The man’s pupils grew darker and deeper, and he slowly leaned into her ear, his voice low as he asked, "Do you know what your words mean?"
Lin Xinlan nodded, her face flushing with a hint of red, "I know, it means I’m confessing to you."
Being with him, she really had become more open, even bolder in her speech.
"No... it means you will never have the chance to leave me... Once you love me, you can’t give up on me, you can’t stop loving me, you can’t leave me. If you can’t do this, then don’t love me because I will never give you the chance to change your mind, and you should never expect to have that chance. Otherwise, I will do whatever it takes to keep you by my side, even if it means hurting you, tormenting you... Xinlan, I’m giving you one more chance, what is your answer?"
He spoke the last sentence very carefully and quietly.
Lin Xinlan felt a pang in her heart as she heard the fear and insecurity in his voice.
Was he really that worried that one day she would regret falling in love with him?
Was he really that lacking in confidence in himself?
The longer the silence went on, the more nervous Rong Shaoze became; he tightened his arms, hugging her more firmly into his embrace, full of regret for his words just moments ago.
He was such a fool, why did he say all that? What if he frightened her?
He should have let her fall in love with him first, gradually make her unable to leave him before saying all that.
Now that he had blurted it out, she surely would hesitate, be frightened, wouldn’t she...
But then again, he didn’t want to give her the chance to have second thoughts.
He wanted a definite answer from her and also didn’t want to hurt her in the future.
If she wanted to change her mind, then he would just have to continue pursuing her slowly. After all, he really couldn’t bear to hurt her again...
The man was lost in his thoughts, unable to extricate himself. His grip tightened even more, causing Lin Xinlan’s bones to ache, unable to catch her breath.
She looked up, meeting his deep, dark eyes, and inexplicably felt heartache for him.
"Rong Shaoze... calm down, I haven’t even given you my answer yet."
He couldn’t hear her at all; he was still lost in his own world.
Unable to help herself, Lin Xinlan struggled a bit, his body automatically reacted, his arms as firm as iron, hugging her so tightly she almost passed out.
"Rong Shaoze, let go... I’m going to die..."
No matter how loudly she yelled, there was no reaction from him, and Lin Xinlan truly felt like she was about to black out.
An idea flashed through her mind, and she hurriedly said, "No regrets, not even if I die! I know what I want in my heart. Do you think it’s easy for me to fall for someone? How can I change so easily? Once I’ve loved, it’s truly love, for a lifetime, unchanging."
"What did you say?" Rong Shaoze tensed up all over, finally snapping back to reality.
"Let me go a little."
He hurriedly loosened his grip, staring at her with expectant eyes, waiting for her to repeat her words.
Were the words he had just heard an illusion?
He felt his heart beating fast, almost leaping out of his throat.
Lin Xinlan dispensed with her reserve, rubbed her aching arm, and laughed, "You’re so strong. If I said I regret it, I’d surely be strangled to death by you."
"Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that just now!"
He hurriedly tried to make amends by massaging her arm, his eyes fixed on her without blinking.
"Xinlan, can you repeat what you just said, please?"