"Thank... Xie Qingchi? Let go!"
Shen Shuangjian was somewhat dazed when he first ran out, so it wasn't until Xie Qingchi pulled him several steps that Shen Shuangjian remembered to resist.
A photographer wanted to follow and film, but Xie Qingchi scared him off with a single look. He gripped Shen Shuangjian's wrist tightly and led her behind the tent.
" Shen Shuangjian, I have something to tell you."
Xie Qingchi released his grip and looked at Shen Shuangjian with a serious expression. He was still thinking about the advice others had given him in the group chat earlier. He was organizing his thoughts, but he was still somewhat hesitant.
Xie Qingchi didn't really know what to say. This was the first time he had forced himself to bow down to someone, and he had no experience with this before.
"I..."
Xie Qingchi, his words caught in his throat. He looked at Shen Shuangjian, who stood before him, full of defensiveness and even a hint of resistance.
He knew that if he didn't explain, Shen Shuangjian would continue to avoid him.
"My... past..."
Xie Qingchi's hesitation made Shen Shuangjian, who already didn't want to have much contact with him, lose all her manners and patience, and she just wanted to turn around and leave.
"Don't go!"
Xie Qingchi hurriedly grabbed his forearm, and the words that had been stuck in her throat naturally came out.
"I really didn't mean what happened before!" Xie Qingchi, then continued, "I admit it was wrong of me to insult you on Weibo before, and I apologize!"
"At that time, I really didn't know you and had no understanding of you. Suddenly someone told me that you liked me, so that's why I did that!"
"But later when we were together, I held your hand and said some hurtful things. I didn't mean any of that. I was just a little nervous and didn't know how to be with you."
Xie Qingchi blurted out a lot of things, and thus, the words that had previously seemed difficult to say were no longer so hard to utter.
"I called you, texted you, and even went live on stream, just to know why you're ignoring me, why you treat me like a monster."
"Actually..."
Xie Qingchi's ears turned red. The last sentence he wanted to say lingered on his lips. He was just one push away from clearly telling Shen Shuangjian.
Actually... I still quite like you.
The last time he tried to send it, Shen Shuangjian had already deleted him, so he didn't have a chance to send it.
Actually, I...
Xie Qingchi's hesitation made Shen Shuangjian look at him with some confusion. Shen Shuangjian obviously half-believing and half-doubting his words.
Xie Qingchi dislikes him the most, so what is he hesitating to say?
--I need to Shen Shuangjian.
The words of his friends kept echoing in Xie Qingchi's mind, but his anxious thoughts were completely betrayed by the rapid beating of his heart.
Xie Qingchi hesitated. He didn't know whether he should listen to them and clearly express to Shen Shuangjian that he wanted to give it a try.
He was afraid that Shen Shuangjian would reject him, afraid that Shen Shuangjian had lost interest in him, and even more afraid that he would willingly offer up his dignity, letting the other party decide whether to flatter or belittle him based on their mood.
Shen Shuangjian's questioning gaze always carried a hint of cold detachment.
So Xie Qingchi had second thoughts. He blinked, and as he lowered his head, his voice came out, unusually weak.
Actually, I think you're a pretty good person.
Xie Qingchi finally lowered his proud head. Like a defeated lion, he was so dejected that he dared not even reveal his most obvious purpose.
In response to Xie Qingchi's overtures and praise, Shen Shuangjian simply raised her eyes slightly in return.
The feeling Xie Qingchi gave him was too offensive and terrifying, so even if Xie Qingchi explained things to him now, Shen Shuangjian still didn't want to continue to associate with someone with that kind of personality.
"Thanks."
Shen Shuangjian a soft thank you, but his thoughts were completely elsewhere, unable to focus on Xie Qingchi.
Shen Shuangjian her eyes, took a step back, and turned her head slightly, saying, "I'm sorry, I'm not feeling well. If there's nothing else, I'll head back now."
As she turned around, her long hair left a barely noticeable curve. Xie Qingchi startled and subconsciously reached out to stop her.
The cool ends of her hair brushed against her fingertips, then slipped away. Xie Qingchi's face turned pale, then purple, her eyes filled with regret.
What is he saying? Is he sick?! Why is he giving me the "friend zone" treatment?!
When Shen Shuangjian returned, Xie Jinghui had just straightened up from the tent. Their eyes met, and Shen Shuangjian was the first to turn her head away.
Xie Jinghui clenched his fist, his eyes slowly darkening.
During the time Shen Shuangjian away, Xie Jinghui knelt on the spot, lost in thought for an unknown period of time.
He regretted his rashness and loss of control; a mere moment of intense lust had caused him to squander the self-discipline, propriety, and harmlessness he had maintained for so long.
Xie Jinghui, what exactly do you want to choose?
He asked himself honestly, and all his methods and calculations seemed to have vanished at this moment, leaving only a powerless struggle on the guillotine.
Shen Shuangjian say anything, or will he say nothing at all, just like at the beginning, retreating to the furthest and most distant dividing line, coldly watching him walk the path he came from again?
"..."
Xie Jinghui closed his eyes. In that instant, he thought of many things. The moment the voice reached his ears, he realized that he and Shen Shuangjian had spoken at the same time.
" Shuangjian, I'm sorry."
" Mr. Xie, I'm sorry."
The overlapping words made the two subconsciously look at each other. Xie Jinghui somewhat taken aback, while Shen Shuangjian was simply puzzled.
The latter simply did not understand the former's thoughts. He felt guilty for venting his unstable emotions on innocent people and for speaking harshly to them.
The former, however, was guilty because of his impure motives.
He approached her with ulterior motives, and even lost control of himself and revealed them to her. So he was afraid that Shen Shuangjian find out, and he apologized in an attempt to cover it up.
" Shuangjian..." Xie Jinghui frowned, but a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips. "I should be the one apologizing."
Xie Jinghui's smile, whether gentle or refined, was ultimately just a way to present a gentler side to Shen Shuangjian.
"Why did Mr. Xie apologize?" Shen Shuangjian gently raised his eyes, trying his best not to recall what had just happened in the tent.
Xie Jinghui Shen Shuangjian Jinghui's care for him, so in his mind, Xie Jinghui was a good person.
"Because I just had some really inappropriate thoughts."
Xie Jinghui lifted her foot and slowly approached.
They should be grateful, they should feel like they've survived a disaster, they should be happy.
But at this moment, Xie Jinghui's heart was filled with a complex mix of emotions.
This stemmed from Shen Shuangjian's indulgence towards him, from his self-perception of his special status in front of Shen Shuangjian, and even more so from the heartache he felt at this moment, which he was powerless to help.
Why is Shen Shuangjian so kind and so easily fooled?
Xie Jinghui felt heartbroken because he thought about whether someone had lied to him like this before him.
However, Xie Jinghui was also filled with jealousy and resentment, because he found himself unable to accept that someone else would use the same tactics to seduce Shen Shuangjian after him.
One bad guy like him is enough.
Therefore, he was willing to endure all the difficulties, heartache, hesitation, doubt, and complex feelings that arose when facing Shen Shuangjian.
Without a single complaint.