"You pull me."
Song Xi suddenly became clingy, though it wasn't exactly clinging; she was too weak to speak properly, her tone soft.
When Lou Yuming heard it, he felt she was being affectionate.
He had always been susceptible to this, so he grabbed her arm and magnanimously said, "Alright, I'll go down with you."
Song Xi's eyes lit up, "You promised!"
As Song Xi, carrying a bag of trash in each hand, squeezed into the elevator with difficulty, the man stood behind her leisurely with his hands in his pockets.
Song Xi turned back and said fiercely, "Didn't you say you'd help me?"
Lou Yuming corrected her, "It's 'accompany,' not 'help.'"
"..."
Song Xi let out a soft chuckle, "Oh, well, there's no more space in the elevator now. How about standing in the trash?"
Lou Yuming saw through her little trick at a glance.
With a "ding," the elevator door next to them slowly opened. He curved his lips and held the elevator door for Song Xi, "See you downstairs in a bit."
"..."
The trash was heavy, and Song Xi wanted to save time, so she pulled one bag in each hand, her steps faltering.
Lou Yuming stepped out of the elevator and frowned, "Too lazy for you."
Song Xi panted, "Easy for you to say when you're standing."
Seeing her take a few steps, Lou Yuming finally couldn't stand it and reached out to grab the two garbage bags.
"At your snail's pace, when will we ever get this done?"
Song Xi pouted, not arguing as he was helping.
After all, the dignified and pampered Mr. Lou was helping her with the trash. If this scene had happened before, she would never have imagined it, even if her life depended on it.
The neighborhood was quiet. Fortunately, it was night. If it were daytime, Lou Yuming's image would have been completely ruined.
Song Xi secretly looked at his profile. In the bright moonlight, the man's jawline was sharp, and his features were sculpted.
He dragged the two garbage bags as if it were nothing. It was such a striking image, especially on him, yet the aura he exuded remained noble and elegant, as if the bags contained not garbage, but gleaming jewels or expensive ancient calligraphy scrolls.
When Song Xi first saw how messy the room was, she genuinely thought there had been a break-in, or that he had rented out the apartment to someone else.
What truly made her suspicious was when he offered her a hundred thousand yuan to stay as she was about to leave! And even when she pushed her luck and asked Xiao Mo to help, he had tolerated it without getting angry.
Song Xi wasn't stupid. Lou Yuming's actions clearly indicated that he didn't want her to leave.
But it was something that could be resolved with a simple conversation, yet he insisted on complicating things.
Perhaps people in the business world preferred to beat around the bush, so they wouldn't reveal their hand and could get what they wanted.
But this wasn't the business world; there was no need for such detours.
Song Xi wanted to hear him express his thoughts directly.
However, they were both stubborn. If neither of them broke the ice, the situation would remain awkward.
Perhaps it was the beautiful moonlight tonight, or perhaps it was because he had stooped to help her carry the trash, but Song Xi thought for a moment and then proactively asked, "Lou Yuming, is there anything you want to tell me?"
Lou Yuming turned around and placed the garbage bags down. The rustling of plastic completely drowned out Song Xi's voice.
"What did you say?"
"..."
Song Xi was speechless. Gathering her courage, she asked, "You don't want me to leave...
"Rustle rustle—"
Lou Yuming finished putting away the last garbage bag and looked back at Song Xi, frowning, "Can't you wait until I've finished putting the trash away before you speak?"
"..." Blame me?
"Say it again," Lou Yuming asked.
Song Xi inwardly sneered, "Sorry, I don't want to say it anymore."
She turned to leave. Lou Yuming caught up. He truly hadn't heard.
Seeing her serious expression, he figured what she had to say must be important.
Lou Yuming pressed, "Say it again."
Song Xi said coldly, "If you didn't hear it, then forget it."
Lou Yuming frowned, "What are you angry about?"
"I'm not," Song Xi scoffed, "You can't hear a word I say, but you hear everything everyone else says."
"Who are you talking about?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Song Xi's anger flared, "There were so many people there, why did you hear her words and even give her your contact information? I thought you were truly getting old, but it turns out you're just selective."
"Stop being sarcastic," Lou Yuming said coldly, "I didn't give her my phone number."
"Heh."
Lou Yuming pursed his thin lips, "Believe it or not, I gave her Yao Yifan's."
Song Xi turned her head away, her heart dismissing his explanation with contempt.
Meanwhile, at the hospital.
The examination report showed that Yao Yifan had a muscle tear in his arm and needed a cast.
Seeing Yao Yifan's stoic expression, the doctor exclaimed, "This must be very painful. Why don't you have any expression? You're quite stoic, young man."
Yao Yifan's face was pale, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. In reality, this was the most pained reaction he could show; his facial expressions were just subtle, making it hard for ordinary people to notice.
But Xiao Mo was wiping the sweat from his forehead with a tissue, urging, "Doctor, please hurry. He's in so much pain he's about to die."
How did she know?
Yao Yifan looked at her in surprise, his lips pressed into a thin line.