From-DIDIDA Novels
“You’re leaving?” Gao Yi placed his hands in his pockets while the light breeze blew the loose strands of hair in front of his forehead to reveal signs of fragility. He was still as thin as ever, and when the wind blew over, it would all enter the empty spaces between his sleeves and pants.
“What should I do if I don’t leave?” Chu Lui said lightly. He held his luggage that was not very big; inside it was all his items from here. He had even prepared to bring home that pair of slippers. He had made quite a few memories here which could last for a few years even though the ending was still sarcastic.
“I wish you luck.”
Gao Yi extended his hand in front of Chu Lui’s.
Chu Lui raised his hand, too, and shook Gao Yi’s. Both of them used brute force as if they were proving something, and alas, it was Chu Lui who released his grip first.
“No matter when-if you’re mean to them, I will come back.”
Chu Lui looked at Gao Yi directly in his eyes and enunciated his every word clearly.
No matter where he would be in the future, as long as Gao Yi dared to be mean towards his two women, even if he had to chase him until the end of the Earth; he would not let him off.
“Don’t worry. You won’t have this chance.” Gao Yi shook Chu Lui’s hand again.
“Goodbye and take care.”
Chu Lui did not respond. He turned around, carried his luggage, and left alone with a lonely aura around him. Meanwhile, the smile on Gao Yi’s lips had dropped bit by bit.
When Xia Ruoxin came back, she felt something was amiss.
At that time, she heard the door shut and thought that a particular man had come out to do something that showed his intentions. Just that, she had entered the house for so long; but that man still did not come out as if he had changed.
She placed her groceries in the kitchen and thought of what to cook at home today. After a while, she started getting frustrated about what to cook. She somewhat remembered someone saying that he wanted to eat steamed fish.
Today, she had indeed bought fish.
However, she could not remember who wanted to eat it. It seemed to be that guy. She ostracized him and did not like to note down what he said. It was her form of a small rebellion and revenge.
She started to wash her hands and cook. Just that when she took the fish out, she was stunned.
She wanted to make braised fish, but why did it become steamed fish instead?
She looked at the plate of fish for a long time and was unsure if she wanted to recook it again. However, it seemed like she could not do so unless she made the fish into soup. However, to cook such a big fish into a soup —to be honest, she really could not do it.
She was poor before—she suffered before, so every grain of rice was extremely precious to her, including Rainy of course. She ended up bringing her fish out.
“Oh, there’s fish today?” Gao Yi was happy once he saw the fish.
However, when he came forward, he realized that it was not his favorite braised fish but steamed fish instead.
“You just recovered so you need to eat something light.” Xia Ruoxin set the chopsticks and came over to start eating.
Not long after, Wei Lan came as well back and brought Rainy to wash her face and hands before going to the table to eat. After they sat down, everyone started eating except for Xia Ruoxin who had not touched her chopsticks.
“Ruoxin, are you not eating?” Gao Yi asked her before putting the chopsticks in her hands. “The food will get cold if you don’t eat soon.”
“Eat, why not?” Xia Ruoxin picked up her chopsticks and took a piece of fish. It was better that someone was not eating so that they could have the fish all to themselves. If not, they still had to prepare another bowl of rice.
“Ruoxin, he’s gone.” Gao Yi laughed. However, his face darkened; but his smile still remained. It’s just that there seemed to be something missing from the smile.
“Huh, who left?” Xia Ruoxin’s chopsticks stopped for a while, and after the question that she asked casually, she nonchalantly continued eating her fish and rice.
Gao Yi picked up his bowl and sighed before continuing to eat nonchalantly as well. Just that, no one knew how many of them started losing their appetite during the meal.
After eating, Wei Lan brought Rainy out to play while Gao Yi helped Xia Ruoxin with the dishes and squeezed some detergent. Xia Ruoxin looked down and started washing the dishes until she felt a man’s body coming close, and she squirmed away subconsciously before continuing to wash the dishes.
She did not know that Gao Yi’s hand was left in mid-air, and he slowly kept his hand back before walking away. When there was only Xia Ruoxin left in the kitchen, she suddenly felt that even the air was fresher.
The suppression feeling that people gave her was not only from the other man.
Outside, Gao Yi stood in front of the window with his arms crossed in front of his chest. He was smiling, but there was something intolerable behind his smile as if he had thought of something. Meanwhile, Xia Ruoxin placed the plates back one by one, and her eyelids were starting to get heavy.
At night, Xia Ruoxin got her daughter to sleep; and she felt exhausted. Her daughter wanted to listen to bedtime stories—all the bedtime stories that she owed her—so she read Snow White four times before Rainy finally slept. Then, she finally had her alone time. All these days, she was extremely busy with Gao Yi’s illness and had put all her other stuff aside. As for that man’s departure, all of them had an unspoken mutual understanding.
Whether he left or not, it was as if they had a tenant.
Rubbing her sore neck, she sat on the couch and took her canvas over. She had not forgotten the work she owed other people; she had to pay them back.
She turned on the computer that she had not touched for the recent few months.
Almost at the same time-once she came online, that person’s penguin lit up, too.
She hurriedly typed some words and sent it.
Summer’s Not Over, “Sorry, I had some stuff going on at home that ended just recently. I will make up for the paintings I owe you very soon.”
A Sunny Day will Come, “No rush at all. Also, has your business finally finished?”
Summer’s Not Over, “Yeah, finally. Everything is over. The sun finally came out after the rain.”
On the other side of the computer, Chu Lui brought a cup of tea over to his table that was filled with all sorts of documents. At that moment, he smiled; but the smile was fleeting.
Really? The sun is out?
You mean the sun is out for you, right?
Xia Ruoxin turned off her computer. Even though the other side did not rush her for her work, it was better if she finished her tasks at hand as soon as possible. She would not take others’ generosity for granted.
To her, what she owed was a debt; and debts must be repaid.
She drew stroke by stroke and was so focused until she did not even notice that Gao Yi was sitting beside her for a long time. It was only until she felt that her shoulder was aching and she wanted to stop painting that she felt a hand replacing her movement and started massaging her shoulders skillfully.
She was stunned and wanted to hide away, but once she saw it was Gao Yi, she started to relax her body.