Chapter 20 The Old Residence and a Girlfriend

After getting into the car, Song Jingmo immediately regretted it.

He must be crazy to let Lu Er lead him around by the nose.

Following him like this, just to see Lu Er’s girlfriend.

Was he rushing to wish the two of them eternal happiness and many children?

Song Jingmo tilted his head toward the window, his right hand clenched into a fist pressed against the bridge of his nose, struggling to calm the uncontrollable emotions inside him.

The car drove out of the parking lot, but it didn’t head toward the villa area where Lu Er lived.

Song Jingmo turned to the side: “Aren’t we going to see your girlfriend?”

Lu Er kept his eyes on the road ahead, a slight smile playing at the corners of his mouth, his voice pleasant: “We are going to see my girlfriend—she lives where I used to live.”

Of course. Song Jingmo remembered that last time in Lu Er’s villa bedroom, there was no trace of a woman living there.

It must have been to prevent paparazzi from sneaking photos.

Lu Er really liked this girlfriend.

Song Jingmo sighed, blinking his sore eyes.

Twenty minutes later, the car stopped in an apartment complex behind A University.

Song Jingmo got out, staring at the familiar building in a daze.

This was where they had lived while studying.

They had rented a place outside since high school.

Lu Er had been spoiled by his family, his body sensitive and prone to illness if not properly cared for.

Song Jingmo still remembered one night in high school when Lu Er had a fever; he climbed over the wall to buy medicine and got caught by the security guard.

Later, since Lu Er got sick so often, sneaking over the wall was no longer a solution.

Lu Er’s mother ended up buying this apartment near the school and, worried he might go astray living alone, asked Song Jingmo to keep an eye on him.

The high school affiliated with A University and the university itself were separated by only a street. After entering university, the two continued living here.

“You still have this place?”

He had thought Lu Er sold it long ago, since this apartment held the least pleasant memories between them.

“Mm.”

Lu Er walked straight toward the familiar apartment entrance.

Song Jingmo followed, each step stirring memories.

The elevator stopped on the twenty-third floor. The moment the doors opened, a kind-faced woman greeted them.

“Xiao Er is back?”

Halfway through her words, she noticed who was behind Lu Er and widened her eyes in surprise. “Xiao Mo is back too?”

Song Jingmo smiled gently: “Aunt Wang, long time no see.”

Aunt Wang excitedly grabbed Song Jingmo’s hand: “Come in quickly and sit, let me have a good look at you. Oh my, even more handsome now.”

At that moment, a small cat wearing a pink Lolita dress gracefully walked out from the inner room.

It first eyed Song Jingmo warily, then affectionately rubbed against Lu Er’s legs.

Lu Er bent down to pick up the cat, turning to Song Jingmo with a mischievous smile: “Let me introduce—this is my girlfriend.”

Song Jingmo was speechless.

He never would have guessed that Lu Er’s “girlfriend” would be a cat.

“Why give a cat a name like that?”

Song Jingmo exhaled in relief, his words tinged with helplessness.

Lu Er defended himself with complete confidence: “Most of the time, she’s aloof, occasionally clingy. Doesn’t that fit my idea of a friend?”

“And she’s a female cat. What’s wrong with calling her a girlfriend?”

Song Jingmo: “……”

The cat was pure white, with only gray tips on her ears, and her blue eyes watched the unfamiliar guest warily.

For some reason, he felt this cat looked familiar.

Song Jingmo frowned slightly: “Is this the stray cat that had its leg run over by a car back then?”

“Didn’t expect you to recognize her.”

Two months before Song Jingmo went abroad, they had encountered a small cat downstairs whose leg had been crushed by a car.

Lu Er, taking pride in being a medical student, insisted on performing surgery on the cat.

Song Jingmo had no choice but to buy medical instruments, and the two of them performed a simple operation on the cat.

Because Song Jingmo was a neat freak, Lu Er didn’t take the cat home but built a small nest in the hallway.

Once the cat healed, she would often disappear, only occasionally returning for food.

“After you went abroad, when I came back here, I met her again.”

Lu Er stroked the cat’s fur: “She brought me a flower in her mouth, so I took her home. Anyway, you weren’t here—nobody could stop me.”

Aunt Wang laughed from the side: “This cat is so smart. When she hears Xiao Er’s footsteps, she runs to the door immediately to wait.”

Song Jingmo looked around. The room’s layout was exactly as it had been six years ago.

The sofa was still the beige fabric one, and the TV stand still held the ceramic doll they had bought at the night market.

Everything was just like six years ago.

“I’ll make you some hangover soup.”

Aunt Wang said as she headed to the kitchen. “Stay here tonight. The rooms are cleaned regularly; they’re very tidy.”

Lu Er looked at Song Jingmo, his eyes anxious: “Will you stay?”

Song Jingmo should have refused.

This house held too many memories he didn’t want to touch.

But looking at Lu Er’s expectant eyes, he nodded almost instinctively: “Okay.”

“How do you always keep everything the same as before?”

Lu Er leaned against the door frame, his gaze drifting off: “Used to it, too lazy to change.”

Song Jingmo hesitated briefly in front of his bedroom door before opening it.

The room was spotless; the bedspread perfectly smooth, not a single wrinkle. Items on the desk were neatly arranged.

“Aunt Wang cleans every week. She said maybe one day you’d come back.”

Song Jingmo turned to look at Lu Er.

Six years of time compressed into this moment—they were back at the crossroads.

Song Jingmo stood alone in the center of the room, feeling the illusion of time flowing backward.

His gaze fell on the desk, where a medical textbook he hadn’t finished before leaving still lay.

The page open was the very content he had been reading years ago.

Everything was so familiar, painfully familiar.

At night, after Aunt Wang finished tidying up, she left.

The house was left with just the two of them.

The cat finally let down its guard around Song Jingmo, jumping onto the sofa and settling comfortably between them.

“She should still remember you,” Lu Er said lazily.

Song Jingmo gently stroked the cat’s soft fur: “Cats actually have very good memories.”

Lu Er’s words carried a meaning beyond the obvious: “Better than some people.”

The room suddenly fell silent, only the cat’s purring echoing.

“What are your plans tomorrow?”

“Normal work,” Song Jingmo answered, then asked, “And you?”

“Resting. I have a commercial shoot the day after.”

Lu Er hesitated: “If you’re not busy, you could come over for dinner tomorrow night. Aunt Wang said she’ll make your favorite sweet and sour ribs.”

Song Jingmo looked at Lu Er. The other deliberately avoided his gaze, pretending to focus on the phone, but the tense line of his jaw betrayed everything.

“Okay.”

Lu Er’s eyes showed a flash of surprise, quickly hidden: “I’ll tell Aunt Wang.”

Late at night, the two returned to their respective rooms.

Song Jingmo lay on the familiar bed, smelling the sunlight on the pillow, unable to sleep.

Unbeknownst to him, the person in the next room was also restless.

Lu Er hugged the cat, murmuring softly: “He’s back. Are you happy?”

The cat meowed, as if responding.

Six years seemed to fold silently into this night, taking them back to the very beginning.