I See Murders Before They Happen

Chapter 176: Chapter 174: A Normal Day Off

She returned to Weiyang Palace after work.

Su Miaoyi didn’t even eat dinner. After washing up, she fell onto her bed and went straight to sleep.

She slept all the way until noon the next day.

Starving, she got up and went to the kitchen to find something to eat.

But the only thing in the refrigerator was a can of Coke.

She stood in front of the fridge, staring at the Coke for a moment before picking it up and taking a few gulps.

Back in the living room, she thought about ordering takeout, but then suddenly remembered she didn’t have a phone.

Su Miaoyi stood in the living room, her hair a complete mess from sleeping, sticking out in all directions.

Sunlight streamed in through the window.

She looked at her own shadow on the floor.

It looked like a poorly built bird’s nest.

As she stared at her shadow, she mentally ran through the steps she’d have to take just to go out and eat.

She had no cash on hand.

First, she’d have to take her card and withdraw money. Then she could eat. After that, she’d need to buy a new phone. Her broken one was probably at the municipal bureau, with her SIM card still inside.

’That’s more money spent. Maybe I should just get the phone repaired?’

’Ugh—I’m so hungry. Too hungry to even move.’

She raised a hand to scratch her head. After a moment, she glanced next door.

’Today’s Saturday, right? Is anyone home next door?’

With that thought, she walked onto the balcony and peered over at the neighboring one.

Shen Yanzhou was home, changing the water in his fish tank.

Su Miaoyi took a few steps closer and watched him.

Shen Yanzhou was in the middle of changing the water when he turned his head and was startled to see someone standing on the adjacent balcony.

Once he realized it was her, he closed his eyes, took a soft breath, and walked over. ”You’re awake?”

Su Miaoyi nodded. ”How did you know I was sleeping?”

”Zhuang Yanzheng told me,” Shen Yanzhou said.

”Why does he tell you everything?” Su Miaoyi looked at him.

”He also told me your old phone was stolen in a robbery, and your new one fell in the water,” Shen Yanzhou said.

Su Miaoyi: ”...”

Shen Yanzhou chuckled. ”Hungry? Come over and eat.”

”You have food?” Su Miaoyi’s eyes lit up at the word. She had originally planned to borrow his phone to order takeout, then go out to buy a new phone and pay him back after she’d eaten.

”Mhm,” Shen Yanzhou nodded.

Su Miaoyi looked like she was about to jump across the balcony.

Seeing her grin, Shen Yanzhou knew exactly what she was thinking and immediately said, ”Use the door.”

Su Miaoyi froze mid-motion. ”Oh.”

Su Miaoyi changed her clothes, hastily smoothed down her hair, and made a beeline for Shen Yanzhou’s apartment.

Shen Yanzhou had bought new, normal slippers.

But Su Miaoyi still put on the pair that squeaked when she walked.

As a result, she had barely taken a few steps into the living room when she saw that she’d scared off An’an, who had been running to greet her.

”You brought him here too?” Su Miaoyi asked, looking at An’an, who had zipped onto the cat tree and was now staring at her warily.

”Mhm,” Shen Yanzhou said. ”He’s timid. There are non-squeaky slippers by the door.”

Su Miaoyi didn’t go change them. Instead, she paced back and forth in front of the cat tree.

From the kitchen, Shen Yanzhou could hear the slippers going ”SQUEAK, SQUEAK.”

An’an’s head swiveled back and forth, following Su Miaoyi’s movements.

”Eat first,” Shen Yanzhou called out to her.

Su Miaoyi immediately went to the dining room and sat down.

Shen Yanzhou watched her and smiled. ”How did Cheng Jue do on his exams?”

This was the first time he had seen her since the college entrance exams.

Su Miaoyi picked up a large clump of noodles with her chopsticks and started eating.

Watching her, Shen Yanzhou paused for a moment before saying, ”Slow down. There’s no rush.”

Su Miaoyi nodded, her mouth still busy. Only after she finished that huge bite of noodles did she say, ”That was close. I almost starved to death.”

Shen Yanzhou pushed the nearby dishes closer to her.

The chef had just left not long after finishing the meal.

His original plan had been to call her over to eat as soon as he finished changing the water in the fish tank.

”The results won’t be out for a few more days, but Cheng Jue himself thinks he did fine,” Su Miaoyi said. ”He’s a good student.”

Shen Yanzhou nodded. ”If you need any help, just let me know.”

’Help?’

Su Miaoyi looked at him. ”Don’t tell me... you can pay to get him into a university?”

”You really have a wild imagination,” Shen Yanzhou said. ”Your Minister Qin...”

As he spoke, his eyes met Su Miaoyi’s big, innocent ones, and he swallowed the rest of his sentence. Instead, he said, ”If my uncle found out I did something like that, I’d probably be kicked out of the Shen family and struck from the family register.”

”Is it that serious?” Su Miaoyi asked with a smile.

”That would be getting off easy,” Shen Yanzhou replied. ”Just because you have money doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want. It would bring shame to the Shen family’s ancestors.”

Su Miaoyi nodded. ”If you dared to do it, I’d report you. I’d even go tattle on you in front of your ancestors.”

Shen Yanzhou let out a laugh.

He suddenly recalled a time when they were children. She refused to do her own homework and insisted that he do it for her.

He refused.

So she went to the Shen family’s ancestral hall to complain that he wouldn’t help her with her homework.

She cried and tattled at the same time, furious.

”Then what kind of help can you offer?” Su Miaoyi asked again.

”If he doesn’t get in... he could give up on school, and I could directly invest in him to make a movie,” Shen Yanzhou said.

Su Miaoyi’s mouth twitched.

Shen Yanzhou said, ”I don’t have much else, just money.”

Su Miaoyi didn’t want to respond to that.

An’an came over and started rubbing against her leg.

Su Miaoyi bent down and lifted him into her lap. ”Where are the other cats?”

”They’re at my old place. I only brought him with me,” Shen Yanzhou said.

An’an sat on her lap, playing with a strand of her hair.

Su Miaoyi ate with one hand while petting him with the other.

She finished off enough food for two people, eating every last bite.

After eating, she leaned back in her chair, petting An’an, not wanting to move at all.

An’an was also purring softly, curled up in her arms.

Shen Yanzhou stood up. ”Come to the living room.”

Su Miaoyi carried An’an to the living room and sank onto the sofa.

Shen Yanzhou went to his study. He came back and handed her a phone, then placed a phone box on the coffee table.

Su Miaoyi took it and saw that it was her waterlogged phone.

”The one in the box is new,” Shen Yanzhou said. ”Swap your SIM card into it.”

Su Miaoyi opened the box. Inside was a brand-new phone.

’Great, now I don’t have to go buy one.’ ”How much was it? I’ll pay you.”

”Zhuang Yanzheng bought it,” Shen Yanzhou said. ”You don’t need to transfer him the money.”

Su Miaoyi didn’t say anything. She used the SIM ejector tool to swap the cards, then logged into all her accounts and checked the price of the phone online.

She immediately transferred the money to Zhuang Yanzheng.

Ever since Zhuang Yanzheng had started refusing her money transfers on WeChat, she’d found another way to send it that didn’t require his approval.

That was how she paid her rent to Shen Yanzhou.

”So you’ve started keeping fish?” Su Miaoyi hadn’t looked at her phone for a whole day and night. She quickly started scrolling, checking to see if she’d missed any news.

”Mhm.” Shen Yanzhou glanced at the fish tank.

”Do you have any secrets? I used to keep fish, but they’d always die after two days,” Su Miaoyi said.

”I do.”

Su Miaoyi looked at him expectantly.

”Change the water every three days.” Shen Yanzhou said with a very serious expression. ”And every seven days... get a new batch of fish.”

Su Miaoyi: ”...”

’And here I was, listening so intently.’

Shen Yanzhou burst out laughing.

Su Miaoyi picked up a throw pillow and tossed it at him.

Shen Yanzhou caught it and set it aside. ”My aunt asked me to see if you’re free this afternoon.”

Su Miaoyi looked at him. ”I’m free. What’s up?”

”She wants to take you shopping,” Shen Yanzhou said.

Su Miaoyi shot to her feet.

”What’s wrong?”

Su Miaoyi started walking toward the door, still holding An’an. ”I have to get ready. You think I can go shopping like this?”

She pointed at her hair, which was practically standing on end.

Shen Yanzhou nodded. ”You’re right. If you go out like that, people might mistake you for a member of the Beggar Gang.”

Su Miaoyi shot him a glare and left, still carrying An’an.

Shen Yanzhou smiled as he watched her leave.

...