World of Adults

"Brother, why do you want to be an actor?" Qu Ling'er changed the topic so that she would not feel so awkward.

"Because I'm bored," Luo Yichen said.

Qu Ling'er: "…" Why did it feel even more awkward now?!

"Actors can experience different lives—every role is a different journey. I like this experience!" Luo Yichen said again. As he spoke, he seemed to have taken a walk down memory lane.

Qu Ling'er nodded. She believed that whatever decisions she made in life, it was still her choice. For instance, she had chosen to cut ties with the Qu family. Even if she were to end up alone in the future, she would not regret it.

Luo Yichen looked at Qu Ling'er who was engrossed in eating her noodles. She looked very pretty when she was eating. From his angle of gaze, she looked extremely beautiful with her head lowered, as if she was hiding in the light.

"By the way, your aunt came over this afternoon and bought a lot of things." Qu Ling'er pointed at the things on the floor of the hallway.

"She bought them for you—just accept," Luo Yichen said casually. "Treat it as her apology and compensation on behalf of Luo Xiao."

Qu Ling'er frowned and asked, "But why didn't your aunt divorce Luo Xiao?" She could not understand why such a loveless couple would continue to be together.

Luo Yichen chuckled. "Lass, the world of adults isn't that simple. Even if they no longer have feelings for each other, they are still bound together by interests. They can't divorce just like that."

Even though Qu Ling'er did not fully understand, she nodded. There were still many things she did not understand in the world of adults. In her world, there was no such thing as compromise.

They continued chatting and soon finished their lunch.

Qu Ling'er took the initiative to clear the table and took the dishes to the kitchen. Luo Yichen stood at the kitchen door and quietly watched her work. His chest suddenly felt tight. "Is it always like this in the Qu family?" He asked.

"What?" Qu Ling'er was confused.

Luo Yichen asked with furrowed brows, "Did you do all the housework when you were in the Qu family?"

"No." Qu Ling'er said softly, "I only went to the Qu family after graduating from junior high school. Before that, I lived in a small town with my mother. My mother was very busy, so I took care of myself."

For some reason, Qu Ling'er told Luo Yichen about this.

She had never told anyone about it. But today, she told Luo Yichen about her past.

"Did your parents divorce a long time ago?" Luo Yichen stood at the kitchen door and asked. He wanted to know more about Qu Ling'er.

"Mmm,"Qu Ling'er replied softly. "After I was born, my mother agreed to the divorce on the condition that I was registered in the Qu family's household register. She brought me to live in a small town after the divorce. From as long as I could remember, she was rarely home—she hired a nanny to take care of me until I grew old enough to take care of myself. My mother would only return home once or twice a month. But even if she was back, we didn't communicate much—we didn't have a normal mother-daughter relationship at all. After my middle term examination, she brought me to see Qu Zhisheng and asked him to take me in; Qu Zhisheng rejected her outright. However, she didn't give up. Instead, she killed herself in exchange for the Qu family to accept me…"

Qu Ling'er was very calm, but her words revealed a deep sense of helplessness.

Luo Yichen listened silently. He felt very sorry for the lass' experience.

"You've already severed ties with the Qu family," Luo Yichen said softly.

Qu Ling'er laughed softly, "Yes, I will decide my future."

Luo Yichen smiled at this. This lass was very strong-minded and knew what she wanted. Compared to her, he suddenly felt that he did not know what he wanted in life…

When Qu Ling'er came out of the kitchen, she saw Luo Yichen sitting on the sofa playing games on his cell phone.

She asked, "Are you having dinner at home tonight?"

Luo Yichen's gaze was still on the phone screen. He nodded and said, "Yeah."

"Is there anything that you don't eat?" Qu Ling'er asked again. "I'll be going out to do some marketing. If you have anything you don't want to eat, let me know. I'll take note."

"Nope. I'll eat anything you cook!" Luo Yichen replied. Even a bowl of noodles was delicious to him.

"Okay. Got it," Qu Ling'er said. She returned to the study room to change her clothes—bid goodbye to Luo Yichen—before leaving.