157: Chapter 156 Sisterly Connection

When Su Bai left Xin Yaoqiao's house, the sky was just beginning to brighten.

He stood at the entrance of the villa, watching the first glimmer of gold rising on the distant lake. The late autumn morning was chilly, and the air he exhaled condensed into white mist before him.

He rubbed his hands together and got into the car.

The panamera drove smoothly along the empty streets; stopping at red lights, going at green, the entire city had yet to wake up.

Returning to Lanyuan Residential Area, he parked the car downstairs, went up, and pushed open the door.

The living room was very quiet. A bit of light filtered in through the window at the end of the hallway, casting a grey glow on the floor.

He changed his shoes, didn't turn on the lights, and walked toward his room in the dark.

When passing by Lin Qiaoyou's room, the door was open a crack.

He subconsciously glanced inside. Lin Qiaoyou was lying on her side, wrapped in a quilt, her face buried in the pillow, her breathing light and even.

Her hair was loose, spread out on the pillow like an open fan.

One foot poked out from the quilt, bare, with rounded toes.

Su Bai watched for two seconds, withdrew his gaze, and continued walking.

He took a shower and lay on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

He picked up his phone and checked the time: 6:40.

Xin Yaoqiao had sent a message: "When did you leave?"

He didn't reply.

Tian Xiwei sent a selfie from the set, wearing her costume and holding a cup of milk tea, with the caption "Starting work".

He placed his phone beside the pillow and closed his eyes.

Time to catch up on sleep!

When he woke up again, sunlight was already squeezing through the gap in the curtains, drawing a golden line on the ceiling.

He picked up his phone and checked the time: 9:20.

Su Bai got up, got dressed, and walked out of his room.

There was someone in the living room.

Chu Xiang was sitting on the sofa with a book in her hand, open to the middle, though she wasn't really reading it.

Hearing the door, she looked up and glanced at Su Bai.

"Morning."

Su Bai said morning back.

Chu Xiang lowered her head and continued reading, turning a page.

Su Bai walked into the kitchen, took some milk from the fridge, poured a glass, heated it in the microwave for a minute, and brought it out to drink.

The microwave hummed, and the fragrance of milk drifted out.

Chu Xiang walked over and stopped at the kitchen doorway.

"Su Bai."

He turned his head to look at her.

She was wearing a light grey loungewear set, her hair down, with nothing on her face, looking very plain and clean.

She was still holding that book, her finger marking the page she had turned to.

"Do you have anything to do today?" she asked.

Su Bai thought about it and said no.

Chu Xiang hesitated for a moment.

"Then accompany me to a bookstore."

Su Bai said okay.

Chu Xiang nodded, turned, and walked away.

Su Bai finished his milk, washed the glass, and put it back in its place.

He returned to his room to change clothes, and when he came out, Chu Xiang had already changed.

A white T-shirt, dark blue jeans, canvas shoes, her hair tied in a low ponytail, and carrying a canvas bag.

The two of them went downstairs and got into the car.

Chu Xiang sat in the passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt, placed her canvas bag on her lap, and rested her hands on top of it.

"Where to?" Su Bai asked.

Chu Xiang gave an address; it was the largest bookstore in the city center.

The car drove out of the residential area and merged into traffic.

The roads were crowded on a weekend morning, with stop-and-go traffic.

Chu Xiang leaned back against the seat, looking out the window without speaking.

Su Bai didn't speak either; an old song was playing on the radio, with a slow, gentle melody.

Arriving at the bookstore, Su Bai parked the car, and they both walked inside.

The bookstore was huge, with two floors, light wood bookshelves, warm yellow lighting, and the air filled with the scent of paper and ink.

Chu Xiang went up to the second floor, with Su Bai following behind her.

She stopped in the literature section, her fingers gliding over the spines of the books, one by one, very slowly.

Su Bai leaned against the bookshelf, watching her.

Chu Xiang pulled out a book, flipped through a few pages, and put it back.

She pulled out another one, flipped through a few pages, and put it back again.

She didn't put the third one back, holding it in her hand as she went to browse others.

Su Bai walked over and glanced at the book in her hand; it was a novel with a dark blue cover, featuring a white bird drawn on it.

Chu Xiang felt him get closer and her body tensed slightly, but she didn't pull away.

She kept her head down, flipping through the book very slowly.

"What kind of books do you usually read?" she asked.

Su Bai thought for a moment, "I read everything."

Chu Xiang nodded and continued flipping through books.

She spent nearly an hour in the literature section, holding four books.

Then she went to the social sciences section next to it and picked out two more.

When checking out, she pulled a card from her canvas bag and handed it to the cashier.

The cashier scanned the codes and put the books into a bag.

Chu Xiang carried the bag, but Su Bai reached out and took it; she didn't refuse.

The two of them walked out of the bookstore and stood at the entrance.

The sunlight was lovely, shining warmly on them.

Chu Xiang squinted, looking at the coffee shop across the street.

"Let's have a cup of coffee," she said.

Su Bai said sure.

The two of them crossed the street and pushed open the door of the coffee shop.

There weren't many people inside, and a window seat was empty.

Chu Xiang walked over and sat down, and Su Bai sat opposite her.

The waiter handed them a menu; Chu Xiang ordered a latte, and Su Bai ordered an Americano.

The coffee arrived quickly. Chu Xiang picked up her cup and took a sip, leaving a bit of milk foam on her lips, which she wiped off with a tissue.

"Su Bai," she said, setting down her cup.

"Yeah."

"What do you think of Chu Yi?"

Su Bai looked at her.

"She's quite good."

Chu Xiang nodded, her fingers tapping lightly against the side of the cup.

"She's been like that since she was little. When she likes someone, she just throws herself at them, regardless of anything else."

She paused, "When she was a child, she had a cat. She would carry it everywhere she went every single day. Later, the cat ran away and got lost, and she cried for a week."

She paused again, "She isn't the type who can hide her feelings."

Su Bai didn't speak.

Chu Xiang looked up, meeting his eyes.

"Are you serious about her?"

Su Bai looked at her. Her eyes were dark and deep, reflecting the sunlight from outside the coffee shop, his own reflection, and something indistinct.

"Yes," he said.

Chu Xiang looked at him for a few seconds, then lowered her head and took a sip of coffee.

The cup hid her face, making it impossible to see her expression.

"That's good."

She put down the cup and stood up.

"Let's go."

The two of them walked out of the coffee shop and got into the car.

Su Bai drove, and Chu Xiang sat in the passenger seat, looking out the window.

She didn't speak, and Su Bai didn't speak either.

The car drove over a bridge; the river below was pitch black, reflecting the shadows of the trees on both banks.

Returning downstairs at the residential area, Chu Xiang unbuckled her seatbelt but didn't get out of the car immediately.

She sat in the passenger seat, gripping the seatbelt in her hand. After gripping it for a while, she let go.

"Thank you for accompanying me to buy books."

Su Bai said, "You're welcome."

Chu Xiang pushed open the car door, got out, took two steps, stopped, and turned back to look at him.

The sunlight shone from behind her, making her face somewhat indistinct in the backlight, but he could see her eyes—they were very bright.

She turned back around and walked into the building entrance.

Su Bai sat in the car, watching her disappearing figure, then got out and followed her.

Chu Xiang walked ahead carrying the books, with Su Bai walking behind; they went up the stairs one after the other.

Chu Xiang took out her keys, opened the door, walked in, and changed her shoes.

Su Bai changed his shoes as well and followed her in.

There was still no one in the living room.

Chu Xiang placed the books on the coffee table and sat down on the sofa.

Su Bai sat down beside her.

The two of them sat there, neither speaking.

The clock on the wall was ticking, tick-tock, tick-tock.

"Su Bai," she called him.

"Yeah."

"Are you free tonight?"

Su Bai looked at her.

Chu Xiang's gaze fell on him. She hesitated for a long time before finally speaking, "That... actually... the things you do to Chu Yi, I can also sense them."