Since the Spring Festival, Lin Ge had been very busy, juggling multiple roles besides his own research. The soaring housing prices put immense pressure on him. Coming from a modest background, with his father deceased early and his mother supporting the siblings, their family resources had long been depleted. This time, he came back partly to see Xu Ke and also to check out the house Lin Yao had mentioned. Buying a house had become an urgent matter; any further delay might make it impossible. Just as he was about to discuss the housing issue with Xu Ke, there was a knock at the door. Both were startled, and Lin Ge got up to answer it. Seeing Shen Mu at the door, he was surprised; hadn’t he just left?
“Hello, I’m here for Xu Ke,” Shen Mu’s voice came, startling Xu Ke to her feet. Standing outside, with dim light from the half-open door casting shadows on him, his expression was hard to read. From the bedroom to the door, just a few short steps, but Xu Ke’s heart was already pounding. He was always unpredictable; his sudden return might lead to something unexpected. She couldn’t be sure. Six years ago, he did something so shocking and heart-wrenching that it left a deep scar. Time had passed, and she thought she had forgotten, but seeing him again, she realized it was merely buried, not forgotten. His occasional appearances always inadvertently reminded her of those past pains.
She approached him slowly, noticing his composure was almost too calm, which made her even more nervous. She tried to stay composed and asked, “What’s the matter?” He handed her a set of keys, “Weren’t you wanting Lin Ge to see the house? Zhang Yang went to Beijing and left the keys with me. You can go see it when you have time. Here are the keys.” His words were quick, his eyes holding an emotion she couldn’t quite define, like the undercurrents of a river. Unexpectedly, his purpose was this, and she sighed in relief, taking the keys and saying softly, “Thank you, I’ll return the keys after we’ve seen it.” Lin Ge also thanked him repeatedly. Shen Mu just hummed in acknowledgment and turned to leave.
