“You should go back; I’ve arrived.”
After walking for about ten minutes, Xu Qiuchi and Shen Che reached the entrance of the garage.
Ever since rescuing Xu Qiuchi from the bar yesterday, Shen Che had maintained a distant attitude.
Hearing this, Xu Qiuchi froze in place, her cherry lips parting slightly, unsure how to speak for a moment.
She stood there, her formal dress, custom-made by a private designer to her figure, showcasing her stunning curves perfectly.
The gentle autumn breeze caressed Xu Qiuchi’s beautiful, waterfall-like hair, which today was not tied up as usual but flowed freely and softly.
Strands of her hair fluttered in the wind, like a dancing Fairy, light and graceful.
The gentle breeze brushed against her cheek, stirring a few strands of hair that softly clung to her fair skin, adding a touch of charm and shyness.
Her delicate face appeared especially captivating in the autumn sunlight; her brows were like distant mountains, her eyes held the clarity of autumn water, and her vermillion lips were naturally red. Everything was so beautiful and just right.
Yet, the man before her, who once held deep affection for her, seemed to show no reaction, making her wonder if she was not pretty enough, or if he no longer liked her.
Shen Che’s seemingly nonchalant attitude was like the gentle, ordinary breeze blowing at that moment, yet it differed from the wind in one aspect: this attitude had blown into her heart.
The man’s attitude felt like an invisible hand gently tugging at her heart, not too hard, not too soft, but just enough to touch a certain spot deep within Xu Qiuchi.
Xu Qiuchi’s heart was in turmoil, but her face remained as cold as frost, as usual.
At this moment, Shen Che had been battling internally for a long time and finally made up his mind to speak the words he had held in his heart.
He stopped, turned, and looked steadily at Xu Qiuchi, his expression serious, and said word by word:
“Miss Xu, I feel like you have a sickness in your heart.”
This was their second conversation, and it was rare for Shen Che to initiate it.
Upon hearing this, Xu Qiuchi’s face instantly turned cold, and her tone became icy:
“Shen Che, what do you mean by that?”
Her eyes were full of wariness as she looked at the man before her, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.
Xu Qiuchi’s heart was in turmoil; how could he know? Her fingers unconsciously clenched the corner of her dress, but she maintained her usual cold composure, only her slightly trembling eyelashes betraying her inner unease.
“Miss Xu, I apologize for my intrusion. If what I say is incorrect, please forgive me.”
Shen Che paused, then began to speak, combining the original owner’s experiences with his own thoughts.
“We’ve known each other since childhood, growing up together. It was probably a few years ago that I noticed you seemed to have changed.”
“The once innocent, lively, and cheerful you seemed to suddenly become somewhat silent and incredibly distant.”
“This feeling grew stronger and stronger, forcing me to confront this question—what kind of event could bring such a heavy blow to someone as bright as you?”
“Could it be a change in your family? This speculation lingered in my mind, but whenever I wanted to ask, seeing your hesitant expression, I would swallow the words that were on the tip of my tongue.”
“And as your friend, all I could do all these years was tirelessly seek you out every day, or rather, I wanted to accompany you and help you through this difficult time.”
Shen Che recounted the plot from the original book, combining it with his own understanding.
These words were like keys, now gently prying open the tightly locked emotional knots deep within Xu Qiuchi’s heart.
Xu Qiuchi stood still, her guarded expression gradually fading.
She opened her mouth, uttered a “I,” and then her voice stopped abruptly.
After a long pause, her gaze began to dart away, no longer daring to meet Shen Che’s eyes.
Her parents’ deaths had always been a secret buried deep in her heart, a pain she could never let go of, a past too unbearable to recall, and a significant factor contributing to her emotional block.
Seeing this, Shen Che continued:
“Miss Xu, you seem very resistant to others’ affections, or rather, you despise romantic relationships between men and women from the bottom of your heart.”
“Perhaps, my speculation might be wrong, but even so, I feel it’s still necessary to say it.”
“Miss Xu, I feel that, at some point, you seem to have held a very mistaken notion: that the so-called love between men and women is nothing more than mutual exploitation.”
“Forgive my bluntness, but in the end, you are very likely to miss out on many beautiful relationships, and even grow old alone, because of this extreme view.”
Xu Qiuchi’s face was pale, her teeth bit hard into her lower lip, and her body swayed slightly. Her only response to Shen Che was silence.
In fact, because Xu Qiuchi was afraid of getting hurt, when dealing with romantic relationships, which included Shen Che’s sycophantic behavior, she would always subconsciously reject them. And whenever a boy confessed to her, she would always remember her parents’ tragic marriage…
This also made her personality increasingly isolated. Over the years, she had fewer and fewer friends, and besides Shen Che, there was no one else who was a true friend.
In her life, outside of work, Xu Qiuchi did not like to interact with men. As for women, seeing Xu Qiuchi, who was both excellent and beautiful, coupled with her countless admirers since childhood, they were even less willing to be friends with her.
It could be said that from childhood, only Shen Che was her true friend. However, she disliked Shen Che’s solicitous and sycophantic behavior from the bottom of her heart, which led her to always avoid him and give him a cold shoulder.
Shen Che’s words were direct and hit a raw nerve. They sounded harsh but were clearly well-intentioned.
After hearing Shen Che’s words, Xu Qiuchi’s face became somewhat pale.
She subconsciously clenched the corner of her dress, her nails digging into her palm, trying to use the pain to distract from her inner torment.
She bit her teeth lightly, struggling to control her trembling lips, took a deep breath, and feigned composure, trying to appear as if nothing was amiss. Yet, her slightly trembling shoulders betrayed the turmoil within her.
“I believe that the feelings between men and women are not just various forms of hatred, disgust, and calculation,”
Shen Che said, his tone mixed with some friendly comfort and guidance,
“There are still all kinds of sincere and pure loves in this world.”
For his final words, Shen Che thought of the original owner’s sycophantic experiences and finally summarized a message to say to Xu Qiuchi:
“Miss Xu, as friends who have known each other for so long, I sincerely hope you can step out of the shadows of the past.”
Shen Che’s gaze was sincere, and his tone was full of concern,
“As long as you are willing to take a small step, you will find that this world still holds many beautiful things waiting for you.”
Xu Qiuchi listened quietly, then slowly lowered her head.
She kept replaying Shen Che’s words in her mind, as if dissecting them word by word, carefully savoring their deeper meaning.
For a moment, the surroundings were extremely quiet, with only the occasional sound of the wind gently rustling her hair. For a long time, she remained silent, but her heart was already in turmoil.