With a low murmur, Huangfu Jue forced himself to turn around, his hands clenching tighter and tighter together, for fear that he couldn’t control himself and would rush back to hold her tight once again.
He took a step with his right foot, only to find it was as heavy as a thousand pounds, and it felt as though something had glued him to the spot. That one step nearly took all his strength, and his heart seemed to be tugged at by the motion, aching as if cut or stabbed.
Let go, how could it be so easy?
In the dim light, the man’s silhouette had become so blurred that it was no longer clear. Watching him turn around and take a step... Gan Yuan parted her lips, wanting to call out to him, but no sound came out.
Feeling both anxious and pained in her heart, she mustered all her strength to squeeze out two words from her choked throat.
She had never thought of leaving him, and of course, she wouldn’t allow him to leave her.
He was hers, forever!
Hearing her muffled voice, Huangfu Jue’s lifted left foot returned to its original place, and turning his face, he looked towards her uncertainly.
"What... What did you say?"
Was it an illusion or a hallucination?!
Tears gushed out and she couldn’t speak. Staring at the blurry figure before her, Gan Yuan could no longer control her emotions and, crying, she stepped forward and threw herself into his arms.
"You mustn’t!" Clinging tightly to the man’s waist, her voice was choked, "You mustn’t... leave me!"
He hadn’t heard wrong; she said "You mustn’t"!
He hadn’t thought wrong; she indeed still loved him and didn’t truly want to leave.
Overjoyed, Huangfu Jue lifted his arms and cradled her face.
He needed to be sure, had she really said "You mustn’t"?!
With tears in her eyes, Gan Yuan looked at him, "You must never leave me!"
"Okay!" he replied with a tremble, then held her tight, "Not leaving... I definitely won’t leave... I’ll never say ’leave’ again!"
His heart filled with joy, he thought he wanted to laugh, but why did his eyes and throat feel so sour?
At his chest, her tears soaked through his shirt.
The man cradled her face, looking at the tear stains on her cheeks, and his brow instantly furrowed.
"Silly woman, I... I was just saying, you know I can’t bear... why cry... stop crying!"
He raised his finger to wipe away her tears, a frown of helplessness and heartache on his face.
After a moment, he remembered his handkerchief, busying himself to take it out and wipe her tears away.
This was the first time he had seen her cry so fiercely. The tears couldn’t be wiped fast enough; when the left side was wiped, the right side would start flowing, and as soon as the right side was dry, the left would become wet again... It made him feel somewhat helpless too.
"Don’t cry... You mustn’t cry... I thought before that you wouldn’t cry... Please, don’t cry..."
"Who told you to leave me!" Gan Yuan laughed through her tears, snatching his handkerchief from him, "Who said I can’t cry, I am a woman too!"
Only, she hadn’t cried much before.
Watching her rub her face with the handkerchief, he frowned and took it from her, gently dabbing at the wet corners of her eyes.
Gan Yuan sniffled, "When did you find out?"
Huangfu Jue stopped his motion, "What?"
She pinched the ring hanging over her chest, "This!"
"It was that time in the stairwell."
Remembering what he had done to her then, Gan Yuan glared at him indignantly.
The man carefully dabbed away the tear on her cheek, his tone as imperiously as usual, "You are my woman; it’s normal for a husband and wife to be close."