Chapter 176: Living Together and Still Not a Girlfriend?

Huang Mao took out his phone and saw a message from Zhao Yuanyuan, asking him to gather some intel.

Huang Mao smiled, put his phone down without a second thought, and looked at Chen Mo.

He had already asked his question before Zhao Yuanyuan’s message arrived, though he hadn’t gone into the detail she wanted.

Zhao Yuanyuan’s text message asked him to find out the specifics of Chen Mo’s relationship with the girl.

Seeing Huang Mao’s inquiry, Chen Mo replied nonchalantly, "Chu Mengyao. We were playmates when we were kids."

"Playmates? Doesn’t that make you childhood sweethearts?" Huang Mao asked in surprise.

Hearing this, Chu Mengyɑo, who was standing beside them, beamed, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

’Childhood sweethearts?’ Chen Mo had never really thought of that term before, but now that he did, he supposed their relationship was something like that.

"I guess so," Chen Mo replied with a faint smile.

"What do you mean, ’I guess so’? We’re tight bros," Chu Mengyao said, slinging an arm over Chen Mo’s shoulder.

It was precisely this sort of casual habit of hers that made Chen Mo never feel the awkwardness that can exist between a guy and a girl, nor did he ever think of her in that way.

He really did just treat her like one of the guys.

But whether Chu Mengyao truly felt the same was another story.

"This is my deskmate—oh wait, former deskmate now. His name is Huang Mao, but you can just call him Yellow Hair," Chen Mo said, introducing Huang Mao with a smile.

"Former deskmate? So who’s your new one? It couldn’t be that beauty, could it?" Chu Mengyao said, glancing over at Su Yuqing.

She was only teasing, but to her surprise, Huang Mao laughed and said, "You actually nailed it. This guy puts babes before bros. He ditched his old deskmate—me—and ran off to sit with the pretty girl."

"Don’t you start playing innocent. I can tell you’re way more satisfied with your new deskmate than you ever were with me."

Listening to the two good friends banter, Chu Mengyao’s expression shifted slightly.

Her playful look turned serious for a brief second.

’That girl really is gorgeous. She has an ethereal quality that makes her stand out in a crowd.’

’If it were any other girl, Chu Mengyao felt she’d at least have a fighting chance, given her history with Chen Mo.’

’But against this one... she didn’t seem to stand a chance.’

"Brother Mo, you sure have good taste. You’ve found yourself a girlfriend who’s definitely campus belle material," Chu Mengyao joked, feigning nonchalance.

"I already told you, she’s not my girlfriend. Don’t go spouting nonsense in front of her," Chen Mo said, giving Chu Mengyao a speechless look.

"Don’t listen to his nonsense. They’re already living together and she’s not his girlfriend? Oh, right, she’s not his girlfriend... you should be calling her your wife," Huang Mao immediately retorted with a wide grin.

"What!?" Hearing that, Chu Mengyao froze completely. "Li... living together?"

’How old are they? How could they already be living together?’

’And how would their parents possibly agree to it during high school?’

Chu Mengyao found it unbelievable.

She had stayed over with Chen Mo before when they were little, but they were just kids, so their parents hadn’t paid it much mind.

They would often go to each other’s houses to play games, and if it got too late, they would simply sleep over.

Their parents were very close, and had even privately agreed to arrange their engagement if the two children ever developed feelings for each other.

But as they grew older, and their parents became more successful and bought better houses, they ended up living farther apart, and their visits grew much less frequent.

They didn’t even attend the same school, so they rarely had a chance to see each other in person.

Most of the time, they just met up online to play games.

Although Chu Mengyao always thought of Chen Mo’s parents as the open-minded type, she could never have imagined they would let him get a girlfriend in high school, let alone live with her.

’And the most outrageous part is, how did the girl’s parents agree to it?’

She simply couldn’t believe it.

"Don’t listen to his nonsense. We’re just living in the same house, that’s all. There are... some complicated circumstances that are hard to explain right now. Just don’t say anything weird in front of her," Chen Mo said, still worried Chu Mengyao’s loose lips would embarrass Su Yuqing.

"What do you mean ’just living in the same house’? That’s the definition of living together!" Huang Mao continued to tease with a grin.

"Brother Mo, you’re so bad. Learning to hide a beautiful girl away at such a young age," Chu Mengyao said, looking at Chen Mo with a playful smirk.

"Hiding her, my ass! She’s just staying at my place for a while due to some special circumstances. Anyway, it’s not what you’re thinking, so stop spouting nonsense," Chen Mo said, rolling his eyes at both of them.

But Chu Mengyao had known Chen Mo since they were kids, so she had a pretty good read on his reactions.

’The way he said that didn’t sound like he was lying out of shyness. It seemed like there really was something else going on.’

’Thinking about it logically, it’s highly unlikely any parents would agree to their daughter living in a strange boy’s home during high school.’

’During the teenage years, when a guy and a girl are left alone together, it’s easy for one thing to lead to another.’

’That sort of thing is incredibly serious.’

So Chen Mo’s words were obviously more credible.

’But even if there were special reasons, they were still living under the same roof.’

’Living under the same roof with such a gorgeous girl... even if there was nothing between them now, as the old saying goes, love grows over time. Sooner or later, their relationship would become something more.’

’In fact, the very fact that this girl was willing to live in Chen Mo’s house was a clear signal in itself.’

’Chu Mengyao put herself in the girl’s shoes. If she were asked to live alone in a strange guy’s house...’

’...she’d die before she’d agree to it.’

’Unless she already had strong feelings for the guy—to the point where she wouldn’t even mind if something *happened* between them—only then would she possibly dare to live in his home.’

’Otherwise, even for someone she had a crush on, she would never dare to just move right into his house.’

She knew very well that Chen Mo’s parents were away most of the year, so he was essentially living alone in the house they’d bought for him.

’A guy and a girl, living together all alone.’

’She’d heard that boys their age were like ravenous wolves.’

’What kind of parent in their right mind would let their precious daughter live alone in the house of a boy that age?’

Chu Mengyao didn’t even dare to imagine what Su Yuqing’s family situation could possibly be.

’There had to be some hidden story behind all this.’

But it was someone else’s private business, so naturally, she couldn’t pry. She decided not to dwell on it any further.

But now, what she was most curious about was the true nature of Chen Mo and Su Yuqing’s relationship.

Even if he claimed on the surface that they weren’t a couple.

But just as she’d considered a girl’s perspective earlier—that a girl wouldn’t be willing to live with a guy unless her feelings were strong enough—the reverse was also probably true.

’Why was Chen Mo willing to live with Su Yuqing?’

’Was it just because Su Yuqing was so beautiful? Or did he have designs on her?’ Chu Mengyao was incredibly curious.