CHAPTER 324: CHAPTER 324: AM I ANNOYING YOU?

Shawn Rhodes has been acting like a changed man these days. When he leaves in the morning and sees the gloomy sky, he reminds her to take an umbrella. Every day he calls to ask when she’ll be home and then has her drink a bowl of herbal soup upon her return.

Susan Wilde still avoids him whenever possible, feeling like it’s the calm before the storm.

On the weekend, Susan gave herself a day off, slept in, and upon waking, saw a note pressed under her phone, reminding her that breakfast was in the microwave.

Susan frowned at the bold handwriting on the note, unable to figure out what was wrong with Shawn lately. Could it be that he drank too much?

Or... did he break up with Rowan Alder and now wants to live a good life with her?

Realizing this, Susan didn’t feel any joy; instead, she felt a chill down her spine and was somewhat scared by the sudden change.

She spent the day home alone, curled up on the sofa, playing with a cat and watching TV all day.

A little after four in the afternoon, there was the sound of a door opening. Susan looked at the clock on the wall, feeling puzzled; Shawn shouldn’t be back this early, right?

Sure enough, when the woman who walked through the door stopped Susan from eating potato chips.

She put down the chips, slipped into her slippers, and stood up, looking at the assertive Rowan Alder, readying herself for confrontation.

"Where is he?" Rowan asked as she surveyed the house, questioning Susan.

Susan absurdly replied, "How would I know?"

Rowan sneered, "Don’t think that with your little tricks in the dark, I’ll give up Shawn to you. Dream on; if I can’t have him, neither will you!"

Susan, unclear about Rowan’s emotions, just smiled and said, "You’d hand Shawn to me? If I don’t agree to divorce him then, you’ll just be the other woman for life. Even if you stay with Shawn till death, you won’t get a cent of his wealth, so you better not create trouble for me. Better yet, flatter me so that when I’m in a good mood, I’ll grant you two a chance."

"You’re only after his money. He knows who truly loves him, and do you think you can hold onto the title of Mrs. Rhodes forever?" Rowan snorted. "I’ll have you begging for a divorce from Shawn!"

After speaking, Rowan even went upstairs to check, ensuring Shawn wasn’t home before leaving.

Susan didn’t take Rowan’s words to heart, considering that when Iris starts school, she’ll move out. Even if Rowan moves back in, it wouldn’t matter.

Not knowing whether Rowan went to find Shawn and reconcile, that night, Shawn didn’t return home either.

Susan looked up apartments online, checked out a few over the weekend—none particularly suitable due to bad locations, poor environments, or exorbitant rents. She wasn’t in a hurry to decide, thinking there was still time to search carefully.

At dinner time, she coincidentally wandered near a food street, visiting such a place for the first time since moving here.

The street wasn’t wide and was full of vendors on both sides, selling all kinds of tempting snacks.

Evening was the peak time for the food street, bustling with people, creating a lively atmosphere.

After a round of browsing, she bought some fried snacks and settled on a place for hotpot rice noodles.

Before eating, she took a picture and posted it on social media, where Erin Bishop and Shannon Quinn commented below, saying that Susan was eating delicious food without inviting them.

Susan, while eating, shared in the group chat about her experience house hunting that day, walking till her legs were sore without finding anything suitable.

Erin sent a voice message saying, "You should’ve said earlier; I’ve got a friend near the school with an apartment for rent, going abroad. I’ll ask for you, and as a friend, it’ll definitely be a cheaper rent."

Women chat in a scattered, whimsical way, but everyone can quickly jump into new topics.

Busily chatting, she barely touched the large bowl of rice noodles.

Someone sat down across from her, but without looking up, Susan continued fiddling with her phone.

In such a bustling small joint with a thriving business, it’s normal to share tables as many customers come and go. She even moved her bowl closer, pressing into her phone to say, "I’m too lazy to deal with them. Once I find a suitable place, I’ll move out."

"Boss, I’ll have what she’s having."

Hearing the familiar voice, Susan finally looked up at the person sitting across from her with surprise and said, "What are you doing here?!"

Simon Rhodes chuckled, "I took a chance after seeing your post about ten minutes ago. I didn’t think you’d still be eating."

As he spoke, he pointed with his chin to the bowl in front of her, asking, "Can you finish it? If not, I’ll make do and not waste money ordering another."

Susan immediately guarded her bowl, muttering, "I haven’t started yet!"

She took a sip of the soup, suddenly frowning and questioning him, "Where did you see my post?"

She clearly remembered deleting him.

Simon seemed to realize he had let something slip, but he merely smiled slightly, offering no explanation, leaving her to guess for herself.

Susan said, "That profile with the heart avatar is your alternate account, right? I guessed that a long time ago!"

"Smart."

Susan rolled her eyes, "Can you stop haunting me like a ghost? It’s really annoying, you know?"

"You find me annoying?"

"Yes!"

Simon’s eyes darkened, a faint hint of bitterness in his smile, and he said no more.

Susan glanced at the messages in her friends’ group, tapped out a reply, and then resumed her meal.

Soon Simon’s order arrived at the table, and without saying another word, he quietly sat opposite her.

Susan sneaked a peek and thought he looked out of place here.

Donning a suit that screamed luxury, eating in this small, greasy eatery seemed odd, especially as he made the inexpensive hotpot rice noodles appear like an international delicacy.

While others ate with loud, slurping noises, he elegantly handled his chopsticks, noodles going into his mouth with hardly any soup on his lips, not making a sound.

Those small gestures showcased his upbringing, making Susan sitting across from him more consciously aware of her table manners.

While Susan quietly ate, a pair of chopsticks suddenly reached into her bowl, adding pieces of her favorite beef. Startled, she looked up at Simon, who added more beef from his bowl into hers.

Only then did Susan realize what was happening and quickly covered her bowl with her hand, refusing, "You eat your own, I’m good."