Today, I Have Yet to Become a Doll

When they returned to the hotel, it was already quite late. Tan Xiao and Cheng Wei were sitting by the fire, chatting. Unwashed bowls and chopsticks sat beside them, indicating they had already eaten.

Bai Youwei was nowhere to be seen.

"Brother Mo, your noodles," Tan Xiao offered, handing him a bowl.

Shen Mo didn't take it. "I'll go upstairs and call her."

"I took a bowl up earlier, but she didn't eat. It's hot; Weiwei probably doesn't have an appetite," Cheng Wei said. "Next time we have a chance, we should pickle some sour beans and cucumbers ourselves. They'll stimulate the appetite."

Tan Xiao looked surprised. "Old Cheng, you know how to pickle cucumbers?"

"Yes," Cheng Wei nodded, explaining seriously, "It's not difficult. You just need cucumbers, green peppers, salt, vinegar, garlic…"

"Aren't you a teacher? Are you sure you're not a chef?"

"Well… living alone for a long time, you learn to cook a bit…"

"Can you pickle radishes? I love those!"

"First, we need radishes…"

As the two chatted about everyday matters, Shen Mo walked past them and went straight to the second floor of the hotel.

There was no electricity, so the stairway was pitch black.

Upstairs, the corridor, with no windows, was equally dark. Only a sliver of light emanated from Bai Youwei's room.

Shen Mo unconsciously slowed his pace.

Walking in the darkness and silence didn't feel good. A faint sense of guilt arose in his heart. Although he had only been gone for a short while, he still felt he shouldn't have… shouldn't have left her alone in this darkness.

Shen Mo reached the door. Bai Youwei sat facing away from him by the French window. The moonlight streamed in, casting a silvery halo over the room, and the edges of her silhouette glowed with a hazy light.

The candlelight within seemed small and weak in the moonlight.

It wasn't too dark.

This realization eased his heart slightly.

He entered the room and put down his bag.

Hearing the sound, Bai Youwei glanced back at him, then coldly turned away again, looking indifferent.

Shen Mo smiled silently and asked, "Cheng Wei said you didn't have an appetite. Do you still want dinner?"

Bai Youwei stared out the window. "I have a perfectly good appetite."

Shen Mo: "Then why didn't you eat?"

Bai Youwei: "I'm not in the mood."

Shen Mo: "…"

He was silent for a moment, following her gaze outside. He saw the high and low buildings, the layers of shadows, and the dark, heavy night sky.

"What are you looking at?" Shen Mo asked.

Bai Youwei's tone was still sarcastic. "I'm looking at what's so charming about the dazzling world outside that it can keep you away for most of the day."

He used to be slightly annoyed by her intermittent fault-finding, but now he was practically immune.

He smiled helplessly and said, "But I still came back in the end. Doesn't that mean the charm here is greater than out there?"

He rarely teased like this, so Bai Youwei was stunned for a good two seconds before looking at him strangely. "You're in such a good mood. Don't tell me you really had some romantic encounter out there?"

Shen Mo didn't answer. He turned and took out cherry tomatoes, small cucumbers, and loquats from his bag.

Bai Youwei immediately reached out. "I want to eat!"

"Weren't you not in the mood?"

"Well, you coaxed me, so now I'm in the mood."

Shen Mo chuckled. "When did I coax you?"

Bai Youwei pointed to the pile of fruits and vegetables in his hand. "Didn't you pick these for me?"

Shen Mo teased her, "Why couldn't they be for Tan Xiao and Cheng Wei?"

Bai Youwei replied confidently, "If they were for them, why would you bring them up here? You would have given them to them downstairs just now."

Hmm, quite logical.

Shen Mo turned and walked away.

Bai Youwei became anxious and mumbled, "Are you really going to take them back down?"

"I'm going to wash them," Shen Mo said, his voice laced with laughter as he turned into the bathroom. "How can you eat them without washing them?"

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