Depends on how you behave

Jiangcheng, Jiangcheng University, faculty housing, Building 5, Entrance 4, Room 614.

Su Baizhou opened the door and led Luo Ye inside.

Su Baizhou pointed at the empty room and said, "You can stay there, but only for today, tomorrow, and the day after."

Hearing this, Luo Ye asked curiously, "What about after the break?"

"That depends on how you behave over these three days."

Su Baizhou looked back with a faint smile.

That smile left Luo Ye momentarily stunned, and a warm sense of closeness welled up inside him.

He realized that after he had said those words to Fairy Senior in the car, she really had become less distant toward him.

But when she said it depended on his behavior, Luo Ye's expression tightened, and he grew utterly serious.

He had to act like the perfect man over these three days, or she would kick him out.

Seeing how solemn he looked, Su Baizhou found him rather amusing.

He was like a mischievous child trying hard to act well-behaved so he could earn a little gold star from his teacher.

"Go buy the ingredients for dinner tonight," Su Baizhou suddenly said.

"Me?"

Luo Ye was a little confused.

"Yes, you. Buy whatever you want to eat, and I'll cook it when you get back."

Hearing that, Luo Ye understood.

He made an okay gesture, then left the living room and headed outside.

Watching Luo Ye gently close the door, Su Baizhou sat on the sofa and propped her chin on her hand.

Then she turned on the television and put on a random show, but her gaze grew thoughtful.

Did this mean they were... living together?

No, no, no. They were just sharing a place.

Then... should she lay down some ground rules, like in novels?

No. He could only stay three days, then he had to go back when the break ended. Staying any longer would be rude.

But this was his cousin's apartment, and she was only renting one room herself. Should she really make him leave?

Su Baizhou looked deeply conflicted.

Just then, her phone rang.

Su Baizhou picked it up and answered, and a young woman's voice came through.

"Zhouzhou, why haven't you contacted me at all over the break? Want to come hang out at my place in the next couple of days?"

"No."

Su Baizhou declined. "I have something to do these next two days."

"You have something to do? What could you possibly have going on at Jiangda that's more important than me?" the young woman on the phone demanded skeptically.

She was Su Baizhou's best friend, Li Xia, who was currently a medical intern at Jiangcheng Medical University. She had also been Su Baizhou's classmate in both high school and middle school, and they had even shared a desk in elementary school. The two had been close since childhood.

"Of course you're the most important right now, but tomorrow... I have something to do tomorrow. I'll come see you the day after."

Su Baizhou's heart jolted. She had nearly let something slip.

Tomorrow, October sixth, was Luo Ye's birthday. She remembered it very clearly.

On the phone, Li Xia said suspiciously, "What do you mean, I'm the most important right now? Am I not going to be the most important later... Zhouzhou, I feel like you've suddenly changed."

"I haven't changed."

Su Baizhou's voice was as cool as ever, just as Li Xia remembered it.

Yet Li Xia still felt that something was off.

All these unexplained changes pointed to one conclusion.

Li Xia narrowed her eyes and said gravely into the phone, "Zhouzhou, if someone you know really well suddenly seems like a completely different person, do you know why?"

"No, and I don't want to know," Su Baizhou said flatly.

"There's only one truth... the thing that can change someone so quickly is love."

"Beep, beep, beep..."

The moment the word "love" came out, Su Baizhou hung up.

How pointless...

How could she possibly be in love?

She was just helping Professor Gu look after his younger cousin.

Yes... looking after... his younger cousin... Luo Ye?

Why had the mention of love made her think of Luo Ye right now?

As her thoughts wandered, Su Baizhou realized that her mind was now filled with a young man's face.

Perhaps she did have some affection for Luo Ye, but affection did not mean romantic feelings. Even if she really did like him, that did not mean they had to be together.

Exactly. That was all it was.

An animated show was playing on the television. A young man unleashed a skill and shouted, "You've brought death upon yourself!"

Su Baizhou frowned and switched to the next channel.

In the second show, a character pointed at the screen and shouted, "You're just stubbornly denying it!"

Hearing that, Su Baizhou stood up, stared at the character on the television, and said solemnly, "I'm not."

"You're still denying it? You're clearly in love with him!"

The character on the television spoke with absolute certainty.

Su Baizhou shook her head and switched to a third channel.

But as she watched, she felt that all the dramas being made these days were boring, so she turned off the television.

After sitting blankly on the sofa for a while longer, Su Baizhou frowned. "Why isn't he back yet?"

She checked the time and discovered that only ten minutes had passed since Luo Ye left.

Why was time passing so slowly?

Meanwhile, Luo Ye arrived at the market.

His senior was cooking again today, so he had to choose the ingredients for dinner carefully.

"King crab on sale! Five hundred eighty-eight yuan per jin! Special offer!"

Hearing this, Luo Ye approached the seafood vendor's stall and said, "I'll take a king crab."

"Sure, sure! You've got a bright future, young man, being able to afford king crab at your age. Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No!"

Luo Ye answered with complete confidence, then lowered his head and added quietly, "But there's someone I like."

"What a shame. I was going to introduce you to my son."

The seafood vendor shook her head regretfully.

"Hahaha, you really know how to joke."

Luo Ye scratched his head, but a bead of cold sweat ran down his forehead.

Her son...? He must have misheard.

Soon, a king crab was chopped into pieces and packed into a box, which Luo Ye carried in his hand.

Then... should he buy a chicken?

And a leg of lamb.

Beef was tasty. He should get some beef.

Two big lobsters, too. One each for him and his senior.

What else should he buy...?

The faculty housing.

Su Baizhou looked at the bags, large and small, covering the entire table. Although her face was expressionless, she made Luo Ye distinctly uneasy.

She said flatly, "It looks like you don't just know nothing about cooking. You don't have any idea about ingredients, either."

"Senior..." Luo Ye lowered his head like a child who had done something wrong.

"Still, with this much, there should be enough to make plenty of dishes."

The corners of Su Baizhou's lips lifted slightly, and she walked into the kitchen and tied on an apron.

Luo Ye had thought she would scold him. He hadn't expected her to let it go just like that.

But suddenly-

Su Baizhou came out of the kitchen holding a kitchen knife. She fixed Luo Ye with a slightly fierce look and said calmly, "Next time, don't buy such expensive things. I can make cheap ingredients taste delicious, too."