At this moment, Shu Nian finally remembered where this familiar feeling came from. Before the New Year, in a scene she had dubbed, there was a line about what it feels like to have a secret crush on someone.

Seeing that person makes you happy, washing away all the bad feelings of the day;

Simple conversations from before now require careful thought before you dare to speak;

You’ll think about their words or small gestures day and night;

Whenever they come close, regardless of what they’re doing, your heart races, you can’t catch your breath, as if the entire sky has exploded into colorful flowers.

These feelings perfectly overlapped with what she had been experiencing lately. Shu Nian could find countless points of resonance in these words.

She had to admit it.

She seemed to like Xie Ruhe.

Even more, she now had an illusion.

It was as if they were dating.

Shu Nian raised her hand, took the donut from him, and ate it by herself. She knew she wasn’t good at lying and feared her feelings would be obvious, so she simply remained silent.

Although Xie Ruhe’s gesture could inspire endless imagination and seemed extremely intimate to her.

Despite this, she didn’t dare to ask.

Xie Ruhe’s condition was improving, and before long, he would be completely better.

By then, he would no longer need to stay at home all day, feeling inferior and desperate because of his disability. He could go out to see the sun, tease stray cats on the street, and embrace the world.

For Xie Ruhe, this was probably just a small accident in his life.

Although she had heard that his temper wasn’t good, during the time they spent together, Shu Nian felt he wasn’t as bad as rumors suggested. His appearance was striking, his family background excellent, and his professional abilities outstanding.

He was a dazzling presence that was hard to ignore.

Even though Shu Nian kept telling herself it wasn’t necessary, she still felt inferior.

She felt that his current behavior was probably just due to their time spent together, creating a kind of dependent emotion, but it couldn’t be called “liking.”

Seeing this scene, Fang Wencheng, sitting on the other sofa, suddenly realized that his existence seemed even more redundant than before. Amid all those pink bubbles, he was like a glaringly bright light bulb.

He finally became self-aware: “I’ll go make a phone call.”

Suddenly, only the two of them were left in the house.

Shu Nian was still lost in thought, absentmindedly biting into the donut. When eating, she looked like a little hamster, yet didn’t make any sound.

Awkward silence.

Xie Ruhe made no further moves, leaning back against the chair, watching her discreetly.

Sensing his gaze, Shu Nian bit off the last piece of her donut and suddenly said: “Let me get you some water, you must be tired after walking outside for so long.”

As Shu Nian was about to stand up, she suddenly realized her slippers were gone.

She liked being barefoot and often unconsciously kicked off her slippers at home without thinking of changing this habit. But usually, she only did this when she was alone.

Shu Nian hadn’t expected to do this in front of Xie Ruhe.

She felt a bit embarrassed, thinking she had kicked them under the coffee table. She tried to stretch her foot to feel around and see if she could find them.

The next moment, Xie Ruhe leaned over, as if he had eyes on the bottom of his feet. He accurately retrieved a pair of slippers from under the sofa and placed them in front of Shu Nian.

After completing this series of actions, Xie Ruhe leaned back against the chair, his demeanor both lazy and dignified. He lowered his eyes and said calmly, in a narrative tone: “You like to kick them backward.”

During this visit, Shu Nian mainly wanted to see him, chat with him, and accompany him during rehabilitation. Doing things like friends would at a small gathering.

But now she didn’t know what to say.

What she wanted to say, she seemed to have already told him on WeChat.

As for rehabilitation, Xie Ruhe had just walked a long distance outside. And from their previous conversations, Shu Nian understood that he had rehabilitation training both morning and evening.

So, he should have just finished his training not long ago.

This awkward atmosphere continued for a while.

To find something to do, Shu Nian ate four donuts in a row, until her stomach was too full to eat more. She couldn’t help asking: “Aren’t you going to eat any?”

Xie Ruhe lifted his eyelids, glancing at the two remaining donuts on the table: “You eat them.”

Shu Nian honestly said: “I can’t eat that many.”

Xie Ruhe’s response remained indifferent: “If you can’t finish them, just leave them. Weren’t the remaining two meant for Fang Wencheng?”

Hearing this, Shu Nian turned to look at him, her gaze flickering, then glanced toward the doorway.

Her eyes were evasive, like a guilty child.

Then, Shu Nian lowered her voice, hesitantly saying: “Can’t we not give him any?”

“…” Xie Ruhe paused, “What?”

“Just…” Shu Nian said honestly, “If you want to eat them, then let’s not leave any for Assistant Fang.”

Xie Ruhe’s lips curved upward, his voice stretching out, the end of his words tilting up.

“Not for him, but for me?”

Shu Nian nodded.

Xie Ruhe said: “Alright.”

Shu Nian looked a bit confused: “What’s alright?”

He looked over at her, his almond eyes deep, slightly curved downward. His voice seemed to contain a smile, the cold tone somehow carrying a hint of indulgence and acquiescence, answering her previous question: “We can choose not to give him any.”

After sitting for a while longer, Xie Ruhe didn’t ask her to stay. He still couldn’t drive in his condition, so he called Fang Wencheng back to serve as driver and take Shu Nian home.

This time, unlike usual, Xie Ruhe didn’t stay at home but came along, without using the wheelchair.

Shu Nian didn’t think much of it, assuming he just had business outside.

The car drove to Shu Nian’s residential complex.

Shu Nian said goodbye to them and got out of the car. As she was walking toward the building, she heard the sound of another car door opening behind her. She instinctively looked back and saw Xie Ruhe also getting out of the car.

Shu Nian said: “Why are you…”

Her words were interrupted by a commotion from the building.

Shu Nian looked toward the source of the sound and saw He You, with an annoyed expression, escorting a thin man out of the building entrance, cursing: “Impressive, you dare to break into someone’s home and steal in broad daylight? And you chose my place?”

“…”

“Don’t you do any reconnaissance before stealing?” He You was amused by his anger, “Didn’t you know I’m a cop?”

The man he was escorting froze, apparently completely unaware of this fact, and immediately began to plead: “Officer! I’ll be more careful next time! More careful…”

“Be careful about what? Careful not to break into a police officer’s house?” He You scolded, “With a brain like that, you dare to be a thief? Where do you get the nerve?”

Noticing Shu Nian from the corner of his eye, He You looked over: “Hey, you’re back?”

Watching this scene unfold, Shu Nian asked hesitantly: “What happened?”

“Didn’t I tell you to be careful before? Home invasions are rampant around here.” He You sneered, nodding toward the man, “Eight or nine out of ten were probably done by this idiot.”

“…” The man immediately denied it, “No, officer! This is my first time!”

“Alright, shut up!” He You didn’t waste any more words, making a phone call as he walked away, “Everyone says that when they get caught. Looking at you, it does seem like your first time…”

The voice gradually faded away.

Xie Ruhe walked over, frowning as he asked: “Are there a lot of thieves in your area?”

“I guess so…” Never expecting that thieves could even get into He You’s place, Shu Nian wasn’t sure if locking her door would be of any use. She forcibly suppressed her inner worry and said softly: “But it’s okay, he’s been caught.”

Xie Ruhe’s expression remained serious, about to say something.

Just then, another woman walked out of the building entrance, wearing a large pair of sunglasses, revealing a small nose and full lips. She looked somewhat familiar.

The woman was walking hurriedly, but noticing them, she suddenly paused and took off her sunglasses. Her face was exquisitely made up, with long eyeliner and blood-red lips. Exceptionally beautiful.

She curved her lips and greeted Shu Nian: “Little sister?”

Shu Nian recognized her.

It was Ke Yiqing.

Shu Nian was stunned: “Why are you here?”

Ke Yiqing didn’t answer her question: “You live here?”

Shu Nian nodded.

Then, Ke Yiqing noticed the man standing next to Shu Nian and exclaimed: “Your boyfriend?”

This sudden encounter made Shu Nian recall what Ke Yiqing had said to her before. She hadn’t paid much attention at the time, but now remembering it, even knowing it was probably false, she felt a strange uneasiness.

Driven by some unknown psychology, Shu Nian said softly: “He’s Teacher Ahe.”

Hearing this, Xie Ruhe was stunned, not understanding why she would introduce him this way.

“…” The smile on Ke Yiqing’s face froze, “What?”

Before Shu Nian could repeat herself, Ke Yiqing suddenly grabbed her wrist, pulled her aside, and lowered her voice: “You’re saying that man is Ahe?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Shu Nian regretted it, feeling that exposing Xie Ruhe’s identity like this was inappropriate. She awkwardly tried to figure out how to explain: “I just…”

“It’s like this, little sister.” Ke Yiqing interrupted her, forcing a smile as she explained, “I think everyone has their standard for measuring appearance. Someone others find handsome, I might still think is ugly…”

“…”

Saying this, Ke Yiqing paused, then suddenly asked: “Are you two a couple?”

Hearing this, Shu Nian felt her face heat: “N-no…”

Ke Yiqing was silent for a moment, looked again at Xie Ruhe’s face, which was even prettier than a woman’s, and tried to continue: “Oh, that’s good. Like I told you that day, you remember, right? Ahe is truly ugly to the point of…”

She stopped for a few seconds.

Ke Yiqing really couldn’t continue, and abruptly changed her tune: “Fine, I was bullshitting.”

Shu Nian: “…”