LM 01

Chapter 01 

** Taking Care**

It was too hot to go anywhere in this weather. Su Hao pushed her suitcase out of the station, and the moment she stepped outside, she was hit by the scorching ground mixed with hot wind. She took out a tissue to wipe her cheeks, then continued walking forward. The phone in her hand hadn’t rung once. She hesitated, unsure whether she should make a call.

After passing through the relatively cool high-speed rail lobby and reaching the exit, both cool and hot air blew against her. She wiped her cheeks again and looked toward the entrance.

The ground glittered gold, and the skyline was an endless stretch of tall buildings.

This place, after all, was different from back in Jiang City.

A black Hummer arrived at the exit and parked quite far away. The man inside rolled down the window, a cigarette between his fingers, and glanced over in this direction.

Su Hao shielded her forehead with her hand and looked back.

His handsome face and long, narrow eyes met hers.

Su Hao froze for a few seconds, instinctively tightening her grip on her phone.

The car door clicked open. The man got out, walked around the front of the car, and seemed about to come over. Su Hao grew a little nervous and quickly pulled her suitcase toward him.

As she approached, Zhou Yang put the cigarette to his lips, smiled, and asked, “Why didn’t you call?”

Su Hao tilted her head, gave a soft “mm,” and said, “I was just about to.”

“Is that so? Get in the car.” Zhou Yang took the suitcase from her hand, turned, and walked toward the black vehicle. Su Hao watched his tall back, hesitated for a moment, then quickly followed.

Before putting her luggage away, Zhou Yang conveniently opened the rear door for her.

Su Hao grabbed the handle, got in, and settled herself in the back seat.

The car’s air conditioning was on high, quite cool, quickly dispelling much of the heat and restlessness from her body. Her eyes swept over the steering wheel, then looked outside again. Zhou Yang walked back but didn’t get in immediately. He smoked his cigarette slowly and leisurely, then stubbed it out before opening the driver’s door and getting in.

The door slammed shut. Zhou Yang looked back at her, a smile in his long, narrow eyes. “How about a meal at home first?”

Su Hao pinched her dress and nodded. “Alright.”

Zhou Yang turned back, gripped the steering wheel, and started the car.

The car pulled onto the main road.

Soft instrumental music played inside.

Su Hao glanced at the rearview mirror but couldn’t see anything. She leaned closer to the door, trying to make herself less conspicuous. For her, at this point, being able to live a decent life was enough.

The person in the driver’s seat was not someone she could afford to think about.

The high-speed rail station was a good distance from the Zhou family’s main residence. The two people in the car had nothing to say to each other. If it weren’t for their mothers knowing each other, Su Hao and Zhou Yang would never have crossed paths.

There would have been no youthful acquaintance, no years of her secret crush, no time when she accompanied his mother to Jiang City a few years ago and pursued him relentlessly, pestering him with her feelings.

Su Hao let out a soft sigh.

Very soft.

At a brief pause in the music, it reached Zhou Yang’s ears.

His long, slender fingers rested on the steering wheel. He turned his head slightly to glance at the road conditions outside, then looked back and gave the rearview mirror a casual, almost dismissive sweep.

He didn’t see her, only a small corner of her skirt.

He smiled, unconcerned, and looked away.

Su Hao was hiding from his view, so she didn’t see that smile.

If she had, she might have remembered that when she pursued him back then, he always smiled like that—a smile that actually carried a coldness beneath it.

Careless, distant, and detached.

The car was approaching the main residence, and Su Hao was starting to feel drowsy. Looking at this neighborhood of villas, she understood all the more how wide the gap between them was.

Then, the man’s low, pleasant voice came from the front.

“Su Hao, I haven’t asked you yet. How have you been all these years?” He waited until they were almost there to ask.

Su Hao perked up a little, sat up straighter, looked at her hands resting on her knees, and said, “Pretty good.”

“That’s good. I looked into it a bit—you later completed a degree in financial management, didn’t you?” His voice had always been pleasing, often carrying a hint of laughter, very attractive.

Su Hao answered softly, “Mm, I finished it.”

Zhou Yang nodded. “Good.”

Ahead was the Zhou family’s main residence—a European-style villa with a courtyard. The black Hummer parked in the spot by the gate. Su Hao opened the door, smoothed her dress, and got out. She was wearing white sneakers with the dress, modest and plain, her face bare of makeup. There was a gentleness and simplicity about her.

She was worlds apart from the girls who usually surrounded Zhou Yang. Zhou Yang lifted her suitcase out of the trunk. Su Hao instinctively stepped forward, wanting to take it from him. Zhou Yang glanced at her with a teasing smile. “What? You think I can’t carry one suitcase?”

Su Hao’s outstretched hand froze in mid-air. Then she smiled and pulled it back.

He was always like this.

Casual, cynical, flirtatious, and charming.

It was exactly that quality that made it so easy to lose one’s head, to think you might have even the smallest chance.

The heat was still oppressive. Su Hao followed beside Zhou Yang up the steps. Just three short steps, and she could already feel the cool air wafting out from inside the house.

Zhou Yang’s mother.

Su Qian stepped out wearing a qipao and high heels. As soon as she saw Su Hao, her face broke into a smile. “Su Hao! Auntie finally sees you again.”

“Auntie, long time no see.” Su Hao couldn’t help but smile warmly in return.

“Oh, all these years… ah, you.” Su Qian stepped forward and embraced Su Hao.

She wore a light fragrance, but she hugged Su Hao without reservation, tightly. Su Hao smiled and hugged her back.

She knew what Su Qian had left unsaid, but she just smiled. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zhou Yang put down the suitcase, take a towel from the housekeeper to wipe his hands, and lean lazily against the cabinet, scrolling through his phone.

He was tall and lean, exuding an air of carefree charm.

Su Hao looked away and didn’t watch him any longer.

Su Qian released Su Hao, held her arms, and looked her up and down, her tone full of pity. “Since the divorce is final, from now on, live well. Your mother entrusted you to me, and I’ll take good care of you.”

Su Hao gave a gentle smile. “I can take care of myself.”

“Alright, alright, I know you’re strong.” Su Qian touched her face. The girl’s skin was still fair and soft, just a little too docile.

She also glanced at her son standing off to the side.

And let out a small sigh.

Dinner was ready quickly. There were only three people at home. Zhou Yang had originally taken a call and was about to leave, but Su Qian wouldn’t let him. She insisted he stay and have dinner first.

Zhou Yang shrugged indifferently. He called back whoever it was and said he wouldn’t be coming over tonight.

It was a woman’s voice on the other end.

Su Qian instinctively looked toward Su Hao.

Su Hao was looking down at her phone, apparently replying to a message.

From the look of it, she either hadn’t noticed or hadn’t heard. Su Qian breathed a small sigh of relief. Zhou Yang sat nearby, frowning as he watched his mother. After a few seconds, he tapped his fingers on the table.

A hint of warning in his eyes.

Su Qian rolled her eyes, then nodded and mouthed, “I know.”

*I won’t try to push you and Su Hao together.*

*Hmph!*

Dinner was very generous. Su Qian thought Su Hao looked quite thin, so she kept piling food onto her plate. Su Hao didn’t want to refuse, so she ate whatever was given, chatting and laughing the whole time.

Zhou Yang, in contrast, barely participated in the conversation. He glanced at his phone from time to time, as if waiting for a message.

After dinner, Su Qian led Su Hao upstairs and settled her into a guest room on the second floor. The decor was exquisite. It was Su Hao’s first time staying in such a room—it felt like a hotel.

Su Qian showed her the closet, the bathroom, the balcony, and the vanity. Then she turned back with a bright smile and asked, “How about living here with us?”

Su Hao shook her head. “I’d rather not.”

*Why not?*

Su Qian was about to ask, but then she looked into Su Hao’s pretty eyes, paused, and dropped the subject.

Su Hao had once loved Zhou Yang.

Asking her to live under the same roof would indeed be too much.

Thinking of this, Su Qian wished she could strangle Zhou Yang.

*Fine, fine.*

She took Su Hao’s hand, led her to the bathroom, and said, “Get cleaned up first. Come downstairs later, and Auntie will take you for a walk in the back courtyard.”

“Okay,” Su Hao nodded.

After Su Qian left, Su Hao opened her suitcase, crouched down, and took out her pajamas. She hesitated for a moment, then chose a simple set of loungewear, stood up, and went into the bathroom. The bathroom had both a bathtub and a shower—separate wet and dry areas. She chose the shower and set the temperature quite low.

When she came out after washing, she toweled her hair, standing barefoot on the carpet and looking out the window.

Outside the window was a lake.

Beyond the lake, past the high walls, lay the city’s myriad lights.

Jiang City’s development didn’t compare to Li City’s.

Here, opportunities seemed to be everywhere—but so, surely, were setbacks.

Su Hao finished drying her hair, put on her slippers, opened the door, and went downstairs to find Su Qian. Her hair was still a little damp. She held the railing with one hand and fiddled with her hair with the other.

The downstairs was brightly lit.

But just as she was about to reach the bottom, she heard Su Qian speaking.

The words made her stop in her tracks.

“In the end, it’s just that Su Hao isn’t your type, right?” Su Qian’s voice.

“Yes—” Zhou Yang’s lazy, casual voice replied. “What else do you want to say?”

Su Qian snorted. “Your Aunt Ling has always been worried about Su Hao. And now, it seems Su Hao isn’t planning to look for anyone else.”

“So… want me to set her up with someone?” Zhou Yang asked, raising an eyebrow.

Su Qian paused.

Zhou Yang chuckled softly. “I guarantee I can find her an exceptionally good man.”

Su Qian: “Fine.”

A pause of a few seconds.

Su Qian, still unwilling to give up: “What about you?”

Zhou Yang: “I’ll pass.”