Transmigrating Into a Book, the Villain Becomes the White Moonlight!

150: Chapter 15 Three People Living Together”Ahem.” Su Bai coughed lightly again, as if to break the suffocating silence and pave the way for his next move.

He reached out and, under two pairs of eyes that seemed indifferent but were actually following his every move, picked up the bamboo chopsticks resting against the bowl.

In the depths of Mu Xue’s eyes, a barely perceptible smile rippled out.

Meanwhile, Lin Wan’s fingertips tightened around her fork, and her gaze turned cold almost instantly, as if covered by a thin layer of frost.

However, in the next second, Su Bai flicked his wrist. Instead of reaching for the bowl of noodles as anyone would have expected, he used the chopsticks to precisely pick up the largest, juiciest piece of filet mignon from the steak plate and placed it steadily into the bowl of tomato and egg noodles next to it.

The warmth of the noodles melded with the residual heat of the steak; the sweet and sour aroma of the tomatoes mixed with the pungency of black pepper, creating a strange and awkward combination.

Only then did the coldness in Lin Wan’s eyes dissipate slightly following this act of playing peacemaker.

He didn’t touch either of their portions first, choosing instead a physical blend, as if this could blur the choice he was forced to make.

The chopsticks were set down gently, making a faint clicking sound.

Before Su Bai could figure out how to proceed with this difficult meal, Mu Xue’s question was already thrown his way.

”How did you know I lived here?” She elegantly twirled a small bundle of noodles from her own bowl with her fork, her tone calm as if she were merely curious. ”Did Su Bai tell you?”

This question also made Su Bai prick up his ears instantly, looking at Lin Wan in confusion.

Logically, only he and the absolutely reliable Uncle Fu knew about Mu Xue’s residence.

Uncle Fu’s mouth was tighter than a safe, and as for himself... there was even less reason to go looking for this level of trouble out of thin air.

Lin Wan was usually busy with company affairs and her studies; how could she have noticed that someone had moved into this relatively remote villa?

Lin Wan unhurriedly set down her knife and fork, picked up a napkin to dab the corners of her mouth, and then looked up at Mu Xue, her tone flat. ”Oh, I’m currently handling the daily management and fee payments for most of the properties under the Su Family’s name. Today just happened to be the day for the automatic deduction of the quarterly management fee for this villa, and the system indicated a new tenant binding.”

She paused, her gaze sweeping over Su Bai as if saying ”don’t think you can fool me,” before continuing, ”With an active occupancy record suddenly appearing under the account, I had to confirm who had moved in.”

The reason was sufficient and the process legitimate, making it impossible to find fault, yet it accurately captured the trail they had tried to hide.

”You still have time to manage such trivial matters...” Su Bai gave a dry laugh, trying to ease the tension.

Lin Wan managed his game company with perfect order, but he hadn’t expected that even the mundane details of family property management wouldn’t escape her control.

”Fees are paid annually; I just happened to see the notification today.” Lin Wan looked back at Su Bai, her gaze calm but carrying a pressure that saw through everything. ”Fortunately, I noticed it today. Otherwise, if the property management arranged for regular cleaning or maintenance next time and the staff walked right in and bumped into someone they shouldn’t see...”

She intentionally trailed off, her eyes turning slightly cold. ”Wouldn’t you have to be arranged to go abroad again to avoid the fallout?”

This last sentence was light, yet it was like a velvet-wrapped dagger, precisely stabbing a certain unspoken sore spot.

The air at the dining table seemed to freeze again due to this veiled mention of the past.

The piece of steak wrapped in noodles between Su Bai’s chopsticks suddenly felt even harder to swallow.

Back then, the reason Su Bai was hurriedly sent abroad by the family was subject to various rumors, but the three of them knew full well that the core of that storm was Su Bai and Mu Xue’s then-unpublicized and misunderstood relationship.

Lin Wan mentioning it now was almost equivalent to blaming Mu Xue to her face—if it weren’t for you, why would he have ended up like that?

Sure enough, as those words fell, Mu Xue’s fingertips gripping the fork turned slightly white, and the color seemed to drain from her face.

No matter how sincere her feelings for Su Bai became later, that relationship originally began with a contract and a sum of money; that was an indelible fact.

In the eyes of others, especially from Lin Wan’s perspective, this would always be a weakness that could be easily attacked, an original sin that made her seem ”illegitimate.”

It was precisely because that relationship was exposed and sensationalized that Su Bai was pushed to the center of the storm.

This was a thorn in Mu Xue’s heart that could not be removed.

However, the war at the dining table had its own unwritten rules.

To lose one’s temper, lose composure, or lose emotional control would mean falling behind, handing over the right to speak and the moral high ground to the other person.

This was a tacit understanding between Mu Xue and Lin Wan that didn’t need to be voiced.

Whoever tore through this veil of politeness first would lose this round.

Mu Xue took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the stifling frustration in her chest.

She looked up, the corners of her lips even curling into a faint, decent smile. Her voice regained its stability, even taking on a hint of indifference after having weathered the storm. ”It’s fine. Isn’t he... already back? As long as the ending is good, that’s enough. The process was a bit convoluted, but looking back in the future, it might even be a unique topic of conversation.”

She paused, her gaze seemingly wandering over Su Bai before quickly returning to Lin Wan’s face. She spoke slowly but clearly, ”At least, it’s something truly experienced. It’s much better... than a blank space where nothing ever happened.”

These words were soft yet firm.

She acknowledged the experience.

More importantly, this was almost a clear declaration: between her and Su Bai, there were real times spent together, unforgettable feelings, and of course, those nights of intimacy.

This ”substance” had been tempered by time and events; it wasn’t just a youthful, ignorant crush.

And this was exactly what Lin Wan currently lacked.

Her relationship with Su Bai was like a clear mountain stream, flowing gently, slowly gathering through accumulated companionship and tacit understanding—clear but also slow, yet to break through that crucial barrier.

An engagement was a bond, a future, but it wasn’t the ”past.”

More importantly, Mu Xue’s current ability to ”openly hold Su Bai while sleeping”—this intimate reality was an impactful advantage that Lin Wan, who hadn’t even held Su Bai’s hand, could not compare to.

The air at the table seemed frozen; only the food was slowly getting cold.

”Enough.”

Su Bai spoke up to interrupt, cutting right into the invisible but increasingly intense clash of words.

If he let them continue like this, needles-hidden-in-silk, the crumbling facade of peace would eventually be torn apart completely.

He frowned, his gaze falling on the food that was about to lose its heat. His tone was clearly a bit irritable: ”The food’s cold! If you two aren’t going to eat, give it all to me.”

With that, as if to prove something or perhaps eager to end this awkward stalemate, he picked up his chopsticks again. He roughly twirled the noodles in his bowl, along with the now-cold steak, and stuffed them into his mouth.

However, as soon as the food entered his mouth and he chewed twice, Su Bai’s entire face uncontrollably scrunched up, his expression twisting into something almost comical.

Damn it... there’s no salt!

It wasn’t just one portion; neither of them had any!

The tomato and egg noodles were bland and tasteless, relying entirely on the slight acidity of the tomatoes.

As for that seemingly perfect filet mignon, besides a bit of smoky flavor from the charred outer layer, the meat inside didn’t have a hint of saltiness; it only had the raw taste of the beef itself, which seemed particularly gamey at the cold temperature.

These two women, seemingly focused on cooking in the kitchen, had actually put all their thoughts elsewhere, tacitly omitting even the most basic seasoning.

Su Bai’s sudden and colorful expression was caught entirely by the two ladies opposite him.

Almost simultaneously, a quick flash of light crossed the eyes of both Mu Xue and Lin Wan. It wasn’t worry, but a complex emotion mixing ”serves you right,” ”as expected,” and a ”bit of smugness,” which even caused the tense atmosphere between them to soften for a moment.

Mu Xue snorted inwardly: Serves you right for bringing Lin Wan here without a word.

Lin Wan also thought to herself: You hid Mu Xue here secretly and wanted to keep us both in the dark?

Su Bai struggled with the mouthful of mixed flavors.

Mainly, there was no flavor.

He swallowed the food and looked up with a miserable face, his gaze scanning suspiciously between Mu Xue and Lin Wan.

Just then, he saw an even more speechless scene—

He saw Mu Xue and Lin Wan, almost in sync, gracefully and quickly push their nearly untouched plates in front of Su Bai.

”Dieting.” Mu Xue picked up her water glass, her tone flat.

”Dieting.” Lin Wan wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin, her expression natural.

They spoke in unison, their reason sufficient and their coordination seamless.

Su Bai looked at the two additional portions of ”burden” in front of him, also cold and destined to be tasteless, and his mouth twitched.

Fine, you two are ruthless. He reached out resignedly and pulled the two plates toward him, looking like he was ready to ”finish it all,” even though his stomach was already starting to protest in advance.

Just as Su Bai lowered his head to continue this painful clean plate mission, Lin Wan spoke again, the topic suddenly shifting: ”The environment and security of this villa seem quite good. I’ve considered moving here before; it’s close, and it would be convenient to visit Uncle and Auntie. Why don’t... I move in as well?”

”You’re living here?” Su Bai looked up sharply, asking almost instinctively, his gaze subconsciously darting to Mu Xue first.

Letting Mu Xue and Lin Wan live under the same roof?

Just thinking about that scene made his scalp tingle.

However, to his surprise, Mu Xue’s reaction was exceptionally calm, even straightforward.

She met Su Bai’s gaze, then looked at Lin Wan, the corners of her mouth even carrying a hard-to-read curve. ”I think... that’s not bad. Let’s live here.”

Her agreement wasn’t a compromise; it was more like a declaration of war—since they couldn’t avoid each other, they would face off directly. Moving in together, in close proximity, would make it easier to see each other clearly and... control the situation.

”Good, then I’ll have someone pack my things and move in tomorrow.” Lin Wan didn’t hesitate and immediately took out her phone to start making arrangements.

Su Bai opened his mouth, but found that the two women’s attention was no longer on him at all.

They had reached some kind of new, heart-pounding consensus, and the process of reaching this consensus didn’t require his opinion at all.

It turned out that those words earlier weren’t seeking his consent but were simply notifying him.

He silently buried his head again, facing the three cold and bland portions of food, his heart filled with desolation.

Clearly, the war between these two young misses had entered a new stage; they were going to get personally involved and solve the problem at close range.

And he, the Protagonist who was theoretically at the center of the storm, seemed... to have been excluded from the decision-making level.

Su Bai almost forced himself to gulp down those three uniquely flavored portions of food as quickly as possible, then immediately stood up, his movements carrying a haste to flee the scene. ”Right, I’m done. Uh... you two should rest early, I’m going home first.”

”Hmm?” Lin Wan stood up almost at the same time, her movements fluid as she began to clear the messy dishes from the table.

Her gaze fell on the stacked plates, not looking at Su Bai. ”Don’t you... usually live here?”

She gently stacked the empty bowls before looking up, her gaze calmly fixed on Su Bai. ”If my moving in makes you feel uncomfortable... I can leave right now.”

These words were said lightly, but they made a chill run down Su Bai’s spine.

He quickly waved his hands: ”I didn’t mean that! Definitely not!”

”Oh,” Lin Wan finally stopped her movements, her hands resting slightly on the edge of the table as she looked at him with composure, her eyes carrying a hint of understanding and insight.

”Then who are you putting on this show of going home for?”

The sharp directness in her tone made Su Bai feel a strange sense of familiarity.

Why did it feel like... Lin Wan’s way of speaking was starting to resemble his own more and more?

Since returning to the country, he had vaguely noticed this; she seemed to be unconsciously imitating or absorbing his casual yet point-blank style, and it felt especially obvious now.

Su Bai was momentarily speechless, only able to reach out and rub his forehead irritably.

Just then, Mu Xue, who had been sitting quietly on the other side, also spoke up, having finished clearing her own cups and dishes. ”The guest room has plenty of bedding, and it’s been aired out. It’s so late; running back and forth is a hassle, so just stay.”

Her words completely blocked Su Bai’s excuse of going home, turning the choice into the only arrangement.

As the night deepened, only a few soft wall lamps were lit in the second-floor corridor of the villa.

The air was quiet, yet permeated with an invisible tension.

Lin Wan and Mu Xue had both finished washing up and changed into their pajamas.

Lin Wan wore a silk dark-green camisole dress with a matching cardigan, which set off her fair skin, her damp long hair draped over her shoulders.

Mu Xue wore a light gray cotton long-sleeved loungewear set, soft and comfortable, with her long hair loosely tied up and a few stray strands hanging by her neck. While she looked gentle and domestic, she also drew a clear line.

They stood at the doors of two bedrooms, one on the left and one on the right, separated by the not-so-long corridor and—the door to the middle bedroom, which was directly facing both of them.