However, the scene upstairs in reality was far from what they had imagined.
Gu Xilin's eyes and brows exuded a layer of coldness. He carried Jiang Yan like a child into her room, and once inside, he hooked his leg and gently closed the door.
"Click," the sound of the door closing.
Jiang Yan didn't panic, allowing him to place her on the bed. His expression seemed rather displeased.
Yet, after setting Jiang Yan down, he didn't leave, standing in silence for a while.
For the first time, Jiang Yan discovered this man's aggressive nature. His muscular build conveyed a sense of strength, and even his chiseled features appeared sharp as blades. When his face was cold, he naturally exuded a threatening aura.
Yet, to Jiang Yan's wary gaze, Gu Xilin slowly bent his long legs, squatting on the floor. His tall frame curled into a ball, his chin resting on the bedsheet. Like a small dog injured but unwilling to expose its wound.
His muffled voice asked, "Why didn't you share any with me?"
"Huh, wha-what?" Jiang Yan was slightly taken aback, unable to fully process the situation.
Gu Xilin didn't seem bothered, exuding a heavy, melancholic air as he brooded, "Today, you received gifts but didn't give any to me, only to He Suyi."
Listening to him, he sounded a bit pitiful.
A large question mark appeared over Jiang Yan's head. Everyone in the circle knew that Gu Xilin didn't accept gifts.
Without receiving a response, Gu Xilin opened the floodgates: "I hold you every day, I help you up and down the stairs, I bring you food, I've even tied your hair before..."
"But you? You only care about He Suyi, don't you? She's the only one you see. You'd rather hop around than let me carry you..."
This impassioned rant in a nagging housewife's tone left Jiang Yan sitting on the bed, utterly bewildered. Wasn't he supposed to be getting revenge on her? What was the meaning behind this?
Gu Xilin's eyes were a bit red, unclear whether from anger or feeling wronged. Looking at him, one's heart couldn't help but soften a little.
Jiang Yan gripped the corner of the blanket, explaining to him, "Don't you refuse gifts from fans? Those were gifts my fans gave me..."
That made sense.
Gu Xilin seemed to have figured something out, suddenly reviving with his arrogance returning, "Well, I'm telling you now, you can't not give me any next time."
Jiang Yan was left numb by his mood swings, woodenly uttering, "Okay."
Gu Xilin seemed to finally notice his strange posture, standing up tensely, about to leave. But before closing the door, he tried to assert himself one last time, "You're in my hands now, so you better not refuse. If you don't give me any, I won't let you off."
Although Gu Xilin's actions were a bit odd, they directly showed Jiang Yan another side of him. At the very least, his previous image of arrogance, coldness, and aloofness had completely crumbled.
She thought he was so fierce, too.
He actually threw such a big tantrum just because she didn't share her sweets with him. Jiang Yan once again witnessed his pettiness.
Gu Xilin calmly returned to his own room, immediately locking the door, and threw himself forcefully onto the bed.
This wasn't right.
Why were his emotions so volatile today? It was just a small matter, yet he pathetically complained in front of this little deceiver.
But in truth, the foreshadowing had been secretly laid from the very beginning.
On the day he wore women's clothing, his mood was sour. Yet on that same day, he found a complete stranger girl cute, had her remove his mask, and even intentionally joined the same variety show afterwards.
At first, one could say he treated her like a little sister. But then what? After learning she wasn't a simple little girl, why did he get so angry?
He usually ignored the unspoken rules of the industry. But that one time, it was like being deceived by someone important.
An inexplicable sense of hurt. But in reality, the two of them had nothing more than that faint "sibling" connection.
He said some unsavory things in his confusion, yet insisted on continuing with the second season. How strange, he couldn't control his own actions.
When the second season began, he originally planned to use the leverage he had over her to bully her a bit, getting revenge for being deceived. But it didn't take long before his heart was completely led astray by her.
Gu Xilin pondered through the night.
He tossed and turned in bed, repeatedly recalling every little detail from the past. The stars in the night sky twinkled on and off.
As dawn approached, a startling thought suddenly occurred to him: Could it be that he had fallen for Jiang Yan?
As this notion emerged, Gu Xilin didn't need to ponder further, already aware of its implications.
He was done for!
He had been single for over twenty years now, so why on earth would he fall for a girl who wasn't even as tall as his shoulders?