Sanhua's Questions, Kexi Still Makes Empty Promises

The two remained frozen in place.

Kexi remained silent for a while, then leaned forward and reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair from Sanhua's face behind her ear.

Sanhua's body visibly stiffened for a moment.

Kexi looked at her face and whispered, "Let me stay with you, okay?"

Sanhua opened her eyes and looked at him, her gaze filled with self-mockery.

"Do you know where the letter came from that winter when I was seven?" Sanhua suddenly said.

Kexi shook her head.

"The window of the dilapidated temple." She looked at him, her tone flat and even. "That dilapidated temple was called Jingci Temple. Later I learned that that night, the snow had sealed off the entire mountain. There was no wind, and no one could climb the mountain. But that letter fell into my arms."

Kexi looked at her, and her heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.

"I still believe it was a gift from God."

After saying this, Sanhua slowly turned her head back and looked at the ceiling again.

Kexi opened her mouth, but suddenly didn't know what to say.

After a long while, he reached out and grasped Sanhua's fingers that were sticking out of the blanket.

Her fingers were cold, but not so cold as to be lifeless.

He didn't let go; instead, he gripped it even tighter.

"God saved you, not so you could commit suicide," he said.

Sanhua didn't pull her hand away, nor did she say anything. She just buried her face in the pillow.

Kexi stood up, took off her coat, and draped it over the railing at the foot of the bed. Then she sat down in a chair, crossed her legs, and patted her knees.

"I'll sit here tonight. If you don't want to see me, you'd better heal your wounds quickly. Once you're better, you can cut me however you want. I'll let you have three cuts."

Sanhua turned her face towards him and looked at him for two seconds.

Her lips moved, as if she wanted to curse, but in the end she said nothing. She simply pulled her hand out from under the covers and gripped Kexi's fingers, as if to prevent him from escaping.

I have a question for you.

Sanhua suddenly spoke.

Kexi paused for a moment, then looked down at her.

She was still holding his hand, her fingers not loosening, even a little tighter than before.

Are you serious about Ling Yin?

Kexi's expression froze for a moment.

He instinctively tried to pull his hand back, but Sanhua held on tightly.

She looked at him, her gaze fixed on him, not so much as an interrogation, but more like confirming something that was very important to her.

"Ah, this..."

Kexi gave a dry laugh, her eyes starting to dart to the side.

Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?

"The truth."

Kexi hesitated for two seconds, then spoke frankly, "From a man's perspective, no man would refuse to like a beautiful girl like Jinhsi."

He felt Sanhua's fingers clench tightly, so tightly they almost dug into his flesh.

Kexi gasped, but since the conversation had already started, she could only continue.

"From a genuine emotional standpoint, I don't actually have many feelings for her. It's more of a physical attraction."

Sanhua's fingers tightened even more.

Kexi's lips twitched, but she forced herself not to scream.

Goodness, this girl's grip is stronger than any old bandage.

"So you're a sexist?" Sanhua's voice was flat, but every word seemed to carry a chilling edge.

"Ahem, you can't say that," Kexi quickly tried to salvage the situation. "What I mean is, she's pretty and has a good personality; it's only natural to like someone like that. It has no necessary connection to lust."

"Would you be with her?"

"This... this..."

Kexi's gaze drifted even more rapidly.

Look me in the eyes! Answer me!

Sanhua gave him no chance to escape.

Kexi ultimately had no choice but to bite the bullet and give an ambiguous answer.

"Let's see how it goes."

Sanhua remained silent for a moment, then released his hand.

Kexi had just breathed a sigh of relief when she heard her speak again.

So how do you feel about me?

This time, her gaze was even more direct than before, so direct that Kexi felt as if she had been put into an X-ray machine, with every bone clearly visible.

Kexi blinked, her mind racing to find the right words.

"Emmm... it's beautiful."

That's it?

She's a woman who dares to love and hate.

Sanhua's brow twitched slightly, as if she was not satisfied with the answer.

I'm asking how you feel about me.

Her voice lowered a few decimal places, but her enunciation became more pronounced.

I'm not asking you what kind of person I am in your eyes.

Answer me!

Kexi was a little stunned by this question.

He looked down at his hand, which was still resting on the edge of the bed, then looked up at Sanhua.

Her complexion was still bad, but her eyes weren't as vacant as before.

There was probing, unease, and a stubbornness hidden beneath all of that.

He suddenly realized that this question wasn't something she had asked on a whim.

She had probably been waiting for this answer ever since she woke up.

Kexi leaned back in her chair and sighed softly.

He stopped dodging the question and stopped beating around the bush.

"You ask me how I feel about you?" He looked at her, his tone slowly becoming serious. "To be honest, you're cold and aloof, always telling people to get lost. You're not cute at all."

Sanhua's eyes dimmed for a moment, but she quickly covered it up with indifference.

"But," Kexi leaned forward, getting closer to her, and lowered her voice, "I also want you to know that I'm sitting here not entirely because Jinhsi forced me."

Sanhua looked at him, a thin crack appearing in her wary gaze.

"I am indeed a terrible person. I was terrible when I wrote those letters, and I'm not much better now. But there's one thing I can assure you."

Kexi reached out and gently brushed a few strands of hair away from her face, her movements even lighter than before.

"Don't do that again. If one day you feel like nobody wants you anymore, you can come find me. I may be unreliable, but I won't avoid you."

Sanhua's lips tightened.

She turned her face away, as if trying to avoid his gaze, but her hand involuntarily reached out again and rested on his fingers.

This time, there was no force or tightening; it was just a gentle touch, as if confirming whether it was true.

"If... you'd like, I'll always keep Mrs. Montelli's place for you."