Mufeng Su walked around the room, but could not see a trace of Kele anywhere.
Meow~
Luoyi Zhao felt as though something was rubbing against the hem of her trousers.
Before she knew it, Kele had appeared from goodness knows where and was now at Luoyi Zhao's feet, rubbing its little head against her ankles.
It looked just like it was acting spoiled, as if it were saying, "Why have you only come to see me now? Do you have any idea how much I've missed you?"
Luoyi Zhao picked up Kele and stroked its fluffy head.
Seeing this scene, Mufeng Su could not help the corners of his mouth curving upward. He quietly walked out of the room, poured a glass of warm water, and handed it to her.
"Thank you."
Mufeng Su took Kele back from Luoyi Zhao's hands and casually placed it on his shoulder, where the cat docilely nestled down.
Kele was still too small right now; if it grew any larger, it probably wouldn't be able to perch on his shoulder like this anymore.
Seeing Kele resting on Mufeng Su's shoulder and letting out soft, whimpering meows, Luoyi Zhao quickly took out her phone to capture the sight.
Just as she was getting ready to take the picture, Mufeng Su and Kele turned their heads toward her at the exact same time. She happened to press the shutter right then, resulting in an exceptionally charming and heartwarming photograph.
A boy and his cat.
A handsome boy with a cute little orange cat perched on his shoulder; their expressions were remarkably similar, and both were gazing in the same direction.
...
The two of them fell into an awkward silence. In the quiet atmosphere, neither of them knew what to say.
Mufeng Su took out his phone, glanced at the time, and asked, "Luoyi, it's still early. How about we review for a bit?"
Review?
It certainly was still early.
"Okay, then I'll finish my homework here with you. You can just check if I've made any mistakes and help me correct them."
Mufeng Su proactively gave up his seat to Luoyi Zhao, then fetched another chair from the living room and sat down right beside her, just like they did at school.
After another half hour or so, the front door was unlocked from the outside.
The two of them, deep in their studies, did not hear the commotion outside.
Xu Shuxia walked in, called out, and received no response. Looking down, however, she noticed a pair of women's shoes neatly placed right next to Mufeng Su's.
Inevitably, suspicions arose in her heart, and a bad premonition began to spread.
Xu Shuxia quietly tiptoed to the bedroom door and pressed her ear against it to listen to the sounds inside.
After listening for a moment, she didn't hear anything improper. It sounded as though Mufeng Su was simply inside helping a young lady with her studies.
She had gotten her hopes up for nothing.
She had thought her own little pig had finally figured out how to go after a fine cabbage. Realizing that nothing was going on, she felt a twinge of disappointment.
On second thought, though, it was indeed still a bit too early for anything to happen. Better wait a little longer.
Still, since this was the first time her son had ever brought a girl home as a guest, she had to show some hospitality.
Xu Shuxia heated up some milk and poured it into a cup.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
"Son, Mom's coming in."
Hearing the urgent knocking at the door, the two teenagers inside instantly lost their train of thought.
Startled, Luoyi Zhao dropped her pen onto the floor and bent over to pick it up, just as Xu Shuxia pushed the door open.
With Luoyi Zhao bent over and her face turned toward Mufeng Su, the two of them froze in shock.
When they snapped back to their senses, they realized this posture looked rather awkward.
Pushing the door open, Xu Shuxia saw a girl sitting beside Mufeng Su.
With her long hair draped over her shoulders, even though she had her back to her, Xu Shuxia could tell that this girl must be exceptionally pretty.
Only... what on earth was going on here?
Recovering his wits, Mufeng Su hurriedly explained, "Mom, let me make excuses—no, wait, let me explain."
At the same time, caught in this sudden emergency, Luoyi Zhao blushed so deeply she looked ready to drip water.
She had lost track of time while studying at Mufeng Su's house.
She certainly hadn't expected his mother to walk in on them.
Who am I?
Where am I?
Luoyi Zhao felt incredibly nervous and embarrassed at that moment.
Xu Shuxia walked over to her side, picked up the pen from the floor, handed it to her, and said gently, "Come on, dear, have some milk."
Xu Shuxia passed the cup of milk to Luoyi Zhao.
Startled, Luoyi Zhao stood straight up and said, "Thank you, ma'am."
She gave her a deep bow.
Abandoning all other thoughts, Luoyi Zhao took a deep breath and said, "Hello, ma'am, my name is Luoyi Zhao."
"I'm Mufeng Su's desk mate. I came today to see Kele."
"Right, that orange cat on the floor—the two of us found it together."
Kele looked entirely innocent.
Meow~ Meow~
"And since it was still early, I thought I'd finish all of today's homework here. Whenever I ran into a problem I couldn't solve, I asked Mufeng Su to teach me."
"I'm terribly sorry for intruding on you today."
After blurting all that out, Luoyi Zhao blushed even more fiercely. She had spoken so fast she almost ran out of breath.
The two of them were completely stunned by her sudden burst of speed.
Mufeng Su's jaw dropped even wider in astonishment.
Xu Shuxia chuckled warmly. "Silly child, what intrusion? It's no trouble at all."
"Your name is Luoyi Zhao, right? Then I'll just call you Luoyi."
"Auntie is very glad to have you visit our home."
"You two keep chatting, I won't disturb you any longer."
Sensible enough to leave, Xu Shuxia backed out of the room, pulling the door shut behind her.
Watching the door close again, Luoyi Zhao took a deep breath. She had been so nervous she hadn't even dared to breathe normally.
This girl is so pretty. I really wish she were my daughter-in-law.
I'll have to have a serious talk with this boy later to find out what's really going on.
Seeing Xu Shuxia close the door and leave, Luoyi Zhao turned to Mufeng Su and said, "You nearly got me killed just now! Fortunately, your aunt didn't say anything."
"She is so gentle."
Thinking back on her own reaction just now, Luoyi Zhao found it hard to believe.
With a smile, Mufeng Su said, "My mom has always been really nice. Besides, the moment she came in, she was talking to you. You're my desk mate, so of course she'd welcome you—especially since you're so pretty, right?"
He praised me for being pretty again! I'm so happy!
Yet hearing the word "desk mate" still made her frown slightly.
So they were just desk mates after all.
Thinking of Qi Yue bringing Kele to Mufeng Su today, and the things their classmates had been discussing in the classroom, Luoyi Zhao found it hard to simply brush these matters aside. Although she couldn't put into words what her current feelings for Mufeng Su were, and she had never been in a relationship before, she didn't know what it felt like to truly like someone.
Yet the mere thought of Mufeng Su ending up with someone else filled her with sadness.
"Oh, it's getting so late! I have to go back, or my parents will start worrying again."
As she spoke, Luoyi Zhao began packing her schoolbag.
"Okay, I'll walk you to the station. Oh, and finish your milk first."
"I had no idea when my mom bought milk."
Blushing, Luoyi Zhao nodded softly.
She picked up the cup and took a small sip; it wasn't even hot. Taking another tiny sip, the warm milk felt wonderfully soothing as it slid down into her stomach.
Once she finished the milk, Mufeng Su handed her a tissue, gesturing for her to wipe her mouth. Noticing a little stain of milk left at the corner of her lips, he gently wiped it clean for her with another tissue.
Throughout the entire process, Luoyi Zhao kept her eyes wide open, hardly daring to breathe.
"Mom, I'm going to walk Luoyi back now. It's getting late, and her family will be worried."
Xu Shuxia hurried out from the kitchen and hastily said, "Is Luoyi leaving already? Won't you stay for dinner and let Mufeng Su walk you home afterwards?"
Blushing, Luoyi Zhao replied, "Thank you, Auntie, but I won't intrude today. My parents have already cooked dinner and are waiting for me at home, so I should head back now. I'll come visit you again next time, Auntie."
After putting on her shoes, Luoyi Zhao stood by the doorway and stepped aside to let Mufeng Su put his on.
Seeing this, Xu Shuxia wore a satisfied smile. Her son had finally figured things out and managed to win over such a pretty girl.
"Well, if that's the case, Luoyi, Auntie welcomes you to visit us often. Next time, I'll cook something delicious for you," Xu Shuxia said warmly.
"Thank you, Auntie. I'm sorry for intruding so abruptly today, I'll be heading off now."
"Mufeng Su, go walk her down. It's not safe for a girl to go home alone."
"Luoyi, you're welcome back anytime," Xu Shuxia said, waving goodbye.
Mufeng Su put on his shoes, and the two of them headed downstairs together.
Walking down the street, Luoyi Zhao couldn't help recalling the scene that had just taken place in the room. For some reason, alongside the lingering nervousness, there was a tiny flutter of secret joy in her heart.
"Mufeng Su, your mom is so gentle. I was terrified at first, scared to death she'd be angry with me."
"Turns out she's such a wonderful person, this is great!" Luoyi Zhao said happily.
"Maybe... she just thought you were very pretty?"
Luoyi Zhao immediately blushed bright red.
Why does he keep complimenting her looks today?
"I'll head off now, see you at school tomorrow."
Luoyi Zhao boarded a taxi and waved goodbye to Mufeng Su.
Today had been way too terrifying; she'd have to be more careful next time. She never expected to run right into his mom, but what a gentle person she turned out to be.
Thinking of Xu Shuxia's attitude toward her, Luoyi Zhao let out a soft exclamation of delight, startling even the driver.