Feng Guang was stunned, staring at him without blinking.

Han Qi had always known what kind of attitude he should adopt to make her fascinated by him. She had no resistance to his gentleness, and he realized this not long after they met. Her thoughts were always so easy to guess.

He chuckled softly, raised his hand to stroke her smooth cheek, and whispered, "Fengguang, may I kiss you?"

A kiss!?

Feng Guang's face instantly turned bright red, and she stammered, "You...you were just...you were going to push me to other men, where did you get the courage to say that now!?"

She was shy, and angry... well, mostly shy.

“I can’t guarantee which man will stand beside Fengguang in the future.” He narrowed his eyes and said slowly, “But at least I can be sure now… Fengguang belongs to me.”

Upon hearing the answer, Feng Guang felt as if her heart was being violently gripped, making it hard to breathe. He was always so rational, never showing his sorrow or his fear of impending death. She couldn't imagine how devastated she would be if she had an incurable illness and had to live in the atmosphere of knowing she might die tomorrow. Han Qi... he had lived like that for almost eighteen years.

She lowered her head slightly, not daring to meet his gaze, and sniffed as she said, "Didn't you say you would try to live longer? Maybe...maybe ten years from now, twenty years from now, the man standing beside me will be you..."

“That’s a long time ago.” Han Qi lowered his head and whispered in her ear, “Fengguang, I can’t give you any guarantees that I can’t be sure of.”

"So you're just giving up like this?!" she suddenly screamed uncontrollably. "Han Qi, I want you to live, to live well. Even if you have to die, you can only die on our wedding bed, as my man, Xia Fengguang's man!"

Han Qi paused slightly, his eyes widening a little, and the captivating light in his beautiful eyes seemed to freeze.

Feng Guang bit her lip, wiped away her tears fiercely, and tried hard to control the urge to cry. She knew that Han Qi's illness was something that could make one feel hopeless, but he was still alive, so she couldn't help but greedily wish that he could live a little longer, and a little longer...

"You were the one who hid your identity and approached me first, and you were the one who said you liked me first... How could you so easily take care of everything after I fell for you? Did you ever think about how much pain I would feel if you died?! And how would I live in the days to come? Maybe after a few months, a year, two years... I would forget you, fall in love with another man, and you would just be a memory in my past. Han Qi, think about me at that time, do you feel content?" she said hysterically, almost insane.

The word "death" was something she always hated. She hated the word, and she hated it even more when it happened around her.

Han Qi's eyes flickered. He cupped her face, pressed his forehead against hers, and for the first time, he shed his nonchalant facade, saying painfully, "Feng Guang, I'm not reconciled. I want to be the man who can spend his whole life with you, but I can't. Every day I live feels like it's been stolen..."

This feeling of powerlessness is a despair that is even more desperate than despair itself.