Chapter 72: THE LOCKET
Hua Rong set her water bottle down on the desk with a small clink, wiping her damp palms against her shorts unconsciously. Her eyes drifted toward Xu Lingwei, who was perched at the edge of the bed, his laptop balanced on his knees, the screen casting soft, flickering light across his focused face.
She padded over to him, her loose tank top brushing against her bare thighs. "Move it," she said, her voice light but firm.
Xu Lingwei blinked up at her, puzzled for a second.
"Remove that laptop," she insisted with a stubborn pout, crossing her arms under her chest. "That's my place."
A lazy smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Without a word, he closed the laptop and set it aside. Before he could react further, Hua Rong climbed onto the bed, then onto his lap, facing him fully. She nestled comfortably against him, her knees bracketing his hips.
Xu Lingwei's breath caught slightly at the boldness. His hands, instinctively careful, hovered near her waist, not daring to touch her just yet.
"What's going on?" he asked, his voice low, touched with curiosity.
Instead of answering immediately, Hua Rong reached into the small pocket of her shorts. Her fingers fumbled for a moment before she pulled something out — a dark, glinting locket, its surface catching the low light like a shard of midnight.
"You kept it?" Xu Lingwei said, staring at the locket as if it were something sacred.