Ning Li held his hand tightly. The warmth from his palm gradually dispelled the coldness of her hand.
The cool scent of cedar pervaded the air as the dim space was suddenly torn apart by the light.
“Ah Li?”
Lu Huaiyu called out to her. His eyes looking intensely into hers, as if there were surging waves within its depths.
Shen Li suddenly came back to her senses. Her eyes focused, and the moment she met his gaze, the tight, almost suffocating pressure finally retreated bit by bit.
Lu Huaiyu bent his head a little closer and looked her in the eyes. His deep voice became more and more gentle.
“My dear girl, what’s wrong?”
Shen Li looked at him steadily, her peach blossom eyes misty.
Lu Huaiyu put down his phone, raised his arms to envelope her into his embrace, and kissed the space between her eyebrows again. His lips were slightly cool but soft, with the power to her heart.
Shen Li finally seemed to have come back to her senses again.
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The very next moment, her hand clutched the shirt over his chest and raised her head to kiss his lips.
This was an urgent kiss.
She nibbled on his lips and explored his mouth, as if she wanted to be sure of something.
He paused for a moment before tightening his grip around her slender waist and kissed her back.
It was noisy outside, but it was very quiet in here. Only the sound of their kissing and breathing was slightly out of place, making the air in the space seem to become thicker.
Shen Li wrapped her arms around Lu Huaiyu’s neck and kissed him even more deeply. The emotions that were surging in her heart gradually calmed down.
In her previous life, she had spent a long time in the sanatorium.
The pungent smell of disinfectant, the white walls and sheets that made people panic, the ear-piercing screams, the cold needles, the needles that pierced her skin, and the excessive tranquilizers that had been injected into her body…
For a very long time, it had become her nightmare.
She kept waking up. Whether it was day or night, it did not make a difference because she had always been surrounded by those people.
She had been cut off from all contact with the outside world.
Day after day, it had been the same torture.
She had not wanted to close her eyes. She had not wanted to fall into a deep sleep. However, because of the drugs she had been given, she had spent most of the day in a drowsy state.
While in this drowsy state, closing her eyes was a nightmare. However, opening them to reality was more painful than a nightmare.
It became so much so that in the end, she often could not tell if she was asleep or awake.
Of course, she had not stayed in the ward every day.
Every once in a while, they would lock her up in a completely dark, confined space.
She had been able to breathe and eat, but for a long time, there had only been darkness in front of her.
There was no light, nor was there any response.
Her body had quickly weakened, and her spirit had been on the verge of collapsing.
Ye Ci had been very interested in this. It had been like an experiment to her as she waited for Shen Li to completely lose her mind.
However, to her disappointment, Shen Li had actually managed to survive the ordeal.
She had teetered on the brink of a complete breakdown, but she had gritted her teeth, again and again, to pull her sanity back.
In the end, Ye Ci had seemed to feel that this game was no longer fun. Thus, she eventually lost interest and stopped caring about it.
However, how could it not have had any effect on her at all?
After all, the pain and torture had all been real.
Shen Li hugged Lu Huaiyu tightly as she leaned into his arms and kissed him for a long time.
In her heart, she kept telling herself– It’s over, it’s all over.
Look, wasn’t he right here?
He was right here.
After a while, when she began to feel like she almost could not breathe, she finally stepped back slightly.
By the light of the flashlight, she could only vaguely see his current appearance.
His eyes were very intense, with unconcealed love.
“Ah Li.”
He touched her cheek. His voice was gentle, yet he spoke as if she seemed to be suppressing something,
“Are you afraid of the dark?”
It was obviously not an ordinary fear of the dark.
Earlier, he had clearly felt her trembling slightly as he held her in his arms.
Shen Li paused for a moment and nodded lightly.
“I…”
She pursed her lips and rested her forehead against the nape of his neck.
“Sometimes, when it’s especially dark, I find it a little uncomfortable.”
Lu Huaiyu held her even tighter, and his brows furrowed very quickly.
Having a fear of the dark was nothing unusual. However, judging by her condition, it was clear…
In what way was it merely “a little uncomfortable”?
He patted her gently and coaxed her in a soft voice.
“Ah Li, don’t be afraid. I’m here with you.”
Shen Li nodded.
Snap.
With a slight sound, the lights in the room lit up again and the bright light filled the entire space.
It was a little blinding, so Shen Li subconsciously turned her head and closed her eyes as she leaned into his embrace.
Lu Huaiyu kissed the corners of her eyes.
Fortunately, she quickly adapted to the light and opened her eyes again to look at him.
Their eyes met.
Lu Huaiyu sized her up.
Probably because of their recent kiss, her cheeks were flushed red, and her plump lips were moist, stained with a touch of red.
He gently touched the corners of her moist, reddened eyes and suddenly chuckled.
“Ah Li, what would you do without me?”
Shen Li looked into his eyes and leaned over to kiss his chin.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. It was the owner of the restaurant who had come over to apologize.
Lu Huaiyu lowered his head and asked her,”Shall we change to another restaurant?”
Shen Li shook her head.
“There’s no need.”
However, Lu Huaiyu continued to insist, “Let’s change to another restaurant.”
Shen Li took his hand.
“Second Brother, it’s really alright. The power was only out for a while. Hasn’t it been restored now?”
Lu Huaiyu looked at her for a while, before the corners of his lips curved into a faint smile.
“But it still made Ah Li feel uncomfortable, didn’t it?”
Since she had clearly felt uncomfortable earlier, she could not pretend that nothing had happened.
Even if she could let it go, he could not.
Thinking of the young girl’s pale lips and bewildered eyes, something seemed to be surging in his heart, almost breaking his rationality.
As he spoke, he stood up.
Knowing that she could not argue with him, Shen Li did not bother to argue anymore and stood up with him.
Lu Huaiyu began to lead her out. As soon as he opened the door, he saw the owner of the restaurant still standing outside.
He looked apologetic.
“I truly apologize to the both of you! Just now–”
Lu Huaiyu obviously did not have the patience to listen to his explanation and merely looked at him indifferently.
The owner instantly felt a strong pressure on his shoulders. As he met Lu Huaiyu’s emotionless gaze, he suddenly felt a chill in his heart. He could not state the rest of his explanation.
Shen Li hooked her arm with his.
The cold aura around Lu Huaiyu then withdrew slightly and he left with Shen Li.
…
The two of them walked to another street.
The cool night breeze blew and scattered everything.
Shen Li let out a gentle breath.
After this incident, the conversation about how long she liked him had naturally been suspended.
Shen Li pointed to a shop next to her.
“Second Brother, shall we eat this?”
Lu Huaiyu looked at her.
He had read up on all the information about her, and they had been together for a long time. Other than the time when the power had gone out at Yunding Fenghua, she had never shown any signs of this.
If it had not been for the sudden situation today, he would not have known about this.
He did not know how much the little girl had suffered.
Thinking of this, he kissed her hand and his voice was gentle as he spoke.
“Okay.”