The New Favorite

Turning around, she found him less than two feet away. Her eyes met a button on his shirt, glinting dimly. Staring at the button, she said stiffly, “You should go to Rongrong’s for porridge, or go to Lin’s Porridge Shop.” Shen Mu seemed not to hear, standing there with his arms crossed, watching her brazenly. Then, the small flame in her heart burst into flames. Xu Ke threw the spoon into the pot and glared at him, “What do you really want?” Shen Mu, however, smiled, “You’re finally angry.” After Xu Ke vented her frustration with that one sentence, she found herself at a loss for words, unsure of what to say next. Shen Mu seemed to be waiting for her outburst. His expression softened, a gentle look crossing his face as he softly said, “The market was supposed to rise this morning, but then the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission released a message that dragged down the market, so 600xxx just went along with the trend for another washout. Did you think I was trying to hurt you?” Xu Ke looked up at him seriously and said, “Shen Mu, you’ve got it wrong. Profits and losses in stocks are like the victories and defeats in warfare – they’re normal. You didn’t force my hand to buy; why should I hate you? I’ve always believed that internal factors are fundamental. No matter what happens, the first thing I’ve learned now is to look for the reasons within myself. For instance, six years ago, if I had seen myself clearly, seen you clearly, I wouldn’t have hurt myself. If I hadn’t been so foolish, I wouldn’t have thought you’d like me.” Shen Mu’s face darkened. “Even if you intentionally tell me a false message now, I still wouldn’t hate you. Hating someone requires a lot of emotion, and I don’t have that much emotion left for you.” Xu Ke quickly finished speaking and turned away. She was somewhat agitated, and as she turned, her arm knocked the spoon from the sand pot onto the ground. She bent down to pick up the spoon, but suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped tightly around her. He held her close to his chest as if to prove something with all his might. Feeling both embarrassed and urgent, Xu Ke struggled, but she couldn’t break free. Annoyed and embarrassed, she hit his hand with the spoon still hot from the sand pot. Shen Mu seemed to pause for a moment, loosening his grip. Xu Ke quickly pushed him away, but as she turned, her foot slipped on some porridge that had spilled when the spoon fell, and she nearly fell backward. Shen Mu quickly caught her, chuckling softly, “There’s porridge on the floor, I was afraid you’d step in it, but you did anyway.” Xu Ke glanced down to see a white streak left by her foot where the porridge had splattered. Even so, she was still somewhat angry; a kind reminder didn’t need him to embrace her so tightly, a simple verbal warning would have sufficed. Shen Mu examined the red mark on his hand, showing it to her and sighed, “That was harsh.” Xu Ke glanced at it, feeling no guilt. Shen Mu blew on his hand and asked, “Do you have any burn ointment?” Xu Ke shot him an annoyed look, “Even women aren’t as delicate as you; just put some toothpaste on it.” With that, she went into the bathroom, picked up the toothpaste from in front of the mirror, and when she looked up, she saw him staring at her through the mirror. Feeling uncomfortable, she thrust the toothpaste into his hand. He took it but didn’t immediately apply it to his hand; instead, he tossed a toothbrush from the cup in front of the sink into the trash. Xu Ke was instantly furious, “What are you doing?” “He’s gone, aren’t you? You were planning to keep it for his next visit?” Xu Ke felt her patience wearing thin; how could he impose his cleanliness on her? Whether it was her underwear last time or this toothbrush, he was overstepping, thinking he was who to her? Just as she was about to explode, the front door opened. Both Xu Ke and Shen Mu turned to see Lin Yao standing there in surprise. Shen Mu walked out first, leaving Xu Ke awkwardly facing Lin Yao, unsure how to explain Shen Mu’s presence. “Mr. Shen, why are you here?” Lin Yao spoke first, looking both surprised and pleased, seemingly not overthinking. Shen Mu glanced back at Xu Ke and said lightly, “I had something to discuss with Xu Ke, but she wasn’t answering her phone, so I had to come over.” “Lin Yao, chat with Shen Mu, I’ll go cook.” Xu Ke seized the opportunity to escape to the kitchen, closing the door behind her. She took out her phone and sent a text to Lin Ge. “Have you eaten?” “Yes, have you?” “I’m cooking.” After a while, Lin Ge replied, “I miss you already.” Xu Ke’s lips curved into a slight smile as she started to stir-fry the vegetables. After a while, when she opened the kitchen door with the dish in hand, she saw Lin Yao asking Shen Mu with concern, “What happened to your hand?” “Xu Ke hit it.” Xu Ke nearly dropped the plate she was holding. Lin Yao was taken aback, “Mr. Shen, are you joking?” “No, ask Xu Ke if you don’t believe me.” Shen Mu turned to Xu Ke, raising his chin provocatively. Xu Ke felt both embarrassed and irritated; she wanted to tape his mouth shut. Lin Yao’s questioning gaze immediately turned to her. Xu Ke quickly explained, “It was an accident.” Shen Mu cleared his throat, “I think it was intentional.” Xu Ke felt the flames of anger rising within her; he was testing her limits. Fortunately, her phone rang at the right moment, pulling her back to reason. She put down the dish and took out her phone; it was Mo Xiaoxiao. “Xu Ke, today is my brother’s birthday, come over to play and meet my new boyfriend and my brother’s new girlfriend, you’ll be amazed!” “What’s going on?” Mo Xiaoxiao was being secretive, just urging her, “You’ll know when you come, hurry up!” Normally, Xu Ke would politely decline, but today, she really didn’t want to face Shen Mu; escaping was a good option. The villas in Rong Di were only two in a row. The Mo and Shen families were neighbors, each with their own courtyard. After moving to Shen’s house with her mother, Xu Ke quickly became friends with Mo Xiaoxiao and was quite familiar with Mo Xin Yu. But since moving out of the villa, she had never been back to Mo Xiaoxiao’s place, unsure if it was to avoid meeting Shen Mu or to avoid stirring up old memories. Xu Ke hung up the phone and said to Lin Yao, “Mo Xiaoxiao invited me for dinner, you and Shen Mu take your time. I’ll head out.” Saying this, she took off her apron, grabbed her coat from behind the door, and walked out, feeling a sense of relief. Unexpectedly, Shen Mu immediately stood up, “I’ll go with you.” Xu Ke was startled, “Aren’t you here to have porridge?” Shen Mu squinted, “Oh, having porridge was just an excuse.” His direct yet profound words made Xu Ke’s heart skip a beat, then race chaotically. She dared not continue the conversation or meet Lin Yao’s gaze, hurriedly descending the stairs, fearing that Shen Mu might say something shocking that would make Lin Yao suspicious. Lin Yao walked to the door and politely said, “Mr. Shen, please come again when you have time.” Shen Mu gave a faint hum and followed Xu Ke downstairs. Xu Ke took a deep breath and descended to the first floor in one go. Turning around, she confronted Shen Mu. “Since when did you start telling the truth so often? Did you do it on purpose?” Shen Mu stood in the corridor, watching her quietly without any intention to defend himself. Suddenly, the motion-sensor light went out. In the darkness, his expression was indiscernible, but his tall silhouette carried a mysterious aura of the night, making him inscrutable. His silence only fueled Xu Ke’s frustration; it seemed he was enjoying teasing her more than before. Irritated, she turned to leave, but then she heard a low, gentle voice from behind.