Chapter 39.3

The Mantis Stalking The Cicada (9)

“You seem to be in a bad mood.” Li Ruo Shui took his hand and put it on her head, “I’ll let you give me a nuggie.”

Lu Zhi Yao nonchalantly drew back his hand and smiled gently. “You’re probably hungry. Aren’t you going to eat?”

Li Ruo Shui touched her head and instantly felt that it wasn’t a small problem.

But she had stood outside all morning and was indeed hungry. Therefore, Li Ruo Shui lifted her bowl and thought about what to do while eating.

Lu Zhi Yao sipped his tea, and his expression remained the same. He didn’t seem like he was troubled, but it wasn’t like him to turn down the chance to touch her head.

Thus, she came up with an idea. “I fell when I came to find you this morning. My hand seems to be scraped but I can’t apply medicine on it properly. Can you help me?”

Touching my wound is his favorite thing to do, and if this didn’t work……

“No.”

Li Ruo Shui was shocked and her chopsticks fell to the ground.

She moved closer to Lu Zhi Yao and was really a bit worried. Her tone eased considerably. “What’s wrong with you? Can’t you tell me about it?”

“I’m thinking about something.” Lu Zhi Yao pursed his lips into a smile, and the smile remain gentle. “I’ll probably tell you when I figure it out.”

Li Ruo Shui sighed deeply. She was afraid he wouldn’t be able to figure it out.

Lu Zhi Yao did not say anything else, and Li Ruo Shui did not probe further. After eating, she left spiritlessly.

Once she left, Lu Zhi Yao sat at the table and took out that carved little puppet from his cuffs. Then, he made it jump up again.

Yesterday Li Ruo Shui asked him a question. “What do you want me to do?”

If Lu Fei Yue and Jiang Nian had asked this question, he would have answered, “No,” because he had not done anything for them.

If asked by Zheng Yan Qing, he would have answered “Go to hell.” There was no reason for it. It was a sincere answer from the bottom of his heart.

No matter who asked him, he could give a sincere answer from his heart, but his mind came up blank when it came to Li Ruo Shui.

The way she defended Zheng Yan Qing’s words and actions yesterday made him feel bland. They were just husband and wife, but she appeared closer to Zheng Yan Qing than when she was with him.

Li Ruo Shui was clearly on his side and should be on his side.

He did not know what he wanted Li Ruo Shui to do, but he did want her to do something.

For example… What?

Lu Zhi Yao fell into deep thoughts; into some inexplicable, overwhelming emotions that left him clueless on what to do.

He grasped the wooden puppet and unconsciously tightened his grip. The puppet’s limbs made a clicking sound, almost like a pained groan.

*

The sky outside gradually turned gray, and the setting sun was swallowed up by dark clouds. A fierce wind rose outside and blew the interior of the room into disarray.

Zheng Yan Qing hurriedly tidied up the fluttering pieces of paper, and squinted to close the creaking doors and windows. After which, he let out a sigh of relief. “The weather today is really strange, changing at the drop of a hat. It’s barely evening, and it’s already raining heavily.”

Li Ruo Shui sat on the couch, transfixed with worry. Her brows furrowed with anxiety. She was so deep in thought that she didn’t even react to the raging storm outside.

Zheng Yan Qing looked at her and sighed, but he could only lower his head and continue writing his work.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the wooden door. It rattled a few times, and combined with the raging wind and rain outside, frightened Zheng Yan Qing into shuddering briefly.

He put down his pen and went to open the door, “Who-”

The door opened and a surge of moist coldness greeted him. He was stunned to see the person before him, then immediately turned to call Li Ruo Shui. “Mr. Lu is here.”

Li Ruo Shui looked up in confusion and went to the door quickly. She couldn’t help but be shocked by the newcomer.

Lu Zhi Yao was drenched and water dripped from his black hair. Water droplets also hung on his eyelashes, and his red lips turned pale. He looked like he was hauled out of a pool.

“Do you want to go to the swings?” he asked with a smile in his eyes. The way he sounded was almost as if he just asked about the weather.

Zheng Yan Qing looked at him in surprise and uttered softly, “It’s raining outside. How about you stay inside-”

“Sure.” Li Ruo Shui interrupted him and took out an umbrella. Then, she led Lu Zhi Yao to the swing in the courtyard.

The two of them sat on it, and the winds rocked the swing slowly. At the same time, the umbrella covered them from the rain while the trees swayed from the wild wind.

Li Ruo Shui stared at him with a smile. She helped him wipe the water droplets on the corner of his forehead. “Have you figured it out?”

Lu Zhi Yao smiled, and he seemed like the only warmth in this storm.

“I know what I want. I want you to leave the Zheng residence with me today.”

Li Ruo Shui didn’t expect him to mention this. She hesitated for a long time but still opened her mouth to say, “I have to help him find the culprit first. Just wait a few days. It’ll really only take a few more days.”

Lu Zhi Yao stopped smiling, and his eyelashes trembled slightly. The raindrops on them slid down like a teardrop falling from the corner of his eye.

The rain crashed mercilessly on the umbrella, so Li Ruo Shui’s hand holding the umbrella trembled. At the same time, the trees on the opposite side of the street all had their branches bent and creaking because of the storm.

In the midst of this cacophony of rain, she heard his voice.

He asked, “Why must I wait? You were the one who asked me what I wanted you to do, and I came up with this.”

Lu Zhi Yao emphasized, “You asked.”

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