Сhарtеr 18: Could Somеоne Like Нim Actuаllу Сrу?
…Ноw hurtful thosе wоrds wеre.
Shеn Zuihuan fеlt a pаng in hеr heаrt.
Follоwing hеr gаze, shе indеed sаw thе mаn bеfоrе hеr standing frоzen in рlаce.
His eхprеssion hаd аlsо turnеd somewhаt flustered аnd hеlрlеss.
As if unаble tо contrоl hеrsеlf, shе tоok а few steps fоrwаrd.
Тhеn shе saw the womаn turn аrоund and lоok аt him.
Her tеndеr rеd liрs partеd, уet the wоrds that cаmе оut grеw morе hurtful with еach sentence.
She sаid, “Gu Chаngсе, уоu disgust me!”
Аlthough Shen Zuihuan hаd alwаys fоund this nuisanсe irritating,
she had never spoken such venomous words to him.
Her dark eyebrows furrowed slightly, utterly unable to comprehend what could have happened between them in just a few short years.
She saw the fingers hidden beneath Gu Changce’s inner sleeves were covered in scars.
She saw his knuckles curl slightly.
He lowered his head, his lips pressed tightly together.
After a long silence, he finally whispered, “…Don’t be angry, it’s not good for your health.”
The man’s voice was low, hoarse, and halting: “…I… won’t appear before you again…”
At these words, Shen Zuihuan’s back stiffened almost imperceptibly.
Gu Changce lifted his foot and slowly walked out of the inner chamber.
As he reached the doorway, his steps paused slightly.
As if he wanted to look back one more time.
But in the end, he did not turn around.
Only after the door had completely closed
did he turn around, gazing intently through the translucent window paper at the faint, blurred silhouette inside the room.
Suddenly, Shen Zuihuan saw his previously straight shoulders begin to tremble lightly.
Drops of water fell to the ground.
She was taken aback, her eyes widening slightly in disbelief as she looked at the man before her.
…Was he crying?
Shen Zuihuan felt a tightness in her chest.
…Could someone like him actually cry?
The tall, broad-shouldered man bent his once-straight spine.
Shen Zuihuan found it hard to breathe.
…She suddenly wanted to run over and hug him.
As the thought crossed her mind, she acted on it.
Surprisingly, this time her outstretched hand did not pass through empty air.
Instead, it tightly encircled the man’s lean, narrow waist.
Shen Zuihuan looked up in astonishment, only to see the scene before her gradually twist and blur, fading into the distance—
Suddenly, she felt gentle pats on her back.
A low, awkward male voice sounded in her ear: “…Huanhuan, don’t be afraid, I’m here.”
She opened her tear-blurred eyes and suddenly realized
that her face was pressed tightly against the man’s deep blue waistband.
Her two slender, pale arms were wrapped tightly around him like an octopus.
Tears had soaked a dark, wet patch onto his waistband.
The man’s body was tense.
Belatedly, Shen Zuihuan realized
…she must have fallen asleep just now and, in a fit of delirium, had hugged Gu Changce.
Her eyes widened abruptly.
She quickly released her arms, scrambling clumsily to the inner corner of the couch.
Feeling her face cool, she hastily wiped the remaining dampness with her sleeve.
Blushing crimson with embarrassment, she looked at the man before her: “…Wh-wh-when did you come in?”
Gu Changce, suddenly released by her, a faint shadow flickered in his eyes, but his expression remained unchanged.
He said calmly, “Just a moment ago.”
Shen Zuihuan asked, “Weren’t you on duty today? Why are you back at the residence at this hour?”
He gestured vaguely toward the pitch-black sky outside the window and asked with a faint smile, “At this hour?”Gu Changce’s moist, thin lips curved slightly upward. “Huanhuan, it’s already the hour of Hai now.”
It was long past the time for sleep.
Shen Zuihuan was slightly surprised.
Had she really slept that long?
She lifted her gaze and scanned the room, but didn’t see Qiu Yan’s figure.
Gu Changce seemed to see through her thoughts. As he took off his black outer robe and draped it over the lacquered clothes rack beside the square couch, he replied in a calm voice, “Qiu Yan has gone outside to keep watch for the night.”
After a pause, he turned to ask her, “You’ve slept until now and haven’t eaten dinner, have you? Should I have the small kitchen prepare some food and bring it up?”
Upon hearing this, Shen Zuihuan shook her head quite obediently.
For one, she wasn’t very hungry, and for another, she had never been in the habit of eating late-night snacks.
Eating at this hour might cause indigestion during the night.
Seeing her response, Gu Changce didn’t press further.
After removing his clothes until only a white inner garment remained, he walked barefoot to the couch.
His dark eyes lowered.
He looked down at her small face, which had not yet fully emerged from the dream she’d just had and still seemed somewhat dazed.
After a moment of silence.
Gu Changce heard the woman before him timidly, with a complex expression, ask, “…Did I say anything strange just now while I was asleep?”
Hearing this, his gaze deepened.
He thought of how the woman had tightly hugged his waist earlier, crying while repeatedly calling his name.
A myriad of thoughts swirled in his mind, as he wondered whether she had remembered something just then.
But in the end, his thin lips parted slightly, and he only said, “You didn’t say anything.”
At these words, Shen Zuihuan breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that she hadn’t said anything.
Otherwise, she truly wouldn’t know how to face Gu Changce.
At the same time, she was also deeply curious why the “Shen Zuihuan” in her dream had treated him that way.
…Didn’t Gu Tangtang say that the two of them were in love?
…This was hardly how two people in love would interact.
One puzzle after another filled Shen Zuihuan’s mind.
But she simply couldn’t remember, and whenever she tried to force herself to recall, her head would ache unbearably.
Her thoughts grew still, and she thought to herself, so be it.
If she couldn’t remember, she wouldn’t force it. After all, there would surely come a day when she would remember.
Thinking this, she rolled further toward the inner side of the bed, leaving an empty space for the man beside her.
Gu Changce climbed onto the couch and lay down. Through the thin sleeping garment, he could even clearly feel the faint warmth left behind where Shen Zuihuan had just slept.
…This was the third time he and Shen Zuihuan had shared a bed.
He gently turned his head to look at the slightly troubled face of the woman beside him, lost in thought.
A barely perceptible smile tugged at the corners of his usually straight lips.
The arm he had placed at his side quietly moved closer to her, but stopped just before it could touch her.
Gu Changce asked her softly, “You slept so much during the day. Will you still be able to sleep tonight?”