Getting Caught Up In His Cycle Of Passionate Love - Chapter 25
“What are you hiding from?”
The New Year was approaching, and Xu Tao Yue had been hiding in her room. With her amazing memory, she had just accomplished a groundbreaking task: she copied the entire original novel onto a notebook, then nodded in satisfaction. As expected of me. Although the current plot had already deviated a little, she didn’t dare to let her guard down. What if she made a mistake and repeated the same old mistakes?
Xu Tao Yue was very pleased with her powerful mind. The next second, she received a message from Lu Que.
Boyfriend: “What are you so busy with that you’re not replying to me?”
Xu Tao Yue’s lips curved into a slight smile. She always giggled for a few seconds when she saw the nickname she had given Lu Que, then replied, “You miss me?” It was no fun to have a boyfriend if she couldn’t tease him.
Boyfriend: “You’re thinking too much.”
Xu Tao Yue typed quickly. “I don’t believe you. Confess now!”
Boyfriend: “Zhuo Mi misses you.”
Xu Tao Yue pondered for a moment. “Just Zhuo Mi?”
Boyfriend: “Not just Zhuo Mi, I miss you too.”
Xu Tao Yue couldn’t hold back her smile. She was already picturing a handsome guy looking pitifully into his phone and saying, “I miss you so much.” She immediately decided to grab her brother and run out.
“Mom, I’m taking my brother for a walk! I’ll be back tonight.”
Xu Wen was used to Xu Tao Yue’s spontaneous actions. She walked out of the room with a face mask on and told her, “Remember to use the leash, and be careful not to let your brother get hurt.”
Xu Tao Yue, already on her way downstairs, instinctively replied. Her brother was excited. He seemed to find it a novelty that Xu Tao Yue had never taken him out before, and he started to jump even more enthusiastically. Xu Tao Yue almost couldn’t hold on to him.
Xu Tao Yue held her brother’s leash and spoke to him earnestly. “Brother, I’m taking you to meet a good friend~”
“Woof, woof!”
Her brother was so excited he couldn’t stop. He happily ran along with Xu Tao Yue. When they reached Lu Que’s house, she even tidied up her clothes. Her brother looked at her with a confused expression, thinking Xu Tao Yue had the wrong house. He pulled on Xu Tao Yue to keep her from going in.
“Brother,” Xu Tao Yue crouched down to talk to him seriously. “Promise your big sister you won’t scare your new friend, okay?”
Her brother looked away and didn’t respond directly. Xu Tao Yue had no choice. She knocked on the door and waited for Lu Que to open it.
“Surprise!!”
The moment Lu Que opened the door, Xu Tao Yue appeared, her hands filled with the surprise gifts she had just bought. Lu Que was a little surprised, but he held back and didn’t show it. “You have the password to the house. Why didn’t you just come in yourself?”
Xu Tao Yue replied while taking off her shoes. “Can’t I be lazy and not type the password? You’ll always open the door for me anyway.”
“Fine,” Lu Que said, suppressing a smile. He put the snacks Xu Tao Yue bought in the storage cabinet, then saw the dog she was holding on a leash.
Xu Tao Yue pulled her brother forward for Lu Que to see. “This is my brother. Isn’t he cute?”
Lu Que nodded and reached out to pet his head. It was a miracle that her brother didn’t shy away from Lu Que’s touch. Lu Que suddenly remembered what Xu Tao Yue had said that day and couldn’t help but smile.
“What’s so funny?” Xu Tao Yue felt his laughter was a little strange and collapsed onto the sofa.
Zhuo Mi had already noticed Xu Tao Yue’s arrival. But this time she had brought a big dog with her. Zhuo Mi, like a boss, led her brother on a wild chase around the house.
“I was thinking about what you said that day.”
“What did I say?” Xu Tao Yue couldn’t remember what she had said that could have put Lu Que in such a good mood.
“You said…” Lu Que began to mimic Xu Tao Yue’s tone from that day. “‘I didn’t get the food my brother likes. My mom will probably hit me when I get back.'”
Xu Tao Yue: “…”
I didn’t know what was going on back then! Looking at Lu Que’s teasing expression and listening to his tone, she actually felt a little shy.
She grabbed a pillow from beside her without thinking and threw it at him, then buried her head like an ostrich in another pillow. “You’re not allowed to say that!”
Lu Que caught the pillow Xu Tao Yue threw and smiled. “Now you’re shy? When you were so bold before, you were like a different person.”
Xu Tao Yue got up and ran her messy hair back. “I don’t care. Just forget it.”
Lu Que sighed. “But what can I do? I can’t forget.”
Xu Tao Yue moved closer to him. “Then I’ll cast a spell on you. When I snap my fingers, you’ll completely forget, right?”
Lu Que heard the tentative tone in her voice and went along with it, nodding. Seeing him nod, Xu Tao Yue moved even closer. They were getting closer and closer. Xu Tao Yue snapped her fingers and looked at him with anticipation.
Lu Que tilted his head. “Okay, and then?”
“Then you should forget about the silly things I did before,” Xu Tao Yue answered seriously.
Lu Que nodded, as if humoring a child. “Yes, I’ve forgotten.”
Xu Tao Yue was about to get up when Lu Que grabbed her hand. Without thinking, Xu Tao Yue touched the cup of water he had just poured for her. The water flowed slowly down the table, one drop, then two. Xu Tao Yue was startled by the sudden intimacy and subconsciously tried to pull away. Lu Que wouldn’t let her. He reached out and cupped the back of her head, not allowing her to move back. Xu Tao Yue’s eyes started to dart away.
“What are you hiding from?”
Lu Que’s voice was a little hoarse, but it was strangely emotional. Hearing him, Xu Tao Yue felt a little giddy.
“I’m not hiding. The water spilled…”
“So what if it spilled?” Lu Que stared at her intently, like a predator locking onto its prey.
Xu Tao Yue couldn’t handle his gaze. She reached out and covered his eyes to keep him from looking at her. Lu Que smiled, then took her other hand and held it.
“I’m willing to lose my memory. Shouldn’t I get a reward?”
Xu Tao Yue: “…”
Lu Que moved closer and closer. Xu Tao Yue could feel his breath on her collarbone. The thought made her feel a little excited. Lu Que’s lips landed on her collarbone and slowly moved up to her cheek. Xu Tao Yue felt her legs go weak from his teasing and winced. Lu Que held her in place. “Don’t move…”
Hearing the restrained tone in his voice, Xu Tao Yue didn’t dare to move. Just as she thought his lips would meet hers, her brother and Zhuo Mi rushed and jumped between them. Zhuo Mi jumped into Lu Que’s arms, blocking him with his paws, and her brother buried his head in Xu Tao Yue’s arm.
Lu Que: “…” Xu Tao Yue: “…”
These two brats. They never appeared at the right time, and only showed up at the most crucial moments. Lu Que was starting to get annoyed.
Xu Tao Yue saw the two furry friends and quickly moved away, wanting to avoid them from learning anything. She nervously straightened her clothes, not daring to look Lu Que in the eye.
Lu Que sighed. He got up and gently pulled Xu Tao Yue up from the ground. “You two take these little guys to the second floor. I’ll clean this up.”
Xu Tao Yue saw the mess on the floor. She had not only knocked over the water cup but also torn some tissues into pieces. She nodded and quickly led the two furry animals away from the scene.
Xu Tao Yue ran to the second floor and covered her hot, red face. She must have looked like a cooked shrimp, red and steaming. Zhuo Mi kept trying to get into Xu Tao Yue’s arms, but she was still thinking about what had just happened and wasn’t paying attention to Zhuo Mi or her brother. Zhuo Mi, seeing that Xu Tao Yue was ignoring it, took her brother and ran off to their secret base to play, leaving Xu Tao Yue alone to calm down.
Lu Que knew what she was thinking but didn’t say anything. They just waited in that intimate atmosphere until New Year’s Eve.
Xu Tao Yue only had Xu Wen as a relative. Every year at this time, Xu Wen would disappear. Lu Que also didn’t want to go home and face his relatives. The two of them had to “pour their hearts out” to each other over the phone. Xu Tao Yue’s syrupy, affectionate demeanor was so much that Xu Wen couldn’t stand it.
“Alright, alright. A girl won’t stay home when she grows up. Just go.”
Xu Tao Yue pouted. “But what about you?”
“It’s always been the three of us every year anyway. You finally found a boy you like. You have to hold onto him tightly. What if he doesn’t want you anymore? Besides, it’s just New Year’s Eve today. You have to come home tomorrow, do you hear me?”
Xu Tao Yue hugged Xu Wen’s arm. “Hmph, how could he not want me!”
Xu Wen snorted. “You never know.”
Xu Tao Yue was a thoughtful person, so she asked their friends in a group chat if they wanted to hang out with them. To her surprise, Ye Wan and Xia Xiangyang both rejected their invitation.
Xu Tao Yue burrowed into Lu Que’s arms and indignantly complained. “What’s wrong with those two? They show up like crazy when we don’t need them to, but now that I want them to hang out, they actually dare to reject me!”
Lu Que took Xu Tao Yue’s hand, looked down, and hummed in agreement. “Mmm.”
Xu Tao Yue thought for a moment and decided to ignore them. She took Lu Que out to play. There was a New Year’s countdown before midnight, and Xu Tao Yue had wanted to bring Lu Que to see it for a long time. It was much livelier today than usual. Since it was New Year’s Eve, there were more people on the streets.
“I’m taking you somewhere,” Lu Que whispered into Xu Tao Yue’s ear.
“Where?”
“You’ll find out when we get there.”
Lu Que was being so mysterious that Xu Tao Yue started to get excited. The city was still celebrating, cheering for the new year. Lu Que looked at the time on his watch and instinctively started running with Xu Tao Yue. The wind rushed past their ears. Xu Tao Yue sped up.
The two of them sprinted to a door. Lu Que took out a key, opened the door, and led Xu Tao Yue inside. It was a rooftop in the center of the city, where they could see the lights of the entire city. The countdown had already begun, and fireworks were ready to go.
“5.” “4.” “3.” “2.” “1.”
“Xu Tao Yue, Happy New Year.”
Lu Que’s reflection was in her eyes. She smiled, took his hand, and replied softly, “Lu Que, Happy New Year.”
This year’s first blessing was given to her by the person she loved.