Moreover... Shi Che’s dark eyes glanced at Ling Chuxia, and his gaze settled on her face. Her complexion was slightly haggard; though she had applied some makeup, it still couldn’t hide her pallor. And her eyes— they were even redder and swollen. What happened?
Shi Che’s hand involuntarily reached out, his fingers pinched her chin, gently lifting her face. Her complexion appeared even more clearly before his eyes. His brow furrowed tightly, and his voice deepened, "Chuxia, what happened to your eyes? Have you been crying?"
Shi Che’s voice mixed with care and concern, but Ling Chuxia’s mind instantly flashed with the word "substitute." She took a fierce two steps back, breaking free from Shi Che’s grasp. Her voice was indifferent, "I’m fine, thank you for your concern, President Shi."
Shi Che watched as his hand suddenly found only air, the expression in his dark eyes shifting several times, until, finally, his fingers stiffly clenched and then slowly dropped.
He observed Ling Chuxia in front of him steadily, eyes cast down, avoiding direct sight—cold and detached. The confusion in his heart had found its answer.
Her sudden change was because of his confession yesterday, wasn’t it?
As always, she chose to ignore his feelings, and then... she began to distance herself from him. If it weren’t for the ten-day agreement still binding them, she probably wouldn’t have come today, would she?
Shi Che’s dark eyes fell, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and a nameless sorrow gradually filled his heart. Even without any hope left, how could he not feel heartbroken?
Shi Che’s hands slid into his trouser pockets, he clenched his fists tighter and tighter bit by bit, the smile on the corners of his lips vanished, and his expression returned to normal. His voice was clear and cold, "If there is nothing wrong, then let’s start today’s work."
-
Once, Ling Chuxia hoped these ten days would pass slowly, but now with only three days remaining, she found the time unbearably agonizing.
Because with every word Shi Che said to her, every look, perhaps even with a gentle gesture, her ears and mind were filled with Ling Yunshu’s words to her.
Heart-wrenching words.
So now, every passing second, Ling Chuxia felt uneasy and restless as if on pins and needles. She could only try her best to restrain herself, try her best not to think about it, just do her job well, and no longer say one word more than necessary or do one thing more than necessary.
When Shi Che was social drinking, she no longer reminded him to drink less; when he got drunk, she no longer followed him to his room to take care of him. In fact, apart from work-related things, she almost never spoke a word to Shi Che.
Shi Che became more silent with each day, his mood more and more downcast. These last three days, he suffered from insomnia every night, as if it was a return to the state he was in when he was searching for Ling Chuxia.
He once thought that as long as he found Ling Chuxia, he would definitely hold on to her and never let her leave again. Find the newest release on novel·fiɾe·net
But after he found her, he realized that some persistence only leads to greater despair.
On the last night of the third day, Shi Che leaned on the balcony railing, looking out at the dark curtain outside, with the flicker of a cigarette’s ember between his fingers. He took a drag and coughed repeatedly.
He never smoked before, and his first attempt at tasting the smoke was so harsh. But this kind of harshness seemed to offer him a small respite, a momentary escape from his troubles.
As the sky turned from dark to light, a warm yellow-red glow began to appear on the horizon, and the new day inevitably arrived. His ten-day pact with Ling Chuxia had ended.
Shi Che stared blankly at the rolling clouds on the horizon for a long time before finally standing up straight, stepping over the scattered cigarette butts, and walking back to his room.