Extra Nan Luo: 12. Don’t do this to me again

"So I'm not worried about you, am I? Why did you leave without saying goodbye? It's snowing like this outside, and you don't have any proper winter clothes. What if you ran out like this and froze to death? If you were going to leave like this, you shouldn't have come in the first place!" Yu Jinnan cursed Luo Hao, tears welling in her eyes. She heard a long silence on the other end of the phone, so she sniffed and asked again, "Where are you now?" "I don't want to tell you." His voice sounded like a little girl's, a little heartbreaking, a little bit asking for trouble. "Then go to hell!" Yu Jinnan hung up the phone angrily. No man had ever made her so worried. Her phone, which she had roughly thrown onto the bed, dinged twice. It was a text message from Luo Hao. One read: "Don't be angry." The other: "I'm next door to you." Yu Jinnan was even more angry after reading these messages. She walked out of her room with a loud voice, but she was even more angry after leaving. Left and right were both considered next door, so which room was he talking about?! As she was wandering anxiously, the door in front of her opened with a click, letting in a faint, warm light. Luo Hao was drenched, his hair especially wet. "What's wrong with you?" she said, her tone softening. He raised his face to speak to her, his eyes seemingly filled with moisture. "I was showering, and when I heard the phone ring, I knew it was you. I rushed out and forgot to wipe my clothes—" "You rushed out just to hang up on me?" she scolded him again in that mature tone. Luo Hao pursed his lips, saying nothing, not even looking at her. She walked into his room, took a quick look, and saw it was the same style as hers. She angrily said, "Do you have so much money to burn?" He stood behind her like a drowned Pomeranian, and after a long pause, he stammered, "I'm afraid you'll bring another man back." Yu Jinnan's mind was whistling with curse words, words that rushed to the tip of her tongue but were swallowed back. She felt it was wrong to lose her temper with a child like that; it would leave a psychological scar on him. So she scurried out of his room, slamming the door shut, vowing that she would never show mercy again, even if he froze to death on the streets of Melbourne. When Luo Hao finally realized he had truly hurt her, he rushed over to apologize, but no matter how hard he knocked, she wouldn't open the door. It wasn't until a guest complained and the hotel housekeeper came to inquire that Jinnan finally opened the door, apologized, and dragged him inside. He stood in the doorway, motionless; she turned her back to him, cold as ice. The two of them remained in a stalemate. Finally he compromised and sighed...

"So I won't worry about you, right? Why did you leave without saying goodbye? It's snowing so hard outside and you don't have a decent winter outfit. What if you freeze to death if you run out like this? If you were going to leave like this, you shouldn't have come in the first place!" Yu Jinnan cursed Luo Hao, tears welling up in his eyes.

She heard a long silence on the other end of the phone, so she sniffed and asked again, "Where are you now?"

"I don't want to tell you." His voice sounded like a stubborn little girl, a little distressing and a little asking for trouble.

"Then go to hell!" Yu Jinnan hung up the phone angrily. No man had ever made her so troubled.

The phone she had roughly thrown onto the bed rang twice. It was a text message from Luo Hao. One read: "Don't be angry." The other: "I'm next door to you."

Yu Jinnan was even more furious after hearing this news. He walked out of his room with a loud voice. After coming out, he was even more furious. The left and the right were both considered neighbors, so which room was he talking about?!

She was wandering around anxiously when the room in front of her opened with a click, and a faint warm light leaked out. Luo Hao was wet all over, especially his hair, which was even dripping with water.

"What happened to you?" Seeing him like this, she couldn't hold back her tone.

He raised his head and spoke to her, his eyes filled with moisture. "I was taking a shower when I heard the phone ring. I knew it was you, and I ran out in such a hurry that I forgot to wipe my clothes—"

"You rushed out here just to hang up on me?" She scolded him again in that mature tone.

Luo Hao pursed his lips and said nothing, nor did he look at her.

She walked into his room and took a look around. It was the same style as hers, so she said angrily, "Do you have too much money to burn?"

He stood behind her, like a drowned Pomeranian, and after a long while he stammered, "I'm afraid you'll bring another man back."

Yu Jinnan's mind was filled with curse words, words that reached the tip of her tongue but were swallowed back. She felt it was wrong to lose her temper with a child like that; it would leave a psychological scar on him. So she scurried out of his room, slamming the door shut, and vowed that she would never show mercy to him again, even if he froze to death on the streets of Melbourne.

When Luo Hao reacted dully, he realized that he had really hurt her. He hurried over to apologize, but she wouldn't open the door no matter how hard he knocked. It wasn't until a guest complained and the hotel's room manager came to inquire that Jin Nan opened the door, apologized to the outsider, and then dragged him into the house.

He stood at the door, motionless; she turned her back to him, cold as ice. The two of them remained in a stalemate.

Finally, he compromised, sighed, and said, "Don't do this to me again. It does nothing but make me sad."

Jin Nan's heart softened when she heard his sorrowful voice: "Then please don't treat me like this again in the future. I'm sad too."

Luo Hao quickly stepped forward, hugged her tightly from behind, and whispered in her ear: "Then can't we just be good?"

"How come we are fine?" Yu Jinnan asked in a tricky way.

He wanted to refute and disprove it, so he said anxiously: "I still have two years to graduate——"

He had originally been confident in what he said, but it was shattered when he heard a soft laugh from her nose. He knew that she didn't trust him at all now, not in his ability or sincerity.

He suddenly grew furious. He hated how she always feigned maturity in front of him. He began to nibble at her delicate neck, the spot where the golden retriever had kissed him on the terrace, perhaps still stained with his saliva. He suddenly also hated those older men who had ample sexual resources, toying with girls at their fingertips, yet were completely soft and filthy, from the roots of their hair to their groins to their genitals.

He vented all his anger on this tearing kiss, stripping off her tight wine-red dress. Wherever his rough kisses touched, rose-red petals fell. He was still wet, but the kisses that bit her skin only left a dry pain. He became more and more rough, no longer the cautious and gentle tenderness he used to have.

He threw her onto the bed from behind, jerking her hips up before pressing her waist down, recklessly entering from behind. Yu Jinnan clutched the sheets; her body wasn't prepared for such a violent impact. She cried out in pain, then groaned when she tired herself out. Her thick hair hung loose, completely obscuring her face, preventing anyone from seeing her pained expression and tears.

He felt like a warrior galloping across the battlefield. He had no armor, no shield, no protection from the hail of arrows, only the will to swing his sword and hack away. Wasn't she the most popular woman in the room? The body coveted by so many men, now held in his palm, allowed to be rubbed and fucked by him.

This long bloody storm finally stopped. She curled up with her back to him, silently; he lay on his back, gasping for breath.

He heard her move under the bed, pick up her phone, and operate something, but he didn't look at her. They were now naked and embarrassing, and neither of them probably wanted to be seen.

She had her back to him, and a lifeless voice said, "I've booked a flight back to Shanghai for you tomorrow afternoon. I've sent you the flight number. The number I'm using now is just my temporary contact information in Australia. I'll cancel it when I get back. You don't need to send messages to this number anymore, and you don't need to let me know you're safe when you arrive in Shanghai."

The last bit of light in Luo Hao's eyes disappeared. He sat up, went down to pick up the damp and wrinkled bathrobe and wrapped it around himself again. With his back to her, he said coldly, "I will pay you back the money I owe you for the plane ticket when I arrive in Shanghai." Then he left.

*~*~*~*~*~*~

As the flight's departure time drew near, Luo Hao remained seated on the edge of his bed in his hotel room, fully dressed, his suitcase at his feet.

Before leaving, he wanted to say goodbye to her and check on her condition, wondering if he had hurt her by being so strong last night. But he didn't have the courage to do so. He was cowardly and arrogant, and he was filled with worry.

If he didn't leave now, it would be too late. He only had enough courage to send her a text message like this: "I'm leaving."

After waiting for a long time, there was no news.

He stood up, grabbed his suitcase, and walked out of the room with extremely slow steps. He took a few steps toward the elevator, then turned back and walked to her door. He placed his hand on the doorknob and, for some unknown reason, tried to pull it down. Of course, it wouldn't open. He held it there for a long time, but when he heard no movement from inside, he left in despair.

Yu Jinnan hardly slept that night.

When Luo Hao left her room, she blocked his mobile phone number. She also took out the mobile phone in Hong Kong and did the same thing.

In the wee hours of the morning, she woke up, drank red wine, listened to classical music, and danced barefoot on the carpet in her hotel room. That morning, she ordered room service for brunch, which she shared for two. At noon, she was sipping coffee at her desk, her chin resting on her hand, lost in thought, when the doorknob beside her seemed to move. She tilted her head to see the golden knob twitched ever so slightly. She couldn't help but wonder what she would do if the door actually opened.

Fortunately, the door won't open.

She would never give this man the chance to humiliate her like he did last night. As for an apology, she never needed one.

After Luo Hao arrived at the airport, he was the last one to go through security, the last one to enter the cabin, and when he looked back for the last time, he couldn't see the person he wanted to see at all.

Of course, how could she come.

Yu Jinnan had already left the hotel, wearing pajamas and a down jacket. The snowy scenery in the city was only beautiful for a day; no matter how beautiful it was once, it would be muddy the next day.

She wandered aimlessly through the streets of Melbourne and stumbled upon the spot where they had taken their photo yesterday. She had passed by this building many times before, but she had never stopped to admire it. Now, looking up, her mood was completely different.

She walked around to the front of the church, where a service was in progress. She walked in quietly and sat in the corner by the door. The leisurely singing of hymns reached her ears, calming her down. Her heart felt like it was immersed in clear spring water, so cold it was biting.

She figured Luo Hao should already be on the plane by now. Distance was the quickest way to sow discord, and time was the cheapest. She was glad she'd used it so well.

The white clothes of the choir children sparkled in the bright sunlight. She looked up at the glass skylight of the church, where there was still sparse snow. Don't be afraid, it will melt eventually.

Then it evaporates without a trace.