Hua Lin Rong was reassured after what Xin Lan had said so he finally left and went back to sit at Hua Lin Yu's bedside. He couldn't help but sigh every now and then though. Thinking about it, he never would have thought that things could turn out like this. Now, the future was uncertain. If his brother would still end up with him or not … he couldn't say for sure. But in any case, it would be good as long as they left.
He went to try and cultivate so that he did not have to bother about this any longer but he couldn't focus. Finally, he just lay down and tried to sleep himself. He couldn't help but continue to worry though.
On the other hand, Hua Lin Yu had actually managed to fall asleep sometime in the night. He wasn't sleeping well though. He just couldn't help but remember the hurt gaze of Xin Lan at the moment when he ran away, the smile of Bai Mu when he found him in the forest and tried to reassure him, the worried expression of his brother when they talked about everything. The whole time, it felt as if he was being pulled in one direction after the other, with no option to rest for even a moment. He curled up, and pulled the blanket higher, feeling lost and scared even in his dreams.
At that time, Xin Lan also got up in the room next door, not having slept much either. In any case, even though he was optimistic that they could make things work out in the future, it still wasn't a good feeling to be rejected by your fiance like this. In fact, was Hua Lin Yu still his fiance if he rejected the second proposal? That really was a question worth pondering.
He sighed, got dressed, and then went out into the courtyard, looking up at the sky. He really would've liked to go over and have that conversation immediately but most likely, Hua Lin Yu wasn't even up yet. Waking him to do so probably wouldn't be the best move.
He stood there for a while but finally couldn't take it any longer. He went out and lightly knocked on the door of the other room. There was no response though. Hua Lin Yu was still in a fitful sleep while Hua Lin Rong had just fallen asleep after being awake most of the night. Even though Xin Lan didn't know, he just quietly opened the door and then slipped inside. Glancing around, he went over to the bed and sat down at the bedside.
Seeing Hua Lin Yu in the state he was in actually tugged at his heartstrings. He closed his eyes and sighed faintly, reaching out to brush through his hair and hold his hand. He had done this before as well. At night, he would hold Hua Lin Yu in his arms, the youth's back pressed up against his chest while his arms were wrapped around him, and those smaller hands held in his. He couldn't remember a single night where Hua Lin Yu hadn't slept well.
It seemed that the memory of that seemed able to calm Hua Lin Yu down as well. After a moment, he actually fell into a more restful sleep and things stayed that way until he finally woke up a few hours later.
He was in a bit of a daze at that moment. The things from yesterday … they seemed like just part of his bad dreams. Especially so when he noticed that Xin Lan was holding onto his hand just like every other day and that there was that strong hand stroking his back.
He gave a faint hum and then turned around, looking at the man next to him. When he saw that Xin Lan wasn't lying behind him but instead sitting at the bedside, he realized that things were true though.
He looked away immediately, his guilty conscience acting up. Yes, how could he pretend it wasn't true? Obviously, it had all happened just the way that he remembered it. He had betrayed Xin Lan. And he had done so for a man that he could never be with. He really was an idiot.
Xin Lan saw how Hua Lin Yu's expression changed as soon as he woke up and noticed that he was there. He couldn't help but feel pained but forced himself not to show it. Instead, he gave him a faint smile. "How did you sleep?" He took back one hand but still held onto Hua Lin Yu's with the other.
"I …" Hua Lin Yu really didn't know what to say. Especially when Xin Lan was so gentle with him, he felt guilty. Wasn't he angry at all? Didn't he want to yell at him?
Xin Lan's smile eased a little when he saw him so anxious. "What are you so worried about? Have I ever given you a reason to suspect that I wouldn't treat you well? I know … yesterday didn't go as planned. I won't deny that I'm a little hurt. But you don't have to worry. Even if I was angry, II would never take that anger out on you."
He reached out and took his other hand as well, squeezing them slightly. "Xiao Yu, I love you. I do want to get married. That means that even if things aren't going so well sometimes, I'll have to show some patience.
"I'm willing to do that. If you're not ready yet to marry me, then I will wait for as long as it takes you to be. It doesn't matter if it's just a few days, a year, or even longer than that. It's alright. We have time. So don't worry yourself sick over this. Sometime in the future, I'm sure we'll get married. It doesn't have to be immediately. So let's just take it slowly."