Xie Ruhe lowered his eyes dully, staring at her hand placed in his palm. The warm sensation carried a hint of dependence, and he instinctively held it back, his Adam’s apple sliding up and down.
He knew she would have concerns, and would be timid and afraid to move forward.
So Xie Ruhe was willing to take it slow, willing to wait for her answer, willing to place himself in a humble position, willing to summon the courage to say things he had never said before, willing to do his best to set her mind at ease.
Yet he never expected that she would also, because of his courage, follow without hesitation.
Rushing toward him without any reluctance.
The sudden role reversal left both of them somewhat bewildered and at a loss.
Soon, a faint blush appeared on Xie Ruhe’s cheeks, and he suddenly brought the back of his hand to his lips, turning his head away. His other hand still tightly held Shu Nian’s, not letting go.
They remained frozen like this for several minutes.
Shu Nian’s palm gradually became sweaty as she considered whether to take the initiative to say something. After all, she had been in a relationship once and should have more experience than Xie Ruhe, able to guide him appropriately.
But that relationship had never made her feel this nervous…
Before she could decide what to say, Xie Ruhe looked at her again. His appearance had returned to normal, but a large area around his ears was still red. He responded with composure: “Alright.”
He met Shu Nian’s eyes: “I understand.”
Shu Nian was stunned, not knowing how to respond to his reaction, and could only pretend to be equally composed as she made a sound of acknowledgment.
Xie Ruhe released her hand and said softly, “Then I’ll go back now.”
Shu Nian nodded: “I’ll see you out.”
“No need,” Xie Ruhe said, “Get some rest early.”
With that, he turned and opened the door, walking out. His movements were quick, his body language considerably stiffer than usual, looking rather unnatural.
Xie Ruhe said goodbye to her from outside the door, then closed it.
The room suddenly became very quiet, the romantic ambiance dissipated, and the temperature seemed to drop along with it. Shu Nian stood in place for a while, lost in thought when she suddenly noticed Xie Ruhe’s umbrella left at the entrance.
Worried it might still be raining outside, she grabbed the umbrella and hurriedly went out.
The temperature outside was much lower than inside, with cold damp air creeping into her neck. She was only wearing a thin sweater and, in her hurry, hadn’t even put on slippers.
Only when she opened the door did she notice she was barefoot?
Just as she was about to go back and put on shoes before she could move, Shu Nian suddenly noticed that Xie Ruhe hadn’t left yet; he was standing halfway down the stairs. He was looking down, doing nothing, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned, lost in thought.
Hearing the noise, Xie Ruhe looked up.
Shu Nian’s heartbeat inexplicably quickened, bubbling with sweetness. She licked her lips, handed him the umbrella, and said softly, “You forgot your umbrella.”
He hadn’t expected her to come out again.
Xie Ruhe’s gaze moved from bottom to top, pausing for a few seconds before he stepped up. He didn’t take the umbrella, just stared at her feet, and in the next moment suddenly picked her up.
It was an extremely unexpected action.
Shu Nian’s breath caught.
Xie Ruhe carried her a few steps into the house and set her down on the shoe cabinet. Then he walked back to the sofa, bent down to pick up her slippers, and returned.
Because of his actions, Shu Nian was petrified, sitting motionless in her original position, like an obedient doll.
Xie Ruhe placed the slippers on the shoe rack, freeing both his hands. The light shining on his face highlighted his distinct features, creating shallow shadows beneath his eyes.
His eyelashes were dense like crow feathers, his ink-dot eyes focused and serious.
He didn’t speak, seemingly not minding the dirt at all as he directly brushed off the dust from the soles of her feet and quietly put the slippers on her. After completing this series of actions, Xie Ruhe raised his eyes and stared at her.
Several seconds passed.
Shu Nian, unable to maintain her composure, looked away first.
As if hesitating, Xie Ruhe was silent for a few seconds, then asked softly, “Would you like me to carry you down?”
After Xie Ruhe left, Shu Nian stood in place for a few seconds, then suddenly ran back to her room. She knelt on the bed and pulled open the curtains. After about ten seconds, she could see Xie Ruhe’s figure walking out from below.
Perhaps he sensed her gaze.
Xie Ruhe stopped in his tracks as if he might look up at any moment.
Shu Nian immediately rolled over, hiding herself behind the wall.
Soon she carefully peered out again.
This time she could only see his receding.
Noticing he wasn’t using his umbrella, Shu Nian realized it wasn’t raining outside. The ground was still wet, the clouds in the sky had mostly dispersed, and the moonlight emitted a pearly white glow.
Remembering Xie Ruhe’s question just now, and her silent nod in response, Shu Nian felt her face heat up. Although it might have seemed particularly forward, she didn’t feel the slightest regret.
She felt that this was the brightest and happiest day she’d had in a long time.
It was the first time she believed.
That the pitch-black tunnel would eventually have an end.
The heavy rain would stop, the gloom would disperse, and the day would finally break.
Shu Nian barely slept all night, tossing and turning without a hint of drowsiness, her mood indescribably excited. She somewhat wanted to chat with Xie Ruhe, but after checking the time, she decisively abandoned the idea and simply got up to read the script instead.