Fu Sijue stared at the words on the phone screen with a complicated expression, his eyes filled with confusion.
“Ran Ran, you want me to stay in the room, is that it? You before…”
Before Fu Sijue could finish his sentence, Gu Ran began typing on her phone again.
“Ah Jue, stay. I want you to keep me company, to stay with me forever from now on, alright?”
This time, Fu Sijue’s heart could no longer remain calm, yet he still couldn’t believe the words he was seeing.
Sensing Fu Sijue’s doubt, Gu Ran started typing again.
“Ah Jue, I’m sorry. I was wrong in the past, but I’ve realized now—I want to be with you, to stay together forever and ever. Do you still want me?”
After writing this, Gu Ran looked at Fu Sijue with hopeful eyes, quietly awaiting his response.
Her clear gaze held no trace of distraction, nor the coldness and aversion she had shown before.
The two gazed at each other, Gu Ran wanting Fu Sijue to feel what was in her heart at this moment.
After a moment’s thought, she used her hand free from the IV drip to take Fu Sijue’s hand and brought it to her lips.
Fu Sijue’s palm was burning hot, making Gu Ran’s soft lips feel cool in contrast. At the touch, Gu Ran felt Fu Sijue’s body stiffen.
In an instant, her kiss became cautious, reverent and lingering.
Unable to speak, this was the only way she could soothe Fu Sijue’s scarred heart and let him feel her sincerity.
Fu Sijue was at a loss, his lips parting and closing without any words coming out.
He simply watched as Gu Ran kissed his palm, feeling that gentle contact.
In that moment, Fu Sijue felt his heart—which had fallen into an abyss—begin to beat again.
Fu Sijue instinctively knelt down so their eyes were level. His nose tingled and his eyes itched, as if a mist was blurring his vision.
Seeing Fu Sijue’s cautious yet eager search for answers, Gu Ran felt both guilt and tenderness. She released his hand and gently cupped his cheek.
Her eyes now held an unmistakable softness and lingering affection. In this lifetime, she was determined to love this man well, to spend her life healing the wounds she had once inflicted upon him.
Fu Sijue seemed to sense something. Though he remained puzzled about why this woman—who had once been as prickly as a hedgehog whenever they met—was now so gentle, he couldn’t help but crave it.
He thought to himself, even if this was just a dream, even if it was only a momentary indulgence, at least right now he felt he truly possessed this woman.
Unaware of Fu Sijue’s thoughts, Gu Ran clung to him like an affectionate kitten, unwilling to let go for even a moment.
Noticing Fu Sijue wore only thin loungewear, and recalling the time she had glimpsed while typing on her phone earlier, an idea crossed her mind.
Gu Ran slightly loosened her grip on Fu Sijue’s hand, and in that instant, she caught a flash of disappointment in his eyes. Her heart ached in response.
Wanting to comfort this emotionally vulnerable man, she managed a faint smile on her pale face. Then she shifted slightly to the side, looked at Fu Sijue, and patted the empty space beside her.
Fu Sijue froze, his eyes filled with disbelief and confusion.
Seeing this, Gu Ran sighed softly and picked up her phone again to type another line.
“A-Jue, sleep with me.”
Fu Sijue saw this line of text on his phone, a glimmer flashing through his deep, somber eyes. Yet fearing it might be a dream, he looked at Gu Ran with suspicion.
Gu Ran couldn’t care less, directly pulling Fu Sijue’s hand with force. Her lips moved, but no sound came out—only a few silent shapes.
“A-Jue, lie down.”
Fu Sijue seemed to understand. He hesitated before sitting down, then slowly lay down when he saw Gu Ran didn’t resist.
The two-meter-wide bed had about one meter of space cleared by Gu Ran, yet Fu Sijue lay along the edge, leaving a person’s width between them.
Gu Ran sighed silently. Where had the domineering man who forcibly brought her to Tan Palace gone? Now he was so cautious and restrained.
Forget it. If you won’t take the initiative, then I will. If I throw myself into your arms, can you really shut me out?
With that thought, Gu Ran directly lifted one of Fu Sijue’s arms and draped it across the pillow.
Fu Sijue froze, looking at Gu Ran with confusion. Just as he waited for her explanation, the next second, he felt a soft body nestle into his embrace, those slender jade-like hands clinging to his side.
Fu Sijue stiffened completely, lying rigidly on the bed, not daring to move recklessly.
After a long silence, he finally managed to say, “Ran… Ranran, what… what’s wrong with you?”
Hearing this, Gu Ran sighed softly again, thinking how this man had reduced himself to such a state.
The man known to outsiders as decisive in battle and merciless now lay there like a frightened puppy, trembling and not daring to move.
Gu Ran looked up at Fu Sijue.
She had to admit—this was undoubtedly Nüwa’s masterpiece.
With sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, gleaming teeth and radiant features, he carried an innate nobility.
In the eyes of Beicheng’s aristocratic families, the Fu Family’s Lord Jue was a noble, aloof, and transcendent young master.
At the Alliance Base, Fu Sijue was the revered God of War Commander.
Yet such a man, crowned with countless honors—because of one misunderstanding, the former Gu Ran could no longer see his excellence.
Gu Ran closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, her gaze held nothing but attachment for Fu Sijue.
She reached out, grabbed Fu Sijue’s left hand, and pulled it behind her, making his arm wrap around her waist.
Then, Gu Ran nuzzled her head against Fu Sijue’s chest, finding a more comfortable position. Her small hand rested on the man’s side as she closed her eyes, savoring the warmth of his embrace.
“Ranran…”
A gentle call came from above.
Gu Ran looked up, gazing at Fu Sijue without saying a word. Then her soft red lips brushed the corner of his mouth before she nestled her head against his chest once more.
The room fell into silence, neither speaking again.
Gu Ran needed to sort through the memories of her past life. Reborn, the debts she owed must be repaid, but what others owed her would also be collected one by one.
In her previous life, she had misjudged people, blinded by laughable familial affection. Now, given a second chance, she would return every wrong committed against her.
At this moment, Fu Sijue was dazed. He even wondered if he was the one sick with fever.
But the woman in his arms felt so real—her soft body, her warm touch—all telling him this was truly happening.
Fu Sijue looked down at the girl in his arms. Though he could only see a fluffy little head, his heart felt utterly content.
Even if this was just a dream, at this very moment, he was truly holding this woman, genuinely feeling her presence.
Perhaps due to being ill for two days with little food, and having exhausted herself from crying so hard earlier, coupled with Fu Sijue’s comforting presence, Gu Ran gradually fell into a deep sleep as she lost herself in thought.
Feeling the steady rhythm of the girl’s breathing against his chest, Fu Sijue shifted slightly. But the woman in his arms, as if startled, tightened her grip on his clothes with her small hand.
Fu Sijue immediately froze, not daring to move again. He reached out and gently, tenderly stroked her delicate, exquisite face, his eyes filled with an inescapable tenderness.
“Ranran, I had already decided to let you go. Why are you doing this now?”
His heart was in turmoil again. Just two days ago, when he saw the girl stubbornly collapse in the snowstorm, burning with fever, he had resolved to end their mutual suffering—to let her leave and become strangers forever.
But when she woke again, it was as if she had become a different person—clinging to him, weeping softly in his presence, and now sleeping in his embrace.
Having tasted such tenderness and dependence, how could he ever let go?