Night was approaching. In the corner far from the streetlights, the driver's cab was completely shrouded in darkness, with only the faint phosphorescence of the instrument panel and the lingering crimson glow of the swirling smoke remaining.
Xie Jinghui didn't know how long he had been waiting; he only knew that after a long period of high-frequency confusion and thought, he had found it difficult to stay clear-headed.
What an ambitious person who has suffered a major setback will do is something even the ambitious person himself doesn't know.
Will they succumb to despair, regroup, or launch a fierce counterattack, determined to take a piece of the opponent's flesh before they are satisfied?
What's the difference between Xie Jinghui and ordinary people who indulge in lust and depravity? It's probably that he not only has a tiger in his heart, but also sharp claws and enough strength.
Those who are used to being in a superior position find it difficult to kneel down and submit.
But what they find even more unacceptable than submission is that the object of their submission does not accept their surrender.
Xie Jinghui is not afraid of making a comeback; what he fears is that before he can return, the other party will have already built a fortress or opened up access to others.
If Xie Jinghui had never tasted success, he would have been able to control the beast within him well, watching and waiting silently from afar.
But he happened to have received it.
A wild beast that has smelled blood cannot be confined to a cage forever; it longs to break free of its confinement at all times.
As long as he wasn't the only one pushed away, as long as he wasn't the only one rejected, Xie Jinghui could spend his whole life pursuing Shen Shuangjian.
Waiting, praying for his favor.
After a long while, a faint light finally appeared in the driver's cab, the volume was turned up, and a constant stream of messages began to pour in.
Yu Sheng V: [Some happy snippets of life. The person I'd been wanting to hang out with for ages finally agreed to have time to go out with me! Yay!]
Weibo comment section:
[Why don't you just say Shen Shuangjian's full name? (Laughs while covering mouth)]
[ Yu Sheng, if you're drunk, go to sleep. What kind of bewitching potion Shen Shuangjian give you?]
[You're crazy! There's no nickname or profile picture, how do you know it's Shen Shuangjian? Can't Yu Sheng have other friends?]
[CP fans, stay away, Yu Sheng is not interested.]
[Holy crap, Yu Sheng liked the first comment. You little brat, are you trying to slap your own solo fans in the face in a different way?]
[He's out of his mind! Yu Sheng has gone mad! He's gone mad!]
[It's fine if this cabinet door isn't blocked.]
His eyes, framed by glasses, were lowered slightly; the light reflected into his pupils, yet it did not stir even the slightest ripple.
Xie Jinghui stared at it for a very, very long time.
Until my fingers stiffly landed on the screen, revealing the tiny frost pattern.
Shen Shuangjian was leaning against the headboard, feeling drowsy, when she received Xie Jinghui's call.
Seeing the familiar nickname and profile picture, Shen Shuangjian answered the phone almost without warning, as was her habit.
The drowsiness faded, but there was still silence on the other end of the call. Shen Shuangjian just blinked her eyes in confusion.
until--
" Shen Shuangjian, I want to see you."
Xie Jinghui's voice was hoarse, slightly trembling, and had an indescribable low tone.
Because he had to see Shen Shuangjian, Xie Jinghui finally realized, rather belatedly, that he smelled of cigarettes on himself.
He took off his coat and immediately got out of the car, hoping the cool evening breeze would dispel some of the smell on him.
Xie Jinghui would silently count the seconds in his mind as he Shen Shuangjian. He felt that time was passing very slowly, and he couldn't wait to see Shen Shuangjian.
But if time really starts to pass, he will feel it's too fast, and he will start to feel uneasy and nervous, as if he has lost all his arrogance and confidence and become a completely passive puppet.
After waiting for about twenty minutes, Xie Jinghui finally saw Shen Shuangjian again.
This person seemed neither resistant nor unfamiliar with him. Wearing the softest loungewear, with her hair down, she simply draped a sofa blanket over herself before leaving the house.
Shen Shuangjian stood before him, gracefully descending upon him in this cold, long night.
" Mr. Xie?"
Perhaps Xie Jinghui's current condition was really not good, so even Shen Shuangjian couldn't help but show a bit of surprise.
The pale blue under his eyes, his unfocused pupils, and his melancholy brows all bear witness to this man's frustration and despair.
The person I've been longing for day and night is standing right in front of me now.
Xie Jinghui had plenty to say; he could have used sweet words to continue gaining Shen Shuangjian's trust and making her his most unguarded "stranger."
He could also fawn over Shen Shuangjian soft heart to explain his harmlessness and fight for a better outcome for himself.
Xie Jinghui was speechless. He seemed to be under a spell, foolishly asking meaningless questions.
What is our relationship?
He doesn't even need to hear the ideal answer.
A friend with a great personality.
A very considerate person to him.
Or perhaps a stranger you don't dislike.
Anything is fine, as long as Shen Shuangjian a reply, he can melt away all his inherent dissatisfaction and continue to be a self-disciplined and Xie Jinghui.
Silence, a silence that lasted for ten seconds, until it vanished into nothingness.
At that moment, Xie Jinghui couldn't help but close his eyes in pain.
He thought that if he went any further, he would use every means to grab Shen Shuangjian's most vulnerable spot. He would have many ways to force Shen Shuangjian to stop being silent and to change her mind from "no" to "yes".
Or perhaps, he could have been a little more restrained, quietly distancing himself from Shen Shuangjian's world, while his love flowed freely in places unseen by her.
However, Xie Jinghui has the inherent flaws of human nature; he cannot remain unrepentant after being hurt, even if it is only wishful thinking on his part.
So he started thinking again that he should hate Shen Shuangjian with a ferocious desire and excruciating pain, because only in this way could he convince himself not to get close to her again.
As long as he doesn't get too close, he won't have to be so anxious about every expression Shen Shuangjian every day, or even have to carefully consider every word he says, for fear that she might show a strange expression.
He no longer needed to be afraid that every step he took would be as cautious as walking on a rope at the edge of a cliff.
No longer do you have to worry about the other person suddenly turning around, and then you have to cautiously and restrainedly take countless steps back, and even feel anxious and uneasy.
However, Xie Jinghui didn't blame him.
He couldn't blame Shen Shuangjian, nor could he hate Shen Shuangjian, even though he had become a clown trying to attract attention.
"What if I said I no longer want to be a stranger, a friend, or someone I have no connection with?"
Xie Jinghui spoke slowly, revealing his vulnerability, pitifulness, and humility to Shen Shuangjian without reservation.
Even if he had to kneel and beg, he wanted to make Shen Shuangjian feel sorry for him.
"I want to hold your hand, I want to braid your hair, I want to take care of you, I want to stay by your side for the rest of my life, Shen Shuangjian, I don't want to be unrelated to you."
The hand tentatively reached out, but just inches away, it finally sensed the other person's evasion.
Xie Jinghui watched Shen Shuangjian's subconscious action and saw his slightly stunned gaze. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he turned around and strode towards the car behind him.
He was really afraid that he would lose his composure in Shen Shuangjian.
Even after getting into the car, Xie Jinghui used almost all his strength to slam the innocent steering wheel twice.
Xie Jinghui has never been afraid to admit it.
He never blamed Shen Shuangjian Shen Shuangjian being aloof, nor did he resent her for never responding. He was simply putting on a one-man show that even the audience couldn't understand.
He simply loved Shen Shuangjian, and that love was causing him immense pain.