âNo need!â The very next second, she uncomfortably turned over to lie down, pulling the quilt over her body.
Her face seemed to be burning againâ¦
But she strived to maintain a calm demeanor, not letting Dongfang Yu notice anything wrong.
Dongfang Yuâs eyes dimmed, mistaking her actions as a rejection of him.
He pulled up a chair and sat down, introducing each of the prescribed medicines to her.
âYou need to take these medicines twice a day. After a week, if you still feel stressed, weâll reassess your situation.â
Hai Xiaotang expressed her confusion, âBut Iâm not stressed.â
Dongfang Yu raised his deep, dark eyes, âSo how have you been sleeping lately?â
ââ¦â very poorly, she was always struggling to sleep.
Before, she could fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, no matter the time. But now, she found herself suffering from regular bouts of insomnia.
Looking at her, Dongfang Yu knew she was not sleeping well.
âJust because you can sleep, doesnât mean youâre not stressed. Sometimes, you donât realise the heavy burden youâre carrying,â he explained softly. âThe doctor said your condition is quite serious. You have to relax and rest well.â
Leaning against the head of the bed, Hai Xiaotang murmured, âPerhaps itâs because Iâm too worried about grandpa.â
âHeâs fine!â
Feeling reassured by his resolute voice, Hai Xiaotangâs mood improved a lot.
Knowing grandpa was fine brought immense comfort to her heart.
âRemember to take all these medications in time when you get home,â reminded Dongfang Yu. Unconsciously, he added more caring words. âIf your stomach still hurts, you must tell meâ¦â
âWhy did you get gastric disease?â Hai Xiaotang suddenly asked.
Dongfang Yu was caught off guard by her question.
Hai Xiaotangâs eyes fluttered, âI just wondered. After all, you didnât have stomach troubles before. But that time, you seemed to be in extreme painâ¦â
Recalling that time, Dongfang Yu thought of the harsh words he had said to her.
He remembered the pain and turbulence beneath his calm façade, seen by her.
He did not want her to know how, in her absence, heâd longed for her like a fool.
Because she didnât love him, her heart was frozen and silent.
And yet, he was progressively sinking deeperâ¦
His desperate self seemed pitiful and pathetic!
Dongfang Yu genuinely despised his powerless self.
His face sulked and eyes turned cold as he retorted, âWhy do you think I got gastric disease?â
Taken aback, Hai Xiaotang asked, âHow would I know?â
Yeah, how would she know? There was a time when he felt so terrible he thought death was near.
He couldnât eat, had to survive on nutrient solution.
He even believed he was going to die.
But even as he faced death, he couldnât forget her, despite all his efforts to erase her from his memory.
But she was like a drug, impossible to quitâ¦
He hated himself for loving her so much and hated her for being so heartless and ruthless.
And then, he began to hate her. The more he loved, the more he hated. The more he hated, the more he loved.
Until he gathered all the strength he had to recover.
Just when he thought he was about to forget about her, she came backâ¦
Thus, the past six months of agony turned into a joke, not affecting him at all.
All his efforts were in vainâ¦
All wasted effortâ¦
Therefore, at that moment in the apartment, when she saw his vulnerable side, he angrily spat out those harsh words.
But the truth was, after venting out his rage, he became the joke, because he instantly regretted itâ¦