CHAPTER 380: CHAPTER 379: SOMEONE LIVES IN MY HEART

In the hospital room, Fang Shaohan sat on the bed doing leg massage and lifting exercises. This was an exercise Fang Shaohan invented himself; it could be done while lying in bed and wouldn’t overly strain the leg muscles but still provided a good leg workout.

Seeing Gu Xiaoqing enter, Fang Shaohan put down his legs and grabbed the towel from the table to wipe the sweat off his forehead, asking, "Where have you been?"

Though he knew well that Jiang Limin wouldn’t give up so easily, having grown up together, Fang Shaohan understood Jiang Limin’s temperament all too well.

She must have gone to confront Gu Xiaoqing.

He didn’t want Gu Xiaoqing to harbor any grudges in her heart, so he asked, just wanting to nip any problems, any issues that could jeopardize his relationship with Gu Xiaoqing, in the bud.

Gu Xiaoqing opened the cabinet and took out a lunch box.

"Your woman came to talk to me. You must know it, so why ask the obvious?"

Gu Xiaoqing didn’t plan on hiding anything; this was Fang Shaohan’s issue, not hers.

The problems she needed to resolve were basically already settled.

Though uncomfortable, facing another woman blatantly declaring herself to be Fang Shaohan’s woman pricked Gu Xiaoqing’s heart like a sharp thorn.

But she also knew she didn’t have the right to care that much. Since she had already decided to discard her feelings for Fang Shaohan, even if the circumstances were conducive, she didn’t want to take that step, fearing that the future she’d face might be dreadful and disgraceful.

Thus, she had long lost the right to dwell on such matters.

It was her choice to give up.

So giving up meant that any heartache was self-inflicted.

"What do you mean by my woman? She’s my childhood friend. I’ve always treated her like a sister and taken care of her. Our families have been family friends for generations. When we were kids, our family was all boys, and my grandpa and grandma were so fond of such little girls that they would have loved to trade me for one to raise.

So Jiang Limin spent most of her time growing up at my grandparents’ house. I never had any intentions towards her, just the pure affection of an older brother for a younger sister. Don’t misunderstand."

He wanted to clarify the relationship, just fearing Gu Xiaoqing might get the wrong idea.

Gu Xiaoqing, holding the lunch box, smiled and asked, "What do you want to eat for lunch?"

Innocuous, with nothing strange about it.

Fang Shaohan felt uneasy, his eyes fixed on Gu Xiaoqing, wanting to see any discomfort on her face. Unfortunately, there was no emotion he desired there.

Disappointment was undeniably Fang Shaohan’s strongest feeling; could it be that this woman really had no feelings for him?

Sometimes, Fang Shaohan couldn’t understand Gu Xiaoqing. Despite being a twenty-year-old girl, she sometimes stubbornly upheld the values and qualities of someone in their fifties or sixties, with no reckless outbursts typical of youth. Any passionate fervor seemed suppressed.

Fang Shaohan genuinely wanted to know if the passion of a deep kiss could alter the temperature of that calm and composed body or signal a softening of her curves.

If within Gu Xiaoqing lies a heart as fiery and tender as molten lava.

"You really make me sad."

Gu Xiaoqing looked up and pretended to ponder, saying, "What does this have to do with what you want to eat?"

Indeed, what does sadness have to do with eating?

Gu Xiaoqing didn’t want to dwell on this issue. She understood clearly what Fang Shaohan wanted. Unfortunately, Gu Xiaoqing’s reason far outweighed her emotions.

Even if she loved someone.

"You are really cold-blooded. I thought only I could be this cold-blooded and rational, but Gu Xiaoqing, you’ve redefined my perception. Don’t you know that men find it impossible to give up on women who are harder to conquer?

Moreover, I’ve never given up on you."

Fang Shaohan absolutely couldn’t tolerate how long this woman pretended, acting like this would only last for days. Fang Shaohan had already noticed the speed of his leg recovery accelerating, which he hadn’t told Gu Xiaoqing.

This was a surprise for him, and he wouldn’t mind if it frightened someone.

In any case, escaping from his grasp was impossible.

Fang Shaohan had long seen through Gu Xiaoqing’s intentions.

Trying to sever ties, it was too late for that.

"Fang Shaohan, we’ve discussed this issue countless times, it’s meaningless, so it’s best not to talk about appetite-affecting topics anymore. What do you want to eat? Or should I decide?"

Gu Xiaoqing suddenly felt a little urge to escape.

Being stared at by a man like this, she couldn’t open her heart, had to feign indifference, and suppress her feelings.

It was truly exhausting.

Gu Xiaoqing thought that if she were to leave, perhaps she should find a place to rest and recover her psychological state. This oppressive feeling was very disheartening.

She even wondered if she might have depression.

"Shredded pork with garlic sauce, cold mixed wood ear fungus, rice."

The sudden shift in topic left Gu Xiaoqing momentarily stunned.

Fang Shaohan smiled and ruffled Gu Xiaoqing’s hair, even though he was sitting on the bed, his height allowed him to easily reach the top of Gu Xiaoqing’s head.

This always made Gu Xiaoqing very annoyed.

It seemed she could always be affected by Fang Shaohan’s action. Her heart would momentarily soften, tempted to indulge in such affection without leaving.

Gu Xiaoqing opened Fang Shaohan’s palm, full of annoyance, and left the hospital room. After walking a few steps, she suddenly realized that she hadn’t taken the lunchbox with her.

That Fang Shaohan.

She smiled wryly.

She was becoming more influenced by Fang Shaohan’s impression.

It seemed the time to leave had to come sooner.

She didn’t want to face an unmanageable heart when she finally had to go.

But it seemed increasingly difficult.

The attraction of this man was growing stronger and stronger.

Gu Xiaoqing returned with the food, absent-mindedly, and watched Fang Shaohan eat with relish. Suddenly, she lost her appetite.

What was she doing?

Having sacrificed all her time and her studies, many times, countless incidents that others couldn’t understand, were all because of her deep desire for this man. Perhaps all those difficult struggles to escape were for just a few hours, or days, of being together.

In an instant, she understood why she agreed to Wei Ziyun’s unreasonable request, why she consented to her parents’ demands and felt justified, without feeling wronged.

It was because, deep down, a certain place in her heart was inhabited by someone.