"Xiao Yuezhi," Ran Yan’s voice was soft.
She was a person with a cold demeanor, but sometimes, when the softness at the bottom of her heart was touched, she would naturally become gentle. Because her gentle moments were rare, they seemed especially moving now.
"Stop it," Xiao Song gritted his teeth, gently pushed her away, and got up to walk to the front of the case file. He sat down cross-legged, pulled out a file, "You should rest early; I have a lot of work at the Government Office these days."
Xiao Song indeed was a man who did not think with only his lower half at any time.
Was this a failure then? Although it was expected, she couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed. Ran Yan leaned on the table, sighed softly, and hesitated whether or not to continue clinging to him. She generally did not like to stick to people, and felt somewhat uncomfortable doing clingy things occasionally.
A woman’s tears could make a man’s strong walls collapse. Ran Yan thought of what Liu Qingsong had said and couldn’t help frowning slightly. She seemed to have underdeveloped tear glands by nature, no matter how tough the obstacle or even when a family member died, she had never cried freely. It was really hard for her to shed tears now.
So... Ran Yan had prepared earlier. She took a handkerchief soaked in medicinal fluid from her sleeve, covered it over her eyes, and in just a moment, the medicine caused her eyes to redden and tears started falling uncontrollably.
Xiao Song’s gaze fell onto the case file, but because Ran Yan was sitting behind him, he didn’t read a single word.
After focusing his mind for a moment, he returned his thoughts and reviewed the case details. With his extensive experience in solving cases, he was accustomed to spotting loopholes in the case files, so he processed them much faster than most. However, he was always careful, and for case files without apparent faults, he would review them multiple times. This one was one he had already reviewed before.
He quickly immersed himself in the cases, and after reviewing it a few times, he picked up a pen and wrote ’Reviewed, Approved’ at the end of the file.
After placing it aside and reaching for another file, he suddenly remembered that Ran Yan seemed not to have left and hesitated before turning his head to look.
This glance stunned him.
Ran Yan was kneeling on the mattress, under the dim light, a teardrop hung on her delicate jaw, her eyelashes damp with tears, her eyes slightly swollen, evidently, she had been crying for a while.
Xiao Song’s heart clenched as if it had been twisted fiercely, and without caring about staying angry, he quickly stood up and walked to her side. He reached out to hold her shoulders and gently turned her around, "Yanyan."
Ran Yan looked up slowly, her tears surging even more, her slightly swollen eyes making her look exceptionally aggrieved and pitiful.
"Don’t cry, don’t cry," Xiao Song fumbled to wipe her tears, his tone full of tenderness.
Ran Yan took the opportunity to wrap her arms around his neck, burying her face in the nape of his neck, instantly wetting his skin with her tears.
The warm tears, falling on Xiao Song, felt scalding hot, as if the sting spread from the blood vessels in his neck throughout his body. He wrapped his arms around Ran Yan’s emaciated waist, his voice soft and comforting, "Yanyan, don’t cry, I’m not angry with you."
Xiao Song’s voice was rich and magnetic, tender at times, softly stirring one’s heartstrings. Under his doting tone, Ran Yan actually felt wronged, her tears blurring the line between real and fake.
Xiao Song gently patted her back, softly speaking to her.
This wasn’t to say that Xiao Song couldn’t stand a woman crying; in fact, he disliked women who cried easily, but Ran Yan was intrinsically a resilient person. No matter how many setbacks she faced or how terrifying the situations were, she had never shed tears in front of him before.
"Let me look at you," Xiao Song turned his head, "See if Yanyan has turned into a cat."
Ran Yan already despised herself internally, and hearing his words, she felt even more flushed, "Don’t treat me like a child."
Xiao Song gently patted her, sighing, "Why did you start crying? It’s really impossible for me to stay mad at you; in the end, it’s me who ends up feeling bad."
Ran Yan felt a slight sourness in her heart. Considering it all, Xiao Song was extremely indulgent towards her. Just a few tears could soften his heart—to a point where, if he didn’t care deeply about her, how could he possibly force himself to swallow his anger? Even though these tears were fake, Ran Yan inwardly resolved that such incidents would not be repeated in the future.
"Has the Government Office been busy these days?" Ran Yan asked, her voice thick with nasal sounds.
Xiao Song caressed her hair, responding, "Yes, autumn is approaching, and case files from around the Capital are still piling up, but it’s usually every year."
These matters were routine for Xiao Song; he didn’t find them too difficult to handle. The main reason he had been so exhausted these recent days was because of his anger and sadness. The anger was secondary; it had been many years since he had tasted such sadness. Because the days with Ran Yan were particularly fulfilling, by comparison, this sadness was especially hard to bear.