A loud “boom” went off in Su Tao’s head as memories of all the “creative” punishments he had given her flashed through her mind.
The filthy things he had said while turning her over and over…
Lu Shiyu did not urge her. He patiently waited for her answer.
His dark eyes stared at her as if waiting for a disobedient cat to reveal its own weakness.
Su Tao secretly glanced up at Lu Shiyu.
If he got angry, he would make her suffer terribly.
Forget it. She should coax him first.
Her face flushed red. “I was… thinking about you…”
She was not lying. She really had been thinking about him.
Thinking about how to bring up breaking up with him.
Lu Shiyu smiled, looking to be in a very good mood.
“I really like that answer.”
He lowered his head and kissed her gently.
It was as light as a feather landing on her lips, filled with cautious tenderness.
Su Tao smelled the faint scent of shower gel on him, mixed with the homely aroma of the kitchen.
Lu Shiyu quickly released her and tapped the tip of her nose.
“Eat quickly. The noodles are going to get soggy.”
Su Tao’s gaze fell on the steaming bowl of noodles.
Lu Shiyu had made the noodles himself. He said that the noodles sold outside contained additives, so he insisted on making them himself.
The noodles were chewy, the broth was rich and fresh, and there was a soft-boiled egg on top.
Her nose stung. She knew her eyes must have turned red again. Afraid that Lu Shiyu would notice, she buried her face in the bowl.
She stirred the noodles with her chopsticks as tears unexpectedly fell.
One drop, then another, splashing into the soup.
She desperately held them back, but her shoulders still trembled slightly.
Lu Shiyu asked, “What’s wrong?”
Su Tao did not dare look up. Her voice was muffled.
“It’s too delicious.”
Lu Shiyu smiled. “Then eat it for the rest of your life.”
While Lu Shiyu was eating, she quietly wiped away her tears.
She sniffed and stuffed another large mouthful of noodles into her mouth, her cheeks puffed up like a hamster.
But the mouthful of noodles seemed to get stuck in her throat. No matter what she did, she could not swallow it.
What right did she have to eat this bowl of noodles?
For this past month, she had enjoyed Lu Shiyu’s kindness.
But now she was going to turn all the kindness he had given her into a knife that would stab him.
Better to suffer a short, sharp pain than a long, lingering one. She should tell him now.
“Lu Shiyu.” She put down her chopsticks, her voice a little hoarse. “There’s something I want to tell you.”
The person across from her remained silent.
Su Tao thought he had not heard her.
When she raised her head, she realized Lu Shiyu was looking at her.
Something she could not understand surged in those dark eyes.
But it disappeared in an instant, as if it had only been Su Tao’s imagination.
Lu Shiyu’s gaze was gentle as he lowered his head and continued eating.
“Whatever it is, tell me after you finish eating.”
Su Tao did not remember how she finished the bowl of noodles. With something weighing on her mind, she felt as though she were sitting on pins and needles.
After dinner, Su Tao wanted to wash the dishes.
Lu Shiyu put on his gloves with a smile.
“Well, the sun must be rising from the west. Didn’t your waist hurt? Go rest.”
Su Tao did not move. She stood at the kitchen doorway.
She had to tell him before he finished washing the dishes. That was what Su Tao thought.
Lu Shiyu was meticulous with everything he did. He rinsed each bowl three times, turning it around in circles, as rigorous as he was when conducting an experiment.
The water rushed noisily. Su Tao stared at his broad back, her heart in turmoil.
“Lu Shiyu.”
The sound of the water suddenly stopped.
He turned off the faucet but did not look back.
“Today is my birthday.”
Su Tao froze and looked out the window.
It was midsummer, with lush greenery everywhere.
“Your birthday isn’t in November?”
Lu Shiyu placed the bowls one by one into the dish rack and said casually, “There was a mistake when I registered my household records. The birthday on my ID card is fake.”
Su Tao said, “Oh…”
Lu Shiyu asked, “What were you going to say just now?”
Su Tao opened her mouth, but she could not bring herself to say the words “let’s break up.”
If she said it today, he would probably think of this day every time his birthday came around in the future.
She should wait until after his birthday.
“So, what gift do you want?”
Lu Shiyu stood with his back to her, drying his hands with a paper towel. His eyes were dark and deep.
When he turned around, however, his face held a gentle smile.
“Come somewhere with me.”
Su Tao asked, “Where?”
Lu Shiyu smiled. “You’ll know when we get there.”
…
The taxi stopped outside a convenience store. Lu Shiyu asked the driver to wait for a moment before getting out.
Through the glass door, Su Tao saw him standing at the counter for quite a while before coming out with a large, full bag of things.
When he returned, he placed the plastic bag on the back seat. Su Tao glanced inside.
It was all condoms.
There were many boxes.
She felt embarrassed. “Why did you buy so many?”
Lu Shiyu replied, “They were on sale.”
Su Tao said nothing and stared at the bag.
After today, they would break up.
With so many boxes, he probably would not have any use for them.
No. These things would not expire anytime soon.
He could probably use them with his next girlfriend.
But these three books were all male-oriented novels focused on career and ambition. There were no harems.
There were barely any female characters in the books, and she did not remember the male protagonist having a next girlfriend.
Su Tao lowered her eyes and began overthinking.
The taxi stopped at the entrance of a new residential development near the university district.
The community had only recently been handed over to residents, so the occupancy rate was low.
Lu Shiyu held her hand as they walked through the lobby. The elevator went all the way to the top floor.
He unlocked the door with his fingerprint. With a click, it swung open.
It was a spacious, fully furnished apartment. The living room was huge, and the floor-to-ceiling windows faced the lake near the school. The afternoon sunlight streamed inside, filling the entire room with warmth.
“This apartment… The rent must be very expensive.” Su Tao stood in the middle of the living room, her voice dry.
“I bought it last month.” Lu Shiyu stood behind her.
Su Tao froze. “Where did you get the money?”
Lu Shiyu said, “I sold my patent.”
Su Tao’s eyes immediately turned red.
He had studied biomedical engineering in graduate school, a field connected to artificial intelligence and brain-computer interfaces, which were among the hottest areas at the time.
He actually had many opportunities to make money, but he had given them all up. A large company had once offered a high price for that patent, but he had refused to sell it.
Lu Shiyu was an idealist. He was afraid that his research could be misused and become a tool of capital.
Yet what he cherished had now been turned into this apartment.
Lu Shiyu held her hand and showed her around the rooms, his voice gentle.
“This is the master bedroom. It gets good sunlight.”
“The study is next door.”
He pointed toward the island counter.
“The kitchen is open-plan. Didn’t you say you liked watching me cook?”
He led her to the balcony and gestured toward a corner.
“Your favorite rocking chair will fit perfectly here.”
Su Tao stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. The afternoon sunlight warmed the entire room, but her fingertips were cold.
Lu Shiyu gently wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin against the hollow of her shoulder. His warm breath brushed against her ear.
“This will be our home from now on.”
Su Tao said nothing.
He gently turned her around by the shoulders and stood in front of her.
The warm afternoon sunlight slanted down behind him, outlining his figure in a layer of golden light.
He took a ring from his pocket, gently held Su Tao’s hand, and looked at her seriously.
“When you graduate, let’s get married.”
The diamond sparkled with tiny fragments of light beneath the sun.
Su Tao remained silent.
She looked at the ring, at Lu Shiyu’s lowered eyelashes, and at the hand holding hers.
She could feel his fingers trembling slightly.
Why did it have to be today? she thought.
She did not want to make him sad on his birthday.
But she realized she could no longer give him hope.
Rather than let him become happy and then disappointed, she might as well make things clear now.
She pulled her hand away.
“I’m sorry, Lu Shiyu.” Her voice trembled as she forced herself to say every word clearly. “I won’t marry you.”
The air fell silent for a second.
“Let’s break up,” she said.