Chapter 49: It’s Fine—I Like the Darkness
The two of them did not continue that topic and instead talked about other things.
Chatting with Fu Mo felt very comfortable. He was well-read and knowledgeable, able to talk fluently about almost any subject.
“I keep feeling like I’ve seen you somewhere before,” Nan Xun finally couldn’t help but say.
Fu Mo’s deep eyes turned toward her, his gaze flickering under the streetlight. “I feel the same. I feel like I’ve known you for a very, very long time.”
If the speaker hadn’t been expressionless, Nan Xun might have thought he was hitting on her—using the kind of clichéd pickup lines.
She studied his profile and thought he really was handsome, just that his skin was rather pale, giving him a somewhat sickly look.
“Ah!” Nan Xun suddenly cried out and pointed at him. “I know who you are!”
Hearing that, Fu Mo’s eyes narrowed slightly, something seeming to brew deep within them.
“Oh? Then tell me—who am I?” he asked.
Nan Xun laughed. “You recognized me too, didn’t you? Last time on the bus, I was sitting next to you, and afterward you even walked me home.”
Fu Mo looked at her, the corners of his lips lifting slightly into a soundless smile. “That’s right. It was me.”
The two chatted for quite a while before finally arriving at the very last building, tucked into the farthest corner of the residential complex.
The streetlamp in front of the building seemed to be broken, leaving the entire building sunk in thick darkness.
Nan Xun regretted turning off the lights to save electricity when she left earlier—now the whole building was pitch-black, giving off a rather eerie feeling.
She quickly shouted up toward the building. With a whoosh, the motion-sensor lights at every stairwell on all six floors lit up.
After shouting, Nan Xun coughed awkwardly and explained to the man beside her, “These lights are really old. Sometimes they don’t turn on just from walking. At times like this, you just have to shout.”
The smile in Fu Mo’s eyes hadn’t faded. “It’s fine. I like the dark. Even without lights, I can still go upstairs.”
They went up, and Nan Xun hurriedly took him to see the other bedroom. “This room is even bigger than mine, it’s just not as well-lit. If you like it, I can switch rooms with you.”
Fu Mo shook his head. “No need. I like this room. I don’t like sunlight that’s too strong.”
Hearing that, Nan Xun knew he was planning to stay. She’d thought he was only coming to look at the place tonight and would move in tomorrow—after all, he hadn’t brought anything. But she didn’t expect Fu Mo to sit down on the sofa in the living room.
“You’re staying here tonight?” Nan Xun asked in surprise. “But it looks like you didn’t bring anything with you.”
Fu Mo looked at her, a trace of teasing flashing through his eyes. “Isn’t it ‘move in anytime’?”
Her listing did say “move in anytime,” but surely that meant with your luggage, not empty-handed, right?
Nan Xun said “Oh,” then added, “Alright, then stay. By the way, have you had dinner? Want me to cook you a bowl of egg noodles?”
She’d only meant it as a polite question, so when she saw Fu Mo nod, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
She hadn’t expected Fu Mo to be so unreserved.
But she liked straightforward people.
The sounds of cooking soon came from the kitchen. Nan Xun fried an egg, sliced some carrots into shreds, chopped a bit of scallion, tossed them in, and soon a fragrant bowl of noodles was ready.
She brought it straight to the coffee table in the living room, her service attitude impeccable—even preparing the chopsticks for him.
Suddenly thinking of something, she quickly asked, “These are bowls and chopsticks I’ve used before. You don’t mind, do you?”
Fu Mo replied, “If it’s yours, I don’t mind.”
With that, he took the bowl of egg noodles and the chopsticks and began eating unhurriedly.
Nan Xun was a bit stunned by what he said. If it were someone else, he would mind?
Why did that sound so much like a flirtatious line?
She watched him for a while. He ate with obvious enjoyment, though he pushed all the carrot shreds to one side, as if he didn’t like them. She also noticed that after each bite, he would put the chopsticks to his mouth and lightly suck on them.
Those thin lips gently pressed against the end of the chopsticks, as if savoring some flavor—something beyond just the taste of egg noodles, a flavor that required a long time to truly appreciate.
For some reason, Nan Xun’s face flushed red all at once.
The bowl was soon empty. Fu Mo looked up at her, his eyes rippling with a faint, satisfied smile.
“Thank you for the noodles. They were delicious. I’ll cook for you tomorrow,” Fu Mo said.
Nan Xun quickly replied, “No need to be so polite—it was just a bowl of noodles.”
She didn’t take his words seriously.
However, the next day, after Nan Xun slept in, she heard the sound of chopping coming from the kitchen.
She poked her head into the kitchen and saw a tall, handsome man cutting vegetables.
He worked with great focus, head slightly lowered. His white shirt sleeves were rolled up, revealing a section of pale, slightly bluish forearms.
For some reason, Nan Xun felt like she had seen this scene somewhere before.
Hearing the noise, the man turned around. His handsome face, high nose bridge, sharp brows, and dark, narrow eyes came into view. His gaze, which had been calm and still, rippled with star-like traces of laughter when he saw her, making him look far more lively.
“You’re awake? Go watch TV in the living room. I’ll be done soon,” Fu Mo said.
Nan Xun widened her eyes. “Fu Mo, you’re really cooking for me? That makes me feel so embarrassed.”
Little Eight immediately chimed in, “You? Feeling embarrassed?”
Nan Xun ignored it.
Fu Mo said, “It’s fine. Cooking for one person is cooking, cooking for two is cooking too. Besides, I used ingredients from the fridge. Do you mind me freeloading a meal?”
Clearly, Nan Xun was the one benefiting, but the way he put it made it sound like he was the one taking advantage of her. A little grocery money was nothing compared to the effort of cooking a meal.
Seeing that he was already halfway done, Nan Xun stopped being polite and shamelessly waited to eat.
“Fu Mo, want me to help you out?”
She rolled up her sleeves, about to step in.
“No need. Go watch TV in the living room. At this hour, a lot of channels should be airing that really popular palace intrigue drama,” Fu Mo said, standing at the doorway and looking at her with a smile in his eyes.
For some reason, Nan Xun felt that Fu Mo like this… was unbelievably handsome.
“Then I… I’ll go?”
Fu Mo nodded slightly. His normally cool voice felt unexpectedly warm at that moment. “Go on. When you’re done watching, the food will be ready.”
Nan Xun floated away in a daze. She found it strange—she had only known the man in front of her for one night, or two encounters if you counted the time he walked her home before. Yet she felt as though they had known each other for a very long time.
