Memories (Part 3)

From that day on, Mo Xuan really started coming over to accompany Luo Muqi... or more accurately, to spend time with both sisters.

At first, when he was alone with Luo Muqi, she was quite shy, often lowering her head and avoiding eye contact.

Mo Xuan, too, felt awkward. Although he had known Su Yanran for a long time, back then, it was mostly because his grandmother had pushed him into it, and Su Yanran was relatively outgoing.

So there they were, standing in the courtyard. Mo Xuan awkwardly glanced around, while Luo Muqi fidgeted with the hem of her pretty dress, her head bowed.

Meanwhile, Luo Shiya stood on the second-floor balcony, quietly observing them. The three of them remained silent in this strange manner for a long time, leaving Uncle Zheng and the maids utterly confused.

What exactly did the eldest young lady want him here for? Just to accompany the second young lady in silence?

"Prepare some snacks, and get that boy a cola," Uncle Zheng instructed the maid behind him. "It's still a bit hot outside. Add some ice. Boys his age usually love carbonated drinks."

"But, Uncle Zheng, we don't have cola here. You know the eldest and second young ladies aren't allowed to drink such beverages..."

"Then go out and buy some!" Uncle Zheng shot her a stern look. "It's something you can easily find at any convenience store nearby. Why are you even asking me?"

It must be said that the Luo Family's staff worked with remarkable efficiency. The snacks were quickly prepared, along with Luo Muqi's favorite black tea and a glass of iced cola, placed before the two of them.

After thanking them, Mo Xuan noticed Luo Muqi staring at the bubbling cola in front of him. After a moment of thought, he gently pushed the glass toward her. "Do you want to try this?"

Luo Muqi shook her head and softly replied, "My mom doesn't let me drink this kind of thing..."

Hearing this, Mo Xuan pulled the cola back to his side. The two fell into silence once more. It was indeed a bit forced to expect two people who barely knew each other to carry on a conversation.

Uncle Zheng couldn't quite understand why the eldest young lady had arranged this. However, he didn't think Luo Muqi disliked Mo Xuan. As the second young lady of the Luo Family, if Luo Muqi didn't like someone, she would make it clear. No one would dare to think she was being unreasonable—her status was her greatest privilege.

This was also why Luo Muqi didn't have many friends around her during that time.

Having watched the two girls grow up, Uncle Zheng understood them well. Luo Muqi's behavior now was likely just shyness.

"Um, don't you guys go out?" Mo Xuan finally broke the awkward silence. "There are some fun places nearby. Couldn't someone from your family take you?"

Luo Muqi shook her head again. Mo Xuan seemed to realize that they really couldn't go out much and didn't press further. However, Luo Muqi suddenly pushed the pink cake in front of her toward Mo Xuan.

"You can have this..."

As Uncle Zheng had said, Luo Muqi was simply shy. At just 12 years old, she didn't understand what love was. But when she saw Mo Xuan, she couldn't help but be drawn to him.

In this matter, she was grateful to her sister. She had been lonely, and although Luo Shiya was by her side, the 16-year-old couldn't always be there for her.

Besides studying, Luo Shiya often stayed up late reading, and Luo Muqi didn't want to bother her sister with everything.

For some reason, being with this boy made her feel strangely at ease. Yet, she wasn't really familiar with him and had no idea what to say.

"I actually kind of envy you," Mo Xuan said with a smile. "Even though you can't go out much, at least you don't have to go to school. You can study at home."

"Don't you find it boring?"

"Not really. It's better than having to face people at school every day."

Mo Xuan had a calm personality and wasn't particularly interested in socializing. Yet, he excelled academically. Once, a classmate had deliberately picked a fight with him, but Mo Xuan simply ignored it, not bothering to engage.

That was until the other boy went too far, and Mo Xuan ended up punching him. From that day on, no one bothered him, but no one talked to him either.

"So you see, isn't this kind of life okay too?" Mo Xuan shared his experience with her, smiling. "Since things are already like this, there's no point in making it harder on yourself. It's better to just relax and take things as they come."

Luo Shiya, listening from the second floor, was surprised. How could a 13-year-old think so deeply?

Mo Xuan glanced around the old Western-style house and sighed. "My grandma told me my birth parents live in a big house like this too. But I've been living with my grandma since I was little. I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen them in a year."

"I don't know about your family situation, but at least you have your sister and people who care for you."

Hearing this, Luo Muqi couldn't help but look up at him. After a long pause, she cautiously asked, "Then who do you spend your birthday with?"

"My grandma. I haven't even received a gift in who knows how long," Mo Xuan shrugged. "My grandma told me to just think of them as dead, and that they only come back to life a few times a year. Honestly, sometimes when I see them, it takes me a while to remember, 'Oh, right, those are my parents.'"

Though Mo Xuan said it lightly, Luo Shiya could sense the underlying sadness. A 13-year-old boy whose parents were almost entirely absent from his childhood—how could it really be as easy as he made it sound?

However, because of his playful tone, Luo Muqi, who had been silent and looking down, couldn't help but laugh.

Sometimes, the way people grow closer is surprisingly simple. Just a joke seemed to bridge the gap between Mo Xuan and Luo Muqi. She started sharing stories about her school days, and Mo Xuan, in turn, told her about his own experiences.

When they reached a particularly funny part, both of them burst into laughter. The snacks and drinks in front of them were soon finished.

Watching Luo Muqi's bright smile from above, Luo Shiya felt a mix of happiness and an inexplicable discomfort. She glanced at the two still chatting and laughing downstairs and couldn't help but feel a pang of... irritation.

She retreated to her room with a bitter smile. Deep down, she was jealous of Luo Muqi, who had someone to laugh and talk with, while she had to play the role of the responsible older sister.

For a fleeting moment, a thought crossed her mind: "Maybe I should ask him to talk to me too..."

But Luo Shiya quickly shook her head, dismissing the idea. What was she thinking? She was 16 years old, and here she was, wanting a 13-year-old boy to comfort her like he did her sister?

She felt like she was going crazy, though she couldn't deny that she had a certain fondness for Mo Xuan.

Pushing her troubles aside, Luo Shiya sat down at her desk to focus on her studies. She didn't notice when Mo Xuan left, but during dinner, Luo Muqi seemed unusually cheerful.

"Uncle Zheng, is he coming again tomorrow?"

Hearing this, Uncle Zheng sighed with a wry smile. "Second Young Lady, you've asked this several times already. He'll come after school to do homework with you. Don't you remember?"

"Muqi, he's not like us," Luo Shiya frowned, looking at her sister. "He has his own life. I asked him to be your companion, but you can't disrupt his routine."

Luo Muqi pouted, clearly unhappy with her sister's words.

"But I really like spending time with him..."

Hearing her sister's quiet muttering, Luo Shiya sighed and said seriously, "Fine. Tomorrow when he comes, I'll personally tutor both of you. From now on, we'll use that as an excuse to have him come over more often. Is that okay?"

Many years later, Luo Muqi once asked Luo Shiya, "Sis, back then, did you also want to see him more often?"

Luo Shiya simply smiled and replied with a hint of amusement, "Guess."

"Come on, sis, do you really think I’m too young to understand anything?" Luo Muqi snorted in dissatisfaction. "Back when Brother came over to help me with my homework, every time I looked up, your eyes were glued to him!"

"Because at that time, I didn’t know if it was liking or not," Luo Shiya replied with a smile, her gaze drifting toward the window. "But seeing him just made me feel inexplicably happy..."

"Isn’t that just liking him? A 16-year-old high school girl crushing on a boy younger than her..."

Hearing Luo Muqi’s words, Luo Shiya’s expression turned icy as she glared at her, biting out each word, "Luo. Mu. Qi!"

This brat just had to spill my innermost thoughts!