She had been here for several days now, but these past nights, every time she fell into a deep sleep, she would abruptly experience a bout of palpitations and then wake with a start.
At first, she thought it might be due to the change of environment, which she wasn’t used to, but several days had passed and it was still the same.
She caressed her chest, her brows gently furrowing. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t understand the reason, except... somewhere deep inside her, there was a vague feeling that something was about to happen, a persistent unease.
She made a concerted effort to breathe deeply, trying to steady her heartbeat; however, whenever she tried to sleep again, she found herself wide awake, almost until the break of dawn.
Bai Yixuan had been consistently showing up at Ling Chuxia’s place every morning for the past few days, each time carrying a large quantity of steaming hot breakfast and then spreading it all over the dining table.
Ling Chuxia slowly made her way over and took a look, unable to help herself, she spoke up, "Brother Xuan, you don’t have to come over every day, and... really, there’s no need to buy so much breakfast."
The excess would just have to be thrown away, what a waste.
Bai Yixuan’s dark pupils lifted slightly; the moment his gaze met Ling Chuxia’s eyes, he abruptly stopped what he was doing, his eyes locking onto hers, fixatedly staring at Ling Chuxia.
Ling Chuxia’s scalp tingled under his stare, and she involuntarily touched her face, "Wha-... What are you staring at me for? Is there something dirty on my face?"
But Bai Yixuan simply extended his hand, pinched her chin with his fingers, and his handsome face suddenly leaned in close. Ling Chuxia was startled and she jerked backwards, "Brother Xuan, what, what are you doing?"
Seeing Ling Chuxia’s sudden withdrawal, Bai Yixuan’s heart sank a bit, and a fleeting shadow of disappointment quickly passed through his eyes, but it was only for a moment. He then smiled as if he didn’t care, "What do you think I’m doing? Just look at your dark circles. Weren’t you going to bed early every day? Are you having trouble sleeping?" With that, he pulled his hand back.
Ling Chuxia’s heart, which had almost lept to her throat, gradually calmed down, bit by bit. It seemed that besides Shi Che... she had never been this close or intimate with any other man, which was why she always felt uncomfortable with Bai Yixuan’s occasional proximity, reflexively dodging away.
Although Brother Xuan’s look of disappointment was momentary, she had still noticed it, and her hand involuntarily clenched.
But these moments could get awkward if repeated too often. Ling Chuxia decided to feign ignorance, steadied her spirit, and not wishing Bai Yixuan to worry about her, simply nodded along to his words, "Yeah, it’s a bit hard to get used to. I’ll be fine after a while. You don’t need to worry."
After they finished speaking, the atmosphere somehow became awkward. Ling Chuxia’s dark eyes darted around, looking for a way to ease the tension. She casually picked up the newspaper that lay nearby.
"Let’s see what news there is today." As Ling Chuxia murmured to herself, she unfolded the newspaper. The moment her eyes caught sight of the headline, her entire being was struck as if by lightning, and she froze in place.
Bai Yixuan noticed the sudden change in Ling Chuxia’s expression and a slight bewilderment flashed in his eyes, "What’s wrong? What did you see?"
He reached out, took the newspaper from Ling Chuxia’s hands, glanced at it, and also seemed momentarily stunned. However, he quickly composed himself, "This... is about Yun Shu, right? So she’s getting engaged to Shi Che?"