Chapter – 15
The New Neighbor Next Door
When Mu Hang heard that, he froze for a second, then burst out laughing.
“Hahaha, kid, I like you.”
—
When the memory faded, Lu Li stood silently before the tombstone, eyes fixed on the photo. After a long moment, he straightened his back, then bowed deeply.
Since leaving the Lu Group last time, Mu Wanwan hadn’t seen Lu Li again.
That encounter at the Lu Group felt like a dream.
When she woke up, all connection between them had vanished.
“Wanwan, it’s the weekend, and you dragged me out here just to be your laborer?” Qiao Le grumbled, hauling a big bag of cat food, sweat beading on her forehead.
Mu Wanwan crouched down, tearing open the bag. “Alright, alright. I’ll buy you lunch later. You pick the place.”
“That’s more like it.” Qiao Le grinned, satisfied.
Before long, a few stray cats came wandering over, drawn by the smell, and rushed straight for the food beside Mu Wanwan.
“Whoa, these cats are fierce,” Qiao Le said, twitching her mouth as she watched them devour the cat food.
Such gluttons.
“Wanwan, they’re just like your old cat, Cabbage Bun.”
Back in senior year, she and Lu Li had rescued a stray kitten together, and Mu Wanwan had jokingly named it Cabbage Bun.
At the mention of the name, Mu Wanwan’s gaze dropped, and the smile at her lips faded.
Yeah… Cabbage Bun was greedy too.
She wondered how it was doing now.
Had Lu Li abandoned it?
Realizing she’d said the wrong thing, Qiao Le quickly changed the subject. “Wanwan, why aren’t you at your mom’s flower shop today?”
Normally, if Wanwan wasn’t at home on weekends, she’d be helping out there. This was unusual.
“I signed my mom up for a tour group—told her to take a little vacation,” Mu Wanwan replied.
Qiao Le plopped down on a nearby bench. “No wonder my mom’s been complaining that I’m not thoughtful enough. Guess she talked to your mom recently.”
Suddenly, a ringtone cut through the air.
Qiao Le scattered the rest of the cat food, then pulled her phone from her pocket.
“You’ve got to be kidding me, Director! It’s the weekend!” Whatever the person on the other end said made her groan dramatically. Mu Wanwan gave her a curious look.
Was she… having a meltdown?
When the call ended, Qiao Le leaned back and let out a frustrated yell.
“Ahhh—!”
When she finally stopped, Mu Wanwan asked, “What happened?”
“Our director is a total slave driver! Making us work overtime on the weekend—no humanity at all!”
After venting, Qiao Le patted one of the cats beside her. “I’ll come see you again later, chubby.”
Mu Wanwan laughed softly. “I think your director’s doing me a favor—saved me from buying that big meal.”
“In your dreams. You still owe me that dinner, and I will collect later,” Qiao Le said, slinging her bag over her shoulder and striding off in her high heels.
After feeding the strays, Mu Wanwan wandered around the streets for a bit, had lunch, and headed home.
As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she heard a commotion.
Turning her head, she saw several men in blue uniforms carrying furniture into the apartment next door.
So the renovation’s done?
That was quick.
She wasn’t particularly curious about her new neighbors—until, just as she turned away, a familiar figure stepped out of the apartment.
Her steps froze.
Huo Zheng!
He looked just as surprised to see her.
Regaining his composure, Huo Zheng said a few words to the movers, and once they left, the hallway fell quiet—leaving only the two of them standing there.
