Meng Luobai recognized him and hung up the phone, walking out. "Why are you here?"
Ling Sui saw her too. He stood up, raised his hand, hooked his fingertips on the brim of his cap, and pulled it off. Whether it was because of the cap or the night breeze, the tips of his black hair lifted slightly. He didn't answer at first, but quickly walked to her side.
Meng Luobai's long hair lay smooth and loose, and the evening breeze swept through, making her strands drift. It gave her already cool-toned features an even more ethereal, distant quality, though the corners of her eyes held a misty, damp warmth. His gaze swept over her once before he said, "Taking a walk."
Meng Luobai: "You came all the way here to take a walk?"
Ling Sui glanced around, then nodded with an air of seriousness. "The neighborhood's environment is pretty nice. Quite suitable for a walk."
Meng Luobai said, "Isn't the environment at Zhuoyuan even better?"
Before Ling Sui could say anything, the golden retriever beside him barked twice again. The dog's owner, a young woman, patted the golden retriever. "What's wrong with you tonight? You keep barking for no reason." Then she said to Ling Sui, "Huya's probably thirsty. We'll head off first."
Ling Sui: "Goodbye."
After the dog owner left, Meng Luobai asked, "Is that your friend?"
"No." Ling Sui said. "I ran into her while I was walking earlier."
Meng Luobai: "…" Coming all this way, he really was just here to take a walk. She was about to say something when she suddenly heard the sound of a kitten meowing. The sound was very short and soft, but it was extremely close. "Did you… just imitate a cat's meow?"
Ling Sui: "What kind of ears do you have?"
"Meow~~" Another sound came.
The sound really was exceptionally close. Meng Luobai was about to look for the direction of the meowing when she looked up and saw a little head poking out from the collar of Ling Sui's shirt. It was a very small orange kitten with bright eyes. It stepped on Ling Sui's collarbone and meowed at her.
"Kitten." Meng Luobai's eyes lit up. She looked at Ling Sui. "You got a cat?"
Ling Sui took the cat off his collarbone with one hand. "Haven't decided whether to keep it yet."
Meng Luobai took the cat with both hands, and her voice couldn't help but turn squeaky and sweet. "You're so pretty."
Whether it understood her words or not, it let out another "meow~"
Meng Luobai smiled. "You're way too well-behaved."
Ling Sui lowered his gaze, silent, watching her quietly.
The two went upstairs.
Meng Luobai opened the door to her home and asked, "Have you eaten?"
Ling Sui followed behind her and closed the door. "I ate dinner at your place tonight."
Meng Luobai: "I was asking about the cat. A grown man like you, how could you possibly go hungry?"
"…" Ling Sui silently licked his lips. "Fed it."
Meng Luobai set the cat down and let it run freely around the living room. "What made you think of getting a cat?"
Ling Sui: "I didn't plan to. Its mother dumped it on me." It happened on the day he ran into Meng Luobai. He had gone to Longcheng University to meet with his advisor. After the meeting, when he returned to his car, he saw the school security guards trying to catch stray cats on campus.
A big cat and a small one, facing the humans' pursuit and encirclement, were clearly in a state of stress. In the chaos, they even scratched Ling Sui.
He took both cats, sent them to the veterinary hospital, and went to get his own rabies shots. It was because of this that, on a whim, he went to Xishui Manor, where he ran into Ling Jinlin causing trouble with a group of men and women at his estate, which was how he ended up meeting Meng Luobai.
Meng Luobai looked up. "It, mom?" Was this how young people talked these days—was it really a cat mom, or…?
Seeing her hesitant expression, Ling Sui asked, "What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing." Meng Luobai decided it was better not to pry. "Are you settling in okay with the new semester?"
Ling Sui lounged lazily onto the sofa, picked through the green grapes in the fruit bowl on the table, plucked a fresh one, and popped it into his mouth, saying slowly, "Too many classes."
"Don't eat those from the table. I'll wash some fresh ones for you." Meng Luobai headed toward the kitchen. "The first-year theory courses really are a lot. It was the same for my major." As she walked to the kitchen, the kitten followed behind her, meowing "meow, meow" as it trailed along.
Meng Luobai was utterly charmed. She found a small dish and poured some water for the kitten first. The moment she set the dish down, the little head immediately leaned in to drink. Meng Luobai crouched down, gently stroking the kitten's back, and whispered, "You were thirsty, huh?"
After the cat finished drinking, it turned its little head and rubbed against her leg, "Meow~"
Meng Luobai immediately let out an undignified sound, her voice going squeaky as she said, "So good Your owner hasn't even given you a name. What name do you want?" She looked up, about to call Ling Sui, only to find him already standing at the kitchen doorway. He had taken off his coat and was now wearing a black shirt, staring at her with a cold, sulky expression. "Where are the fresh grapes you were washing?"
Ignoring his question, she tilted her head up and asked, "Have you thought of a name for it?"
Ling Sui walked over to her. "If I name it, does that mean I have to keep it?"
Meng Luobai: "You weren't planning to keep it?"
Ling Sui crouched down. "I originally planned to find it a home once it was healed." But today, when he went to the hospital to pick it up, the kitten followed him around meowing, while the mother cat lounged lazily to the side, looking completely like a "hands-off boss."
Meng Luobai lowered her eyes, her slender white fingers stroking the cat in a slow, idle rhythm. A smile lingered at the corner of her lips, but her gaze drifted, her eyes hollow and distant, as if lost in thought.
"Auntie said," Ling Sui suddenly spoke up, "you went to see the Chen family tonight?"
The two crouched before the kitten, close enough to be within arm's reach. Meng Luobai lowered her gaze. "Mm."
Ling Sui looked up. "Not happy?"
Meng Luobai let out a sigh. "No, I'm just a bit tired today." With that, she stood up. "I'll go wash the grapes for you."
Ling Sui watched her movements in silence, saying nothing. The kitten on the floor, seeing Meng Luobai get up, followed her footsteps toward the kitchen with "meow~ meow~" cries. Ling Sui grabbed it with one hand. "You wait outside for me." Then he stood up and walked into the kitchen.
Meng Luobai kept her head low, her face fair-skinned, her profile elegant. Running water rinsed over her fingers as she placed the clean grapes onto the fruit tray beside her. Finally, she turned off the tap and handed the tray to Ling Sui beside her. "Here."
Ling Sui's gaze paused for a moment, then he took it with one hand. "Let's call it Fruit Tray."
Meng Luobai: "…Huh?"
"It—" Ling Sui glanced at the cat sniffing around on the floor outside. "Let's call it Fruit Tray?"
"Fruit Tray?" Meng Luobai was a bit speechless. "You're naming a kitten Fruit Tray? You might as well call it Grape."
Ling Sui said, "Then let's call it Grape. You came up with the name."
Meng Luobai: "…Isn't that a bit too casual?"
Ling Sui: "Grape sounds nice enough."
Meng Luobai silently repeated it twice in her mind—it did sound quite nice. "That works, I suppose."
The two walked out of the kitchen, and Grape, who was exploring this new world, had made her way to a glass cabinet against the bedroom wall. A cover cloth draped over the cabinet had tassels that caught Grape's attention, and she was already playing with them.
"Grape." Meng Luobai walked over. "Come here."
The kitten had no idea she was being called and kept playing with the tassels. Meng Luobai walked over, took the cover cloth off the glass cabinet, and lured Grape toward the living room.
Ling Sui was leaning against the doorframe, eating grapes, when his gaze suddenly froze. His glass-colored eyes turned deep and dark. "Where did that ugly horse come from?"
"Horse?" Meng Luobai was baffled for a moment, then glanced to the side and realized Ling Sui was talking about the pink Everlasting Flower Unicorn inside her glass cabinet. "It's a unicorn."
Ling Sui strolled over to the glass cabinet at a leisurely pace, resting his hand on it. "You didn't have this the last time I came to your place."
Meng Luobai shook the cover cloth in her hand. "I had it covered." Because the Everlasting Flower Unicorn was pink, white, and blue, and she'd read online that if it wasn't kept out of direct light, it would yellow faster.
Ling Sui's mouth barely moved. "A gift from your ex?"
"…Something I received before."
Ling Sui: "Why keep it after the breakup? Do you like this kind of thing?"
Liking it was only part of it—the main thing was that it was expensive. "It cost over a hundred thirty thousand. Throwing it away would be such a waste." It was also custom-made; her name was on the wings of the unicorn's flower bouquet.
"What's there to feel sorry about when it's from your ex? Throw it away, and I'll get you a bigger one."
"Rich bastard, aren't you." Meng Luobai wasn't keeping it out of nostalgia for her ex—mainly, throwing away a hundred-thirty-thousand flower arrangement would be an unforgivable waste. "It's so big, I don't even have a place to put it."
Ling Sui cast a cold sidelong glance at the flower, then continued looking at her. "What kind of person was he?"
"He was a—" Meng Luobai blinked, momentarily unable to find the right word. She teased the cat with the tassels as she spoke. "…younger than me, so it didn't work out and we broke up."
"How much younger?" As he spoke, Ling Sui moved like a phantom to stand behind her at an angle, looking down as he asked, "Is he younger than me?"
His voice wasn't heavy, but his breath brushed against the back of her neck.
Meng Luobai didn't notice. She turned her head and only then realized how close Ling Sui's face was to hers. She froze for a second, momentarily forgetting what he'd asked, only registering that his gaze was deep and that they were standing very close.
Ling Sui looked at her face without shifting his gaze even an inch, showing no sign of feeling that he was too close.
Meng Luobai looked away first. "Why are you so nosy?"
"Just curious." Ling Sui's lips curved slightly. He seemed to finally notice the grapes in his hand, popped two into his mouth, and said, "I want to know what kind of people you'd date. For reference."
"Reference for what," Meng Luobai joked. "Are you planning to get a boyfriend too?"
Ling Sui popped another grape into his mouth. "I can learn to be a good boyfriend."
Meng Luobai looked at him. "You've got someone you like, don't you, kid?"
Ling Sui's gaze was calm, fixed on her without blinking. "I do have someone I like."
No wonder he was acting so strange! She knew it! Meng Luobai suddenly perked up with excitement—she was genuinely curious about what kind of person Ling Sui would like. "Who is it? Do you have a photo?"
Ling Sui: "You tell me first—how did he win you over? I want to learn from your experience."
Meng Luobai rubbed the back of her neck. Zhuo Ran hadn't really pursued her all that much. It was just that Zhuo Ran was good-looking, tall, had a decent build, and came from a wealthy family. Aside from being young, loving to play and cause trouble, being clingy, and needing constant company, he had almost no shortcomings.
No one would turn down a guy like that showing interest. Besides, Zhuo Ran really was great—young, fun, and he never looked at the price tag when spending money on her. When they broke up, Meng Luobai tried to return the expensive gifts from their relationship. She had only transferred part of the money back when Zhuo Ran angrily cursed at her, saying things like "You think I'm some broke guy from the internet?" "You dump me and then humiliate me?" "Heartless woman, you'll regret this" "No one will ever love you as much as I do"…
If it weren't for the eight or nine year age gap between them, and her plans to return to Long City, the two of them had no future together—Meng Luobai wouldn't have broken up with him so quickly.
But thinking about it more carefully, Ling Sui was good-looking, tall, young, a super-rich second generation on a global scale, and ambitious to boot. He was basically an upgraded, top-tier version of Zhuo Ran. His difficulty in pursuing someone was close to zero.
With that in mind, she gave him serious advice, "Just confess sincerely. With your qualifications, most girls would want to get to know you."
Ling Sui's voice was faint. "That simple?"
"With your qualifications, pursuing a girl will naturally be easier." Meng Luobai continued playing with the cat as she spoke. It was true—young, good-looking, and wealthy, pursuing anyone wouldn't be too hard.
After a moment of silence, Ling Sui spoke up. "So that's how you were won over?" Unconsciously, his voice carried a hint of chill.
"Yeah." Meng Luobai said honestly, "Of course, it also has to be based on the other person not disliking you at all. Do you know what her current attitude toward you is?"
Ling Sui quietly looked at her. After a long silence, he slowly spoke. "I'm not sure."
The kitten was getting a bit tired of playing, gradually letting go of the tassel, stretching its front paws out lazily in a yawn-like stretch. Meng Luobai pursed her lips in a small smile, then looked at Ling Sui. "You can test the waters first. Maybe she has feelings for you."
Ling Sui looked at her for a moment, said nothing, and averted his gaze.
Seeing that Ling Sui remained silent, Meng Luobai asked, "You didn't do something to wrong her and make her hate you, did you?"
Ling Sui raised his hand, picked up another grape, and put it in his mouth. After a moment of silence, he said, "She's already forgiven me."
Meng Luobai: "…"
So he really had done something to wrong her. No wonder he was so pitifully eager to learn.
Meng Luobai walked up to him. "Then take the long view. Gradually build up goodwill, and find the right moment to confess."
Ling Sui: "What about you? You broke up just because of the age gap?"
Why did the topic suddenly shift to her? "Dating is fine, of course. But when the age gap is large, it's hard for your life paths to stay in sync."
Ling Sui: "Didn't you know his age before you agreed?"
She really wanted to say that a handsome young man liked her, and she was just letting her lust get the better of her—but that would be too revealing of her character. She still wanted to maintain her image in front of the younger ones. "The hospital was too busy back then, I didn't think much of it." She hadn't been in a relationship for a long time during that period either.
"Heh." The moment she finished speaking, she was met with a cold snort from Ling Sui. "You're so irresponsible! Dating around carelessly!"
Meng Luobai: "Huh?"
"…I'm thirty years old, and I've only had three or four relationships at most. How is that dating around carelessly?" Some feelings only make you think about whether they're suitable after they happen.
Ling Sui: "I'm twenty-two, so how come I've never been in a single relationship?"
"You've never been in one?" Meng Luobai was somewhat incredulous. "Not even once? Then that day—"
Although Meng Luobai stopped herself in time, Ling Sui still heard it. He stepped forward. "What about that day?"
"…At Xishui Manor, those two people—" Meng Luobai pressed her lips together and asked vaguely, "Aren't they your friends?"
Hearing this, Ling Sui narrowed his eyes slightly, instantly figuring out why Meng Luobai had told him to "abstain from lust" that day. He took another step forward and asked darkly, "You think I'm messing around with men and women alike?"
Meng Luobai: "…" Ah… no…
Ling Sui stepped right in front of her, leaning down slightly. "Meng Luobai, what exactly do you take me for?"
In that instant, she knew she had made a huge mistake. Overwhelming guilt nearly overflowed. "I—I—" Meng Luobai felt that any explanation now would just sound like sophistry, so she simply apologized honestly. "I arrived at your manor at two-thirty in the morning, and that man and woman were in that state, so I—"
Ling Sui: "So you assumed I was that kind of person too."
Meng Luobai hung her head. She had been a family doctor for four years; this wasn't something she hadn't encountered before. Could she be blamed? Her brain had automatically made that familiar association.
Meng Luobai's heart tightened. She opened her mouth, her fingertips clenching slightly, wanting to defend herself, when she heard Ling Sui say to her, "I grew up with you. I followed you for five years. And this is how you think of me?"
Meng Luobai looked up into his eyes and spoke word by word. "But you were gone for much longer. Seven years without seeing each other, and we met again under those circumstances…"
As her words fell, Ling Sui fell silent too. He lowered his gaze, quietly looking at her.
It was precisely because they had grown up together that Meng Luobai had a natural sense of being his "elder," which was why she worried and overthought. Meng Luobai lowered her eyes. "I basically watched you grow up. You've always been a good person. I just thought that if you were to go down the wrong path, it would be such a shame…" The more she spoke, the more she felt she was being presumptuous and overthinking things.
Just as she was wondering how to move past this, a pair of hands gently rested on her waist. With a soft motion, they drew her body forward into an embrace, slowly holding her. Ling Sui's voice sounded by her ear. "I haven't gone down the wrong path. I still have to come back to see you."
How could he ever become bad?
Suddenly embraced, Meng Luobai was startled for a moment. Hearing Ling Sui say this, she also understood his anger and hurt. She raised her hand and patted Ling Sui's back. "Alright, alright. I understand now."
Ling Sui gently released her. "Good that you understand now. The man is called Ling Jinlin, Ling Shujin's son. While I was out of the country, he brought a group of people to my villa to mess around. It took me a great deal of effort to disinfect the place."
Ling Shujin—Meng Luobai recognized that name from the news. He was Ling Yunqian's half-brother, the de facto controlling shareholder of Empirl, and the biggest rival when Ling Sui and his father were seizing power. Moreover, there were always some murky, unexplained murder cases tied to this man.
So that was it. Although Meng Luobai listened to Ling Sui's explanation, she felt a bit uneasy about the hug just now. They had grown up together, but they were adults now, and being overly intimate wasn't appropriate. Perhaps it was because Ling Sui had spent so many years in France—maybe he'd gotten used to the Western habit of hugging and kissing. "Then I really did misunderstand."
After thinking it over, she circled back to the earlier topic. "In-in that case, you shouldn't have any problem pursuing the girl you like."
Ling Sui's glassy, amber-colored eyes took on a warm sheen under the cozy lighting. He raised an eyebrow. "I think so too."
Meng Luobai slowly let out a breath. "Then I wish you success in achieving your wish."
The warm light blended their shadows together. Ling Sui's gaze was earnest, almost devout, so direct it was pure. "Of course."