I had just settled under the blanket when the door opened.
I did not turn immediately.
I already knew it was him.
Fu Sheng stepped into the room, his presence calm and steady. The door closed softly behind him, and for a moment, he did not speak.
I turned my head slightly away, choosing not to look at him.
If he had something to say, then he would say it.
If not, then silence would remain.
The room was dim, lit only by the faint glow of the lantern. His footsteps were quiet as he walked further inside.
Then they stopped.
He was standing near the bed.
I could feel it.
His gaze was still and unmoving, fixed on me.
A few seconds passed.
Then he moved.
The bed dipped slightly as he sat down beside me.
I did not react.
I kept my gaze turned away.
But before I could say anything, his hand moved.
In one smooth motion, he reached out, lifted me, and pulled me onto his lap, the blanket still wrapped around my body.
The movement was sudden.
Unexpected.
I froze for a brief moment.
My hand pressed lightly against his chest as I steadied myself.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
My voice was calm, but there was clear surprise in it.
He did not answer immediately.
His arm settled firmly around me, holding me in place.
Not forceful.
But not loose either.
As if he had already decided that I would not move away.
I turned my head slightly to look at him.
His expression was quiet.
"You said I should leave," he said at last.
His voice was low and steady.
I frowned slightly.
"And yet you came back," I replied.
He did not deny it.
Instead, his hold tightened slightly.
"I thought about it," he said.
I waited.
But he did not continue.
So I spoke instead.
"You thought about it," I repeated. "And this is your conclusion?"
I shifted slightly in his hold, but he did not let go.
"You disappear the entire day," I continued, "you return acting like a stranger, and now you come back to sit here like this."
I paused briefly.
"What exactly are you trying to do?"
This time, he answered without delay.
"I do not want to leave things like that," he said.
His words were simple.
But his tone carried weight.
I looked at him more carefully.
"Then explain," I said.
My voice remained steady.
"What happened today?"
For a moment, he said nothing.
His gaze lowered slightly, as if considering something.
Then he looked back at me.
"I saw someone," he said.
The answer was unexpected.
I frowned slightly.
"Someone?" I repeated.
He nodded once.
But he did not continue.
I studied him for a moment.
"You left everything for one person," I said.
My tone was calm.
"But you cannot explain it?"
His jaw tightened slightly.
"It is not that simple," he said.
I held his gaze.
"Then make it simple," I replied.
Silence fell between us.
His arm remained steady around me.
Warm.
But his thoughts were still elsewhere.
I could see it clearly.
"You have not been present since you returned," I said quietly.
His eyes shifted slightly.
I let out a slow breath.
Then I spoke again.
"If you are going to sit here and hold me like this," I said, "then at least be present."
My voice did not rise.
But it did not soften.
His gaze returned to mine.
This time fully.
He held my gaze for a moment longer before speaking.
"I saw an old friend," he said.
His voice was calm, but there was something beneath it that he was not saying.
"I did not expect to see her here."
I did not look away from him.
"Her?" I repeated.
He nodded once.
I studied his expression carefully.
There was no joy in his face.
But there was no clear displeasure either.
There was only uncertainty.
I spoke again.
"Are you happy to see her?" I asked.
I paused briefly before continuing.
"Or are you not?"
His gaze shifted slightly, as if the question itself was difficult for him to answer.
Then he spoke.
"I do not know," he said.
The reply was simple, but it carried weight.
I watched him quietly.
"You do not know," I repeated.
He did not respond immediately.
His arm remained around me, but his thoughts were no longer present in this room.
They had already gone back to that moment.
To her.
"To see someone you did not expect," I said slowly, "and still not know how you feel about it..."
I let the words settle between us.
"That is not something small."
His jaw tightened slightly.
It was not anger.
It was acknowledgment.
I shifted slightly in his hold so that I could face him more directly.
"Who is she?" I asked.
This time, he did not answer at once.
His silence stretched longer.
Then he finally spoke.
"She is someone from before," he said.
His voice remained steady, but distant.
I held his gaze.
"Before what?" I asked.
He looked at me.
For a brief moment, there was hesitation in his eyes.
"Before everything changed," he said.
The answer was vague.
It was deliberate.
I did not press him immediately.
Instead, I watched him.
I observed the way his expression remained controlled and the way his eyes held something he was not ready to say.
"You followed her," I said.
It was not a question.
He did not deny it.
"Yes," he replied.
"How long?" I asked.
He answered without avoiding it.
"The entire day," he said.
The words settled heavily between us.
I remained still.
"You left everything for her," I said.
My voice was calm, but there was no softness in it.
His hand tightened slightly at my side.
"I needed to be sure," he said.
"Of what?" I asked.
He did not answer immediately.
Then he spoke.
"That it was really her," he said.
I went quiet for a moment.
Then I asked the one question that mattered.
"And is it?" I said.
His gaze met mine.
And for the first time, there was no uncertainty in his answer.
"Yes," he said.
Silence filled the room.
This time, it was heavier.
I held his gaze for a moment longer before speaking again.
"And now that you are sure," I said, "what are you going to do?"