Chapter 161: Dialogue
Time passed quickly in the cold night. The cold wind slammed against the window with a thud. The air conditioner in the living room was blowing warm air.
The temperature difference between inside and outside was quite large. The transparent glass was covered with fine water marks, which were shattered by the light, shining with a scattered light, like the scattered stars in the sky.
Su Xi tilted her head and carefully examined the boy in front of her. She looked at his thick, smooth black hair, which was wet and drooping. The ends of his hair were slightly curled and trembling after being wet. His handsome and elegant appearance was hidden in his black hair, creating a hazy beauty.
“You’re so handsome, brother. Especially your eyes… I like them very much.”
They had only known each other for half a day. They had chatted for a while, bought barbecue at a food stall, and then got caught in the rain together. But Su Xi was acting as if she had known him for a long time. She arranged the heated barbecue on a piece of tin foil. The skewers of meat were steaming, exuding a rich meaty aroma, as well as the smell of cumin, chili powder… and other seasonings. Before Su Yu could say anything, she pushed the barbecue in front of him. “Hurry up and eat. Are you hungry?”
Su Yu swallowed. His body, which had just warmed up, was indeed a little hungry. But he still felt that today’s development was a bit magical. He had thought that he would most likely be ruthlessly rejected by the dark girl Fang Yan had described, who had threatened her own mother with suicide. But the girl seemed to have known him for a long time and had just let him into her house.
But even with the most skilled repair techniques, it was impossible to repair a broken piece of porcelain without leaving a single flaw.
“Thank you…” He looked at the girl deeply, but he still couldn’t find a single flaw. He could only take a skewer of meat and eat a few bites.
“Hehe.” Su Xi smiled at him sweetly, her sparkling cat-like eyes blinking, like two shining and translucent gems. “There’s also crayfish. The crayfish at that food stall is so delicious.”
Su Xi then pushed the oily and fiery red spicy crayfish in front of Su Yu. She clapped her hands… as if she had suddenly remembered something. “Hey… was the shop too busy today? It seems they didn’t give us any gloves. But I have some at home. I’ll go get them.”
She was barefoot, her small, pale feet bouncing on the floor. She rummaged in the refrigerator for a while, found the gloves, and then bounced back, her small feet tucked under her on the chair, complaining that the floor was a bit cold.
“How can you feel cold if you’re wearing shoes?”
“Hehe… because I want you to look at me more, brother. No one pays attention to a child who doesn’t make mistakes.” Su Xi chuckled, giving a nonsensical reason.
“Medical gloves?”
Su Yu took the gloves Su Xi handed him. They were the disposable medical gloves commonly used in hospitals. Although they weren’t very expensive, it was a bit of a waste to use them for eating crayfish.
“These are the only ones I have at home. I accidentally hurt myself before, so I bought them for changing dressings.”
Su Xi’s anticipation for the crayfish was clearly much greater than for the barbecue. She grabbed a crayfish and, as if performing surgery, precisely found the boundary between the meat and the hard shell. With a firm tug, she pulled off the head, then grabbed the tail and pulled, removing the entire shell, revealing the snow-white meat in her palm.
She dipped it in the oily sauce, her mouth turning red and greasy.
“About you and Auntie Fang…” Su Yu finished the skewer in his hand, his tongue hesitating against his teeth. “What really happened? I don’t think you’re the type of person who would threaten your parents with suicide.”
“What did that woman tell you? That she divorced because of domestic violence? That she’s sorry and hoped you would come see me?” Su Xi grabbed a skewer of roasted potatoes and ate it with relish, her tone casual. “A mother who, right after getting her marriage certificate, drags her daughter to change her last name to show loyalty—does she really love me… or is she just using me as a bargaining chip for her marriage?”
“But I forgive her selfishness. Many people are selfish, just like… she lied to both of you to be with your father.”
“Wh-What?” Su Yu stared at Su Xi’s cute, baby-faced face, her small mouth, now even pinker from the grease, opening and closing.
“Did she tell your father what happened to my dad after the divorce and the domestic violence?”
“Auntie Fang said… he’s in jail.”
“Haha, in jail? My dad died a long time ago, before the divorce. If that woman had the guts, she would have called the police long ago. Why would she endure it for so long?”
Su Xi smiled nonchalantly, as if she were talking about someone else’s business. Her white medical gloves were stained with blood-red chili oil. She peeled another shrimp and playfully tossed it into her mouth.
“My dad died of alcohol poisoning from excessive drinking. I guess no one wants to marry a widow whose husband is dead.”
“I don’t really care about their affairs.”
“Mm-hmm, I think so too.” Su Xi’s eyes lit up, as if she had found a kindred spirit. “Let the adults worry about their own affairs. After all, people are always quick to forgive mistakes that don’t harm their own interests.”
“But Auntie Fang said you got into the same school as me, but you’ve already taken a leave of absence.”
“Actually… I went for a while. Later, it was my psychologist who suggested I drop out. I have a very serious mental illness.”
More than half of the crayfish in the takeout box had been eaten. The neatly broken shells lay on the table, piled up in a small, oily red mountain. Su Xi peeled another one, threw the shell on the table, and continued nonchalantly, “Then I stopped going to school. Of course… I didn’t submit my medical records, so the counselor thought I was skipping class. Later, it was that woman who submitted the leave of absence report for me. She didn’t tell you that either, did she?”
“So, I’m quite a handful.” Su Xi, looking at the boy whose expression was flickering, curled her lips into a smile. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m used to being alone.”
“But… I quite like you, brother. If you really leave, I’ll be sad.” Su Xi’s round eyes seemed to be on the verge of tears again. She blinked a few times, swallowing them back. “Hehe, just kidding. We’ve only just met.”
She looked at the almost-finished crayfish. Su Yu hadn’t taken a single bite. She puffed out her cheeks. “Aren’t you going to eat, brother? It’ll get cold if you leave it any longer. Do you not like it because it’s too oily? Then how about I peel it for you?”
Su Xi had a lively personality. She actually peeled a shrimp and held the white, sweet meat to Su Yu’s lips, looking at him with her round, cat-like eyes, her tone coquettish. “Brother, you won’t even eat it if I feed it to you?”
Su Yu looked at the girl, who was always making these intimate gestures, her enthusiasm so great that he couldn’t see any sign of illness. He took a crayfish from the box, peeled it, and put it in his mouth. The meat, soaked in sauce, was tasteless.
“This place is quite far from the school. I can only come over on weekends…”
Su Xi didn’t mind. She sat back down and tossed the shrimp meat into her own mouth. She licked the red oil from her fingers with her pink tongue and jumped up from her chair happily, laughing and joking with him.
“Brother, then I’ll go get a key made for you. From now on… you’re a part of this family too.”
