In front of the person who had protected her tonight, gave her a kind nickname, and ultimately praised her for her endurance, the frost in her heart had melted bit by bit.
'When did it all start?', she wondered.
Perhaps when she first met him, he unearthed the truth that was buried deep inside her heart and told her honestly, gently but steadily sowing a little seed.
Maybe it was when she happened to see Ye Fei's intimate behavior with Luo Weiyu in the ward that her heart began to act oddly.
Or when Ye Fei assisted her in dealing with the difficulty of replacing her company's celebrity spokesperson.
More specifically, it might be the outcome of tonight's sense of security offered by Ye Fei.
Su Qingzhu's heart had numerous reasons for what had caused this alteration, and there stayed a weird sweetness lingering in her heart.
Soon after, multiple memories raced across her head like a movie premier.
Su Qingzhu suffered from androphobia as a result of the psychological shadow of her upbringing.
As a result, whenever she encountered a male, she instantly acted repulsed, even feeling uncomfortable just chatting to them.
Her attitude toward Ye Fei, on the other hand, has become increasingly distinctive.
Ye Fei responded with a faint smile, seeing the subtle changes in Su Qingzhu's state of mind.
"Anyway, thank you for protecting me today," Su Qingzhu remarked, lowering her head.
"You're welcome, it's getting so late. I'll take you back to the villa." Ye Fei said.
The frigid wind in Yanjing's autumn night was a little chilly, and Su Qingzhu got out of the car and felt the icy air.
Moments later, Ye Fei brought Su Qingzhu to the villa's door and spoke warmly, "Get some excellent rest."
"Wait." Su Qingzhu stopped Ye Fei, who was about to leave, only to see her plucking up the courage and looking at him with her long autumn eyes.
She soon added, "Ye Fei, I know I used to have a bad attitude towards you."
Ye Fei gently consoled her "It's fine; it happens."
Su Qingzhu bit her lower lip, "You should also know that I have androphobia and I didn't specifically target you before, but I did mistreat you very harshly."
Ye Fei's tone softened as he looked at her, "I know."
Su Qingzhu was technically correct, the sickness of androphobia is beyond her control, as is her psychological shadow, which has tormented and captured her to live in a narrow world.
She herself was the biggest victim of androphobia.
Su Qingzhu's head drooped slightly and her eyes were slightly flustered as she looked at the concrete floor in front of the villa, then replied with a very quiet voice, "I thought about what you said last time for a long time, and you were correct. I can't keep going like this; I need to go out of my shell."
"It's good for you to think that way." Ye Fei replied softly.
Su Qingzhu added, "However, I have tried my part to assimilate to the outside world, but the results have been disheartening. I can't stand the awkward sensation of talking to other men, and it disgusts me, yet I'm pleased and relaxed just talking to you."
With Su Qingzhu's cold personality, she was able to say such gentle words.
This sentence was no different from a confession.
Ye Fei was a little surprised when he heard such words and his gaze became a little softer.
Noticing the change in his expression, Su Qingzhu's eyes trembled slightly, and her voice became even quieter, "So, I'm thinking, even if I hate other men...."
"Yes?"
Su Qingzhu plucked up the courage to say these words, Ye Fei couldn't help being moved by them.
He looked at Su Qingzhu and noticed that she was gorgeous beneath the streetlight and moonlight, her face was beautiful, the blush spread in her puffy cheeks, her deep pupils, she was beautiful all around.
In the cold wind, Su Qingzhu plucked up the courage and proactively stretched out her jade hand grabbing Ye Fei's sleeve.
Su Qingzhu's body shivered somewhat due to the chilly temperature of the night, but she was a bit obstinate and refused to walk into Su's villa, instead standing in front of the villa's entrance firmly gripping Ye Fei's sleeve.
Su Qingzhu gazed down at the ground. She gently tugged at the corner of Ye Fei's clothing, as if she wanted to come closer to him this way.
Then, with a careful and cautious expression on her face, she glanced up at the man's face, her long eyelashes quivering, her lips moving slightly, and her voice hushed. "I've been closing my heart since I got androphobia, but I don't want to go on like this any longer."
Su Qingzhu reflected on her memories of the past. The terrible hue rushed through her eyes, and she remembered her father constantly abusing her mother, even as far as throwing sharp utensils at her.
As a result, Su Qingzhu's subconscious dread and rejection of males gradually evolved into androphobia, yet today, the brief period when Ye Fei stood in front of her gave her an unprecedented sense of security in her heart; this type of peace of mind was something Su Qingzhu had never known.
She felt very warm in her heart and was relieved to know that this man would protect her.
That is why Su Qingzhu mustered the strength to express to Ye Fei her most deep and secretive emotions.
At this time, Ye Fei looked at the woman in front of him.
She stood in the chilly wind, and the dim light couldn't hide her stunning face, especially since she had tightly grasped her shirt, suddenly appearing sad and worn, and her eyes like those of a homeless child.
She grasped a piece of Ye Fei's clothing, not too firmly, yet she never let go.
The iceberg beauty, who has always been cold and arrogant, has completely removed the armor of defense in front of Ye Fei, becoming weak and helpless.
Perhaps this was the truest aspect of Su Qingzhu.
Su Qingzhu's scarlet lips were slightly open as she stared at the ground. She wanted to talk but didn't know how, and her body shivered in the chilly wind, revealing an extraordinarily frail aspect of herself.
Ye Fei's eye caught this moment, making him experience odd whirling emotions, specifically the agony and tenderness of that sweet expression on her face.
This woman, at this moment, made people feel internal pain and sympathy.
Ye Fei soon spoke, his voice resonant and full of earnest warmth, "Don't think too much. It's late now, go back and rest."
Su Qingzhu was about to open the door with a dim and drooping glance after not obtaining the answer she imagined to get.
But in the next moment, Su Qingzhu saw Ye Fei take off his coat and put the coat over her body.
Ye Fei's body temperature stayed in the coat, causing Su Qingzhu to immediately warm up, her cheeks to flush, and her dull eyes to shine brighter.
The autumn wind in the cold night seemed to have become less chilly.
"Could you please come and pick me up at work tomorrow?" Su Qingzhu's eyes glowed with anticipation, and she couldn't help but inquire.
"Mhm" Ye Fei agreed promptly.
Su Qingzhu's weird haze in her heart vanished as soon as she heard the words, and she smiled sweetly as her smile blossomed.