Before she even finished speaking, Xia Qingrou imdiately regretted her words, feeling that she had been too direct.
She had always suffered from social anxiety and low emotional intelligence, but even now, she realized sothing was amiss with what she said, not that she had said anything wrong, but that she should have expressed it more tactfully.
However, having said that much, Xia Qingrou had no choice but to brazenly finish, trying to put on a brave front.
Shen Mochen silently listened, and when he looked at Xia Qingrou again, his gaze had turned cold.
"Actually, you didn't need to co here," Shen Mochen said softly. "You can go back."
Xia Qingrou didn't say a word, rely pursing her lips tightly.
"Go back, I'm fine here alone," Shen Mochen repeated.
Xia Qingrou's shoulders slumped, and the glimr of tears in her eyes shimred as she was on the verge of crying. She clenched her fists tightly, then released them weakly, feeling a chill in her heart. Finally, she turned and left, her retreating figure looking utterly exhausted.
Shen Mochen looked down and chuckled silently, gently caressing Yin Caiyu's cheek.
Driving Xia Qingrou away wasn't because he truly disliked her. Shen Mochen was not unreasonable, just as he had never hated the mbers of squad 0819, whom he saw as the murderers of Yin Huailian. Likewise, he knew that what Xia Qingrou had said was not wrong.
He just didn't want to hear these truths. They were harsh and extrely unpleasant.
He was resentful, he was indignant, he could not accept it.
She was all of his past, his entire life, how could he just give up!
"For your sake, I even offended my girlfriend, so you should at least let unlock the next superpower," he murmured.
Shen Mochen leaned down and kissed Yin Caiyu's lips, but alas, there was still no change.
He knew it was futile, as he had kissed her many tis over the past few days.
He also occasionally hoped for a fairytale ending from the stories, where a sleeping princess is awakened by a prince's kiss, only to face disappointnt ti and again.
"Why does it have to be like this!" Shen Mochen angrily punched his own leg, hating his own impotence and rage.
This must be so cruel joke by the heavens. Yin Caiyu awakened her superpower, and then Yin Huailian died. He, Shen Mochen, awakened his superpower, and Yin Caiyu was gone.
If there really was a God, Shen Mochen would punch him in the face and ask why he was torturing him so.
Leaving the hospital room at sunset marked the end of another oppressively gloomy day.
However, after leaving the hospital room, Shen Mochen was surprised to find that Xia Qingrou hadn't left; she was still squatting in a corner, with her hands wrapped around her knees.
"Why didn't you go back?" Shen Mochen said, forcing a smile and reaching out his hand.
"No particular reason, nothing to do if I go back anyway," Xia Qingrou turned her face away but still took Shen Mochen's extended hand.
She got up unsteadily, and with an exclamation of surprise, she flung herself into Shen Mochen's arms, stirring up a burst of citrus fragrance.
"Taking advantage of again, huh?" Shen Mochen teased.
"It's because my legs are numb!" Xia Qingrou complained painfully, and in frustration, she bit down on Shen Mochen's shoulder.
Shen Mochen supported Xia Qingrou to a nearby chair: "Then sit down for a while."
Xia Qingrou bit her lip gently, allowing the other person to grab her leg, stretch it out, and knead it softly to soothe her ridians.
"…Sorry about this."
After a long silence and when the soreness and numbness in her legs and feet had eased, Xia Qingrou squinted her eyes and whispered to Shen Mochen beside her.
"It's okay," Shen Mochen replied.
"You have no right to send away. That Catherine also sends people over every day!"
"Your sense of defiance is a bit inexplicable."
Xia Qingrou's face flushed slightly, she coughed heavily and said calmly, "Cough! Anyway, I've thought it over. I know it's hard for you to accept this, and I won't force you to do anything! But I will stay with you and help you adjust slowly until one day you're able to accept it willingly."
Shen Mochen glanced at Xia Qingrou with the corner of his eye, "I'm just your ex-boyfriend, there's no need for to accompany you in doing this, is there?"
"You can't say it like that…" Xia Qingrou touched her neck and said with a bitten lip, "In the future, if there are people coming to my house, I might still need your help."
Shen Mochen nodded but remained silent.
"Let's go." After resting for five minutes, Xia Qingrou felt much better and tried to stand up.
Shen Mochen nodded and was just about to stand when Xia Qingrou grabbed his hand again.
"It's still a bit numb…" Xia Qingrou added softly.
Her palm was warm.
They walked out of the hospital, and by now, the day had waned with the sky growing dark. The roadside lights flickered, and the traffic on the road was incessant.
As they walked in the slightly intoxicating evening breeze, Xia Qingrou quietly asked, "Do you know why I'm afraid of n?"
Shen Mochen casually responded, "Because you were kidnapped as a child?"
"Not entirely…" Xia Qingrou shifted her center of gravity slightly towards Shen Mochen, "I've been bullied by boys since I was little, always thought they were crude."
"They probably liked you. Many boys use that way to get a girl's attention."
"I've heard that explanation, but I never felt their affection, only annoyance. Of course, there were also those who outright expressed their liking for . Since the first grade, my desk has always been stuffed full of snacks."
"I've had the sa annoyance too; it seems that human joys and sorrows can sotis coincide," Shen Mochen nodded with a sigh.
Feeling validated by Shen Mochen, Xia Qingrou couldn't help but express her joy, "Right? You could only throw all those snacks in the trash, couldn't you?"
Shen Mochen shook his head, "Ah, no. I was quite poor as a child, so I took any snacks ho to eat slowly."
"…" Xia Qingrou fell silent, then picked up the previous topic, "It would have been okay if it was just that. But you know, with such incidents recurring, there was endless gossip. Every day I had to endure taunts and even the enmity of other girls, who would find reasons to trouble , always accusing of seducing n! These ogres—how can they bla for how they look!"
Xia Qingrou grew increasingly angry as she spoke, and the more she talked, the more she seed to recall being bullied by other girls, and she couldn't help but grind her teeth in anger.
"Do you get bullied often?" Shen Mochen asked.
"It was pretty much daily life. They dared not bully my sister, so they picked on ! Sotis they'd stuff dead mice or toy snakes in my desk, sotis during cleanups they'd deliberately splash dirty water on , sotis they'd pour a bucket of cold water on while I was in the bathroom, cut my hair while I was sleeping, mix unknown substances in my drink, steal my sanitary pads during my period, and so even tried to splash sulfuric acid on . Luckily, what she got was diluted sulfuric acid from the lab, but it still almost splashed on my face!"
Xia Qingrou's breathing quickened, her eyes growing redder with a mix of grievance and anger. She squeezed Shen Mochen's hand tightly, as if confronting those who had hurt her.
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