143: Chapter 142 Do you like her?

When Su Bai returned home, the living room was very quiet.

The lights were on, the TV was playing, but there was no sound.

Chu Xiang was sitting on the sofa, holding a book, turned to the middle, but her eyes were not on the book; she was staring at the cup of tea on the coffee table that had already gone cold.

Hearing the door open, she looked up, glanced at Su Bai, then looked back down and continued reading.

Su Bai changed his shoes, walked into the living room, and greeted her, "Sister Chu Xiang."

Chu Xiang gave an "mm" sound without looking up.

Su Bai sat down opposite her, picked up the remote, and turned off the TV.

The living room went quiet, with only the ticking of the clock on the wall.

Chu Xiang turned another page of her book, but her eyes were still not reading.

Su Bai leaned back on the sofa, looking at her, and asked with some curiosity, "Sister Chu Xiang, is... something the matter?"

Chu Xiang's hand paused for a moment.

She closed the book, placed it on the coffee table, and took a sip of the cold tea.

Putting the cup down, she bit her lip, her eyes fixed on the remaining tea in the cup, the tea leaves floating at the bottom.

She took a deep breath, looked up, and stared at Su Bai.

"Xiao Bai, I want to talk to you."

Su Bai was taken aback for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright."

Chu Xiang stood up, walked to the other side of the sofa, and sat down next to him.

There was the distance of a throw pillow between them.

She picked up the pillow, held it in her arms, and twirled her fingers around the tassels.

Her eyes were fixed on the pillow, not on Su Bai.

"Actually, last night... I didn't fall asleep." Her voice was very soft, so soft it was almost drowned out by the ticking of the clock.

Su Bai was stunned. "What do you mean?"

Chu Xiang's fingers paused.

She looked up, meeting his eyes. "I know Chu Yi went to see you last night. And stayed for over two hours."

The living room fell silent.

The clock was still ticking.

The refrigerator compressor hummed for a moment.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds before Chu Xiang looked away first, lowering her head to continue twirling the tassels on the pillow.

"When did you find out?" Su Bai asked.

Chu Xiang bit her lip.

"I knew when she went out. She thought I was asleep, but I wasn't."

"She got up very quietly, but the mattress still made a sound."

She paused, "I listened as she walked to your door, knocked, and you opened it. She went in, and then I... just waited."

"Waited for what?"

"For her to come out."

Chu Xiang's fingers paused, "I waited for over two hours. I watched the time on my phone, from 11:23 to 1:41. I watched every single minute. The phone screen lit up and dimmed, lit up and dimmed. I can't remember how many times it lit up."

Su Bai didn't speak.

Chu Xiang looked up at him, "Su Bai, tell me, what were you two... doing in the room?"

Su Bai looked at her.

Her eyes were glistening with tears, but they didn't fall. Her lips were pressed together, and her jaw was tense.

The tassels of the pillow were wrapped tightly around her fingers, her knuckles turning white.

"Watching a movie," Su Bai replied calmly.

Chu Xiang was taken aback. "Watching a movie?"

"Mm. She brought her laptop over, and we watched a movie." Su Bai paused. "After it finished, she went back."

Chu Xiang looked at him for a long time, as if trying to judge if he was lying.

Su Bai didn't look away, calmly letting her look.

Chu Xiang withdrew her gaze, lowered her head, and unwound the tassels from her fingers, one circle at a time, very slowly.

"What movie did you watch?"

Su Bai thought about it. "I don't remember the name. A foreign film."

"What was it about?"

"A man and a woman, in an apartment, talking." Su Bai paused. "Later, they got together."

Chu Xiang's hand paused.

She didn't ask any more questions, finished unwinding the tassels, and placed the pillow to the side.

She folded her hands on her knees, fingers interlaced, her thumbs circling each other.

She kept her head down, looking at her fingers.

"Su Bai," she called him.

"Mm."

"What do you think of my sister, Chu Yi?"

Su Bai thought for a moment, "She's quite good."

Chu Xiang looked up, "What's good about her?"

Su Bai thought seriously, "Lively, cheerful, and kind to others."

Chu Xiang nodded.

She was silent for a moment, then asked again, "Then do you... have feelings for her?"

Su Bai didn't speak.

Chu Xiang waited for a while, and when she didn't get an answer, she lowered her head and continued twirling her thumbs.

"She has never been in a relationship." Chu Xiang's voice was very soft, "She doesn't know what it means to like someone, or what it means not to."

"It's possible that she sees someone good-looking and thinks she likes them. If someone is nice to her, she also thinks she likes them. She can't tell the difference."

She paused, and said with a serious expression, "I'm afraid she'll get hurt."

Su Bai looked at her and shook his head, "I won't let her get hurt."

Chu Xiang looked up.

Her eyes were glistening with tears, filled with doubt, but also a glimmer of hope.

She looked at Su Bai for a long time, then looked away.

"Su Bai, if you also have feelings in that regard..."

Just as Su Bai was about to say something, the sound of a key turning in the door was heard.

The door opened, and Luo Ying walked in.

She was wearing a beige coat, carrying her bag, and her face showed the fatigue of having just finished work.

As she changed her shoes, she looked up and saw Su Bai and Chu Xiang sitting on the sofa, sitting very close to each other, both with serious expressions.

She paused, "What are you two talking about?"

Chu Xiang stood up, put the throw pillow back on the sofa, and picked up the book from the coffee table.

"Nothing. I'm going back to my room." She walked towards her room, pushed the door open, and went inside.

The door closed.

Luo Ying changed her shoes, walked over, and sat in the spot where Chu Xiang had just been sitting.

She put her bag to the side, leaned back on the sofa, and looked at Su Bai.

"What's wrong? She doesn't look too good."

Su Bai leaned back on the sofa, "It's nothing, just chatted about some family matters."

Luo Ying looked at him, not quite believing it, but she didn't press further.

She rubbed her temples and closed her eyes, "I'm exhausted today, didn't even eat lunch."

"I'll go make you something, Sister."

Su Bai stood up, walked to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and took out two eggs, a bunch of greens, and a pack of dried noodles.

He boiled water, washed and chopped the greens.

When the water boiled, he added the noodles, the greens, and cracked the eggs.

Luo Ying sat on the sofa, listening to the movements in the kitchen: the clatter of the spatula, the sound of the boiling water, and Su Bai's soft footsteps.

She leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes.

After a while, Su Bai came out with a bowl of noodles and placed it in front of Luo Ying.

The noodles had a poached egg and a few greens on top; the broth was clear, with a few drops of sesame oil floating on it.

Luo Ying opened her eyes, looked at the bowl of noodles, and smiled, "Thank you."

She picked up her chopsticks, lifted a mouthful of noodles, blew on them, and put them in her mouth.

She chewed and swallowed, "Delicious."

Su Bai sat down next to her and watched her eat.

Luo Ying didn't eat fast, taking one bite at a time, very seriously.

When she reached the poached egg, she poked it with her chopsticks, and the yolk flowed out, golden yellow, mixing into the soup.

She drank the yolk and the soup together and licked her lips.

"Xiao Bai, is there something on your mind?"

Su Bai shook his head, "No."

"That's good." Luo Ying lowered her head and continued eating the noodles.

After finishing the noodles, she placed the bowl on the coffee table, leaned back on the sofa, and rubbed her stomach.

"I'm full."

Her eyes were bright, "Xiao Bai, let me ask you something."