"My stepmother harbored deep resentment toward my stepfather, so she often took it out on me. Whenever she didn’t like the look of me, she would lock me up in the attic, and I would be there all night."
Nan’an spoke quietly, her eyes staring ahead, but her gaze was hollow. It seemed like she was reminiscing, yet it also felt like she was recounting something very ordinary, with no trace of emotion evident.
Seeing Nan’an made Mu Xingfeng’s heart ache. Instinctively, he extended his arm and gently encircled her. Nan’an didn’t pull away, seeming to still be lost in her memories.
"Later on, my grandmother couldn’t bear to see it anymore, so she brought me to the countryside. You know how dark it gets at night in the countryside. Once it got dark, I wouldn’t dare go outside. My grandmother, having nothing else to do, would tell me stories. Can you guess what kind of stories she told?"
After Nan’an finished speaking, she glanced at Mu Xingfeng. There was a hint of a smile in her eyes, completely eliminating the earlier trace of melancholy, clearly indicating that she was quite happy during those days with her grandmother in the countryside.
Of course, Mu Xingfeng obligingly asked, "What kind of stories?"
"Ghost stories," Nan’an said, then burst into laughter. "My grandmother was uneducated, so she naturally couldn’t tell stories like Snow White or Cinderella. There was a shaman woman in the village who had a good relationship with my grandmother. The two of them often chatted whenever they were free. My grandmother would use their conversation as stories to tell me. You know what? Every time I listened to those stories, I was both amazed and terrified. I couldn’t help but listen till the end, but afterward, I would be scared to death. Oh, curiosity did kill the cat."
Watching the little girl in his arms gesturing animatedly, Mu Xingfeng doted on her with a smile and said, "Silly, aren’t you?"
It seemed that the girl had really thought she had seen a ghost when she saw him yesterday, no wonder the reaction was so huge.
Mu Xingfeng saw that Nan’an had regained her energy and her face wasn’t as flushed. He reached out to touch her forehead, the temperature was noticeably lower, and there was a thin layer of sweat, indicating the medicine was taking effect.
Nan’an felt a bit embarrassed by his touch but didn’t avoid it. She knew he was worried about her, so she said directly, "Instructor Mu, I feel much better now. I don’t think I have a fever anymore. You know, my health is usually very good, I rarely get sick."
After saying this, she felt a bit guilty, not mentioning that this time she had a fever and last time she had fainted on the training ground when Mu Xingfeng was also present.
"Alright then, since you’re feeling better, go take a shower. After that, have something to eat. If you’re still tired, get some more sleep. After all, you went to bed so late last night."
At the mention of food, Nan’an’s eyes lit up. She lifted the quilt and got out of bed, but didn’t realize that her movements were too hasty. The length of her white shirt was limited, and when she turned around, it exposed her.
Mu Xingfeng turned and walked out of the bedroom decisively. This foolish girl.
Lin Ruonan had rushed to Mu Xingfeng’s dormitory early in the morning.
She had thought about it all night. Lin Junyang’s words: If you don’t speak up, you might never get the chance again.
All along, she had always thought that Mu Xingfeng was a person as cold and aloof as the moon, proud and detached from the common world, treating everyone with that same kind of indifference. To the point where she had gotten used to this version of him and thought that this was the real him.
It wasn’t until she met Nan’an in the café that she realized he also had such a childish side, and he could even smile.
She knew in her heart that Mu Xingfeng had special feelings for that girl, but her pride wouldn’t allow her to take the initiative to get close to him, to please him, or even to confess to him.
Even transferring to Nan’an this time was a decision she made after her grandfather had urged her for a long time.