If he hadn't heard his sister-in-law's inner thoughts, Si Jingyi would never have imagined that Ruan Qinghuan loved him so deeply.
This woman had probably been so heartbroken by his past ignorance that she no longer dared to reveal her true feelings easily.
Thinking of his past life, where she died so tragically for him, Si Jingyi felt a sharp, knife-twisting pain in his chest.
Ultimately, he was the one who had wronged her.
He had really been blind in the past. How could he have ever fallen for a woman like Song Fei'er?
"Ruan Qinghuan, you are not the kind of person who would sacrifice your own innocence just for revenge."
Before Ruan Qinghuan could say anything, she heard the man add, "You like me."
Ruan Qinghuan's heart skipped a heavy beat.
Which eye of his saw that she still liked him?
Was she making it that obvious?
Was he going to mock her next?
Yes, she was pathetic. She had never liked anyone else but him.
When she first saw him together with Song Fei'er, she didn't know how many tears she had shed in secret.
She couldn't understand how she could like such a scumbag!
Every time she saw him, she wanted to strangle him.
But deep down, she mostly just loved him.
Ruan Qinghuan closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she had regained her composure. "Si Jingyi, where do you get the confidence to think I'd like you? I'm just getting back at you, letting you taste what it's like to be dumped!"
She thought saying this would make him leave in a fit of humiliation and anger.
After all, with his explosive temper, he would never stand here and let her humiliate him.
But unexpectedly, he didn't leave.
Instead, he stared at her intently with those peach-blossom eyes that looked affectionate even when looking at a dog.
Ruan Qinghuan's heartbeat quickened uncontrollably.
She was never one to run away. Taking a deep breath, she asked, "Si Jingyi, what exactly do you want? Do you want to take responsibility for me?"
As she asked this, her heart felt like it was going to leap out of her throat.
In the gaze she directed at him, a trace of anticipation was faintly revealed.
As if, as long as he said he would take responsibility, she would nod and agree.
However—
One second, two seconds, ten seconds passed, and he remained silent.
In the quiet air, it seemed as if only Ruan Qinghuan's gradually heavy breathing could be heard.
Ruan Qinghuan stared into his peach-blossom eyes, wanting to find an answer in them, but ultimately, there was nothing.
Her hopes were dashed once again.
She didn't know how many times this emotion had spread through her; her whole body felt a sense of powerless frustration and disappointment.
Her heart felt as if it were tightly wrapped in a thin iron wire—tense, tearing, and painful.
The color drained completely from her beautiful, delicate face bit by bit.
Closing her eyes, she finally accepted the reality that he didn't like her.
"If you came just to demand an explanation from me, I have nothing to say. You can call the police and tell them I forced myself on you that night. But I have to remind you, I didn't actually use much force that night. You later took the initiative and were quite passionate."
Without waiting for Si Jingyi to say anything, Ruan Qinghuan opened her door and quickly walked inside.
With a bang, the sound of the door closing echoed.
Si Jingyi woke up as if from a dream.
Just now, when Ruan Qinghuan asked if he wanted to take responsibility for her, his first instinct was to nod and agree.
But—
There were still twists and turns destined in his life, and his ultimate fate, whether life or death, was unknown!
If he still couldn't escape death, and he got back together with Ruan Qinghuan, wouldn't she also die for him?
He really didn't want to repeat the tragedy of his past life!
Si Jingyi looked at the tightly closed door, his hands hanging by his sides clenching tightly into fists.
He had a premonition that this was the last chance she would give him.
If he didn't grasp it, she probably wouldn't pay attention to him for the rest of her life.
Si Jingyi didn't know how long he stood at the door. Finally, he slowly turned around and left.
...
Ruan Qinghuan's slender body leaned against the doorframe.
Her nose stung, and her eyes ached terribly.
Scalding tears slid uncontrollably from the corners of her eyes.
She raised the back of her hand and quickly wiped them away.
Don't cry, Ruan Qinghuan!
He's just a lousy man! If you really can't forget him, go get hypnotized and erase him!
It's no big deal.
After shedding an unknown amount of silent tears, Ruan Qinghuan finally walked into the room.
After washing her face, she buried herself under the covers.
Perhaps because she was too heartbroken, she drifted off into a groggy sleep.
She woke up around ten o'clock at night.
Her stomach was a little hungry.
She had originally planned to go out for food in the evening. It was all that dog of a man, Si Jingyi's fault, for breaking her heart and making her miss her meal.
Unable to fall back asleep after waking up, Ruan Qinghuan changed her clothes and went downstairs to forage for food.
The hallway was dead silent. Just as Ruan Qinghuan was about to head toward the elevator, she suddenly heard a faint noise coming from the emergency exit door.
Ruan Qinghuan instinctively glanced at the emergency door.
With this look, she froze in shock.
A tall, slender figure was sitting at the top of the stairs.
He was holding something unknown in his hands, tapping and knocking away at it.
The man's back looked somewhat desolate and lonely.
Ruan Qinghuan recognized at a glance that it was Si Jingyi.
Hadn't he left?
Ruan Qinghuan frowned, her heart clenching slightly.
She wanted to turn and leave, but she couldn't help but ask, "Si Jingyi, what are you doing sitting there?"
The man abruptly turned his head.
Seeing Ruan Qinghuan standing not far away, he instinctively hid the object in his hands behind his back.
Ruan Qinghuan noticed some small wood shavings left on the ground where he was sitting.
"What are you holding in your hands?"
After the two stared at each other for a moment, the man slowly reached out and offered the object he was tightly gripping to her.
Ruan Qinghuan took it and took a look.
It was a wooden carving in her likeness.
"Did you carve this yourself?"
Si Jingyi gave a soft hum of agreement.
"Don't you dislike me? Why would you carve my likeness?"
Si Jingyi's thin lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he ended up saying nothing.
Seeing Si Jingyi's silence, Ruan Qinghuan's chest throbbed with pain.
She forcefully threw the wooden carving in her hand back at him.
"Since you don't like me, don't ever come looking for me again!"
Ruan Qinghuan turned around and strode away.
But before she had walked for even a few seconds, her slender waist was forcefully embraced from behind.
Si Jingyi had rushed over recklessly and hugged her tightly.
His peach-blossom eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was heavily choked with emotion. "It's not what you think. If I didn't like you, I wouldn't have let you have your way that night."
Ruan Qinghuan's slender body stiffened sharply.
This was the first time they had been this close while both were sober.
The man's cedar-like scent hit her face, fresh and rich.
Ruan Qinghuan lowered her long eyelashes, wanting to pull away the large hands clasping her waist, but the man held her tight, absolutely refusing to let go again.
"Qinghuan, I want to be brave for once. I won't let go of your hand anymore. Give me one more chance, okay?"
Ruan Qinghuan pried away the hands hugging her waist, turned back to look at him, her eyes blurred with mist and her lips trembling slightly. "Si Jingyi, what did you just say? Say it again."
