Huo Nanchen was flirting with her again!
"Nanchen, is there nothing else on your mind other than your inappropriate thoughts?" Gu Ruochu's expression was full of disdain. "You're very perverted!"
Huo Nanchen glanced at her indifferently, and cheekily replied, "That's not what you said last night in bed."
"..."
That night, Gu Ruochu could not sleep. She listened to the sound of Huo Nanchen's even breathing and held his hand tightly.
He had already fallen asleep.
Gu Ruochu was quite curious about what Huo Nanchen had said to Ning Tangxi. Gu Ruochu had told him that she did not want to know any details about his past, but in reality, she had always been curious.
If she did not ask, would he ever tell her?
She grabbed at her nightgown and tossed in the bed. Were all men so simple and crude that they believed everything a woman said?
Or did Huo Nanchen refuse to reveal anything about his past because he did not think that she was important?
Gu Ruochu choked as she tried to hold back her voice.
"Why aren't you sleeping?"
"What did you say to Ning Tangxi earlier?" Gu Ruochu decided to ask him. She plunged into his embrace and rested her head on his warm chest as she listened to his strong heartbeat.
Huo Nanchen tightened his grip and pushed her long hair aside. He pressed his hand against her forehead and smiled. "Little liar, you couldn't help but ask in the end?"
Gu Ruochu hugged his waist with a hint of grievance. Would he not tell her if she didn't ask? Why did she have to ask first?
"I..." Huo Nanchen cut her off as soon as she opened her mouth.
"I once caused the death of a man named Yue Cheng."
Even though Gu Ruochu could not see Huo Nanchen's expression, she could still feel the resistance and panic in his heart. She gently stroked his back.
"Back then, when he and Ning Tangxi were dating, I provoked one of the Huo family's old enemies. One day, the other party kidnapped Ning Tangxi and threatened us. Yue Cheng begged me to save his girlfriend, but I was abroad, and I did not arrive on time.
"Those people took turns with Ning Tangxi. Cheng Xi was conceived after that. When I came back, Yue Cheng hated me to the core. He took Ning Tangxi and the child in her belly and cut all ties with me."
Gu Ruochu listened silently. She felt that Huo Nanchen's past was full of demons.
"I thought that Yue Cheng hated me, but at the last moment, he still saved me with his life. What's even more ironic is that I was the one who caused his death. His parents were in so much pain because of his death that they wished they were dead. Every time I see his father's face, I think, 'what right do I have to cause so much pain to so many people?'"
Gu Ruochu listened to Huo Nanchen's story and could only hug him silently. She didn't know what to say to console him.
He must have been very guilty and afraid. How else would he have dealt with such psychological trauma? No wonder he needed sleeping pills to fall asleep.
The demons he had struggled with were too strong. Even though Huo Nanchen had a steady temperament, every time he thought about his past, he felt weak. Gu Ruochu was his source of strength. She had such a strong pacifying power. It was as if half of his life's warmth was on her body. She made him whole again.
"Stop talking."
"I won't say it. I won't say it." The darkness in his heart seemed to surface again. Suddenly, he panted painfully and kissed the back of her ears, her forehead, and her eyes. He kissed her passionately and said, "I'm your husband. I will definitely protect you."
Gu Ruochu's heart ached as she hugged him tightly. She did not say another word.
She had noticed that he had recently lost some weight.
Gu Ruochu's heart had softened a long time ago. Otherwise, she would not have stayed by his side. The divorce agreement she had printed earlier seemed to be a thing of the past.
Gu Ruochu had given him another chance. Perhaps she would be happy after working hard.