Lu Zhe remained silent.
The small alley was quiet, with the setting sun casting shadows on the ground, showing their overlapping silhouettes.
Su Ci looked at their shadows on the ground and asked Lu Zhe, "Lu Zhe, am I light?"
When she was a rabbit before, she often watched Lu Zhe exercise, so she knew that although he looked lean, he had quite a bit of muscle. Given her slender frame, she surely couldn't be heavy for him.
Lu Zhe, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke with an indiscernible tone, "Not light."
Those two simple words made Su Ci bristle immediately. If she were still in her rabbit form, her snow-white fur would have stood up, puffing up like a snowball.
Lu Zhe said she wasn't light, which meant he thought she was heavy!
By extension, that meant he thought she was fat!
Weight and appearance were absolute taboos for girls.
She pressed against Lu Zhe's back, leaning close to his ear, and said huffily, "How am I heavy? I'm slim where I should be slim, and curvy where I should be curvy. My figure is perfect!"
By his ear came the girl's gritted words, her warm breath brushing against the back of his ear, making Lu Zhe feel a bit ticklish.
He looked ahead, a hint of amusement floating in his dark eyes. "Mm."
Su Ci let out a small huff. Her gaze fell on Lu Zhe's ear, and she was surprised to discover a tiny mole on his earlobe, which was somehow quite adorable.
She reached out and gently touched his ear with her fingertip.
Lu Zhe, who was carrying her, suddenly stiffened.
"Su Ci." The young man's voice was cool.
"Yes?"
Su Ci, as if discovering something fascinating, said with a laugh, "Lu Zhe, you have a small mole on your left ear, and I have one below the corner of my left eye. Though yours isn't as cute as mine."
The girl on his back was soft and gentle, her laughter like tinkling bells, and she reached out to touch his ear again.
Lu Zhe's cool voice carried a hint of resignation, "Mm."
Along the way, Lu Zhe walked at a steady pace, neither too fast nor too slow.
As they were about to exit the small alley, Su Ci jumped down from his back.
She walked beside Lu Zhe and said, "Boss Fang will be surprised when he sees me."
Lu Zhe glanced at her and pushed open the door to the computer shop.
Inside the shop, Little Kuaile sat in his small wheelchair playing with his toys, while Boss Fang was repairing a computer.
"Big brother Lu is here."
Little Kuaile's dark round eyes lit up instantly when he saw Lu Zhe. When he noticed Su Ci beside Lu Zhe, his little mouth fell open in surprise, and he was so excited that he dropped his toys, "It's the pretty sister, Dad, it's the pretty sister!"
Little Kuaile had only met Su Ci once, but he remembered her.
"You little rascal, what pretty..." Boss Fang looked up from behind the computer, and when he saw Su Ci, his expression mirrored Little Kuaile's.
His... his lifesaver.
He dropped his tools and hurriedly stood up, excited, "Xiao Zhe, you found my lifesaver? That's wonderful."
Su Ci nudged Lu Zhe beside her and looked at him with a bright smile, "Didn't I tell you so?"
Lu Zhe was clever and immediately understood that Su Ci was the lifesaver Boss Fang had been mentioning, the one who had saved Little Kuaile.
Fair skin, long hair, wearing First High's uniform, with red strings tied around her ankles like a rabbit.
All these descriptions matched Su Ci perfectly.
Boss Fang quickly came to stand before Su Ci. He was so excited that he wanted to shake hands with her, but seeing his hands covered in dust, he immediately wiped them repeatedly on his clothes.
The young girl's hands were pristinely white, and Boss Fang ultimately couldn't bring himself to extend his hand, afraid of dirtying the young lady's hands.
"Finally found you. Last time you saved my son, I didn't get to properly thank you," Boss Fang said, looking at Su Ci gratefully after composing himself.
Su Ci replied, "You already thanked me last time." She had also eaten Little Kuaile's candy.
"Such a great debt of gratitude can't be repaid with just a word of thanks. If you ever need any help in the future, young lady, please don't hesitate to ask me," Boss Fang promised.
Su Ci casually acknowledged his words, feeling that she didn't really need Boss Fang's help - the person she needed was Lu Zhe.
Little Kuaile wheeled himself over to Su Ci's feet and looked up at her, "Pretty sister."
Su Ci looked down, "You remember me?"
Little Kuaile nodded vigorously, "Sister is pretty, Kuaile remembers."
Su Ci was quite pleased with the little one's flattery, and rewarded him with a big smile, "I'll treat you to candy next time."
Beside them, Boss Fang patted Lu Zhe's shoulder, "Xiao Zhe, thank you so much this time for helping me find my lifesaver." Finding the lifesaver finally put him at ease.
Lu Zhe replied, "I just found out that the lifesaver you mentioned was her, Uncle Fang."
Boss Fang looked at Lu Zhe in surprise, "You already knew the young lady?"
"Mm."
Boss Fang sighed and patted Lu Zhe's shoulder again, "This must be fate." He had employed Lu Zhe, and Lu Zhe's friend had saved his son.
Seeing the young lady playing with Little Kuaile, he pulled Lu Zhe aside and asked in a low voice, "Xiao Zhe, what does your friend like to eat? I'll cook some dishes to properly host her."
Lu Zhe responded, "I'm not sure."
Boss Fang gave him a sideways glance, "How can you not know? As a boy, you should..." His words came to an abrupt halt.
Boss Fang had originally thought that Lu Zhe and the young lady made a good-looking pair, and being friends, they might even become a couple in the future. But he suddenly remembered Lu Zhe's illness, and the words caught in his throat.
If he were a normal young man, Lu Zhe could have experienced a youthful romance.
He had specifically researched ALS online before, and he only knew that this disease was incurable. That young lady was youthful and beautiful, full of life, while Lu Zhe's life had a visible end - the terminal illness would drain his vitality, causing him to wither and die.
They could never be together.
Boss Fang felt a bitter ache for Lu Zhe, "Never mind, I'll ask the young lady what she likes to eat later."
"By the way, there's a job tomorrow, are you interested?"
Boss Fang not only ran the computer shop but also took on freelance work, sold developed products, and accepted house calls for computer repairs. Lu Zhe sometimes helped out, and considering Lu Zhe's situation, Boss Fang didn't take any commission from him.
"Mm."
Boss Fang said, "I'll send you the address later." Ever since he met this young man, there hadn't been a day when he didn't feel regret for Lu Zhe's situation.
Setting aside Lu Zhe's looks and excellent academic performance, his computer skills were also impressive.
At such a young age, he had already developed several products, and previously, through Boss Fang's connections, they had sold for good prices.
If Lu Zhe didn't have ALS, his future would certainly have been bright.
Lu Zhe said, "Thank you, Uncle Fang."
During dinner, Boss Fang showed off his culinary skills, and Su Ci found the food quite tasty, eating quite a bit.
When they left the computer shop, she felt a little stuffed.
Lu Zhe glanced at her and went to a nearby convenience store to buy a bottle of yogurt, "Drink this."
Su Ci took the yogurt and started sipping it through a straw. She took back her criticism that Lu Zhe was emotionally dense.
The poor dear was quite thoughtful.
"Lu Zhe, aren't we going back now?" Su Ci followed Lu Zhe, noticing they weren't heading toward the residential area.
"My place doesn't have any daily necessities you can use."
Lu Zhe took Su Ci to the supermarket - towels, toothbrush, toothpaste, slippers... everything needed to be bought.
Su Ci had never bought these things before. She bit on her straw and obediently followed beside Lu Zhe, watching him push the shopping cart and slowly help her select items.
"Lu Zhe, I want the pink toothbrush."
"I want the white cup."
"The towel needs to be soft."
"I want the peach-scented shower gel."
"Are these slippers' soles soft enough?"
...
Su Ci only spoke while Lu Zhe did all the work.
Looking at the young man standing before the shelves, quietly helping her select slippers without a word of complaint, Su Ci had completely bent the straw in her mouth.
Why did she suddenly feel like she was being cruel, bullying this poor dear?
"Try these on to see if they fit." Lu Zhe picked out a pair of light pink soft-soled slippers and placed them on the ground for Su Ci to try.
Su Ci tried them on and nodded with satisfaction, "Very comfortable."
"Mm."
Lu Zhe placed the slippers in the shopping cart.
Coming out of the supermarket, Lu Zhe's hands were full of shopping bags. Su Ci, considering herself not heartless, said, "Lu Zhe, let me help you carry some."
Looking at the girl's outstretched hand, with slender fingers and light pink fingertips, they looked too delicate to do any heavy lifting.
"No need," Lu Zhe refused.
Su Ci didn't insist. Instead, she took out a bottle of drink from one of Lu Zhe's bags, unscrewed the cap, and held it to his lips. "Then let me help you drink some water, your lips are dry."
Su Ci felt that Lu Zhe was too capable; if she didn't do something to help, she would feel disappointed in herself.
Lu Zhe didn't let Su Ci feed him. He put down the bags, took the bottle from her hands, and took two big gulps.
Well, even her one small contribution had been rejected.
When they returned home, night had fallen, and the moon hung high, showing only half its face.
Inside the house, besides Lu Zhe's room, there was only one storage room. Last night, Su Ci had offered to stay, willing to sleep in the storage room.
She opened the storage room door and turned on the light.
The windows were tightly shut, and a musty smell wafted out. Apart from a few broken chairs and some cardboard boxes, there was nothing else. The space was cramped, about half the size of Lu Zhe's room.
Su Ci estimated that it could barely fit a single bed and a small wardrobe, nothing more.
She felt a pang in her heart.
She only had 20,000 yuan left, nothing else. Even if she were to rent a new place, it wouldn't last many months.
Plus, she had already spent quite a bit of Lu Zhe's money, which she would need to repay.
Su Ci felt she needed to find a way to earn money.
Feeling dejected, she stepped out of the storage room, preparing to clean it as she would have to sleep there tonight.
"I've put on new bedsheets and changed the pillow. You'll sleep in my room," Lu Zhe came out of his room and told Su Ci.
Su Ci peered past him and saw that the grayish bedsheets on his single bed had been replaced with light pink ones, and the pillowcase matched the color.
These were the ones he had helped her pick at the supermarket earlier.
"What about you?" Su Ci asked the young man before her.
"I'll clean up the storage room later."
The implication was clear - he would sleep in the storage room.
Su Ci felt something gently prick her heart, and she asked Lu Zhe directly, "Why are you so nice to me? Taking me in, buying me clothes and shoes, daily necessities, and now giving up your room. Lu Zhe, do you like me?"
Lu Zhe gave her a bland look, "No. You asked me to take you in."
"Don't overthink it. When you were a rabbit, I bought you rabbit food and a cage too." After saying this, Lu Zhe went to clean the storage room.
Su Ci pursed her lips and asked Fu Gui, "What does Lu Zhe mean? So in his eyes, am I still just a rabbit?"
Fu Gui: [Even as a rabbit, Master is the cutest rabbit in the world!]
Su Ci: "Get lost!"
Fu Gui: [Okay!]
After showering, Su Ci knocked on the storage room door.
Lu Zhe opened it quickly.
The storage room had been cleaned, and the windows were open, but the air still smelled unpleasant.
Su Ci looked inside and saw a folding bed in the middle, presumably where Lu Zhe would sleep tonight.
At that moment, Su Ci felt even more sorry for Lu Zhe.
"Why don't I stay here instead?" Although Su Ci was delicate, she didn't think she was completely unable to endure hardship.
"No need."
For Lu Zhe, it didn't matter where he slept; he had no particular requirements.
In his childhood at the orphanage, twenty-some children would squeeze onto large beds, each trying to take up as little space as possible. Sleeping on a folding bed wasn't particularly difficult for him.
Su Ci looked up, her dark eyes glistening with moisture as she carefully studied Lu Zhe. The next moment, she stepped forward, her fingers tugging at the hem of his clothes.
"Lu Zhe, you should kiss me now."
Lu Zhe: "Already kissed twice this afternoon."
Once for nine hours, once for ten hours, totaling nineteen hours - enough to last her until tomorrow.
Su Ci had just showered and was wearing her new nightgown, a white cotton dress with soft, skin-friendly fabric. The hem was embroidered with several cute little flowers, exuding a strong girlish charm.
Perhaps because the shower water had been too hot, the skin exposed by her dress had a slight pink tinge.
Her soft hair tips were slightly damp, falling across her chest.
The Su Ci before him was like an alluring little spirit. If any other man had heard Su Ci's invitation for a kiss, they would have agreed immediately, not refused like Lu Zhe.
Su Ci wasn't willing to listen to him. In her view, the more kisses, the better.
This was beneficial for both her and him.
The more, the merrier!
Su Ci stood on her tiptoes and actively kissed Lu Zhe.
Her soft red lips landed directly on the young man's cold ones.
Surprise flashed in Lu Zhe's dark eyes.
Su Ci greedily kissed him twice, and when she saw that Lu Zhe had come to his senses and was about to push her away, she quickly wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him once more.
Before retreating, her teeth gently nipped at the young man's thin lips.
Su Ci happily stepped back.
She looked at Lu Zhe and asked mischievously, "It's a bit salty. Lu Zhe, did I taste your sweat?"
The summer weather was hot, and the storage room was particularly stuffy with poor ventilation. Lu Zhe had indeed worked up quite a sweat while cleaning.
The girl before him had a hint of mischief in her eyes.
Lu Zhe's dark eyes gave her a bland look, and he closed the door right in front of Su Ci's face.
