Lu Jiaoyue's tearful declaration fell like a tiny pebble into the bottomless, icy pool deep within Gu Sipei's heart, stirring ripples of searing pain.
Hate me?
Those words exploded in Gu Sipei's mind, instantly igniting the dark, hostile emotions he tried so hard to suppress in front of Lu Jiaoyue.
For a few seconds, he seemed frozen, still leaning back, his gaze locked on Lu Jiaoyue's reddened eyes and stubbornly pressed lips. Beneath that calm sheet of ice, however, violent undercurrents had suddenly surged.
Gu Sipei was used to being in control, to other people fearing him or scheming against him, to treating everything as leverage and transactions. What he was not good at handling was this childish, emotion-driven "unreasonable behavior."
Until a moment ago, he had still been able to contain his irritation at losing control of the situation, steering the conversation with "soothe Lu Jiaoyue as much as possible" as his primary objective. Now, that plan had collapsed completely.
He could show Lu Jiaoyue gentleness, indulge her innocence, even wear that mask of "magnanimity" in front of her. But all of it rested on one condition: Lu Jiaoyue had to remain on the course he had laid out for her. She could not veer off in another direction.
He could tolerate her taking time to warm up to him. He could accept slightly slower progress as she grew closer to him, or even a brief standstill. But that progress had to remain positive. There could be no retreat, not even the slightest.
The slightest step backward would make Gu Sipei reassess and question his earlier "conciliatory policy."
When it came to Lu Jiaoyue, he considered his approach remarkably restrained and gentle. He had maintained an uncharacteristic patience throughout, rather than immediately going to the other extreme and forcing