She's Too Sweet - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

As soon as Xie Lou arrived, it was like a king had descended upon the scene. Chen Lin and Chi Ying were clearly very interested in him and started chatting with him. Xie Lou was a man of few words and didn’t like to engage with people much, but this only made Chi Ying’s eyes sparkle.

Wen Man let out a soft whistle and leaned in close to Su He, whispering, “Do you think Chi Ying will pursue him?”

Su He, biting on her straw, shook her head. “I don’t know.”

She wasn’t interested in speculating.

Wen Man patted Su He’s shoulder, and the table erupted into lively chatter once again. Some were flattering, while others were chatting and flirting.

Chen Yao tapped his foot on the ground, swaying his chair dishonestly as he leaned closer to Xie Lou, laughing, “Just woke up?”

Xie Lou lifted his eyelids. “Yeah.”

“Did Su He help you with dinner?”

Xie Lou replied, “Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you greet her?”

The two of them clearly knew each other, yet they didn’t exchange a single word. The atmosphere was awkward.

Xie Lou snorted, “Do you think she looks like she wants to greet me?”

Chen Yao let out a soft whistle. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you two are having a fall out…”

Xie Lou snickered, “Huh.”

He leaned back, stretching his long legs slightly. Under the table, his knees bumped into Su He’s, causing her to flinch. She looked at him blankly.

Her teeth were still grinding on the straw, her lips were rosy, and she seemed somewhat pitiful.

Xie Lou raised an eyebrow, asking coldly, “What are you looking at?”

His tone was both rogue and cold.

Su He pursed her lips, stomping her foot under the table, stepping on his foot. “Sorry,” she murmured.

Xie Lou paused for a moment before breaking into a low laugh. His laughter was like teasing a cat.

The young man’s laughter was both bad and lazy, drawing the attention of everyone at the table.

“What’s so funny?” Chi Ying asked curiously.

Xie Lou raised an eyebrow but didn’t respond. He pulled back his long legs, his smile fading as he picked up his phone and began scrolling lazily.

* * * * * * * * * *

Su He also withdrew her gaze from his face, but her ears turned slightly red. She took a deep breath.

Wen Man propped her chin up, giving Su He a meaningful look. Su He smiled bitterly at her.

Wen Man patted her shoulder again.

That night, they ate barbecue a bit late. It was almost midnight when they returned to the dorm. Xu Yu didn’t ask for Wen Man’s WeChat, and Chi Ying didn’t get Xie Lou’s either.

Chen Yao took Su He’s number. As soon as Su He went to wash her face, she received Chen Yao’s friend request. She glanced at it but didn’t accept it.

Chen Yao added, “Old classmate, let’s be friends.”

The next day, Chen Yao continued to send her requests, all of which she ignored.

Around nine, Su He took her books and headed to her microeconomics class. Wen Man’s classroom was nearby, and they left together.

On the way, Wen Man linked arms with Su He, laughing and saying, “Did he bully you last night?”

Su He looked at Wen Man and shook her head. “No.”

Wen Man smiled. “This guy looks too dangerous; I advise you not to fall for him. When you get married, find someone who looks more honest.”

Su He smiled warmly.

She thought to herself, ‘I’ve had feelings for him for many years now… What can I do?’

Su He curiously looked at Wen Man. “And what about Xu Yu from yesterday? Are you interested?”

Wen Man let out a soft whistle, releasing Su He’s arm. “He’s just a young boy; there’s nothing to think about.”

Su He laughed, somewhat admiring Wen Man’s personality.

The two parted ways at the classroom fork, and Su He entered her classroom with her books. The two-hour class passed quickly, and it was just past eleven when it ended.

Wen Man didn’t have any afternoon classes and was heading to a company. Su He rode with her to the Hua Dong New City District. Wen Man poked her head out and asked, “Want to go out tonight?”

Su He asked, “Where are we going?”

“Let’s go to a billiards room; I haven’t played in a while.”

Su He thought for a moment. “Okay.”

Wen Man asked, “What time should I pick you up?”

Since Su He needed to cook dinner, she calculated the time. “Seven-thirty?”

“Alright.”

The Tesla accelerated and drove away.

* * * * * * * * * *

Standing at the entrance of her neighborhood, Su He pulled out her phone and dialed Xie Lou’s number.

The call connected quickly.

His low, husky voice came through, “What’s up?”

Su He paused for a moment. “Do you have any vegetables at home?”

There were some leftovers from the kitchen the night before, but not enough.

Xie Lou lazily replied, “No, you need to buy some. Just eat lunch; I’m going out tonight.”

Su He responded, “Okay,” and hung up without waiting for him to say anything else.

She put away her phone and headed towards the bridge, where there was a market in the old city district. She went there to buy vegetables.

Xie Lou lay on the sofa, staring at the black screen of his phone, letting out a soft whistle.

He wanted to ask her to buy a few beers.

She hung up so quickly.

He thought to himself, ‘Fire her.’

Not long after, Su He returned with the groceries and entered the house. Xie Lou was yawning, leaning on the sofa, and lifted his eyelids to glance at her. Su He silently entered the kitchen.

She took out the leftovers from the fridge and organized them. She cooked a dish, focusing on spicy tripe and some lighter dishes.

Because the tripe needed to be cleaned, it took some time. It was already past noon, and Su He was sweating slightly on her forehead. By the time she finished and came out, it was already one-thirty.

The living room was quiet.

She brought out the dishes and placed them on the table. She prepared the rice and put it on the table, but Xie Lou didn’t come over.

She paused for a moment, scanning the living room. She spotted his long legs stretched out from the sofa.

She called out softly, “Xie Lou?”

Was he asleep?

As she walked to the back of the sofa and looked down, she saw that he was indeed asleep.

The tall figure, about 188 cm, had his hand over his forehead, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, and his thin lips revealing a hint of indifference. He was sleeping soundly, and those narrow eyes, once closed, seemed somewhat gentle.

Even asleep, he couldn’t hide his fierce aura.

Su He stared blankly at him.

Her thoughts drifted away…

She remembered the first time she saw him. He was biting on a pen, chatting with Chen Yao, his eyebrows slightly raised, looking mischievous. When he turned to look at her, his dark eyes were as deep as the sea.

Even though he only glanced at her before turning away, she felt like she hadn’t left any impression on him.

Yet, her heart still raced.

Back to reality, Su He bent down, her mouth about to open.

Just then, she met his eyes, which had opened without her noticing.

Time froze for a second.

Their gazes intertwined, and Su He felt her heart racing again. Her hair slid down her cheek, resting on the sofa.

The entire house was silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The sweat on her forehead trickled down to her chin under Xie Lou’s gaze.

Xie Lou furrowed his eyebrows, his voice carrying a fierce tone, “What are you looking at?”

Su He snapped back to reality, grabbing the jacket draped over the sofa and throwing it at his face.

Her voice trembled slightly, “Dinner.”

Xie Lou was caught off guard by the jacket and paused for a moment before sitting up. He looked at her once his eyes adjusted, but she was already gone.

He leaned back against the sofa, looking at her as she entered the kitchen. Su He took off her apron and came out, saying, “I’m leaving.”

Xie Lou was still leaning lazily against the sofa, seemingly not fully awake. “Okay.”

Su He opened the door and left. The house fell silent once again.

Xie Lou got up from the sofa and walked to the dining table. He rested his hand on the table and took a bite of the tripe.

It was spicy and flavorful.

Just as he was about to sit down, his phone rang. He returned to the living room and picked up the phone from the coffee table.

The name “Xiao Cen” appeared on the screen. He leaned against the armrest and answered.

However, he didn’t say a word.

Xiao Cen’s crying voice came through, “You finally picked up my call.”

“What time is it? Why are you crying?” Xie Lou asked, his expression impatient.

Xiao Cen’s crying grew louder. “You don’t know why?”

Xie Lou replied, “I haven’t eaten yet; say what you need to say now.”

“Did you change your mind?” Xiao Cen asked loudly, accusing him of not calling her since she went abroad and not answering her calls.

Xie Lou bent down, picked up a cigarette, and lit it. After two seconds, he let out a cold laugh. “We’ve broken up; isn’t it normal to change my mind?”

“Xie Lou—”

As Xiao Cen’s voice turned into a scream, Xie Lou hung up.

* * * * * * * * * *

Back in her old city home, Su He rummaged through the fridge and found some leftovers. She cooked them and ate.

In the afternoon, she went to school. That evening, Wen Man came to pick her up, and they went to a restaurant. Wen Man chose a Japanese place, and Su He loved the grilled shrimp and crab rolls. They ordered several sets.

After dinner, they went to a billiards room.

Wen Man was clearly a regular, and the young owner, Wen Yi, personally came out to greet them. Wen Yi seemed to have a crush on Wen Man, nodding at himself. “I can teach you.”

Wen Man pouted. “And what about my friend?”

Wen Yi smiled. “I’ll find someone for her.”

Wen Man looked at Su He.

Su He smiled and nodded. “I haven’t played in a while; it would be great to have someone teach me.”

Wen Man nodded in agreement.

Wen Yi opened a private room, and they went in. He ordered tea and pastries. Wen Man played with her phone while chatting with Su He. Su He ate pastries and listened to Wen Man, occasionally glancing at the billiards table.

In high school, she had learned billiards for a while, hoping to play a game with Xie Lou someday. She even convinced her dad to turn their equipment room into a billiards room.

But unfortunately, she only learned for less than two months…

Su He smiled to herself, remembering Xie Lou’s gaze from earlier that day.

She and Xie Lou were quite interesting. She avoided him, and he was on guard against her.

* * * * * * * * * *

Wen Man went to make a call, leaving Su He alone and bored. She stood up, picked up a cue stick, and began practicing on the table. It had been a while, so her hands felt a bit clumsy. She raised the cue stick, aiming straight at the door.

Just then, the door opened, and Xie Lou walked in, chewing on a cigarette and wearing a white shirt. He saw the cue stick pointing at his chest.

With a loud thud, the cue stick rebounded off the table. Su He’s eyes flashed with panic. “You… how did you end up here?”

Xie Lou raised an eyebrow, his hands clasped together as he leaned against the door. “Oh, so you’re the one being taught.”