Exusiai had the strong feeling that something about the current situation was… off.
Maybe she never should have asked Lin Yuan that question in the first place.
Or maybe—if she'd been straightforward from the start and told him what she and Texas had agreed on—none of this would have spiraled into this.
How did the conversation suddenly veer in that direction?!
"You're sweating a lot," Lin Yuan said, looking at her with mild curiosity. "Didn't you get a chance to wipe off after work?"
Exusiai cleared her throat twice, took the tissue he handed her, dabbed at her forehead, and then rushed out the explanation as fast as she could.
"Uh—about that. She's actually my coworker."
"Your coworkers are all like that?" Lin Yuan complained immediately. "Not even thinking—just asking if I'm a thief. Doesn't it occur to her that cohabitation is a thing?"
In an instant, Exusiai tensed again.
Every instinct in her body screamed that this one was on her.
Because in essence, it was male–female cohabitation. Lin Yuan didn't realize it, but the fact remained.
And that, precisely, was why Exusiai hadn't told anyone about it.
Strictly speaking, Texas's misunderstanding… was her fault.
"Um, she actually asked me to pass along an apology," Exusiai said. "She said she didn't know about the cohabitation thing, so she misunderstood."
"And she heard you're afraid of women, so she wanted me to apologize instead of coming in person."
"Yeah, that's fine," Lin Yuan nodded. "Saves trouble. And honestly, your coworkers sound like the kind of people who are… heavy. The exhausting sort."
He sighed, almost admiring his own conclusion.
"Truthfully, I don't really want to interact with them."
"Huh? Why would you think that?" Exusiai asked, putting on a curious face while praying with everything she had that this topic would die right here.
Lin Yuan fell silent for a moment, then said slowly:
"If you don't have some pretty serious baggage, you don't usually look at someone once and immediately decide they're a thief."
He paused, then added—reluctantly, but earnestly:
"Tell her I'm sorry too. I didn't exactly give off a trustworthy vibe, and I can see how that could lead to misunderstandings."
"I don't really have a better way to handle my situation, but… we both caused each other trouble. So, yeah. I'll apologize."
"Okay," Exusiai said softly, startled for a beat before nodding.
Then she hesitated.
"But… you don't like her?" she asked carefully. "You sounded pretty unwilling."
"Of course I don't like her." Lin Yuan answered without a shred of hesitation. "She pegged me as a thief on sight. And she was scary. And I'm afraid of women. Stack all that together and yeah—I don't like her."
"But even so," he continued, voice calmer, "if an apology is owed, it's owed."
Otherwise, someone who already dislikes you will just dislike you even more.
That thought dragged something heavy up from the bottom of his mind.
More hatred. Worse treatment. More bullying—just like before.
So… better to apologize.
Lin Yuan went quiet, then snapped awake as if he'd caught himself sinking. He forced his thoughts elsewhere.
That's in the past. Don't think about it.
Think about something else.
Like what Exusiai had just said.
They ate in near silence, and only when the meal was almost finished did Lin Yuan suddenly realize something.
"Wait," he said, genuinely puzzled. "You really haven't told your coworkers that we live together?"
Exusiai had just picked up her bowl and was about to carry it into the kitchen. She froze.
And once again, sweat poured down her back.
Why would you bring up that now—of all things?!
It's been half an hour! I thought you'd forgotten!
Okay. Make something up. Change the subject. Escape. Wait a while until he forgets—problem solved.
So Exusiai hurriedly shoved the bowls away and replied offhandedly:
"Ah… I just forgot to mention it. And it's not exactly easy to say, you know? Stuff like that can cause misunderstandings."
Then, in a desperate pivot, she blurted out:
"Oh—right. Is there still hot water? I wanna take a shower."
At that moment, instinct overrode Lin Yuan's lingering What misunderstanding? question, and he answered automatically.
"Yeah. If you want to shower, just go."
Exusiai nodded and fled the scene.
She left Lin Yuan sitting in the dining area, frowning as the weirdness only grew heavier in his head.
Wait—what's there to misunderstand?
Would they think he's… into men?
Forgetting to mention it also felt strange. Living together isn't exactly a small detail.
If there was anything worth misunderstanding, it would be a man and a woman living together.
But… Exusiai is a bro, right?
After thinking for a while, Lin Yuan sighed and gave up.
Exusiai could be an airhead sometimes. She was cheerful and broad-stroked, even if she could be surprisingly sensitive at other times.
Maybe she really did just forget.
He did have a tendency to overthink—like a persecution complex.
If he latched onto flimsy hints like this, he'd just look neurotic.
This isn't the past anymore. He should put those useless thoughts down.
Lin Yuan chuckled at himself and shook his head.
In the bathroom, the warm orange glow of the heat lamp clicked on.
Exusiai let the hot water run over her skin, and her body loosened up. Her mind, too, cooled down.
Relax, Exusiai. Don't panic.
It's nothing. Just a little incident.
If you act too tense, he'll get suspicious. Calm down. Let the topic slide.
Yeah. That's the plan—
She finished rinsing, reached toward the shelf to grab her towel…
…and stopped.
A question hit her like lightning.
Wait. Where did I put the bath towel again?
Cold air brushed her wet skin, and she realized the truth with a stiff, creeping horror.
When her brain overloaded earlier, she'd come in without bringing a towel. Or a bath towel.
Okay. Calm down. First:
You cannot go out like this.
You've just showered. Male–female cohabitation—walking out would expose everything instantly.
Second:
You can't just pull on clothes, either.
A wet body—no matter how neutral the outfit—will outline your curves.
You have to dry off first.
Which meant… there was only one option left.
Outside, Lin Yuan heard Exusiai's voice—awkward, and faintly desperate—through the door.
"Lin Yuan… can you bring me a bath towel…?"
"Coming," Lin Yuan replied.
He got up, took one of his own neatly folded bath towels from the wardrobe, and waited at the bathroom door.
A moment later, the door opened to a narrow crack. Exusiai's arm shot out at lightning speed, snatched the towel, and yanked it inward.
Fast—faster!
If Lin Yuan sees anything, it's over!
But then—another crisis.
The towel got stuck.
Lin Yuan had the habit of folding everything into perfect, compressed rectangles. That meant the towel was packed too tightly to slide through the narrow gap.
Exusiai pulled hard—
—and the door opened a little wider than she intended.
Even though she managed to drag the towel in and slam the door shut, there was still a brief moment when the opening widened.
And in that tiny, catastrophic instant, Exusiai heard the one sound she least wanted to hear.
"Huh?"
Lin Yuan's voice was pure confusion.
"Bro… why did your body look like it had curves just now?"
-------
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