“So that means you bring meals to your little brother every day?” Gu Wen shoved a burger in like a bulldozer, her pure-and-cute aura smashed like porcelain under a hammer.
“Mm… yeah.” Lu Ke dipped a fry in ketchup, a red brushstroke at his lip, then turned toward the Little Loli.
The golden-haired girl cupped a hot dog with both hands and nibbled, her face drowned in the hood’s shadow like a crescent moon behind clouds.
Gu Wen’s hope popped like a deflating balloon; she’d wanted a peek while the Little Loli ate. But back then, Xiao Qianxue could eat behind a veil; this little trick was a mere ripple on a lake.
Still, knowing Lu Ke’s daily routine eased Gu Wen’s mood like sunlight through mist. Curiosity itched again like a mosquito bite. “Xiao Yan, you sure it’s okay to eat with your hood up?”
“My little brother’s shy, so don’t corner him.” Calm first, cooler than a well. He finished the fry, set his hand on the table like a paperweight, and looked across at Gu Wen.
“Ah, I’m really sorry, saying it again and again.” Her apology tumbled out like spilled beads.
“It’s fine.” Xiao Qianxue kept using that boyish tone, a voice stuck before its change like a reed flute not yet hardened, and her easy pardon settled Gu Wen like rain on dust.
“Bro, I’m going to the restroom.” The golden-haired girl spoke in a boy’s cadence, then, with the crowd as cover like fish in a stream, slipped straight into the women’s room after Lu Ke nodded.
“Are girl college students really that ditzy these days?” At the mirror, she lifted her head, her face blooming like a perfect peony, flicked water from her hands like a bird shaking droplets, straightened her hood, and left in a quick breeze.
“Something’s off.” Her instinct pricked like a hawk’s gaze, slowing her steps; she tucked behind a pillar like a shadowed bamboo, peered out, and saw Lu Ke and Gu Wen clear as a pond. As she’d guessed, a couple stood near them—a closer look, and the faces were Lu Ke’s parents, rooted there like twin poplars.
“Son, you actually came out to shop today, and…” Lu Ke’s mother spoke half a line, sneaking a glance at Gu Wen, curiosity bright as a sparrow.
“Mom, you’re overthinking. Gu Wen’s just a classmate, and we bumped into each other, so we’re grabbing lunch.” Lu Ke’s tone stayed even, a flat stone on a stream, while his mother’s surprise rippled like wind on wheat.
“Hello, Uncle, Auntie.” Gu Wen slipped a greeting into the pause like a needle through cloth.
“Hello, girl—Gu Wen, right? You look lovely.” The mother’s smile opened like morning glories, attention landing on Gu Wen.
“Oh… Auntie, you flatter me.” Gu Wen folded her hands, cheeks budding pink like peach petals.
“Mom, if you’re done shopping, please head out. Dad, take Mom.” Lu Ke pressed his palm to his forehead, a tired fan against heat, but his respectful tone held steady like a tied knot.
“Alright, don’t bother the kids. Ke, we’re going.” His father stayed proper, pulling his wife along like a steady tide.
“Take care of yourself, son. You’re not a child, so I won’t nag.” They half-spoke, half-walked, and drifted out like leaves toward the exit.
“Phew, close call.” Only then did Lu Ke let out a breath, the tension unclenching like a fist; if the Little Loli hadn’t gone to the restroom, things would’ve snarled like tangled vines. Across from him, Gu Wen still blushed, her gaze skittering like a startled rabbit.
Xiao Qianxue checked the coast and walked back in, her arrival breaking the awkwardness like a bell. “Xue… Yan, want anything else?” Lu Ke’s slip scraped the air like a misstep on gravel, but he braked at the lips and corrected in time.
“No.”
“Gu Wen, you full?” Lu Ke slid inward on the bench, leaving a warm space for the Little Loli like a sunlit patch.
“Mm, I’m full.” Gu Wen wiped her mouth, satisfaction spreading like a cat in a sunbeam.
“Good, then let’s go.” Lu Ke dabbed his lips with a napkin, rose like a straight pine, and the Little Loli and Gu Wen stood with him, flowing out of the restaurant like a small stream.
“Gu Wen, did you buy anything today?” They walked a while, silence thick as fog, so Lu Ke cut it with a gentle question like a breeze.
“Ah… nothing much, just cups and little things.” Her words bumped along like pebbles, and she tilted her head toward him.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll take Yan to look around more. See you on campus next week.” The send-off was clear as a posted sign.
“Mm… okay, see you next week.” Gu Wen took the cue, waved a soft goodbye like a willow branch, and left.
Watching her slip out of the mall, Lu Ke took the golden-haired girl’s hand, voice soft as water. “Xue’er, want to buy anything else? Or should bro get you something tasty?”
“Let’s buy little plushies for decoration.” No need to press her voice down; her sweetness flowed out like honey, charming no matter how you listened.
“Alright, let’s go!” Lu Ke tugged her back into the mall, a pair reentering the current like fish.
After another busy spell, they carried a bag of plushies out of IKEA, light shapes bobbing like clouds. The furniture they’d bought earlier would be delivered to the door like driftwood brought by the tide.
“Nii-chan, anything you want to eat?” At home, the golden-haired girl peeled off her hoodie at once, shedding it like a snake skin; clearly, she didn’t love that kind of clothing, though necessity had its chains.
“I’ll make zhajiangmian for you tonight.” Lu Ke stroked the Little Loli’s loose golden hair, smoothing it like silk under a gentle comb.
“Then I’ll leave it to Nii-chan!” She pounced onto the sofa like a kitten, fired up the console, and picked up the controller to dive back into HALO, bright as a star in pixel skies.
—————————————————————————————————
“It’s been this long and we still have no clue?!” A youth stood on a platform carved into a cliff, and beneath it yawned a bottomless chasm like a devouring maw.
“Young Master, the girl was transmitted to an unknown place, and our people have spread across the country like seeds. Special teams abroad have started searching too.” The butler behind him bowed, his voice steady as iron. The wind whooshed along the cliff, a hungry gale that could toss an ordinary man into the abyss; the butler stood unmoving, a rock in a storm.
“That’s their job. Lazy gluttons, useless when it counts.” The youth turned, rage and regret flooding his handsome face like storm and tide. He was Lin Fan.
“I’ll track every update in real time. Please don’t worry, Young Master.” The old butler bent lower, a willow bowing to the wind.
“Tch.”
