"Hmm!" The man grunted coldly in response.
"..." Nanxi struggled to find the right words.
"I’ll find you a clean shirt to wear when you go downstairs later!" Nanxi said, preparing to get out of bed, but as soon as she left his embrace, the man pulled her back.
"What’s wrong?" Nanxi turned to look at him in surprise.
"Nanxi..." Lu Yinchu pulled her into his arms once again, holding her tight, "Listen to me, from now on, you and Lin Pinzhi need to keep some distance!"
"..." Nanxi was taken aback, somewhat puzzled, "Why? Lu Yinchu, you’re not... Oh my God, I have nothing with him. Just now...he called me about work! You know, our National Day special issue is being published today, he was just calling to share the good news!"
"Nanxi, you’re too naive. You don’t understand a man’s thoughts! Lin Pinzhi is not as simple as you think. And his feelings for you are not as simple as you think either!"
Nanxi blinked, appearing even more baffled. "Lu Yinchu, what are you talking about? My relationship with him is purely professional. We have nothing more than that. Your suspicion of me is unfair!"
"Nanxi..." Seeing her furrowed brows, Lu Yinchu knew she was angry. He sighed and pulled her closer. "You little fool, how could I ever doubt you! But remember, while you might be innocent with others, it does not mean they are the same with you. Honestly, I asked Mo Yan to investigate Lin Pinzhi a while back. His background checked out for the most part, but there was one thing that puzzled me. Do you want to know what that is?"
Nanxi was startled, "What?"
"He’s investigating you!"
"..." Nanxi froze. Lin Pinzhi was investigating her? How was that possible!
"Lu Yinchu, you must be joking!"
"Would I joke about something ?"
"I don’t know the exact reason. But don’t you find it strange that a man whom you barely know is trying to find out all about you and even secretly investigates you?"
"So... you didn’t do anything to him, did you?"
Lu Yinchu frowned, clearly not pleased, but answered honestly anyway. "Don’t worry, I didn’t do anything to him. I only had someone keep an eye on him since I want to know his motives!"
"...Lu Yinchu, that’s not what I mean!" Nanxi was at a loss for words. At times , the more she said, the more she might slip up!
"No matter what, remember what I told you, not everyone in this world is as simple as you think. I’ve told you before that you need to learn when to reject and protect yourself. This principle, you must keep in mind. I still don’t know what Lin Pinzhi’s intentions are, but his feelings towards you are indeed a bit different, in the way between a man and a woman!"
"...How can that be?"
"Why not?" Lu Yinchu laughed lightly, "Nanxi, you have to understand, emotions are a very mysterious, hard-to-grasp thing. Appreciating and liking someone, are not feelings you can control."
He turned to Nanxi and asked her, "Nanxi, do you think H City is big?"
After thinking for a moment, Nanxi replied, "Sometimes it feels very big, other times it seems very small. I can’t quite explain it!"
"Sometimes very big? Sometimes very small?"
"Yes!" Nanxi responded. "For instance, I’ve lived in H City for four years and your reputation here is quite well-known, but I had never heard of you before. So H City is really so small that I could miss meeting you just by closing my eyes and ears. However, H City is also quite small. Although I missed meeting you, you managed to find me amidst the sea of people. So, how big can it actually be? Don’t you agree?"
After she finished speaking, Nanxi raised her head to look at Lu Yinchu and found that he was also staring at her. His eyes were a bit dark, hiding some complex emotions that she couldn’t understand.
She continued, "Also, Lu Yinchu, what you just mentioned about refusing and restraining, of course I understand. But the premise is that I need to realize that such feelings exist. As you said, he may like me, but he has never confessed. I can’t deliberately distance myself from him, can I? If I did, something that wasn’t an issue to begin with might turn into a problem! Besides, do you really lack self-confidence to the extent that you believe I would leave you for someone else?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Yinchu chuckled, "Little fool, it’s not that I’m not confident in myself, but there are too many uncertainties in this world. Like what you just said... unfortunately I was able to find you in the vast sea of people... But have you ever thought that I could just as well lose you in that same sea?"
"However, I will not allow such a situation to occur, since people often only learn to cherish what they have after experiencing loss. I hold you tight, pull you close, and guard you meticulously. Just like now, I’ve got you enveloped within my arms listening to you speak to me. I find happiness and cherish each and every moment... and this is all because I have experienced loss before!"
Lu Yinchu said, "Do you understand, Nanxi? Right now, I’m filled with a kind of extreme happiness that I didn’t dare to even dream of. Now that it’s really happening, I often feel like it’s all just a dream. And it’s the waking up part that scares me..."
"Lu Yinchu..." Nanxi interrupted him, extending her arms to encircle his neck. Her dark eyes peered into his as she said, "Lu Yinchu, look at me. This is not a dream. I’m right here in front of you, within your embrace. I’m here, really here. So, you’re really happy. Lu Yinchu, I’m not a dream—please don’t confine me to your dream world, because it makes me sad!"