The New Favorite

It was unclear whether it was because of the Hummer’s high chassis, but he seemed to carry an air of upright and robust arrogance. Shen Mu looked at Xu Ke, his tone commanding, “Get in the car quickly.” Lin Yao was ecstatic, eagerly stepping forward to open the car door and thanking them repeatedly. Xu Ke hesitated for a moment before also getting in. Despite it being April, the car’s heater was on. “There are clean towels in the back seat,” Lin Yao said, immediately thanking him and turning to grab a towel. Xu Ke also turned around, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw a delivery box on the empty seat in the back, the very underwear box she had returned that day. Lin Yao’s gaze swept over, her eyes complex. Xu Ke felt as if she had been caught red-handed, her heart pounding; this was something she had been quite open about, but now it was somewhat inexplicable. Lin Yao’s expression was strange, her earlier excitement and joy had faded, and she looked at Xu Ke as if she wanted to say something but held back. Xu Ke knew what she wanted to ask, but with Shen Mu sitting in front, she was too embarrassed to speak. The car was silent, Xu Ke’s mind as chaotic as the raindrops outside; how should she explain this? It was Lin Yao who broke the silence, but not to talk to Xu Ke; instead, she smiled and asked Shen Mu, “Doesn’t Mr. Shen usually drive a Porsche?” “I just swapped cars with Zhang Yang,” Shen Mu replied. Lin Yao paused, then continued chatting with Shen Mu about other topics. Suddenly, Xu Ke realized that a Porsche only has two seats. When they reached Hu Xi, the rain had stopped. At the alley entrance, Xu Ke said indifferently, “Mr. Shen, just here is fine, thank you.” Lin Yao, understanding the situation, added, “Yes, we can’t drive in there; it’s too narrow to turn around.” Shen Mu stopped the car, turned back to smile at Lin Yao first, then asked Xu Ke, “When do you plan to buy Zhang Yang’s house?” Xu Ke didn’t look at him, opened the door, got out, and threw back, “I’ll talk about it when my boyfriend has time to come and see it. You said the highest bidder wins, right? No need to hold it for me.” After her outburst, she felt she had been too impulsive. Was it childish to argue with him? Never mind, it’s best not to see him in the future if possible. Xu Ke walked into the alley first. Lin Yao kept saying goodbye and thank you to Shen Mu, then hurried after Xu Ke. After the rain, the alley was full of puddles, the surrounding houses looking even more dilapidated and old, starkly contrasting with the environment of Lvdau. Xu Ke felt an even stronger desire to leave this place. “Why did Zhang Yang send you underwear?” Lin Yao, who had been quiet, suddenly asked. Xu Ke was startled, almost stepping into a puddle. Lin Yao had guessed the underwear was from Zhang Yang, probably because the box was in his Hummer. “Does he have feelings for you?” Lin Yao’s tone made Xu Ke uncomfortable; why should she pry into her private life? Xu Ke felt stifled, stopped, and looked back at Lin Yao, “It’s not what you think. This is my private matter. If Lin Ge wants to know, I’ll explain to him.” After saying that, Xu Ke regretted it. She had always been tolerant of Lin Yao, but what was with her today, being so impulsive? It was all because of Shen Mu; he had stirred up her anger and disrupted her peace. Unexpectedly, Lin Yao whispered, “That’s not what I meant. If Zhang Yang really has feelings for you, it’s a good thing; you could get him to lower the price. The house is really nice.” Xu Ke was speechless. Back at their residence, it was dusk. Xu Ke went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Lin Yao was online; as Xu Ke passed by, she saw her chatting on QQ. Xu Ke felt drained; ever since living with Lin Yao, she had become her nanny, cooking for her, cleaning for her. Lin Yao, being three years younger and her sister-in-law, seemed to take it for granted. Xu Ke tolerated her for Lin Ge’s sake, but she really didn’t like her. This was another reason she was eager to buy a house; she really didn’t want to live with Lin Yao anymore. During dinner, Lin Yao suddenly asked, “Why didn’t you invite Shen Mu for dinner?” Xu Ke was taken aback, “Why should I invite him to dinner?” “Didn’t he introduce the house?” Xu Ke frowned, “He introduced it, but I haven’t bought it yet. I’ll think about it if I do.” Even if she bought Lvdau, she wouldn’t invite him to dinner. Lin Yao seemed to want to say something but kept picking at her food, her eyes flickering, lost in thought. After dinner, Lin Ge called to ask about the house. Xu Ke knew Lin Yao must have told him about the viewing on QQ. Did she mention the underwear? “Lin Yao said the house is particularly nice; I want to take time next week to go back and look at it.” “No rush, I don’t have enough money right now.” Lin Ge paused, “Let’s pool our money and make the down payment first.” Xu Ke agreed. “Xiaoke, I, I miss you a lot.” Even through the phone, Xu Ke blushed. Lin Ge was very introverted, never saying “I love you.” When he pursued Xu Ke, it wasn’t with love letters, songs, or dinners, but with lyrics. He had beautiful handwriting and painted well. He wrote lyrics in elegant script, adorned with freehand landscapes or birds and flowers. After experiencing the intense ups and downs with Shen Mu, Xu Ke found Lin Ge like a bottle of wine in a flower garden, gentle and subtly intoxicating. On the table was a photo of the two of them; Lin Ge was refined and scholarly, unlike Shen Mu, who was dazzling yet sharp. Being with Lin Ge gave Xu Ke a sense of stability and peace. “Sister-in-law, let’s chat,” Lin Yao suddenly pushed the door open, smiling and peeking in. Xu Ke felt uneasy upon hearing “sister-in-law”; Lin Yao always called her that when she needed something. “Okay.” Lin Yao sat on the bed, fidgeting before asking, “Is Shen Mu married?” Lin Yao’s topic was both unexpected and reasonable. A man like Shen Mu, even without his wealth, was extremely pleasing to look at, with an impressive demeanor and presence, most appealing to women. She had been one of them back then… how foolish. “Seems like he’s not married,” Xu Ke recalled hearing from Mr. Huo that he was a diamond bachelor, which meant he should be unmarried. Lin Yao, excited, asked again, “So, does he have a girlfriend?” “I don’t know,” Xu Ke replied, though she immediately thought of Rong Rong. Even if Rong Rong wasn’t his girlfriend, someone like him would never lack female company. Lin Yao, a bit embarrassed, blushed and said, “Why don’t you ask him?” Xu Ke felt helpless but couldn’t refuse her outright, so she said, “I’ll ask if I get the chance.” “You’re free now, why not ask?” Lin Yao insisted, watching Xu Ke intently as she picked up the phone, putting Xu Ke in an awkward position. If she didn’t ask, it would seem like her relationship with Shen Mu was unnatural, as if there were some undisclosed past between them. Reluctantly, Xu Ke picked up her phone and sent a message to Shen Mu, “You’re not married, right?” He quickly replied, “Just like you.” Xu Ke pondered; although she wasn’t married, she had a boyfriend. What about him? She sent another message, “Do you have a girlfriend?” Lin Yao stared eagerly, but Shen Mu took a long time to reply. Xu Ke comforted Lin Yao, “He’s very busy, go to bed, I’ll tell you if he replies.” Lin Yao left the room awkwardly. Xu Ke put her phone aside and opened her laptop to check the trend of stock 600xxx. Suddenly, her phone beeped. Picking it up, she saw it was a message from Shen Mu. She opened it, and her blood boiled. His reply was a long one, “Yes, I have too many girlfriends, which one do you want to know about? Or should I tell you about the dumbest one?” He was clearly hinting that she was that ‘dumbest one’. Xu Ke angrily shut off her phone, silently cursing this unrepentant sharp-tongued man, wishing he’d find a fierce woman to torment him!