Before Su Lu had escorted Bo Jingshen back, she never imagined she wouldn’t be able to leave.
It wasn’t until she found herself being held in his arms and falling backwards onto the bed that her mind went blank. One expression came to mind, "leading a wolf into the house," and another phrase that shared a similar fate, "a sheep entering the tiger’s mouth."
At this moment, Su Lu was probably that sheep right at the tiger’s mouth.
Her eyes were wide open in confusion, and her frail arms and legs couldn’t struggle; she just resigned herself to lying flat.
Bo Jingshen sniffed at her neck, propped up on his arm as if he intended to come in for a kiss.
Su Lu looked into his somewhat hazy eyes, but he didn’t immediately lean in to kiss her.
Even though he was already bowing down, almost about to close in, the daze in his eyes seemed to clear up as if he had snapped out of something. With bewildered eyes, he stood up.
He muttered to himself, "Need to brush my teeth, got to brush first."
His muttering was soft, but Su Lu heard it clearly and almost couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Then she watched him nod to himself and turn toward the direction that must be the bathroom.
Su Lu got up from the bed, straightened her wrinkled clothes, and finally had the leisure to look around the house.
From the outside, the small villa had looked quite beautiful.
But it seemed neglected, the landscaping in the yard was a mess, and the swimming pool had been completely abandoned, without water and the bottom covered with fallen leaves.
And inside the house, it was even more desolate.
It was as barren as Ying Xi’s apartment. The basic interiors were all done, but that was about it. It was even more minimalist than the current minimalist trend, with barely any furniture in the large living room that could truly be called furniture.
A bean bag lounger, a projector with a screen, a gray concrete-style kitchenette with an integrated dining table, a coffee machine, cups carelessly placed on top. His tablet and laptop were also laid there.
It was obvious that he did all his work, dining, and coffee drinking in front of this countertop.
A few simple shelves on the wall held three small pots of devil’s ivy; two of them were dead and the only one left, with its drooping leaves, looked like it wouldn’t last long. Maybe they were initially meant to purify the air, a lofty ambition snuffed out too soon... sigh.
The bedroom held just a big bed, dressed with soft white bedding. Thick gray curtains hung at the windows, another bean bag lounger at the side, a stainless-steel arc floor lamp, and a small coffee table with a half-read book on it—no other superfluous furniture.
The only touch of coziness might have been the thick carpet in the bedroom, at least warmer than the cold white marble-patterned porcelain floor tiles in the living room.
Looking around the empty and cold house, Su Lu actually felt uncomfortable.
No matter how much minimalism and the concept of decluttering are advocated online, no matter how many benefits are touted, when it’s as extreme as Bo Jingshen’s house looked.
No matter what others might think, Su Lu just felt that it was difficult to feel happiness living in such a cold environment.
She thought that in the years they had been apart, he probably hadn’t had a single happy day, just like herself.
At least she had Zhao Xiaole, even if she felt bitter inside, she still had the sweetness of Zhao Xiaole’s presence.
Bo Jingshen... had nothing.
Su Lu took a deep breath, silently sighing as she turned her head towards the bathroom.
Then she felt a bit puzzled; was he taking too long just to brush his teeth?
Originally, she had stayed because she was worried about him, and now she couldn’t help but walk toward the bathroom.
Then she heard a bang, a crash! A series of noises.
Her eyebrows furrowed as she quickly approached, the bathroom door was not locked, it hadn’t even been closed, just left ajar.
It’s not surprising; those who live alone usually don’t have the habit of closing the door when using the bathroom at home.
Su Lu couldn’t be bothered to worry about whether she would see Bo Jingshen in a state of undress or not; after all, she already had his son, what was there to be prissy about?
She immediately pushed the door open, "Ah Shen, are you alright?"
Only the yellow-white light above the mirror in the bathroom was on, giving the whole space a soft, gentle ambiance.
The man was propped against the sink, his head hung low as he stood there, with a tooth-cup that had fallen to the floor and an electric toothbrush lying on the countertop. The cap of the mouthwash was open and not replaced.
The noises she heard earlier must have been from the tooth-cup and the cap of the mouthwash falling to the ground.
His shirt was unbuttoned, revealing a small patch of skin. He stood in front of the sink, silent, his head hung low.
It was as if he had fallen asleep standing there, propped against the counter.
Su Lu walked over and gently patted him, "Bo Jingshen?"
With his head down, she couldn’t see the expression on his face. Seeing him silent now, Su Lu couldn’t help but worry, "Is it a stomachache? It doesn’t look like you have any medicine here, do you want me to take you to the hospital?"
The next second, her hand was firmly grasped by a scorching hot one.
Su Lu was taken aback, looking down at her hand, "You..."
"Xiaolu, I gave you a chance..." his voice was low, slightly hoarse, as if he was holding something back.
Su Lu didn’t understand, "What... chance?"
Bo Jingshen’s grip on her hand tightened slightly, his voice even hoarser, "I gave you the chance to run away."
That’s when Su Lu realized, what?! So when he suddenly hit the brakes earlier and said he needed to brush his teeth before rushing into the bathroom, was that to give her time to escape?
The next second, the sound of fabric tearing filled the air.
"Mmm..." Su Lu mumbled vaguely, her voice muffled.
Despite the bathroom’s decor being the same minimalistic style as the rest of the house, cold and clear, the temperature seemed to flare up like fire.
"What’s going on with Lulu?" Yida drunkenly mumbled, "She’s been in the restroom for so long; there couldn’t be any problems, could there?"
After saying this, the somewhat drunken people in the room suddenly became alert.
"I’ll go check on her," Wu Hui stood up.
Shen Xun grabbed his phone to call Su Lu, then noticed a message from her that he hadn’t seen because his phone was on silent.
Upon opening it, he saw Su Lu’s message, "I’m taking Bo Jingshen home first, Brother, can you please look after Jing Qiao and Zhao Xiaole? And you guys drink less; none of you are young anymore."
Shen Xun’s mouth quirked up, this girl, always speaking her mind, why did she have to throw in a jab about people’s ages?
Shen Xun turned to Yida and the others and said, "It’s nothing, she just took Bo Jingshen home first."
Yida clicked his tongue, "That young man lacks stamina."
Though Shen Xun certainly didn’t have a fondness for Bo Jingshen, not just because Bo Jingshen had indeed hurt Su Lu before, but likely many brothers would feel the same toward their brothers-in-law.
Because, no matter how you looked at it, this was the pig that had encroached on one’s own cabbages.
But at this moment, Shen Xun said to Yida, "He has a bad stomach."