stone road ahead.

It was a winding path, like a python sleeping and entrenched in the grass.

She thought, “probably” was a good word, cleverly hiding her timidity.

Lu You stared at Yue Yunxi for a moment, then suddenly turned her eyes, carrying a hint of probing, “Jiaojiao.”

It was magical. Three months ago, she resisted that name, but now, saying it felt completely opposite.

Yue Yunxi suddenly turned her head and looked over, her eyes slightly narrowed.

Lu You’s heart skipped a beat.

“…I heard Auntie Yue call you that this afternoon.” She heard how weak her explanation was.

This could not constitute a reason for her to call Yue Yunxi’s childhood name.

Yue Yunxi looked away, feeling the drumming of her heart in silence.

Lu You softened her voice and asked, “Why are you unhappy?”

Yue Yunxi answered by asking, “Why are you so sure I’m unhappy?”

It was like a chess game.

“Then I’ll change the question.” Lu You’s eyes fell on the wet tissue next to Yue Yunxi’s Futon, half a cigarette lying in the ashes, “Why are you sitting here smoking so late at night?”

After a moment of silence, Yue Yunxi sighed softly, sounding particularly bitter.

The gaze that had been open to meeting her also revealed bitterness, shifting elsewhere.

Lu You didn’t feel any sense of relief from winning the chess game, but instead felt a pressure, squeezing out more complex emotions.

“Is it because of that sentence I answered you?”

Yue Yunxi denied, “No.”

“Really?” Lu You was half-believing, gazing at Yue Yunxi’s face, trying to extract some outward emotions from her eyebrows and expressions.

However, she couldn’t capture anything.

“