Chapter 1365: Stirring Feelings (Part 1)

Xiao Rou’s heart was pounding uncontrollably; she initially wanted to watch the movie, but she had no idea what the story was about.

It wasn’t until the film was nearing its end that Zhou Qi appeared to wake up, furrowing his brows and lifting his head. Due to his height, it was quite a struggle for Zhou Qi to rest his head on Xiao Rou’s shoulder. Now, as he lifted it, he realized his neck was about to break.

"You’re awake?"

Xiao Rou asked softly, and Zhou Qi nodded, smiling: "Sorry, I fell asleep and leaned on you."

"It’s... it’s okay."

Xiao Rou could feel her cheeks were still burning hot, inwardly thankful that they were in the cinema with dim lighting so that it wouldn’t be visible; otherwise, she’d be incredibly embarrassed.

In the end, neither Zhou Qi nor Xiao Rou knew what the movie was about.

When the two of them exited the cinema, it was already getting dark outside.

"Let’s go, I’ll take you home."

The blush on Xiao Rou’s face had faded, but she still felt a bit awkward facing Zhou Qi. She hung her head and responded softly, then quietly followed behind him.

During the entire ride, Xiao Rou stared out the car window without speaking.

When they reached Xiao Rou’s apartment building, Zhou Qi pointed at the entrance: "Head back, call me if you need anything."

"Okay."

Replying with just a word, Xiao Rou turned and ran inside. Zhou Qi stood where he was, furrowing his brow; what had he done to scare her? Why did things feel off since they left the cinema?

He pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it, leaning against a nearby pillar. Though he smoked, he did so sparingly, just one when his mind was cluttered; it always helped him calm down.

After waiting downstairs for an hour, ensuring Xiao Rou was probably okay, Zhou Qi finally left.

Meanwhile, upstairs, after Xiao Rou ran inside, her heart continued racing. She had no idea why her heart was pounding so hard. After climbing one flight of stairs, she peeked down through the gap in the stairwell and saw Zhou Qi leaning against a pillar, feeling as though her heart had been pierced.

When she reached her home’s doorstep, honestly, prior to this moment, she hadn’t felt much, but now standing at the door, Xiao Rou realized she was indeed a bit scared.

Based on her understanding of her father, she could imagine she’d soon face a storm of reprimands.

She peeked down again through the stairwell, seeing Zhou Qi still standing there, and suddenly felt empowered. She just wanted to try living a different kind of life, she wasn’t wrong, so even if she was scolded, she wasn’t wrong.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door.

"Rourou is back?"

It was Mrs. Xiao who opened the door, and Xiao Rou pursed her lips as she entered.

Unexpectedly, Mr. Xiao’s face was grim but he surprisingly didn’t lose his temper with her, merely huffed and went back to his room.

Mrs. Xiao, on the other hand, grabbed Xiao Rou and asked her a bunch of questions, as if Xiao Rou had been gone for a year instead of a day.

Mrs. Xiao also took the opportunity to explain the misunderstanding Xiao Rou had about Mr. Xiao that day.

Xiao Rou was startled, her soft personality made her instantly overwhelmed with guilt: "Then I’ll go apologize to Dad."

"You should rest well first; you didn’t rest well yesterday, right? We’re family, it’s not a big deal. But Rourou, Mom hopes you can understand that your dad means well for you too."

"I know, I just wanted to try."

Mrs. Xiao opened her mouth to say something else but ultimately just patted Xiao Rou’s shoulder.