The words Lu Xiaoxiao was about to say immediately took a turn, coming out in a disdainful tone instead. "You eat it. If it's a flavor you like, don't give it to me. We don't have the same taste."
[Aw, what a sweet little thing, always wanting to share. That cake looks delicious. Sweetie, have some more yourself!]
Once again, the thoughts made Lu Jiaoyue feel bashful, and her little face flushed pink. "Th... thank you, Sis!"
After thanking her, she happily picked up the plate of cake and ate it herself, looking positively delighted.
For a moment, Lu Xiaoxiao was baffled. She had no idea what the girl was so happy about.
Oh well. No wonder she got to be the heroine. Just look at that ability to shrug things off. In a word: incredible.
After dinner, Lu Xiaoxiao headed back to her room, chatting with the system as she walked.
Lu Xiaoxiao: "Didn't you say fighting for the room would be pointless? How come I still managed to get it?"
System: "..."
Lu Xiaoxiao: "Hahaha, feeling slapped in the face yet?"
System: "Host, this was indeed a development I failed to foresee, but please refrain from insulting me."
Lu Xiaoxiao: "Then what exactly are you good for? Honestly, I switched my brain off when I read this novel back then. I don't remember a lot of the details, so I still have to rely on you."
System: "According to the butterfly effect, even a tiny change can cause unpredictable changes in subsequent plot developments."
Lu Xiaoxiao: "Oh. So what do we do now?"
System: "I'm just an employee, too. I'll report the issue you've raised, but I don't know how long a response will take. In theory, however, you can leave as long as the ending is completed. You'll have to handle any changes along the way yourself."
Lu Xiaoxiao: "?"
Lu Xiaoxiao: "Wow. Who makes an actor perform without giving them a script? We're improvising that much?"
System: "Yes, Host. Let's stop chatting for now. Another unexpected development is here."
Just then, Lu Xiaoxiao rounded the corner by the stairs. Looking up, she saw Lu Bochen standing in the shadows beside a wall lamp, his nearly expressionless eyes fixed directly on her.
Because he was autistic, Lu Bochen rarely went out. Spending years indoors had left his skin unusually pale compared with other people's, and he was very thin. He stood silently in the hallway, blocking Lu Xiaoxiao's path.
If not for the distinct color in his lips, he would have looked almost like a translucent ghost.
If Lu Xiaoxiao had to name the characters she found hardest to figure out in the original novel, this third young master would definitely rank near the top.
As she recalled, he almost never initiated conversations, and he had always treated the body's original owner as though she were invisible. Yet now he looked as if he had something to say to Lu Xiaoxiao. That was highly unusual.
Lu Xiaoxiao cautiously met his gaze for a while, then made her voice as soft and gentle as possible when she spoke.
"Bochen, is something the matter?"
Lu Bochen silently turned and took two steps, then glanced back at Lu Xiaoxiao and stopped.
Lu Xiaoxiao asked, "Do you want me to come with you?"
Lu Bochen gave a tiny nod.
So Lu Xiaoxiao followed him.
After walking a little way, Lu Bochen brought Lu Xiaoxiao to his bedroom door. Still silent, he pushed the door open and switched on the light.
What greeted her was an almost blinding expanse of white.
Apart from the darkness outside the window, almost everything in Lu Bochen's room was white: white walls, white curtains, a white desk, a white carpet...
An easel stood in the open space in the middle of the room. On the canvas was some sort of creature Lu Xiaoxiao couldn't identify, painted in a mixture of different colors. It was the only splash of color in his room.
She thought it was a creature because a pair of tightly closed eyes had been painted on what looked like its head.
Lu Xiaoxiao knew Lu Bochen had extraordinary artistic talent, and many of his paintings fetched astronomical prices at auction.
Seeing an actual piece for the first time, Lu Xiaoxiao grew almost reverent. She studied it carefully for a long while, but it still looked very abstract to her.
Uh... fine. She really was an uncultured plebeian.
Lu Xiaoxiao looked at Lu Bochen and ventured, "Did you want to show me this painting, Bochen?"
Lu Bochen gave a low hum of assent.
Lu Xiaoxiao struggled to find something to say. "Mm... it's beautiful, but what is it a painting of?"
"...A soul. Mine."
This time, the boy finally spoke actual words.
He didn't stammer as Lu Xiaoxiao had imagined he would, and his voice was clear and pleasant. But he seemed unused to speaking, articulating his words differently from most people.
[Okay, I got it partly right. A soul should count as a creature, right?]
Lu Xiaoxiao lavishly congratulated herself inwardly, then racked her brains for praise:
"Oh! It's really good, really good. This use of color is so... orderly amid the chaos! Bochen, you're such an amazing painter. The art world couldn't do without you."
[But why does something about it feel off? It seems to be missing something... oh well, I'm such an amateur. I'd better not try to teach an expert his own craft.]
Just as she was thinking that, Lu Bochen suddenly caught her wrist.
Lu Xiaoxiao jumped, thinking her praise had missed the mark and angered him. She was about to apologize when Lu Bochen interrupted her.
"It's unfinished," he said. "Something's missing. Can't finish it."
Then Lu Bochen shoved a nearby paintbrush into Lu Xiaoxiao's hand and said in a tone that brooked no argument, "You do it."
Lu Xiaoxiao: ?
Lu Xiaoxiao: "Huh? Me?"
Lu Bochen nodded. A flicker of intensity had entered his dark eyes, and he looked eager.
Lu Xiaoxiao steeled herself and raised her hand. Finding the chest of the "soul," she used the clumsy technique she'd learned drawing stick figures in kindergarten to paint a crooked but conspicuous blob of red.
Although her addition was very abstract, it looked perfectly normal compared with the abstraction of the painting as a whole.
Lu Xiaoxiao gathered her words and said with an air of solemn conviction, "Um, this is the soul's heart. I think souls have hearts, too. Even though its eyes are closed, it can see the world with its heart!"
After finishing that string of nonsense, she cautiously stole a glance at Lu Bochen's expression.
He looked somewhat thoughtful. He didn't say whether it was good or bad, leaving Lu Xiaoxiao on tenterhooks.
"Then... if there's nothing else, I'll get going, okay, Bochen?"
Lu Bochen gave no response. He simply stared at the spot where the "heart" was, lost in thought, as though no one else existed.
Lu Xiaoxiao didn't know much about autism, but she did know that autistic people often showed little response when others called to them. Taking his behavior as tacit permission, she quietly slipped out of the room.
Only after closing the door completely did she realize she had been unconsciously holding her breath around Lu Bochen. She hurriedly took several deep breaths to relax.
[Oh my god, talking to Bochen is way too nerve-racking. I'd better spend less time around him from now on.]
Lu Xiaoxiao turned to return to her room, only to discover that Song Zhilan had appeared behind her at some point.
"Xiaoxiao, were you just... talking to Bochen?"
Before you continue