1212 The Dangerous Him
Lu Huaiyu heard the faint sound of his heart splitting open and reverberating in his chest.
It was as if all the images and sounds had shattered and been annihilated at this moment. They intertwined into a gust of wind that continuously flowed in through that opening.
He put the painting down and stepped forward to wrap his arms around her waist. He held her tightly in his arms and kissed the tears at the corner of her eyes.
His movements were very gentle, and his cool lips fell on her with a restrained and forbearing gentleness. It was as if he was holding a fragile glass doll in his arms and he was afraid of hurting her.
She seemed to be more transparent than the candy jar.
However, her tears were so hot that they almost burned through to his heart.
She raised her arms and wrapped them around his slender waist. She sniffed the cold cedar scent on his body and gently rubbed the side of her face on him.
So many years had passed, day and night, from her past life to this life.
She had fallen in love with someone, but she had not dared to let anyone know. She had buried it as the deepest secret in her heart.
After that, he had come to pick her up, stayed by her side, and said so much to her.
Finally, she had understood his feelings.
But it had been too late.
Later on, she had opened her eyes and found that she had returned to the age of seventeen.
Then, she had met him again.
He had protected her, backed her up, stood up for her, and even gave her the candy in his pocket.
Everyone knew that Lu Huaiyu liked her.
How could she not know it too?
She had already known it a long time ago.
However, the more evident it was, the more she had not dared to speak out her thoughts.
It had been enough for her to remember those things and memories alone.
She had not wanted Lu Huaiyu to know.
She had wanted Lu Huaiyu to always be that proud, noble, languid, and unbridled Lu Huaiyu that she knew.
She wanted that version of him instead of the Lu Huaiyu who had hugged her and coaxed her, softly begging her not to sleep again and again.
However–
It turned out that he was sick.
It turned out that he had already given her that business card.
So she was not the only one who had not been able to forget him after all these years.
Now that she had finally confessed everything, the stone in her heart was finally lifted.
Originally, she had thought that it would be difficult to speak about this, but it had actually been easier than she had imagined.
She leaned against his shoulder, closed her eyes, and softly said, “Lu Huaiyu, I’m a little tired.”
She had never felt so relaxed before, but at the same time, she had never felt so tired before.
“I’d like to sleep for a while.”
He tilted his head and kissed her between her eyebrows.
“Alright,” he said.
He picked her up in his arms, and she obediently raised her hands and wrapped them around his neck.
He carried her to the master bedroom.
She then found her back pressed against the soft bed.
He ran his hand through her hair and loosened her bun. Her soft, smooth black hair spread out over the pillow.
Kneeling on one leg by the bed, he brushed the loose hair away from her cheek. His voice was soft and deep as he spoke.
“Have a good rest. I’ll stay here and watch over you.”
She looked at him and asked subconsciously, “What about you?”
At this time of day, he would usually be sleeping.
Lu Huaiyu paused.
Since she already knew about his illness, it was natural that she would ask this question.
Gu Tinglan mentioned that she had actually seen his medical record a long time ago. Although she had not opened it to read, she must have guessed what it was about at that time.
It was no wonder that she had been so concerned about his sleep all this time.
He looked at her for a while and smiled.
“I’ll lie down with you.”
Feeling relieved, she automatically moved to the side.
Lu Huaiyu lay down beside her and tucked her in.
She was really tired.
It had not been an easy thing for her to recall all the things that had happened in the past and confess all of her feelings.
Besides, this was the most familiar and safe place for her, and he was here too.
She closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep in his arms.
The sun was setting, so the angle of the light in the room gradually changed.
When her breathing evened out and she had fallen into a deep sleep, Lu Huaiyu opened his eyes.
The look in his phoenix-like eyes was deep, and there was no trace of sleepiness.
He looked down at the young girl in his arms.
She truly was a young girl. Her heart was filled with concern for his illness, but it had not occurred to her that after having said those words to him, how could he fall asleep?
He looked at her quietly for a while before slowly getting up.
When he reached the door, he turned back to look.
She was lying there, quiet and obedient.
He gently closed the door, leaned against the wall, and raised his head slightly.
The surroundings were silent.
He touched his pocket, but it was empty.
Only then did he remember that he had not smoked in a long time.
At first, she had smelled the scent of cigarettes on him and asked him about it. He had thought it was because she did not like it. Moreover, she was still young, so he rarely touched it around her.
After that, when she had gotten drunk and lain in his arms, she had happily said that she was glad that he did not smoke.
At that time, he merely thought that she was drunk and behaving coquettishly. But even so, he had been willing to indulge her.
Hence, he had completely quit.
But he had not known was that he had really embraced her before, with a heavy cigarette smell all over him.
He closed his eyes, feeling as if even his breathing seemed to have stopped.
After a long period of time, he finally opened his eyes.
He took his coat and went downstairs.
…
When he came back, he first looked in the master bedroom.
She looked like she was still asleep.
He went to the living room and sat down on the sofa. He then took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, extracted one cigarette, and clamped it between his lips.
Click.
He clenched his fingers slightly, and the end of the cigarette lit up a scarlet red.
He put down the lighter and inhaled deeply. He exhaled a mouthful of smoke slowly.
At this time, the clouds on the horizon had been completely dyed orange-red, and the light flowed through the window, coating the entire room with a layer of warm color.
The pungent taste rushed straight at him, almost choking him until his whole body hurt.
He remembered what she had said and picked up the cigarette again. He propped up his elbows on his knees and lowered his head slightly.
The setting sun elongated his shadow, and the white smoke in the air cast a faint shadow.
The two intertwined, lingering and lazy.
‘I wrote all those papers because you gave them to me.’
‘Second Master Lu, the way that young girl mounted the horse was very similar to you. Did you teach her?’
‘I can’t sleep without any light.’
‘Second Brother is not just anyone.’
‘Lu Huaiyu, I just wanted to hear your voice.’
‘Over there, the one with the black backpack. She even secretly took photos of you the other day. I guess that young lady misses you a lot.’
‘It’s okay, Lu Huaiyu. I like you too even though I’m seventeen.’
‘The most important secret? I like you, Lu Huaiyu. I’ve liked you for a long time.’
‘Lu Huaiyu, please wait for me.’
‘Lu Huaiyu, why did you come here?’
‘Lu Huaiyu, aren’t you going to take me home?’
‘If I really lived through that life, Lu Huaiyu, this is the tenth year I’ve loved you.’
…
He remained in that position for a long time until the cigarette burned out. His hand got burnt and began to tremble slightly.
What had happened after that? She had woken up from the dream.
The pain almost spread to his limbs and bones.
He no longer knew where it hurt.
…
Shen Li had slept very deeply.
When she woke up, the room was dark.
She rubbed her eyes and sat up. She looked around and finally remembered that she was in Rongyue Mansion.
That’s right, she had come to look for Lu Huaiyu.
She had even told him everything.
But Lu Huaiyu was not here.
She put on her slippers and walked out.
It seemed that she had slept for a long time. The sky outside had already turned completely dark.
The lights in the living room were off, and Lu Huaiyu was sitting quietly by himself.
A layer of loneliness and solitude seemed to envelop him now.
The air was filled with the smell of tobacco.
The surroundings were dark. He held the cigarette, and only the crimson red between his fingers was faintly visible.
Had he smoked?
For some reason, she felt that Lu Huaiyu now seemed to be a little different from before.
She instinctively sensed a hint of silent and cold danger and called out to him worriedly, “Lu Huaiyu?”
He finally moved and put out the cigarette in his hand. The crimson glow disappeared, and his cold and low voice sounded in the quiet room.
“I’m here.”