Chapter 85: An Initial Thought

Chapter 85: An Idea Strikes

No matter how terrible Su Lichen felt inside, on the surface the two of them finished this "farewell meal" quite amicably.

Xu Moxing ate everything he had ordered, leaving only the dish that Su Lichen had put in his bowl.

After paying the bill, Xu Moxing walked over to Su Lichen, who was standing there waiting for him, and asked, "Did you drive here?"

"Yeah."

With these matters settled, Xu Moxing finally noticed Su Lichen's outfit, checking him out like he was a hot stranger.

Su Lichen was dressed to the nines, looking sharp from head to toe. Xu Moxing thought he might be going to meet a client or had an important date.

Xu Moxing asked, "Do you have other plans, or are you heading home now too?"

Xu Moxing was about to go back and pack his things to move out. If Su Lichen was also going home, he could catch a ride.

If he had other plans, he would take the bus back.

"I'm heading back."

Su Lichen naturally understood that Xu Moxing was asking because if there was a ride, he'd take it; if not, he'd make his own way.

He had assumed Su Lichen dressed up for a date, but it turned out to be their farewell dinner.

The two walked out of the hotpot restaurant one after the other. Xu Moxing deliberately lagged behind Su Lichen, continuing to check out the hot guy from behind without shame.

He was quite curious why Su Lichen was dressed so sharply today. Maybe he had met someone earlier.

But he could only wonder to himself; they were no longer in a relationship where they could tease each other.

Once in Su Lichen's car, they fell silent. Xu Moxing felt there was nothing to say, and Su Lichen wanted to talk but didn't know how.

In the end, they just listened to soft music and drove home in silence.

Once home, Xu Moxing started packing.

It reminded him of the last time they broke up, when he moved out. This time, moving out of the same house felt completely different.

Last time, it was pain mixed with determination; this time, it was peace mixed with anticipation for a new life.

Xu Moxing checked every corner to make sure he hadn't left anything behind, just like before—thorough and careful, determined to move out without ever needing to contact Su Lichen again.

Unlike last time, Su Lichen was present during the packing this time, even eagerly helping him.

There were many stuffed animals on the nightstand. Su Lichen gave him half.

"Take half—grab the ones you like best."

Xu Moxing hesitated for a moment, then accepted. "Then I'll gladly take them."

To return the favor, Xu Moxing, who had a lot of succulents on the balcony, asked Su Lichen, who was following him around, "Do you want to keep some?"

"Yeah, leave me a few."

Originally, Xu Moxing only had three pots of succulents, but last time Su Lichen came home, while he was focused on a phone call with his mom, he absentmindedly plucked off many leaves.

Xu Moxing had successfully propagated almost all of them, so now the balcony was full of succulents. The pots and soil alone cost more than the succulents themselves.

"Succulents don't need much watering or care. They're perfect for a busy person like you."

"Yeah, okay."

Most of Xu Moxing's clothes were minimalist, as long as they were durable and resistant to stains.

He was also big on tossing clothes he didn't like and loved to declutter. So his wardrobe wasn't really that large.

This trait was evident not only in his belongings but also in his relationships.

When Xu Moxing cared about someone, he was truly devoted. But once he decided the relationship wasn't worth his investment and turned the page, he really turned the page. There was basically no chance of reconciliation.

Based on Xu Moxing's personality, Su Lichen knew full well that it was very difficult to win him back.

Su Lichen kept following him around to help, and Xu Moxing couldn't help but turn down his help.

"You don't have to help me. I'll do it myself so I can find things easily later."

Su Lichen had to stop, sitting on the sofa in the living room, watching him pace back and forth wistfully.

His gaze fell on the wide-open suitcase, where he saw Xu Moxing's wallet.

He was still thinking about how to win Xu Moxing back without getting on his nerves.

A thought flashed through his mind...

Xu Moxing finished packing his things and struggled to zip up the suitcase.

Pulling the suitcase with his right hand and carrying a large travel bag with his left, he nodded at Su Lichen. "I'll be off now. Take care."

"I'll see you off."

Su Lichen already had his keys ready.

"No, no, I've called a car. It'll be here in five minutes. I need to go; I don't want to keep the driver waiting."

Su Lichen backed off. "Then let me help you carry your luggage downstairs."

"No need, there's an elevator. These aren't that heavy. Please stay here. I'm leaving now, running out of time."

Xu Moxing dodged Su Lichen's hand reaching for his bag, opened the door without looking back, closed it, and left without a second thought.

After Xu Moxing left, Su Lichen felt the house was empty, and so was his heart.

It wasn't that he hadn't tried living alone in this room before. They had been broken up for nine months. Back then, he didn't feel such a strong sense of emptiness. So why was Xu Moxing's departure this time hitting him this hard?

Maybe it was because he knew that this time Xu Moxing truly didn't care about him.

Earlier, he had blamed Xu Moxing for 80% of the breakup. Since it was Xu Moxing's problem, separating meant getting rid of the problem, which was a relief.

So during those nine months, he felt the pain of loss, but more than that, a sense of lightness—a relief that he had confirmed he was right.

The breakup was a result he had subconsciously expected and accepted.

Although he had once arrogantly thought Xu Moxing wouldn't initiate a breakup, when Xu Moxing did, he didn't feel a strong sense of losing control.

Because of his refusal to talk and his passive attitude, he was the one who actively gave up throughout the process. He had the sense of control.

When he defined Xu Moxing as the "source of the problem," he naturally packed away his feelings for Xu Moxing and tucked them aside.

Hatred and disgust are great emotional barriers that prevent him from feeling love and longing.

On one hand, he believed it was not his fault; on the other hand, he looked up information.

During those nine months, he unconsciously thought about how to win back Xu Moxing in the future, how to help Xu Moxing get rid of his negative energy, and how to teach him to manage his emotions.

So once he got the chance to meet again with Xu Moxing, he quickly figured out how to guide him; he just refused to admit it.

He knew Xu Moxing had removed him from his contacts, but he still kept Xu Moxing's contact information and WeChat in his phone.

As for how he knew Xu Moxing deleted him, it was one month after their breakup: Su Lichen hesitated for a long time and sent Xu Moxing a message.

"Are you still in Shencheng now?"

After pressing send, a red exclamation mark and a message notification immediately appeared.

Su Lichen's heart skipped a beat at that moment; he stared at that interface for a long time, and he didn't delete Xu Moxing or send another friend request either.

As for QQ, there was nothing he could do—deleting a friend was mutual. When Xu Moxing deleted him, he automatically lost him as a friend, and that was that.