CIATB Chapter 130 His fingertips inadvertently touched her slightly cool ankle, his tone full of heartache
Chapter 130 His fingertips inadvertently touched her slightly cool ankle, his tone full of heartache
She took a deep breath, avoiding his burning gaze.
His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable resolve.
"I'm sorry, Lu Chenyuan."
"I think I made myself very clear to you at the bar just now. I will not go back, and I will not accept you again."
Those fears hidden deep in her heart, those unspeakable anxieties, were ultimately swallowed back down by her.
She didn't want to show weakness anymore, and she didn't want him to see her vulnerability.
But Lu Chenyuan seemed to see through all her pretense.
He gently tightened his grip on her wrist, his tone carrying a hint of understanding and a touch of heartache.
Every word he uttered struck a chord deep within her heart.
"Because you're scared, aren't you?"
Su Wan's body stiffened abruptly, and she didn't speak, but it seemed like she had tacitly agreed.
Looking at her tense face, Lu Chenyuan felt even more heartache in his eyes and continued speaking.
"You have no confidence in yourself, no confidence in me, and no confidence whatsoever in the happy future we might have together."
"You're not sure if I can be good to you for the rest of my life, if I can accept everything about you. You're not even sure if we can get married, if we can stay together until the end."
"So that's why you chose to run away, why you pushed me away with all your might, right?"
What he said was all correct.
Every word he said precisely struck at her deepest, most hidden fears.
He saw through all the thoughts she dared not speak of or face, leaving nothing out.
Su Wan suddenly raised her head and looked at him in disbelief, her eyes filled with shock and confusion.
His lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but he found his throat tight and he couldn't utter a single word.
How did he know?
How could he have guessed all that?
These deepest fears were things she herself was unwilling to easily confront.
But he guessed everything based solely on her few words and her every move.
At that moment, she suddenly realized that the man in front of her was not the cold, ruthless, emotionless person she had imagined, who only used his domineering nature to cover up his true feelings.
He seemed to possess extremely keen insight.
It has a great ability to capture the subtle connections between people.
They can even guess what others are thinking from those casual words and phrases.
See through all the pretense and vulnerability.
Su Wan felt as if she had nowhere to hide in front of Lu Chenyuan at this moment.
He saw clearly all the vulnerability, inferiority, and fear that she had carefully hidden.
The feeling was like being stripped naked and standing in front of him, with no cover whatsoever. Shame and panic instantly overwhelmed him.
Suddenly, she didn't want to talk to him anymore.
I never want to look him in the eye again, and I don't want him to see any more of my vulnerability.
All she wanted to do was escape, to escape his gaze.
A strong urge to flee surged within me; I wished I could disappear from his sight immediately.
She pulled her wrist away forcefully, without looking back at him or saying a word, and turned to walk quickly forward.
His steps were hurried and flustered, even a little unsteady, as if a raging flood or ferocious beast was chasing him from behind.
Lu Chenyuan stood still, not chasing after her immediately, but simply staring at her back.
His gaze was focused and affectionate, and he even breathed very softly.
The night was gentle, and a light breeze caressed my face.
The silver sequined jacket, with its shimmering sequins under the faint starlight, accentuated her slender and graceful figure.
Her long hair was gently blown by the evening breeze, draped over her shoulders, and swayed softly with her steps.
And those slightly tense shoulders and back revealed a stubborn fragility.
The skirt hem barely covered mid-thighs, making her legs appear even straighter and longer.
Even when she's running around in a panic, she's still incredibly charming.
Her sexiness was tinged with a broken stubbornness, like a flower that bloomed hastily in the dark night, yet remained bright and beautiful, making it impossible for him to look away. His pity and possessiveness grew stronger.
Even though her attitude remained so distant, even more resolute than yesterday, without a trace of lingering affection.
At this moment, however, Lu Chenyuan felt no disappointment or discouragement, but rather a sense of steadfast certainty.
Her efforts over the past two days were not in vain. At least, in her extreme anger and frustration, when she dropped all pretense, she opened her heart to him and let him find out the real reason why she rejected him.
It's not that I don't love you anymore, it's that I'm afraid, insecure, and dare not trust anymore.
He would never again feel lost and helpless like he did yesterday, not knowing where to begin to win her back.
At this moment, he fully understood that winning back Su Wan required not only shamelessness but also sufficient patience. It required melting the ice in her heart little by little, dispelling her fears bit by bit, and rebuilding her confidence in him and their future.
Furthermore, throughout this long process, he must remain vigilant to prevent her from falling in love with someone else and to prevent Lu Yuanfeng from taking advantage of the situation and stealing away the person he cherishes most.
This may be a long process, perhaps a month, perhaps a year, or even longer.
But Lu Chenyuan didn't care. He was willing to wait, willing to use time to melt the pain in her heart and to protect her vulnerability.
For her, those short ten days of torment felt like an eternity.
Since she was willing to debase herself and lose half her life in order to let him go.
So what's wrong with him waiting willingly for her?
But he wouldn't let her escape alone, much less allow her to escape.
There can only be one person in her life, in her eyes, and in her heart.
Even if she still resists, even if she still tries desperately to push him away, he will not let go.
I will not let her out of my sight, and I will not give her the chance to suffer fear and loneliness alone again.
Having made up his mind, Lu Chenyuan's gentleness faded somewhat, replaced by an undeniable firmness.
He took a long stride forward and caught up with Su Wan, who was walking very fast and staggering, in just a few steps.
"ah!!!"
Su Wan felt her body lighten and instantly lost her balance, a short scream escaping her throat.
The next second, Lu Chenyuan pulled her into his arms with one hand.
His arms were strong and powerful, holding her tightly in his embrace, his palms pressed against her waist, bringing a reassuring warmth.
Before she could struggle, Lu Chenyuan bent down slightly and reached out to remove her high heels.
His fingertips inadvertently touched her slightly cool ankle, his tone full of heartache and helplessness.
"Aren't you tired? Wearing such high heels and walking so fast, I feel exhausted just looking at you."
"Lu Chenyuan, let me go!"
Su Wan struggled, her tone full of resistance.
"Okay, don't refuse."
He gently pressed down on her struggling body, his tone tender yet carrying an undeniable force.
"I'll take you back now."
"You'll take me home? Are you crazy?!"
Su Wan suddenly looked up, glaring at him, her tone full of surprise and dissatisfaction.
"This is near your house, not mine. I have to cross a bridge to get back. We're going in completely opposite directions, it's not convenient at all!"
Lu Chenyuan looked down at her, a faint smile flashing in his eyes, his tone natural and firm.
"That's right, then let's go to my house first."
Before Su Wan could refute him, he quickly added, his tone full of cautious pleading and a hint of sincere promise.
"Don't worry, I will never touch you, and I will never do anything to you that you don't like."
"I just want you to rest at my place for a while. Later, I'll have someone bring the car back for me and find a reliable person to take you home safely."
"It's so late, and you're a pretty girl, taking a taxi alone. I'm worried about you, really worried."
He paused, looking at her still tense face, a sly glint in his eyes.
He deliberately lowered his voice, his tone carrying a sinister heaviness.
Every word he uttered was incredibly bloody.
"Did you know? Last month, we solved a cold case from last year, a taxi rape and murder case."
"That girl, about your age, also took a taxi alone late at night and was taken to a remote suburb by the driver."
"Not only was she brutally assaulted, but the driver also slashed her repeatedly with a knife, leaving her covered in countless wounds. Her blood stained the entire grassy area, and even her eyes were covered. Her death was utterly gruesome."
"It wasn't until half a month later that a passerby discovered the body. By then, the body was stiff and smelling terrible, and it took a long time to identify the person..."
"ah--!"
Su Wan has always been very bold, daring to love and hate, and adventurous and daring to cause trouble. Even when she encounters trouble, she never backs down.
But when it comes to such bloody and terrifying things, she is pitifully timid.
Before Lu Chenyuan could finish speaking, those bloody and terrifying images had already clearly surfaced in her mind, making her tremble all over and her face turn deathly pale.
Her lips trembled slightly, and her eyes instantly reddened.
Large tears rolled uncontrollably down the corners of her eyes.
It slid down his cheek and dripped onto the back of Lu Chenyuan's hand, warm and hot.
She raised her tear-streaked face, glared at the man in front of her, her voice choked with sobs, filled with deep grievance and anger, and a hint of barely concealed fear.
"Lu Chenyuan, you bastard! You did this on purpose!"
"You deliberately chose this time to say these things just to scare me, didn't you?"