She saw the flicker in his eyes, like that of a wounded beast, all its sharpness retracted, leaving only sorrow.
Such a sight of him tugged at her heart, filled her with fear. A voice in her head reminded her: He was angry, he was upset.
"Da Luoluo... That's not what I meant..." She tugged at his sleeve with a tender, coquettish voice.
She thought he would give in as before, and then nibble on her as an end to their troubles. But this time, he stared at her persistently, as if waiting for a result.
"Gu Xiaoer, you really think too highly of yourself!" From the moment she acknowledged his identity to her current indifference, he had done so much, yet he still couldn't take root in her heart.
"You should rest well." Han Luoli closed his eyes, refusing to look at that pitiful little figure any longer, and turned to leave.
The empty room was left with only the "clang" of the closing door, echoing repeatedly.
He had left, he really had gone.
Self-important? A sudden tightness seized Gu Xiaoer's chest, as if it were stuffed with cotton, suffocating, sour. She wanted to call out to him, to keep him, to tell him it wasn't like that, but thinking of the nature of their relationship, she held back, eventually surrendering to silence.
But her heart, it ached so much, more than when her work had been plagiarised, more than being persuaded to leave school, more than when her father had abandoned her.
Da Luoluo, I actually don't want you to leave... I'm sorry, I'm sorry, can you come back...
Han Luoli didn't leave Gu Xiaoer's house immediately after going downstairs but leaned against his car, still within sight of that window, smoking one cigarette after another.
A mistaken encounter, a contract without any legal validity, emotions beyond control.
Scene after scene flashed through his mind, that foolish woman, how did she manage to occupy his heart? An aggressive and domineering possession, an unmanageable sense of panic...
After extinguishing the last cigarette, Han Luoli bent down and got into the car, a helpless smile curling at his lips, knowing from the start that she was foolish, what more could he expect from her?
Time passed, and Gu Xiaoer's eyes became swollen from crying, her voice shifting from fragile whimpers to steady sobs. With a messy head of hair, she emerged from the bathroom, mocking how she had completely lost her composure.
But even before she entered the bedroom, she heard the jingling of keys from the front door.
Then, a beautiful and well-shaped man was standing at the door holding a bag.
"Ah!"
A scream spilled from her mouth; Gu Xiaoer was instantly thrown into disarray, her hands covering herself top and bottom. Knowing she wouldn't be seen in this "dignified" state, she hadn't even bothered to put on a nightgown before heading to the bathroom!
Han Luoli hadn't expected to walk in on such a scene, with her appearance too distressing to behold.
A pang of heartache struck him, knowing that she must have cried, and his face darkened slightly.
In three strides, he reached out and scooped Gu Xiaoer into his arms, heading into the bedroom: "Still sick, don't you know to take care of yourself?"
Gu Xiaoer meekly let him hold her, placed her on the bed, and watched Han Luoli as he tucked her in with wide, unblinking eyes, unsure whether this man had really returned.
"Eat some porridge first, then take your medicine."
Only then did Gu Xiaoer notice the box of porridge and bag of medicine in the man's hand.
So, he had gone to buy her medicine and food...
"Wow!"
Gu Xiaoer felt a sharp sting at the tip of her nose; her eyes, which had just dried, suddenly overflowed with tears like a dam bursting, and she burst into loud crying.