Hearing her cold and distant words, Shen Yan's heart skipped a beat. A sharp pain pierced his heart, spreading deep within him…
Does she not like herself anymore?
Do you no longer want to deal with him?
My mind was filled with uncontrollable wild thoughts, and the strings of my brain were almost snapped by these terrifying ideas.
"thump--"
Meng Qingluan heard the sound of something falling to the ground and turned her head to look.
—Chen Yan knelt straight on the ground.
Meng Qingluan was caught off guard by this scene and was speechless for a moment.
Chen Yan knelt down without warning, his eyes red-rimmed.
Meng Qingluan gritted her teeth, determined not to soften her heart easily this time, her tone remaining calm.
"What are you doing? Are you forcing me?"
"No." Shen Yan shook his head.
He gently took Meng Qingluan's hand and brought it to his cheek.
"Luanluan, hit me, okay? It'll calm you down, alright?"
As Chen Yan spoke, he tilted his head slightly and rubbed his cheek against her palm, looking as if he was ready to be punished.
Meng Qingluan tried to pull her hand away, but Chen Yan held on tightly.
"Let go," Meng Qingluan commanded coldly.
"No, if I let go, you'll never talk to me again."
Chen Yan's eyelashes were wet with tears, but she stubbornly refused to let go.
"..."
Meng Qingluan hardened her heart and with a forceful pull, she freed her hand.
Chen Yan's hands remained frozen in the same position, his knees kneeling on the cold ground.
"Luanluan," he called softly.
"..."
Meng Qingluan turned around, leaving him only with her back wrapped in a blanket.
"I was wrong, please forgive me."
He begged humbly.
"..."
Meng Qingluan remained motionless, even pulling the blanket over her ears in frustration, refusing to listen to his incessant chatter.
Chen Yan raised his hand, paused in mid-air, and then carefully withdrew it.
He wanted to call her, but Meng Qingluan had already given the order in a cold voice.
"I want to rest. If you want to call, go outside and shout."
"Okay, I won't shout. You get some rest."
Shen Yan kept her mouth tightly shut, her eyes brimming with tears as she gazed at him.
After a while, he stood up, obediently pushed open the door, and sat down outside without even putting on a thick coat.
Chen Yan sat dejectedly at the doorway, the cold wind outside biting at his skin. He could only curl up into a ball, his arms tightly wrapped around himself.
Thoughts jumbled, Chen Yan's eyelashes drooped, obscuring her dark eyes.
"..."
After an unknown amount of time, white snowflakes began to fall, hitting his exposed skin and sending chills down his spine.
A pebble suddenly fell in front of Shen Yan.
His eyes swept across the room, and without making a sound, he lifted his eyelids and looked warningly at the tree outside.
The branches swayed gently, and after a while, only the rustling sound of the wind remained.
He felt his arms were numb, and even his cheeks were frozen stiff.
Does she really not want herself anymore?
Are they not even willing to give him a handout of pity anymore?
No, he won't allow it...
What should he do?
Should we tie her up and lock her away in this secluded mansion? So she can be his alone, his Luan Luan…
Just as Chen Yan's rationality was about to snap, the sound of the door creaking open came from behind him.
A shadow fell over them, and the girl's angry voice could be heard.
"Are you trying to freeze to death so I'll feel guilty for the rest of my life?"
Shen Yan weakly replied, "No..."
Meng Qingluan grabbed his hand expressionlessly and pulled him up from the ground with a forceful tug.
"Go inside, or freeze here?"
Shen Yan felt a lump in her throat from her fierce tone and lowered her eyes.
I want to come inside, but I'm afraid you'll see me and get in my way.
"Come inside."
Meng Qingluan pulled him into the house.
Back in the room, Meng Qingluan remained silent, and Shen Yan didn't dare to speak easily either, simply letting her do as she pleased.
Meng Qingluan threw him onto the bed and tossed another blanket into his arms.
"Cover it up."
"Um."
Shen Yan obeyed, unfolded the quilt and covered herself, awaiting her judgment.
Meng Qingluan took a long stride onto the bed, covered herself with the blanket, and scrutinized him.
Shen Yan felt a tremor in her heart as she looked into her deep eyes; this was the first time she had ever shown such a threatening gaze towards her.
“Luanluan…”
Shen Yan called out to her, trying to evoke her affection.
Meng Qingluan's gaze was sharp as lightning as she spoke, enunciating each word clearly.
"Kneel down."
"..."
Chen Yan was taken aback, but quickly collected his thoughts.
He lifted the covers from his body, stood up, bent his knees, and knelt on the bed on one knee.
He looked up at her, his gaze as that of a believer begging for divine mercy.
"Kneel properly."
Meng Qingluan stretched out her toes and pointed at his other leg.
Without the slightest hesitation, Shen Yan obediently knelt down on both knees, with his hands hanging down in front of his thighs.
Even at such a time, his posture remained upright.
Meng Qingluan wrapped herself up tightly; her fever hadn't subsided, and her breath was still hot.
She slowly stood up, casually picked up the belt placed to the side, and went around to Chen Yan's back.
Chen Yan's fingertips trembled as he felt the constricting sensation on his wrist, which was somewhat uncomfortable.
Meng Qingluan quickly tied his hands behind his back and considerately picked up a quilt that had fallen to the side and covered his legs with it.
Meng Qingluan stood before him, looking down at him like a haughty queen disciplining a disobedient subject.
Chen Yan's Adam's apple bobbed, bracing himself for judgment.
Meng Qingluan lifted his chin with her fingertips, creating some distance between them.
Her deep pupils swirled with a dangerous aura, yet she made no attempt to conceal it, gazing at him kneeling upright as if he were her prey.
Do you think I'm easy to fool?
Shen Yan vehemently denied it, "No..."
"Then why did you go to town alone? Did you think that if you said a few sweet words to me when you came back, I would be a fool and smile at you?"
"I don't…"
Meng Qingluan pressed him relentlessly, giving him no chance to refute or explain.
"Oh, really not?"
No, really no.
The bitterness and resentment of not being believed filled Shen Yan's chest, and his eyes uncontrollably reddened, swirling with tears.
Meng Qingluan simply covered his eyes, not wanting to be bothered by his pitiful appearance.
“Your fever won’t go down, and I’m afraid you’ll get sick from it, so I thought I’d go to town to buy medicine while you’re asleep.”
"Luanluan, please believe me, okay? I really don't have any of those messy, bad thoughts. I just want you to be healthy."
Meng Qingluan raised her hand that was covering his eyes and wiped away the tears with her fingertips.
"If you want what's best for me, why don't you care about my feelings?"
Chen Yan shed tears, "I..."
"The kind of care I want isn't that you find me cute when I'm angry, but that you genuinely respect my thoughts. If you care about me, why do you ignore what I've said time and time again?"
Chen Yan fell silent, lowering his eyes in reflection.
Was she wrong?
Why didn't I consider her feelings? I could have explained it to her clearly and discussed it with her to get her consent.
He didn't...
He only made a verbal promise to her, but after she fell asleep, he went to town to buy medicine.
He bought the medicine hoping she would recover, but he didn't respect her wishes.
Shen Yan felt incredibly guilty.
His lips parted and closed, but he still managed to lower the corners of his mouth and offer a sincere apology.
"I'm sorry, Luanluan, it was my fault."
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