Chapter 37: An Unexpected Encounter at the Door

Despite the property security guard’s attempts to dissuade and remove her, Gu Xue didn’t actually comply. On the contrary, the astute woman had a trick up her sleeve.

Feigning her departure downstairs, Gu Xue quietly crouched in the stairwell’s corner. Her bloodshot eyes fixed intently on Zhou Ruoyu’s door.

As expected, her opportunity swiftly arrived! The security guard scarcely paid attention to whether Gu Xue had truly left, merely eager for Zhou Ruoyu’s signature to boost his performance.

The instant Zhou Ruoyu’s door swung open, Gu Xue immediately executed a swift return, charging directly towards the gradually opening door!

“Get out of the way!”

Gu Xue impatiently shoved the security guard aside, then forcefully grabbed the door, her voice trembling as she pleaded, “Ruoyu, don’t close the door, don’t…”

Yet, after a moment, when she finally looked up and peered into the room, she saw only a petite, unfamiliar black-haired girl, also clad in a JK uniform, standing bewildered at the doorway.

The girl’s gaze held a hint of awkwardness.

“You… who are you?”

****

‘Oh my god, god, god, god, god, meow!’

Seeing Gu Xue suddenly charge at him, Zhou Ruoyu felt an intense urge to throttle the security guard at the door. Hadn’t he said the person had left? What was this, did ‘left’ mean ‘send me away,’ perhaps?!

How had they suddenly come face to face like this?

The moment he saw his ex-girlfriend, Zhou Ruoyu instantly panicked. This wasn’t merely due to the fear of Gu Jiachen encountering Gu Xue in the room.

Perhaps it was also a habit cultivated over four years, a subconscious fear of this demanding ex-girlfriend. Even more so, he was now a girl himself.

If Gu Xue were to discover this shameful, humiliating secret, she who already looked down on him for his perceived lack of masculinity… what would she think?

He couldn’t even explain the reason for his transformation; she might even assume he’d impulsively gone to Southeast Asia for some bizarre surgery in a fit of pique these past few days.

‘Damn it, what do I do, what do I do, how can I explain this now? Will Gu Xue mock me? Will Gu Jiachen throw me in the river? Ugh—’

‘I don’t want this—!’

After a long moment, it wasn’t until Zhou Ruoyu suddenly heard Gu Xue’s bewildered question that the trembling, black-haired loli paused, then abruptly realized…

‘Eh? Gu Xue doesn’t recognize me now?’

Phew~

At this, Zhou Ruoyu immediately calmed down. Thank goodness, it seemed Gu Xue’s frequent boast from before—”Even if you turn to ash, I’ll recognize you and flush you down the toilet!”—was nothing but hot air.

Uh…

Still, it made sense. He had changed so drastically that even a truly bizarre surgery couldn’t achieve this effect. Gu Xue definitely wouldn’t recognize him.

Forget Gu Xue, even his own biological parents wouldn’t be able to. In that case… this was manageable!

As long as he adamantly denied being Zhou Ruoyu, Gu Xue wouldn’t be able to guess his identity. Conveniently, he had just told the property management that he was a new resident.

Yes, he would continue to spin that story! Zhou Ruoyu nervously glanced back at the bathroom, sensing the sound of running water gradually diminish.

He immediately turned back, quickly addressing Gu Xue:

“Um… I’m the new owner, not the Zhou Ruoyu you’re looking for… The person you mean must be the guy who lived here before, right? He moved out a few days ago. Please don’t come looking for him anymore; he doesn’t live here.”

“He… moved out?”

Hearing this explanation once again, Gu Xue eyed the delicate, adorable girl before her with suspicion. After a moment, she couldn’t help but frown, a sense of threat stirring within her.

She had to admit, this young girl truly was… so cute, and she seemed quite gentle and introverted. Perhaps she was the type Ruoyu would like?

Combining this with her previous suspicions, Gu Xue’s heart, which had just settled, instantly tensed up again. The reason was simple: if Ruoyu had only moved because he was in a bad mood, then his refusal to open the door earlier was entirely understandable.

But if he was hiding from her because he had a secret girlfriend, and this girlfriend was the third party between them, the culprit who instigated their breakup, and Ruoyu was still lost in her tender embrace—then it was completely… unforgivable!

Consequently, Gu Xue’s gaze sharpened abruptly as she looked at Zhou Ruoyu. A moment later, she tightened her brows and asked:

“Did he really move out? Where did he go? If you don’t even know me, why did you hide in the room and not answer when I called out Zhou Ruoyu’s name so many times? I thought no one was home!”

Gu Xue’s machine-gun barrage of questions left Zhou Ruoyu momentarily overwhelmed. After a pause, the black-haired loli quickly waved her hands, then… began to stammer, nervously explaining:

“Th-that… because I… I have social anxiety! *Cough, cough*. You suddenly showed up, knocking and shouting loudly. Isn’t it okay that I was scared and didn’t dare to answer or open the door? As for where Zhou Ruoyu moved, I don’t know him either, so how would I know? I only know that the previous tenant here had that name…”

Although Zhou Ruoyu felt a little flustered, his mind worked quickly. After this series of explanations, Gu Xue’s aggressive demeanor softened somewhat.

A moment later, she pressed on, still unconvinced:

“You really don’t know Zhou Ruoyu? Hmm… wait, why do I hear water running in the bathroom? Is someone else living in this house?!”

With that, Gu Xue tried to rush into the living room. Zhou Ruoyu’s eyes widened in shock; he had never seen anyone so blatantly trespass.

He quickly shot a glance at the security guard! The guard finally reacted, rushing forward to grab Gu Xue. Zhou Ruoyu, too, hurried in front of Gu Xue, pushing her out the door, explaining as he did:

“No… this is my home! How many people live here is none of your business! I’m warning you, my boyfriend is in the bathroom, showering, and he’s not wearing clothes. Don’t blame me if you barge in and see something you shouldn’t! Alright, stop making a scene! There’s no Zhou Ruoyu here. If you don’t leave, I’m calling the police!”

“Madam, please calm down. Our property management does not permit such behavior. Please contact your boyfriend first! Stop disturbing our resident!”

The security guard also joined the effort to persuade her, using considerable force to physically pull Gu Xue out of the room. Gu Xue’s resentment, however, had not dissipated.

She stood at the doorway, her gaze fixed intently on the bathroom door for a long while. After a moment… the gradually calming girl seemed to truly believe them, nodding her head.

Then, she bowed to Zhou Ruoyu, saying, “My apologies for the disturbance. I may have been mistaken. I’ll take my leave now…”

Zhou Ruoyu didn’t even want to say goodbye, directly closing the door. Afterward, she heard the sound of Gu Xue being led slowly downstairs by the security guard.

Still uneasy, Zhou Ruoyu peered out the window for a while longer. Only after seeing Gu Xue being escorted out of the complex by the guard did she finally relax.

She turned around, rushing to continue filming her materials. However… just as she raised her phone, the bathroom door suddenly… opened!

“Someone… just came?”