C19 Chapter 19

But she couldn’t bring any of that up right away, or it would just put Boyan on edge.

“Where did you used to live?” That was what Duu Luo was most curious about. In the book, Boyan was always described as cold and ruthless. He had no family, and by the time she met him, he’d already been fired—no job, no place to stay. So was it really like the book said? Was he sleeping under an overpass or in some rundown abandoned building? “What was the place like where you worked—where you stayed?”

“Better than an abandoned building,” Boyan answered Duu Luo. “As long as I’m alive, a little hardship doesn’t matter. Once I make it through this stretch, everyone will steer clear of me.”

Boyan knew how to keep his head down, because he understood that sometimes patience was better than forcing your way to the front.

“Then you can just live at my place from now on, okay?” Duu Luo propped her chin on her hands and looked at Boyan with an innocent face.

“I’m not going to live at your place forever.” Boyan rejected her without a second thought.

“Then I’ll live at your place, okay?” Duu Luo already knew he’d say no.

“I don’t have a home.” When Boyan said it, his eyes dimmed, like he didn’t want to talk about it.

“Wherever you are is home.” Duu Luo wouldn’t let it go.

She kept going, saying things Boyan couldn’t accept—yet somehow he still managed not to snap.

Boyan lifted a hand and rubbed his aching forehead. “What do you want, exactly?”

Duu Luo’s eyes darted around, looking sly. “Unless you go out and hang out with me tomorrow, I’m going to keep talking to you. My brother won’t take me out, my teacher won’t take me out—if you won’t either, I’m going to die of boredom.”

“Tomorrow, after breakfast, I’ll go out with you.” Boyan couldn’t take Duu Luo’s nonstop chatter in his ear anymore. Right now, she was like an annoying little sparrow, chirping without end.

“Heh…” Duu Luo giggled, then stood up and gave Boyan a hug. “I knew you were the best to me. You’re the only one who’ll actually hang out with me. My brother and my master are both so boring—so strict. It’s no fun at all.”

So this little Miss Duu only liked him because he was fun?

Boyan figured he’d been around Duu Luo for too long and had picked up some of her weird way of thinking to even have a thought like that.

Once Duu Luo got Boyan’s answer, she bounced out of the room.

Heh. She hadn’t expected Boyan to agree so easily. If he was already giving in this fast, how far off could it be before he started liking her? Obviously, not far at all.

Duu Luo felt light as air, like everything in the world looked brighter.

“Huh? If Master’s showing up in this little side quest, I should go tell him. Maybe I’ll even get some useful advice. Man, I’m a genius.”

Thinking that, she flashed a mischievous grin and took off toward her master’s place in the west courtyard.

Master, you really are my lucky charm.

Duu Luo hurried all the way to the west courtyard and ran straight to her master’s bedroom.

“Master! Master!”

She was so excited to share the good news that she completely forgot to knock before going in.

So the moment she shoved the door open, she wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.

Because…

Her master was in the middle of a bath.

She’d just barged in and seen everything—just like that!

So embarrassing!

Duu Luo swallowed hard. Well… she hadn’t actually seen much—just a shoulder.

“You’ve already seen it once. What’s there to be shy about? Don’t tell me you’ve gotten timid all of a sudden, girl?”