The words he wanted to say suddenly become inexplicably impossible to utter.
He called her just to hear her voice, as for what he wanted to say, even he didn't know.
"I'm going to hang up if there's nothing else," Qiao Ning said straightforwardly when she noticed his prolonged silence.
"Don't hang up!" Chai Xiyang hurriedly stopped her, then asked in a low raspy voice, "Qiao Ning, have you ever hated me?"
He didn't understand why he felt compelled to ask that, but he asked nonetheless.
Surprise flitted through Qiao Ning's eyes: "Is that all you wanted to ask?"
"Yes..." Gripping the phone tightly, Chai Xiyang stared into the distant night sky, "All these years, I've only been hurting you. I want to know, have you ever hated me?"
Because he had hated her, for so many years...
Did she also...?
"No!" Qiao Ning suddenly responded assertively.
Chai Xiyang was momentarily stunned, this answer was both within and beyond his expectations.