Xu Ke rubbed her cheeks with a bitter smile. “I got scared. There was a thief in my room, and I wanted to call the police. I might have accidentally hit the redial button when I grabbed my phone. I’m sorry.” Shen Mu’s gaze went past her shoulder into the room. Being tall, he could see the disarray inside clearly. He walked past Xu Ke and into the room. Scattered on the floor were Xu Ke’s undergarments—pale pink, light purple, and grass green—resembling wildflowers blooming after a spring rain, exuding a subtle charm amidst their fresh tranquility. Feeling very embarrassed, Xu Ke quickly gathered them up and shoved them into a drawer. He frowned and said, “Throw them away.”
Xu Ke was taken aback, remembering his obsession with cleanliness. Actually, after being touched by the thief, she felt disgusted enough to want to discard them. However, hearing it from him, she felt an inexplicable urge to resist and casually said, “They can be washed and worn again.”
“Are you living here alone?”
“I live with my boyfriend’s sister.”
He stood by the window, seemingly lost in thought. After a while, he asked, “Do you want to call the police?”
“No need. There’s nothing valuable in my room. The thief must be regretting it now.”
Shen Mu furrowed his brows, turned around, and said, “It’s too messy here; you can’t stay here.”
“It’s okay, I have a knife under my pillow.”
Anger flashed in Shen Mu’s eyes as he coldly said, “Consider moving to Green Island. I’m thinking about transferring my office to your company.”
What was this? A trade? Xu Ke retorted, “I can’t afford to rent a place in Green Island.”
“At your age, you should be thinking about buying a house.”
At her age!! Xu Ke gritted her teeth silently. He was so sharp-tongued. “Coincidentally, a friend of mine is moving abroad, and he’s eager to sell his house in Green Island. I’ll have him contact you.”
Green Island! Xu Ke admitted she was tempted but also realistically thought it was not feasible. She knew roughly how expensive houses in Green Island were, so she politely said, “Thanks,” without much enthusiasm.
Shen Mu surveyed the room once more, walked to the door, and said, “Lock the door and go to sleep.” He left, locking the door behind him. Soon, the sound of a car starting up came from downstairs. Xu Ke went to the window, watching the sports car backing out of the narrow alley, her smile fading. She took out her phone, looked at the recently dialed number, pondered for a moment, and then saved it. When typing in the name, she instinctively entered three characters: Crane Crest. Back then, in her phone, his name was Puffer Fish—delicious but poisonous, a desire with risk. After that night six years ago, she realized he wasn’t a puffer fish but Crane Crest, not just risky but absolutely off-limits.
That night, she tossed and turned, only falling into a deep sleep as dawn approached. A knock on the door woke her. Glancing at the clock on the table, she realized it was already noon. She opened the door to find Lin Yao standing there, her hair disheveled and looking exhausted.
Xu Ke was surprised. “Aren’t you supposed to be back tomorrow?”
Lin Yao, looking drained, entered the room. “The accommodation was too expensive. I decided to just stay for a day.”
Xu Ke made an acknowledgment sound and was about to close the door when a young girl appeared at the stairwell with a box in her hands. “Is Miss Xu Ke here? I’m from the courier service.”
Xu Ke nodded. “That’s me.”
The girl handed over the box with a cheerful smile and a pen. “Please sign here.”
Xu Ke took the pen, noticing the unfamiliar handwriting on the delivery slip, which was addressed to a department store. Curious, she wondered who had sent something. Lin Yao put down her backpack and came over. Xu Ke signed and opened the box, only to find several sets of underwear inside!
Lin Yao looked at her in surprise. “Who sent these? My brother?”
Xu Ke was both shocked and embarrassed, instantly realizing who it was. She quickly called out to the courier who was about to leave. “Please wait, I need to send this back.”
She hastily sealed the box, filled out the return address, handed it back to the courier, and paid the ten yuan for the postage. Lin Yao’s gaze was intense. “Who sent them? And why are you sending them back?”
Xu Ke found it hard to articulate, not knowing how to explain. She mumbled awkwardly, “It’s a friend.”
“A man or a woman?”
Xu Ke, not good at lying, couldn’t bring herself to tell the truth under these circumstances, so she asked back, blushing, “Do you think a man would send this?”
Lin Yao didn’t press further, but her look was off. Xu Ke breathed a sigh of relief, though her heart was still pounding. What was Shen Mu thinking? Sending underwear, if this got back to Lin Ge, she didn’t know how he’d react. She wondered if Lin Yao would tell him. With this in mind, she quickly sent a text to her friend Mo Xiaoxiao.
“If Lin Ge or Lin Yao ever ask if you’ve ever sent underwear as a gift, say yes.”
Mo Xiaoxiao called back almost immediately. “What’s going on?”
Xu Ke whispered, “I don’t want Lin Ge to misunderstand.”
Mo Xiaoxiao’s voice rose. “Was it a man who sent it?”
Xu Ke covered the microphone and whispered, “Don’t ask.”
Mo Xiaoxiao, furious, said, “Is that bastard harassing you? I’ll go deal with him!”
Bastard… Xu Ke couldn’t help but laugh and cry. “It’s not what you think. Just remember this.”
Mo Xiaoxiao hung up, frustrated for not being able to defend her friend.
Xu Ke thought for a moment and sent Shen Mu a text. “The gift you sent is very inappropriate.”
He quickly replied, “I wouldn’t get the size wrong!”
He even added an exclamation mark. Xu Ke’s face flushed with heat, and in her anger and embarrassment, she retorted, “That’s not what I meant. Such a private gift, I must decline. I’ve sent it back to your address. Please check it.”
After a while, he sent another message: “This brand of underwear is very comfortable; I’m sure you’d look good in it!!”
Two exclamation marks, what a scoundrel. Xu Ke was both embarrassed and angry, deciding not to reply anymore, and went to the kitchen to make lunch. After eating, she received a call.
“Is this Miss Xu? I’m Zhang Yang, a friend of Shen Mu. I heard you’re interested in buying a house. Do you have time to come and have a look today?”
Xu Ke was surprised by Shen Mu’s efficiency. After a moment of hesitation, she said, “Sure, would three o’clock be okay for you?”
“Yes, that works. I live in Building 7 on the ground floor of Green Island South.” Lin Yao immediately poked her head out from the room and asked, “Who is it?” Xu Ke noticed that ever since the underwear delivery person came at noon, Lin Yao had been sneakily watching her. “Someone wants to sell a house on Green Island and invited me to take a look,” Xu Ke said. Lin Yao quickly responded, “Great, I’ll go with you.” Xu Ke wasn’t surprised by her request to accompany her and nodded, “Okay.”
Lin Yao had been somewhat suspicious of her since today, and if Xu Ke didn’t take her along, she might call Lin Ge right away and say something. Xu Ke didn’t want Lin Ge to misunderstand; they had been in a stable relationship for two years, just waiting to buy a house and get married. She didn’t want any trouble.
When they arrived at Green Island, Xu Ke quickly found Building 7 on the south side. Even before entering, she was already fond of the house. It was on the ground floor with a small courtyard at the back, adorned with a pergola of wisteria in full bloom, with light purple flowers amidst the lush green. A swing hung quietly under the flower trellis, as if waiting for someone to sit on it.
