Living Only For Myself: Make Those Who Hate Me Regret It-Chapter 57 - 56: Reforming a Psycho is Not a Day’s Work
He’d been careless. He was so focused on improving her living situation that he’d forgotten she usually ate at the school cafeteria. On the rare occasion she went home for a meal, what kind of nutritious food could parents like hers possibly prepare for their daughter?
Thinking of the young woman’s slender wrists, Zhou Mochen’s brows furrowed tightly.
Xu Su looked up and saw the look he was giving her, like she was a starving child in a charity ad. "...You don’t have to bring me food. All the other students eat like this, and so can I."
Seeing that he was about to press the issue, Xu Su’s expression hardened. "Thanks to you ’disciplining’ them, my parents are already giving me a huge weekly allowance. It’s more than enough for food, so don’t trouble yourself."
Zhou Mochen didn’t get angry at her sarcastic words. He just said, "Alright, then."
Xu Su ate until she was about seventy percent full, then put down her chopsticks.
Zhou Mochen handed her a bowl of hot brown sugar water with egg. "Here, drink this. I read online it’s good for girls during their period."
"..." Xu Su took the porcelain bowl and watched him diligently clean up her leftovers, a strangely domestic look on his face. After a moment of silence, she asked, "The New Year is in less than a week. You... aren’t you from Beijing? Don’t you have to go back for the holiday?"
Zhou Mochen finished packing the food container, then turned to look at her with another smile. "Worried about me?"
"I’ll go back after you finish your exams and your break starts."
’Xu Su did a quick mental calculation. Her exams would be over tomorrow. Day students wouldn’t have to come to school the day after that, which meant her winter break officially started after tomorrow. In other words, this guy would be going back to Beijing the day after tomorrow.’
Then, it dawned on Xu Su that Zhou Mochen had stayed all this time just to drive her to and from school.
Zhou Mochen smiled faintly. "How about I get you a New Year’s gift?"
Xu Su handed the empty bowl back to him. "What?"
Zhou Mochen took it naturally and placed it back in the insulated container. "I want to give you a gift, but I was afraid you wouldn’t accept it, so I’m asking you first."
Remembering that even his thermos cost several thousand yuan, Xu Su pressed her lips together. "The gift can’t cost more than five hundred. Otherwise, I won’t accept it."
Zhou Mochen pondered for a moment before slowly nodding. "Deal."
Xu Su looked at him. "Starting next semester, I’ll be living at the dorm, so I won’t need you to drive me. I hope you can keep your word and not disturb my studies again before my college entrance exams."
Her sudden words made the smile in Zhou Mochen’s eyes vanish, replaced by a cold glint.
After a long moment, he snorted coldly. "Can I come see you on your weekend breaks? I won’t disturb your studies, I just want to see you. Xu Su, I have to see you at least once every seven days."
They were ostensibly humble words, but coming from his mouth, they sounded strangely forceful.
"..." Xu Su was annoyed. She silently repeated to herself several times, ’Reforming a psycho isn’t a one-day job,’ before reluctantly nodding. "Fine. We’ll talk about it then."
She then added a reminder, "And keep your hands out of my family’s business. Don’t let my parents know you exist."
Zhou Mochen knew what she was worried about. Their relationship had been uncharacteristically peaceful recently, and he didn’t want to make her angry.
After a moment of thought, Zhou Mochen took the initiative to confess, "...I got an apartment right across from the new one your family was assigned. That way, when you come home for the weekend, it’ll be convenient for me to pick you up. Xu Su, the only thing I can promise is that before your college entrance exams, I won’t let your parents know that I like you."
Xu Su already knew he was going to move in across from her.
Seeing him confess so readily now surprised her a little, but hearing his final words just made her feel completely helpless. "...I hope you can keep your word."
’Honestly, even if Xu Weiping and his wife found out about Zhou Mochen, it wouldn’t be a big deal. In this life, she held no expectations for those two anyway.’
’If they tried to pull the parent card and coax her into seeing Zhou Mochen, just like in her past life, it remained to be seen whether she’d even listen.’
The afternoon exam started at one-thirty. After eating her fill and resting for a bit, Xu Su headed back to school.
At 5:15 PM, with all five of the first day’s exams finished, Xu Su walked out of the school. Zhou Mochen’s car was still parked in the usual spot, looking as if it hadn’t moved at all.
’This guy... he’s never made her wait for him, has he? Every day after school, he was always there waiting, always early.’
As soon as she got in the car, he handed her the familiar hot water bottle. Zhou Mochen asked in a gentle voice, "How were the exams?"
Xu Su unfolded the blanket, covered her legs, and placed the hot water bottle on her lower abdomen. Then, she relaxed and sank into the seat, glancing at him. "They were okay. A slight improvement."
"Want to go get some roasted sweet potatoes?"
Xu Su’s half-closed eyelids lifted. She was slightly tempted.
Zhou Mochen decisively flicked on the turn signal and spun the car around. "Let’s go buy some fresh ones. It’s not far, only ten minutes."
Over the past few days, Xu Su had eaten several roasted sweet potatoes that Zhou Mochen had brought her after her evening self-study sessions, but no matter how well-insulated they were, they couldn’t compare to the sweet fragrance of a freshly baked one.
Along the way, they passed two roadside sweet potato stalls, but Zhou Mochen drove past them as if he didn’t see them.
Xu Su didn’t ask him to stop. ’It’s obvious,’ she thought. ’There’s no way a guy like him would be willing to buy her sweet potatoes roasted in an old oil drum on the side of the road.’
The scenery outside the window grew more and more familiar. Xu Su frowned. "Is this... Xia Sheng Road?"
Zhou Mochen maneuvered the steering wheel, looking completely at ease, as if he’d been here many times. "There’s a shop over here that sells roasted nuts and sweet potatoes. It’s the closest one to your school."
’Fair enough...’ Xu Su didn’t say anything else.
’Her grandparents also lived on Xia Sheng Road, but the street was always so crowded, and the elderly couple rarely went out for strolls. The chance of running into them was negligible. Besides, she wasn’t planning on getting out of the car, so she wasn’t worried about being seen.’
Chang City’s economy had been developing rapidly in recent years. Life was getting better for every family, and with the New Year approaching, every street and alley was bustling with crowds.
Whether it was a food shop selling New Year’s goods or a clothing store selling shoes and apparel, they were all packed with people.
The streets were teeming with a dense flow of pedestrians, making it nearly impossible for cars to move. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
Zhou Mochen drove to the end of the street and found a parking spot at the entrance where the crowd was thinner. He parked the car and turned his head to ask her, "Want to come with me? Or wait in the car?"
Xu Su knew the shop he was talking about; it was at least a two-hundred-meter walk from here. She said lazily, "I don’t feel like walking."
Zhou Mochen nodded and left the engine running. "Okay, wait here for a bit."
As soon as he left, Xu Su closed her eyes, planning to rest for a moment. Just as she was about to doze off, she was startled awake by a commotion.
The sound of a man’s wailing pierced through the car window. Xu Su frowned and opened her eyes, noticing a large crowd gathered in circle after circle not far ahead. Something seemed to have happened.
She wasn’t one to meddle in other people’s business. After a quick glance, she was about to look away when she spotted a familiar figure through the dense crowd...
Xu Su threw the blanket off her legs, opened the car door, and rushed out.
