Perhaps she was too tense, Song Qingchun kept hearing the sound of a car engine running beside her ears. When she tore open her eyes to check if she was hallucinating, she saw the yellow car headlights through the window, its light strong and blinding.
As if on cue, Song Qingchun practically bounced up from the sofa. Through the window, she could see the car slow to a halt, and Su Zhinian stepped out of it. He slammed the car door closed and stepped toward the house.
The closer he got, the faster her heat beat. She stood frozen. Holding her breath, she stared unblinkingly at the front door. When Song Qingchun heard the sound of the password being keyed in, she finally came to and rushed to the entranceway.
Before Song Qingchun could open the door for him, Su Zhinian had already pushed the door open. His hair was in a mess probably from a long day at work. The fatigue hardened his jawline, lending him an air of unsociability that was more severe than usual.
Song Qingchun only took a glance at Su Zhinian before squatting down to pull out a pair of home slippers to put before him, saying, "You're finally home."
Su Zhinian changed into the slippers without saying a word. He did not even acknowledge her presence much less reply her. He strode upstairs acting like she was not even there.
From the moment Su Zhinian walked through the front door to the time he entered his bedroom was more or less only one minute. However, in that one minute, Song Qingchun's back was completely drenched from cold sweat.
Su Zhinian's return made Song Qingchun wide awake; her desire to sleep completely went out the window. She searched for her phone among the crevices of the sofa cushions, and when she found it, the time on it showed 6 am.
Song Qingchun's heart that was in her throat the entire night finally relaxed.
There was only one hour to 7 am… In other words, she only needed to hold on for one more hour and she would be released from this torment… And this last hour, she would prepare breakfast to use as an excuse to avoid interacting with Su Zhinian…
The dinner from last night was perfectly preserved in the microwave, but Song Qingchun not only started cooking breakfast from scratch but also selected the most time-consuming millet porridge on the menu. When breakfast was ready, it was already 6.45 am. There were only fifteen minutes left…
Song Qingchun dragged out another five minutes by fidgeting in the kitchen before going upstairs to knock on Su Zhinian's bedroom door. "Mr. Su, your breakfast is ready."
There was no answer, but through the door, Song Qingchun could hear approaching footsteps before the door was pulled open from within.
Su Zhinian had changed into a pair of casual outfit. Song Qingchun believed he had just gotten out of the shower because there was a heavy aroma of shower gel around him. It was a nice smell, an elegant scent.
He walked past her to go downstairs without uttering a word. Song Qingchun followed obediently behind him, maintaining a safe distance between them.
When Su Zhinian reached the third step from the landing, his footstep stopped as the pink color suitcase lying beside the wall and the wrinkled sofa came into view.
Su Zhinian frowned. He suddenly turned around to look at Song Qingchun behind him.
Song Qingchun flinched from his sudden movement. Then, he pointed at a closed door beside his bedroom and said in a level tone, "That's your room."
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