Gu Ruochu was a little unsettled by An Duo's attitude.
"An Duo, if you continue to talk this much, you won't come back again." Huo Nanchen shot a warning glance at her. An Duo shut her mouth.
Gu Ruochu was no fool. She could tell that Huo Nanchen was hiding something from her. "Let's go. We're going to be late for work. I'll go get my bag."
"All right. I'll wait for you."
"Okay." Gu Ruochu let go of his hand and turned to go upstairs.
As she came back down the stairs, Gu Ruochu bumped into An Duo. She was also leaving. An Duo glanced briefly at her and ignored her.
"Don't you have something to say to me? Nanchen isn't here right now. Go ahead."
An Duo was a little surprised. She never envisioned that Gu Ruochu would have such cunning ability and purposely send Huo Nanchen away. She sized Gu Ruochu up again and suddenly felt a little confused.
"Ruochu, do you think that Huo Nanchen loves you?"
Gu Ruochu did not answer. She felt that it was strange for an unfamiliar person to ask her such a question.
"Okay, let's change the question." An Duo did not force her to answer.
"I'm Nanchen's friend. At least I know him better than you do. This is the first time in all these years that he has been so patient with a woman. Many women have tried to impress him. It wasn't that they did not love him. Actually, Ruochu, you're not any more special than anyone else. Strictly speaking, you're far from meeting his standards compared to most ladies."
It was not unreasonable for people in the same social class to have the same worldview. People of equal status shared the same standards.
An Duo felt that she was taking Gu Ruochu too seriously. She was clearly on Ning Tangxi's side, yet she was explaining herself to Gu Ruochu.
When she discerned that Gu Ruochu had no idea of her situation, she felt a little sympathetic.
"So, what do you want to tell me?"
"Why do you think that Nanchen must have you? He suffered from a very serious mental disorder a few years ago. He could only fall asleep after taking his medicine."
Gu Ruochu keenly listened to her and slowly connected the dots.
"But you, only you can make him fall asleep without his medication."
An Duo looked at her and gritted her teeth.
'Only you can make him fall asleep.'
That sentence was like a wake-up call to Gu Ruochu.
'So, this is how it is.'
"..."
In the car, Huo Nanchen looked at the time. Ten minutes had gone, but she still had not come out.
"Young Master, do you want me to call for the Young Madam?"
"No need."
The driver raised his head and saw Gu Ruochu come out. She opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat. "Have you been waiting long?"
"No." Huo Nanchen glanced at her. "Have Young Master An and his sister left?"
"Yes, they've left."
He looked at the way she lowered her eyes, and his heart skipped a beat. He immediately pulled her into his embrace.
The unexpected hug made Gu Ruochu stiffen.
She suddenly remembered that before he went to sleep, he would always hug her or listen to her read a paragraph of his favorite magazine, even when their relationship was not as strong as it was now.
A chill rose from the bottom of her heart, and her body trembled.
It was the first time she had felt so hopeless.
It was the first time she had felt so terrified.
Only one day earlier, she had convinced herself that she did not need her relatives. Huo Nanchen would always be there for her. But now, she realized that she had nothing at all.
"Let's go. We're going to be late." Gu Ruochu was calm and composed. She disguised her true feelings. Huo Nanchen could not tell if there was anything wrong with her.