Chapter 37 Heartbeat Frequency: Impulses are both devils and angels.
He Xintu had just come up the stairs, carrying a bottle of mineral water, when the door to Gu Yinyan's bedroom opened.
Liang Yizhi appeared at Gu Yinyan's door.
He Xintu glanced at the two people in the room.
There was no need to feel guilty, but when Liang Yizhi stood in front of He Xintu, her confidence suddenly waned considerably.
He Xintu seemed to be in a rather so-so mood.
They had just had an unpleasant encounter, and he was still brooding over it, while she was laughing and joking with other people, as if what had just happened hadn't affected her much.
Although it was just a brief encounter, their meeting at this crucial moment was so inopportune that Liang Yizhi even felt a faint sense of guilt, as if she had been caught red-handed doing something wrong.
He Xintu didn't speak to them. He looked away, lowered his head, walked past her, and went back to his room.
Liang Yizhi was looking towards the end of the corridor when she was suddenly tapped on the head.
Gu Yinyan: "What are you staring at? Go back and rest."
Liang Yizhi lowered her head and sighed dejectedly.
Gu Yinyan reached out from behind and lifted her face up by supporting her forehead from below.
"Sighing makes you age faster, you know?"
"I couldn't help it. I was afraid he would think—"
“You don’t need to take responsibility for his emotions,” Gu Yinyan said calmly. “You didn’t do anything wrong, and you don’t need to explain anything to him. If he really cares, he should take the initiative to ask you why.”
Gu Yinyan's thinking is based solely on logic, so he naturally cannot understand what Liang Yizhi is worried about.
She returned to the room and placed the two boxes of medicine she had brought on the table. He Man was already asleep on the bed, and the sound of her soft breathing filled the room.
Liang Yizhi was still thinking about what had just happened.
The expression on He Xintu's face as he passed by was etched into her mind.
He looked dejected and didn't speak to them.
Upon further reflection, she realized that the four people who came here were all friends she had known for many years, while only He Xintu was not familiar with them.
Will he feel ignored? Will some of their unintentional actions make him feel excluded?
During her shower, Liang Yizhi kept thinking and gleaned deeper meaning from that one expression.
However, it cannot be ruled out that a large part of it was just her own imagination.
Liang Yizhi wanted to go and explain to He Xintu immediately, but she was afraid that explaining again would seem superfluous.
Besides explaining her fear of fireworks, shouldn't we also explain why she was in Gu Yinyan's room in the first place? And what did she talk about with Gu Yinyan that made her so happy?
But that's so strange. What if they didn't care at all?
Unfortunately, He Man went to bed very early today, so there was no one to chat with her late into the night or give her any honest advice.
In the dead of night, the pattering sound gradually increased again, weaving a misty curtain of rain.
The rain has started again.
Liang Yizhi was preoccupied with her own thoughts and didn't pay attention to the sound of the rain.
It wasn't until a blinding flash of light pierced the darkness that she sat up and realized that the rain was pouring down and the glass had become blurry.
The small lamp that had been on by the bedside went out with a loud bang.
Liang Yizhi touched the switch and pressed it twice, but the lamp did not respond.
She didn't dare turn on the bedroom light abruptly, afraid of waking He Man. Liang Yizhi quietly lifted the covers and got out of bed, thinking of turning on the lamp on the desk or the bathroom light, just enough to leave a sliver of light.
No matter what she fiddled with, there was no sign of the light turning on. Upon closer listening, the sound of the air conditioner running had also disappeared.
Her doubts were confirmed.
—The power is out.
As one o'clock approached, the surroundings were plunged into darkness, which intensified the oppressive feeling in the enclosed space. Liang Yizhi opened the door, and the corridor was also pitch black; the lights that had been left on on the first floor were now off.
It was quiet all around.
Liang Yizhi thought for a moment and then sent a message to the group.
Are you all asleep? It seems there's a power outage.
She waited for about five minutes but still hadn't received a reply.
The sound of raindrops falling, combined with the darkness, gradually made Liang Yizhi's mood more and more anxious.
Never mind, let her go out and see for herself.
Liang Yizhi went out and downstairs. She planned to first check if the circuit breaker had tripped and see if she could turn it back on.
The power switch seems to be located next to the storage room on the first floor.
Liang Yizhi went down the stairs and, following her memory, turned to the back of the stairs; the storage room was right there.
She saw a light on at the door of the storage room, and it seemed like someone was moving around. Apparently, someone else had noticed the power outage and had come down to check before her.
Liang Yizhi walked over.
The rain was probably too loud, because the man didn't hear her footsteps. When she got closer, he suddenly shone his flashlight on her face.
"It's me—" Liang Yizhi was blinded by the blinding light and couldn't see anything for a moment.
She shielded her eyes with her hand, and the other person immediately turned off the flashlight.
Liang Yizhi opened her eyes again.
The storage room was in a secluded spot, blocked by the stairs from the light from the living room balcony, making it so dark that only a human figure could be vaguely discerned.
She saw the silhouette of the person in front of her.
He's very tall, with messy, curly hair on top... is He Xintu?
"Boss He?" Liang Yizhi called out.
She could make out in the darkness that the other person's chin seemed to twitch slightly, but they didn't respond to her.
Because of this silence, Liang Yizhi became even more certain that the person in front of her was He Xintu.
He Xintu remained silent. The room was quiet, save for the sound of raindrops pattering, creating a sense of distance, as if shrouded in a giant dome.
Liang Yizhi thought that He Xintu was not speaking because he hadn't recovered from what happened that night.
Now that it's just the two of them, this might be a good opportunity to clear up the misunderstanding.
Liang Yizhi spoke first: "Boss He, are you... angry? Is that why you don't want to talk to me?"
The only response she received was the endless sound of rain outside.
Liang Yizhi said to herself, "I'm so sorry about today's fireworks, making you prepare a surprise for nothing. But I truly appreciate your thoughtfulness!"
Although she couldn't see clearly, Liang Yizhi still tried her best to express her meaning accurately.
"The sparkler thing was because I was afraid of getting splashed by sparks, so I didn't hold it properly. Just consider it an overreaction; I've always had a bit of a phobia of fireworks."
Liang Yizhi slowly said, "I was burned by fire several times when I was a child, but I never learned my lesson. Then one time, I insisted on dragging Gu Yinyan to watch other people set off fireworks, and we both accidentally got injured by the fireworks."
“If it had only been me who got hit by the explosion, it might have been okay, but I also dragged him into it, and I’ve felt guilty about it for a long time.”
Liang Yizhi's palms were sweating: "I actually have a strong aversion to fireworks. They remind me of some bad memories. I didn't intentionally act that way in front of you; it has nothing to do with you. I assure you, this is absolutely not an excuse."
"I went to see Gu Yinyan just now because I was thinking about things from the past. I happened to be picking up my medicine, so we chatted for a bit."
As Liang Yizhi continued to talk, she worried that the other party would not be able to find the key point, so she simply cut out the most important part, which was also what she wanted to express the most.
"Actually, I do have feelings for you. I'm glad you prepared these things for me, and I don't want you to be unhappy because of this. I'm sorry."
Liang Yizhi looked into the darkness at her slightly wavy hair. Her voice trembled slightly: "Now that we're about to develop a relationship, there can't be any misunderstandings between us. Don't you agree?"
She talked so much, putting all her effort into it, and her mouth was dry from talking so much, but the person on the other end didn't utter a single word.
Not receiving a reply from He Xintu, Liang Yizhi felt a little flustered. As she talked, she got carried away and blurted out something she didn't expect, and confessed her feelings to him directly.
The sound of rain mingled between the two, and the longer it went on, the more awkward Liang Yizhi became.
Finally, she heard his shallow breathing, which sounded like he wasn't in a good mood.
"Don't you think this is too abrupt?" Liang Yizhi asked. "Don't overthink it. I'm not looking for any answers. I just wanted to tell you my thoughts, that's all..."
She talks more when she's flustered; it's a stress response.
But this pause wasn't because she realized she'd said too much.
Instead, it was the tall man in front of her who was slowly approaching her.
Liang Yizhi took a step back, but unfortunately the doorway to the storage room was very narrow, and she bumped into the wall as soon as she stepped back.
Sensing a presence approaching, Liang Yizhi blinked helplessly in the darkness, her gaze unsure of where to rest.
The night has a more mysterious allure; when the senses are clouded, only the frequency of the heartbeat remains.
Liang Yizhi didn't know what he was going to do, but she could sense that it must be an action with some special meaning.
She tentatively reached out and touched the fabric of the garment. She held her breath, clutching the hem as if she were clutching some secret.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
The other party still hasn't taken any further action.
...Did she misunderstand?
The taut string in the air suddenly snapped, like a string she had overstretched, leaving rough edges. She seemed to be awakened by those invisible rough edges and the dull, dry notes.
She let go, said "I'm sorry," and fled in a panic.
Back in her room, Liang Yizhi opened and closed the door and got into bed in one smooth motion.
She jumped onto the bed, buried her face in the pillow, and kicked the mattress up and down with her feet.
what to do? ! ! !
I still feel so ashamed!
Liang Yizhi was completely covered by the quilt, reviewing every moment she had just experienced, unaware that the bedside lamp had suddenly turned on.
Her adrenaline was surging, and a strange sense of excitement kept her awake until three or four in the morning before she finally fell asleep from exhaustion.
She had a very strange dream.
In my dream, it was a grand wedding.
She wore a white wedding dress with a light veil, clearly the star of the event. Directly opposite her stood He Xintu, dressed in a black suit, smiling at her.
She lifted the hem of her skirt and stepped onto the path leading to the groom.
Just as she took a step, the scenery beneath her feet suddenly transformed into several rickety, broken wooden planks. Beneath the planks lay a deep, azure lake.
Liang Yizhi was dazzled by the shimmering ripples reflected on the lake and staggered half a step.
She was momentarily flustered. When she looked up, He Xintu was still waving at her, urging her to come to his side quickly.
So she mustered her courage and stepped onto the few rotten planks. But the moment her foot touched the surface, the planks suddenly shattered. The wind from the lakebed instantly whipped her face and lifted her veil.
"I told you not to leave."
Gu Yinyan's voice came from behind, seemingly blaming her for not heeding his advice.
Then, suddenly, brilliant fireworks rose overhead, and sparks from the fireworks rained down from above, falling into the mountains and igniting raging fires.
The white veil on Liang Yizhi's head was also set on fire. She immediately took it off and fled in the opposite direction of the suspension bridge.
When I opened my eyes again...
Before me was a clean, white ceiling, spotless.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
After washing up, Liang Yizhi and He Man went downstairs together.
She said, "By the way, you went to bed early yesterday, and the power went out in the villa in the middle of the night because of the thunder and rain."
"Really?" He Man yawned. "I slept quite well last night and didn't hear a sound."
After a night's rest, He Man felt much better and woke up refreshed in the morning.
The other three boys were already in the living room on the first floor. He Xintu was serving porridge, and Gu Yinyan was setting out bowls and chopsticks at the table.
Jiang Huai was holding a bowl when his finger was burned by the hot porridge. He bit his thumb and mumbled, "Oh my god! Yizhi, I saw your message and wanted to ask you, did the power go out last night?"
"Yeah, it must be raining too hard. There's thunder outside."
He Xintu was serving porridge when he heard the noise. He turned around and his eyes met Liang Yizhi's.
He Xintu smiled and said proactively, "Good morning."
Liang Yizhi paused for a moment before replying, "Good morning."
"I've cooked some plain porridge and some side dishes. Come and have breakfast."
Liang Yizhi responded.
Judging from He Xintu's reaction, last night's conversation was very effective; the two of them successfully broke the ice and cleared up the misunderstanding.
Liang Yizhi felt somewhat fortunate for her timely confession.
It seems that sometimes impulsiveness isn't entirely a devil; it can also be an angel.
Everyone sat down at the dining table.
Jiang Huai suddenly remembered last night and asked Gu Yinyan, who was standing to the side:
"By the way, I woke up in the middle of the night last night and you weren't in bed. Where did you go?"
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