Chapter 13 Going Crazy

After speaking, she turned around to serve the noodles. Although it was a big pot, she didn't dare to serve too much, afraid of making him unhappy. She only served a small amount in a small bowl and sat across from Qiao Xuanshuo, eating the noodles with her head down. Sure enough, the noodles were delicious, with a perfect combination of color, aroma, and taste. She ate and her eyes became moist. The more she ate, the more she felt a lump in her throat, and tears filled her eyes. She wanted to cry because ten years ago, Qiao Xuanshuo was a proud prodigy who didn't even touch the water. His days in the army must have been tough, exhausting, and dangerous. She took a deep breath, lowered her head, and used her hair to cover her eyes as she secretly wiped away the tears. When she looked up, she noticed that Qiao Xuanshuo had already put down his chopsticks. The noodles in his bowl were almost untouched, with only half of the egg bitten off. She looked into Qiao Xuanshuo's eyes. He sat there quietly, looking at her. This made her uneasy. She cleared her throat and spoke with a weak voice, "Third Brother, why aren't you eating?" Qiao Xuanshuo looked at her with a strange expression in his eyes. His face was not cold, and his tone contained a hint of anger, "Dieting." Bai Ruoxi was almost choked by his words. Was this a joke? Besides muscles, did he actually have excess fat in other places? Although she had never seen it, she was indeed curious. "If you're dieting, why are you cooking supper?" "I'm hungry." After speaking, Qiao Xuanshuo pulled out his chair and left the kitchen. Watching the man's figure leave, Bai Ruoxi's heart was in chaos. The autumn water that had been dead for ten years was thrown into a small stone, causing ripples in an instant. She slowly looked at the cutting board. The chopped green onions were not put in. Did she accidentally forget or did she remember that she didn't eat green onions? She never thought that she had a high IQ and could understand him. But with Qiao Xuanshuo's obvious actions, could she not misunderstand? She just didn't understand what this man was thinking. - The next day, early morning. When Bai Ruoxi woke up, she had dark eye bags because she had eaten too much last night and couldn't sleep well. Helplessly, she still had to continue tracking Tang Lide today. After washing up, Bai Ruoxi chose a plain light gray coat and black pants. Because of her dark circles, she deliberately applied a beautiful makeup and tied her hair into a ponytail. Looking at her energetic self in the mirror, cool like those female spies in movies, ready to chase after thieves, she was quite satisfied as she carried her bag and left. The servants were busy in the living room, and the others had not yet woken up. As soon as she went downstairs, the housekeeper Aunt Qiu asked with a pleasant smile, "Miss Ruoxi, would you like breakfast?" "No, thank you." She wanted to arrive at the entrance of Tang Lide's community before he left his house. Aunt Qiu looked worried, "Skipping breakfast is bad for your stomach. Don't think that you're young and it won't affect you. When you get older..." "I'll eat, I'll eat..." Bai Ruoxi raised her hand in surrender. She didn't want to disappoint anyone who genuinely cared about her. If it was sincere, she would gladly accept it. She walked towards the dining table with a helpless smile and happened to see exquisite pastries, steamed buns, nutritious porridge, and whole grain pancakes on the table. She picked up a steamed bun and stuffed it into her mouth, then picked up another one and turned to look at Aunt Qiu, showing a cute smile. Aunt Qiu smiled indulgently and sighed, "My Miss, with your noble image, eating a bun while walking... it's..." "It's okay. As long as I'm full, who would pay attention to the appearance of a passerby?" Bai Ruoxi was casual in front of Aunt Qiu, holding the steamed bun and walking away. Because she was really in a hurry. In the Qiao family, she cared more about her image than anyone else because the person she secretly loved was here. She didn't know what it was like for others when they secretly loved someone, but wherever she went, she hoped to see Qiao Xuanshuo suddenly appear in the next second. Even in impossible places like the women's restroom, she would hope to see his figure. But when she actually saw him one day, she became nervous, scared, and at a loss for words, with all sorts of emotions out of control. Just as she walked out of the gate with the steamed bun in one hand and the other hand still holding a complete one, the person she least wanted to meet appeared in front of her. She was stunned and froze. She wanted to run, but the sharp gaze of the other person had already locked onto her. "Third... Third Brother." Bai Ruoxi's mouth was still full of the unfinished steamed bun, and her other hand still held a complete one. It was really embarrassing and awkward to meet like this. She wished she could find a hole to hide in. The weather was still cool, and Bai Ruoxi was wearing a coat, while he had just finished exercising and his body was warm. He only wore a short-sleeved thin T-shirt and sports pants. Standing in the open space in front of the door, Qiao Xuanshuo frowned, and a faint cold air began to approach Bai Ruoxi. She could feel it, it was colder than the weather. She had already greeted him, but he remained silent. Bai Ruoxi took a step to the side, feeling at ease, and hurriedly walked past him. "Where are you going?" Qiao Xuanshuo's voice was cold and serious. "I have something to do." Bai Ruoxi murmured, nervously walking past him. At that moment, when she walked past him, this man moved one step towards her, and she stopped in her tracks. Unexpectedly, Qiao Xuanshuo actually used his body to block her. At this moment, the distance between the two was zero. It was the first time they were this close, and Bai Ruoxi was dumbfounded. Her head was at the level of his chin, and her forehead, nose, and lips were pressed against his chest. She could feel his body heat at such a close distance... Bai Ruoxi felt like she was going crazy. Her breathing became erratic, and her whole body stiffened, unable to move. The only thing that could move was her heart, which was pounding like a crazy rabbit. She took a deep breath, and her nose was filled with the masculine scent of the man, a hormone that was tempting and criminal, refreshing and pleasant. She didn't want to act like a silly girl at this moment, but what could she do when she couldn't move? Suddenly, a low, restrained voice came from above, husky and magnetic yet cold, "Who are you chasing today?" Bai Ruoxi was taken aback and looked up. She didn't expect that this man would also lower his head, and their heads almost touched. The distance between their lips was less than five centimeters. Their breaths intertwined, their eyes met, and for the first time, she saw herself in his clear eyes. So this was how clear his eyes were. Her wrist throbbed painfully, her fingers trembled slightly, and she was afraid that he would discover that she was following Tang Lide. She was afraid of being too close to him and losing control. Her voice trembled like never before, "I... I'm not... not chasing anyone, really, Third Brother." She couldn't go out to investigate Tang Lide today. He was already suspicious. Bai Ruoxi made up her mind. This man suddenly licked his lips with his tongue, and his sexy Adam's apple moved a few times, making a subtle but extremely tempting gesture. Instantly, her face became hot, from her ears to her neck, burning with heat. Bai Ruoxi felt like she was going crazy. She blushed and embarrassedly retreated, sprinting towards the house. From inside the house, Aunt Qiu's voice came, "Miss Ruoxi, what happened?" The sound of footsteps running up the stairs was faster than a motor. At this moment, Qiao Xuanshuo maintained his posture and didn't move. His fists were clenched, his eyes tightly closed, and he used his strong self-control to suppress the impulse to kiss her. It wasn't that he didn't want to move, but he hadn't caught his breath yet. If this woman didn't leave, he really couldn't control himself from kissing her. Damn woman, what brand of perfume was she using? He didn't want his astonishing self-control to be broken just because she was Bai Ruoxi. Qiao Xuanshuo looked down at the clothes on his chest. The off-white cotton fabric had a faint pink lip print on it. He slowly reached out to touch, just a centimeter away, his fingertips trembling slightly. Suddenly, he clenched his fist, his eyes darkening.