Film and Television World Life Record

"SuoSuo, I still have work to do, so I won't keep you company. There's fruit in the living room, drinks in the fridge, and a dedicated home theater over there. You can watch movies or listen to music whenever you want. Come and explore by yourself."

Zhu Suosuo had the same idea, and nodded: "I understand, Cousin Jiaming, you go ahead with your work."

Li Mu nodded and went to his study to handle his work; he had already joined Microsoft.

Zhu Suosuo wandered around the room alone. The spacious layout and stylish, understated luxury decor gave it the feel of a large, single-level apartment.

With such a large area, the layout of only three bedrooms and two living rooms does indeed resemble a large single-level apartment.

Compared to the small room she was staying in in the alley, it was like heaven and earth, and for a moment Zhu Suosuo's heart was filled with longing.

She was fostered by her uncle's family from the age of eight and lived in a small house in the alley for more than ten years. It was fine when she was young, but as she got older, she found it increasingly difficult to adapt.

She couldn't adapt to the simplicity there and longed for a better life and the prosperity of the metropolis.

This is only the material aspect; the mental aspect is even more unbearable for her.

Sometime during high school, she grew increasingly beautiful, and her cousin Luo Jiaming seemed to suddenly realize his feelings and began to secretly like and have a crush on her.

After Luo's mother noticed this, she was moved and began to raise her as her future daughter-in-law. She was like a child bride being fostered here, which was the most unacceptable thing for Zhu Suosuo.

She wanted to move out; she wanted to be independent. But she couldn't. She was still young and in school, and simply didn't have the ability to be independent.

They could only silently endure it, neither arguing nor accepting it.

However, Luo's mother understood her son's thoughts and took it very seriously.

Mr. and Mrs. Luo are from a blended family, and Luo Jiaming and Zhu Suosuo are not related by blood. In Mrs. Luo's view, the two children grew up together, were childhood sweethearts, knew each other well, and since her son liked Suosuo so much, it was only natural for the young couple to get married in the future.

I never considered Locksock's opinion.

Zhu Suosuo looked down on Luo Jiaming, disliked his mama's boy personality, and didn't want to live in the alley for the rest of her life; she longed for prosperity.

But living under someone else's roof, I can only compromise and silently go through with it, until now.

Luo's mother had long regarded Zhu Suosuo as her future daughter-in-law and kept her under strict control. Over the years, she had kept her at home and never allowed her to stay out all night.

If I come home a little late, the phone calls come in one after another like they're on a mission to kill me.

Zhu Suosuo had also been in relationships, but they only lasted for two weeks at most, without any real contact, before being broken up by Luo's mother using some unknown means.

In addition, Zhu's father sent living expenses to Luo's mother every month, so Zhu Suosuo never had access to money, and her life was arranged in a very clear and orderly manner.

Under such strict constraints, Zhu Suosuo's rebellious spirit grew stronger. She had had enough of living under someone else's roof. She increasingly wanted to escape this home, to live independently and freely.

The fact that she was so easily fooled by Master Ma also stemmed from her desire to avoid being dependent on others and to quickly become independent.

While her mind was still racing, her eyes remained fixed on the house before her, growing more and more fond of it with each glance. She then observed the layout of the house; besides the master bedroom where her cousin lived, there were two guest bedrooms.

Although it's called a guest bedroom, it's larger than the master bedroom in a typical apartment, three or four times the size of her small room in the alleyway, and it even has its own bathroom and walk-in closet.

The interior was elegantly and luxuriously decorated, with a very stylish feel; Zhu Suosuo fell in love with it at first sight.

She went in again to take a closer look and confirmed that neither of the two guest rooms was occupied, which made her start to have all sorts of thoughts.

This place is so much better than where she lives. If she moved out of the alley and into her cousin's place, she could not only escape her current environment but also escape the constraints and control of her mother, and be free from all that—how wonderful that would be!

This is the life she wants.

But wouldn't this mean she and her cousin Luo Jiaming were essentially living together? Zhu Suosuo thought, her face flushed.

Given her current financial situation and the high housing prices in Shanghai, it's simply impossible for her to live independently in a rented apartment. If she doesn't, it means she'll have to continue living in the alleyway, continuing to live in that oppressive environment.

This is something Zhu Suosuo has always wanted to get rid of.

After a long period of thought, Zhu Suosuo finally made up her mind.

They're just living in a house, not just a room, what could possibly happen! Her cousin Luo Jiaming has had a crush on her since childhood, he'll listen to her, nothing will happen.

Moreover, Luo Jiaming has changed a lot and is becoming more and more outstanding, which has made her look at him with new respect.

"If Luo Jiaming had been like this since childhood, she wouldn't have been so resistant to her mother's arrangements," Zhu Suosuo thought, blushing.

She is a decisive person. Once she made up her mind, she felt much more relaxed. The next challenge was how to persuade her aunt and cousin.

Chapter 184 Laundry and Cooking

Having made up her mind, Zhu Suosuo tidied her makeup in front of the mirror, smiled charmingly, and exuded allure.

She went to the kitchen, cut a plate of fruit, and walked gracefully towards the study.

"Cousin Jiaming, have some fruit."

After finishing typing a piece of code, Li Mu picked up a piece of apple and looked at Zhu Suosuo, who seemed hesitant to speak, and asked, "Cousin Suosuo, this isn't like you! Is something wrong?"

Zhu Suosuo chuckled twice and said coquettishly, "Cousin, nothing can be hidden from you."

"What is it? Speak!" Li Mu said.

Zhu Suosuo considered for a moment, then leaned closer and said, "Cousin, the house is so big and so beautiful, do you live there alone?"

Li Mu nodded: "Didn't you see everything? Was there anyone else in the room besides me?"

Zhu Suosuo pouted: "Cousin, am I not human?"

Li Mu rubbed his forehead: "Okay, my bad, I forgot about my cousin!"

"What is it? Stop beating around the bush and just say it!"

Zhu Suosuo smiled broadly: "Brother Jiaming, such a big house, aren't you lonely living alone?"

Li Mu thought for a moment and said, "It's alright! It's quiet living alone."

Zhu Suosuo rolled her eyes, then smiled even more gently the next moment.

“Cousin, although it’s quiet, it must be inconvenient for one person to live in such a big house. It takes half a day to clean it once.”

Li Mu said, "It's okay, I just call a cleaning service, it's very convenient."

Zhu Suosuo gritted her teeth in anger, but still wore a smile on her face.

"Cousin, having a cleaner isn't enough. What will you eat? What will you do if you get sick? Who will wash your clothes? There's no one to care about your well-being. What will you do if something happens to you?"

Li Mu frowned, then followed her words, saying, "Yes! What you said makes sense. Who will cook for me in the future? Who will do my laundry?"

Then he turned to Zhu Suosuo and said, "Cousin, do you have any good ideas or suggestions?"

Zhu Suosuo's face lit up with joy and she said, "Cousin Jiaming, your house is so big, and you even have two guest bedrooms. I think we can find someone else to move in with us."

Li Mu feigned ignorance and said, "Such a person is hard to find! Strangers won't do; we have to find someone we know. Does my cousin have any suitable candidates?"

Zhu Suosuo said happily, "Yes! It's definitely suitable."

Li Mu asked, "Really? Will she do my laundry and cook for me?"

Zhu Suosuo's expression froze: "Wash clothes and cook?"

Li Mu said, "That's right! Otherwise, I'm living perfectly well on my own, it's so quiet and comfortable, why would I want to find someone else?"

"SuoSuo, don't you think so?"

Zhu Suosuo gritted her teeth and said resolutely, "Cousin, don't worry, it will definitely happen."

Li Mu said, "Since my cousin said so, of course I'm relieved."

He turned his head and stared at her with a half-smile, saying, "Cousin Suo Suo, the person you're talking about isn't you, is it?"

Zhu Suosuo blushed and punched Li Mu twice: "Jiaming, you've turned bad. Did you already guess Lala's identity and deliberately make fun of me?"

Li Mu said, "Is there any need to guess? My mom is so nagging and strict. Not only do you not like the atmosphere at home, but I don't either. What's so strange about wanting to move out?"

Seeing that things were promising, Zhu Suosuo stepped forward, grabbed Li Mu's arm, and shook it: "Cousin, please! Your house is so big, just let me move in! Just give me a guest room, it definitely won't disturb your work."

Li Mu smiled and looked her over a few times: "Cousin Suo Suo, it's not impossible for you to move in. Does your promise from earlier still stand?"

Zhu Suosuo was taken aback: "What?"

Li Mu grinned mischievously, "Who was it that promised to do my laundry and cook for me? If they've changed their mind, then I can only change my mind too. It's so much quieter living alone."

"You agree, right, Cousin Suo Suo!"

Zhu Suosuo's expression froze for a moment before she gritted her teeth and said, "It counts, of course it counts."

"It's just washing clothes and cooking, right? It's not like I've never done it before. Don't worry, leave it all to me."

Li Mu said with a smile, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Cousin Suo Suo. Whenever you want to move in, I'll come with you."

Zhu Suosuo's eyes lit up and she said, "Then I want to move today."

As she spoke, something occurred to her, and her gaze darkened again: "But how am I supposed to explain this to my aunt? Will she agree to let me move out?"

Then she looked at Li Mu with pleading eyes: "Cousin, Aunt listens to you the most, you must help me."

"I'll take care of all the cooking, laundry, and cleaning from now on. Can you put in a good word for me?"

Li Mu asked, "Do you mean what you say?"

Zhu Suosuo said earnestly, "I keep my word."

Li Mu smiled and said, "Okay, deal. My dear cousin, I'll have to trouble you with cooking, washing clothes, and cleaning here from now on."

Despite being taken advantage of and forced to agree to so many conditions, Suo Suo felt it was all worth it if she could get her aunt's permission to move out.

She was finally able to escape her previous environment, live in a spacious and bright house, and no longer have anyone nagging and disciplining her. She became a free person.

Li Mu was a man of his word, and he kept his promise. That very day, he accompanied Zhu Suosuo home and gave Luo's mother a good talking-to.