Chapter 192: A Feeling of Sharing a Life Together

Yannan Garden Community.

At 10:30, brilliant sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling window of the balcony, and Er Miao was lounging lazily in the warm sunshine, resting.

"Huh~"

Xu Xu Qingzhou pulled his thoughts away from the paper, exhaled, stretched, got up, and poured himself a glass of water; a slight drowsiness now crept in.

But it wasn't quite time to fall asleep, so he leaned back on the sofa, deciding to let the feeling brew a little.

Compared to when he left a week ago, the living room had changed dramatically: a doormat appeared by the door, several drinking cups sat on the dining table, and the sofa was covered in a gray slipcover. Things had multiplied, making the space feel a bit cramped—but also more like home.

She must have put in a lot of effort for all this.

Creak~ The sound of a key turning in the lock came from the door.

Knowing Xu Xu Qingzhou was watching her, Song Yao ignored him and kept reading her book.

Read! {

"Xu Xu Qingzhou!"

A few loose strands of hair fluttered against her rounded chin; her delicate features were beautiful, and her long eyelashes trembled slightly as she pondered.

"Two weeks' worth of food for Er Miao."

Thinking this, he pulled a pillow behind his back, shifted into a more comfortable position, and stared at the ceiling, feeling a quiet sense that things really did feel a little like sharing a life together.

Song Yao usually maintained a calm, elegant demeanor, especially when reading—adding a cool, detached aura that made her seem unapproachable.

!.

"Open it now?"

"Beautiful." Xu Xu Qingzhou nodded. Her hands were pale and smooth, her fingers slender, perfectly complementing the bracelet—truly lovely.

Of course, Xu Xu Qingzhou had no intention of confessing now; it was better to let Song Yao adjust gradually, first get used to cohabiting.

One minute passed.

"Mm." Song Yao nodded.

Song Yao put down her pen and said, "It's up. I've made half my profit. I'll sell when the market rises at month's end."

Xu Xu Qingzhou smirked, looked away—fine, don't let me look, then.

Song Yao left one bag for Xu Xu Qingzhou to feed the cat, to foster interaction between human and pet, and tucked the other bag into the cabinet by the door.

Having given the gift, Xu Xu Qingzhou had no intention of staying awake; his eyelids were heavy. He got up and returned to his bedroom for a nap—he'd sleep a few hours, then head to the lab afterward.

Since they were already living under the same roof, sleeping in the same room couldn't be far off. Boldly, he could just grab his blanket that night, go to her door, and say: "It's early spring, the heating's off, nights are still chilly—mind if I squeeze into your room?"

"Let it brew a little longer." Xu Xu Qingzhou smiled inwardly, finding this girl contradictory—daring enough to move out with him, yet suddenly backing off just as cohabitation was about to begin.

Song Yao broke her composure, shot him a warning glance—clearly meaning: look again and I'll punch you.

"Jet lag. I'll sleep at 11." Xu Xu Qingzhou relaxed completely, propped his hands behind his head, and studied Song Yao in his line of sight.

She'd come with him to view the apartment and helped clean it, but technically, today was the first day they truly lived under the same roof. The more he thought about it, the more unnatural it felt.

"?"

Song Yao held the delivery box in her arms, glanced at Xu Xu Qingzhou sitting dumbly on the sofa, instinctively brushed back her bangs, then asked: "Aren't you sleeping?"

Next, she'd probably punch him into the wall so hard he'd be stuck there, impossible to dig out.

"Huh~"

"Mm."

"Alright." Song Yao gave a slight nod. Xu Xu Qingzhou sounded convincingly sincere.

After putting it on, she shook her wrist and asked Xu Xu Qingzhou again: "Does it look good?"

Song Yao examined the bracelet—delicate and exquisite—and nodded in satisfaction. "Hmph. Not worth all the meals I cooked for you."

Xu Xu Qingzhou scratched Er Miao under the chin and continued talking to Song Yao: "How are those two stocks you bought doing?"

Song Yao internally grumbled, glanced at him, and said: "If you're tired, go rest in your room."

Song Yao stayed silent, gritted her teeth, and just watched him make it up.

"This tea is sweet and smooth, fragrant and pleasant—quite delicious."

"Just a handful is enough."

Song Yao took the tea packets, her whole demeanor souring; she wanted to hit him: "This is the gift you brought me?"

Check how Ren Ren Xiaoling's thesis is coming along, and most importantly, get the equipment calibrated and finish the experiment before the Chinese Mathematical Society's presentation on the 20th.

Er Miao, full, wandered over hoping for a cuddle, but Song Yao was reading—ignored, the cat turned to Xu Xu Qingzhou, the "bad guy" who called it ugly, and curled up on his stomach to sleep.

Solved the twin prime conjecture. This guy is truly insane.

Song Yao raised an eyebrow, looked up at him, and extended her pale palm, her eyes holding a hint of anticipation. Then she saw Xu Xu Qingzhou pull out several tea bags from his backpack and hand them over.

"Mm. Professor Gu invited experts for a symposium to verify it." Xu Xu Qingzhou nodded, yawning.

Xu Xu Qingzhou asked curiously: "What did you buy?"

Hearing Xu Xu Qingzhou's praise, Song Yao felt pleased and thought it looked beautiful—this guy had good taste.

Song Yao took out the materials from her backpack, preparing to read more, then noticed Xu Xu Qingzhou still wasn't sleeping. "Did you finish with Professor Gu?"

He remembered his purpose, picked up Er Miao, placed it on the sofa, grabbed his backpack, sat down in front of Song Yao, and grinned mysteriously: "I brought you a gift. Come on, extend your hand."

Er Miao had already wandered over, circling them, meowing nonstop.

Xu Qingzhou nodded, relieved—at least the campus beauty wasn't easily becoming a pushover.

"I need to catch some sleep. Don't wake me for dinner."

Thud~ The bedroom door shut.

Sure enough, Xu Xu Qingzhou couldn't keep up the act—he pulled the bracelet from his bag and placed it in her palm: "Here. This is the real gift."

Xu Xu Qingzhou stood, picked up the utility knife beneath the TV, took the delivery box from Song Yao, sliced it open, and pulled out the two bags of cat food.

After giving the gift, Xu Xu Qingzhou realized there was nothing else to do. He pointed to the chocolate box on the coffee table: "There's some chocolate left. Take one box to your dorm."

Song Yao sighed, gazing at the bracelet Xu Xu Qingzhou gave her, a pleasant curve forming at the corner of her lips—this guy had some decency after all, remembered to bring her a gift.

"Alright."

Xu Xu Qingzhou rubbed Er Miao's head twice, didn't disturb it, and lay back on the sofa to rest.

He pondered his relationship with the girl across from him. After spending so much time together, he realized that beyond her captivating looks, Song Yao had many other appealing traits—cool, intelligent, and yes, the contrast too.

Gently tracing the silver pendant on the bracelet, she thought she'd treasure this piece dearly.

Especially since she'd be punching Xu Xu Qingzhou in the future—she absolutely couldn't break it.

"Achoo~"

In the bedroom, Xu Xu Qingzhou had just lain down when he sneezed in a series. He rubbed his nose, puzzled—had he caught a cold just after returning?

(End of Chapter)