Chapter 9 - Moving

Song Luli followed the smell of the food. She descended the stairs slowly, observing the areas around her.

The halls were empty, to her surprise, so she continued to walk down the steps. The house was bigger than she thought. The ceilings were high, unable to reach even with tall ladders.

The floorboards beneath her consisted of dark polished wood, silent against her feet. The air had a lavender scent, one of her favourites. She stepped further, around the corridor, until she stepped into the kitchen.

It was early for dinner, but Long Jie was eating nonetheless, alone. She then took a seat across him where a hot steaming plate rested in front of her. But when she settled, he rose, taking his near-empty plate with him.

He put the dish in the dishwasher, and afterward, he washed his hands and dried them, walking away.

He was going to exit the kitchen when he paused at the threshold. "When you finish, place the plate in the dishwasher," he said. Without waiting for Song Luli to respond, he left.

Song Luli frowned, feeling disappointed. But she recovered by taking a deep breath, picking up her fork and knife, and began to eat.

She felt like she didn't need to be close to him, but she wanted to be at least well-acquainted, as they are now husband and wife. If they are to succeed in their companies shortly, how could they work together if he doesn't even speak to her?

After dinner, Song Luli decided to explore the house; after all, it was her new home.

She didn't find anyone when she searched through the rooms; she couldn't find Long Jie either. But she slowly uncovered each room, trying to familiarize herself with the place.

She found the drawing-room, the sunroom, the dance hall for when guests come over, the dining hall, the study room, the living room, and the game room.

She was attracted to the dining hall. It was large and beautiful, connected to the dance hall. There was a large, black grand piano displayed on a platform, and a violin hung in a glass case against the wall. She didn't know that Long Jie played instruments, or if he was any good. She realized she didn't know anything about him.

Song Luli spent the rest of the evening in his library study room. She gazed at the spines of the shelves of books. Most of them were complicated textbooks about physics, engineering, and technological advancements. Others, surprisingly, were fiction books that she could understand. She picked one from the shelf and began to read on one of the couches.

The night fell when Song Luli opened her eyes, startled at the fact that she fell asleep half-way into the book. She blinked around the room, registering the setting.

Long Jie was sitting on a comfy-looking armchair with a leg propped over his thigh. He held a book in his hand, but he was gazing at her with deep-set, half-lidded eyes. He had his other hand underneath his chin, propped by an elbow over the armrest.

"I'm sorry," Song Luli said, straightening out her hair and clothes.

"Why are you sorry?" he responded with a serious tone. "You can do anything in this house. In fact, you can do whatever you want. It's none of my concern."

Song Luli narrowed her eyes. She held her chin high, keeping her face tight, not revealing any of the offences she felt. He offended her, but it didn't matter because it was true. Nothing she did should concern him, and vice versa.

She gazed around the space, not knowing what to say. "Do you read often?" she asked him curiously.

"Only when I'm not busy," he responded bluntly.

"And you're not busy now?" she continued.

Long Jie closed the book in his hand. "I took the day off since it's my wedding day and finished my work this morning," he remarked with a slight grin. Song Luli's cheeks flushed, but she glanced away, determined not to let him see it.

He rose from his seat, "I will be going to sleep now."

"Where are you sleeping?" Song Luli questioned him.

Long Jie paused, turning to face her with a blank expression. "I sleep on the east wing. It's on the other side of the house."

Song Luli nodded. But he kept his eye on her. "Don't worry," she said. "I won't ever go in. But I wanted to know, in case of an emergency."

Long Jie took her answer considerably, and he ascended the stairs without another word. Song Luli sighed after watching him. She then went up the stairs and followed the direction of the west wing to find her new room. She went onto the desktop computer to complete come work since she didn't feel like sleeping.

She then received a notification on her phone about a money transfer. Song Luli's eyes widened at the large number. It was enough for film investments, but she felt like she needed to do something to make it up to him. They were married, but still, if they were a team, then she was determined to help in any way she can, just as he was helping her.

...

The next day, Song Luli woke up in the morning, and Long Jie drove her back to her old house.

Inside, Long Jie shook her father's hand, but with her mother, he respectfully bowed and kissed her on the hand.

In her room, she began to pack up her things. It wasn't much. Long Jie offered to have people come and package all her items, but Song Luli wanted to take her time with it. She didn't want to sweep her things away quickly when she was so sentimental with her room.

Surprisingly, Long Jie went in with her, gazing around her room, arching a brow.

"I know it's not much. But everything in here means something to me," Song Luli said.

Long Jie shrugged. It was a warm day, so he wore a pair of black shorts with a black shirt. His dark auburn hair was stark against his dark clothing. He brought in some boxes and spread them around the room.

Song Luli arched a brow, "You're going to help me?" she asked him.

Long Jie's expression remained blank. "Yes. It gets done faster with two people," he said.

Song Luli rolled her eyes. "You can start packing whatever is on my wall and inside my desk," she said.

Long Jie nodded. He then began to take down some of the portraits from the wall. In her desk, he found notebooks, pens, and photos.

Song Luli went to her closet and began to package everything from inside.

Long Jie packed everything from her desk when he stumbled upon old high school photos.

In the images was a younger version of Song Luli. But there wasn't much of a difference. Song Luli was twenty-two years old, whereas she graduated when she eighteen. In the photo, she had longer hair kept in pigtails; she had braces, and she wore a cast. She must have broken her arm back then. Her expression was cold and reserved, and he wondered was she always like that?

Long Jie quickly put the picture away.

After three hours of packing, they began to carry the boxes and load the moving truck. When Long Jie placed a heavy box down, he was startled by a figure that approached him suddenly. He flinched, looking down at the small woman; she had blonde hair and brown eyes.

Her eyebrows knitted, and she stared at him intensely, as if he did something wrong.

"Are you Long Jie?" she asked, crossing her arms.

Long Jie stood tall, sweat-slick from arranging the boxes. "Who is asking?"

"Su Xiang," she said.

Long Jie's eyes narrowed, assessing her. He then smiled after finding some recognition. "Hello, old friend," he said.

Su Xiang's knitted brows softened. She then broke out into a smile. "It's been a while," she said.

Long Jie nodded. "Where's your brother?" he asked.

"Chen is working and won't return until night. I saw you helping Luli, and I wanted to meet you again."

"Hm," Long Jie began. "I'll invite you and your brother for dinner one night with me and Song Luli, then we can catch up," he suggested.

Su Xiang smiled.

Song Luli descended the steps of the house, carrying a box. She had worn half of her cropped hair-up.

"So you two finally reunited," Song Luli said to both of them.

"Long Jie told me that you are really beautiful when I asked him about what he thought of you, and he says he's happy that you're his wife," Su Xiang made up on the spot. Long Jie's eyes widened, horrified. He was at a loss for words.

Song Luli was momentarily stunned, until she burst out a laugh, but attempted to compose herself quickly.

Su Xiang granted him a mischevious smile. She was good at messing with people, but she would never take it too far. It was part of her typical charm.

Long Jie was stunned to see Song Luli smile, one that didn't appear forced. He watched her with curious eyes, until she caught his watchful gaze, reserving the expression she held. Song Luli glanced away, proceeding to move the boxes around in the back of the truck.

Su Xiang then said, "I'll be off now. I must see you two soon again." She then waved at them as she walked away.

Song Luli waved back. When she resumed her work, she noticed that Long Jie kept his gaze locked on her. It made her feel uneasy.

She peeked a glance at him; his face held no emotion. "What?" she asked bluntly.

"Nothing," he responded, closing the shaft of the truck, locking it.

They both parted from Song Luli's parents before hopping into the moving truck. In her heart, she felt a tinge of sadness. Song Luli felt sad because she felt as if she would miss seeing the faces of her parents in the morning, of bothering her twin when she felt like it. But she hoped this new chapter of her life would be eventful, even if she were married to someone she didn't know too well.