Chapter 40 Hard to Sleep with Affection

ere running around helping you look for her. When you weren’t in good spirits, we tried to comfort you with our warmth. Now that we’ve invited you to dinner, you still insult and hit people out of now...Chapter 40: Difficult to Find Comfort in Love

Ran Xu had prepared dinner. Actually, Yan Luoxi didn't have much of an appetite, but not wanting to dampen Ran Xu's enthusiasm, she sat at the dining table, considering his feelings.

Perhaps mindful that Yan Luoxi was upset, only one dish out of the four on the table contained meat — sweet and sour baked beef. The rest were light dishes, yet both the dishes and porridge steamed with rich fragrance and freshness.

Ran Xu poured a glass of Hawthorn juice for Yan Luoxi to stimulate her appetite and quench her thirst, saying gently, "Luoxi, eat something!"

Yan Luoxi had been up since morning, going with Li An to watch others perform, then taking the stage herself. She had exhausted a lot of energy, so when she caught scent of food, she really felt hungry.

But once the food touched her tongue and throat, it was hard for her to swallow, especially as eating caused intense burning pain.

In just half a day, she had become quite upset.

Yan Luoxi didn't eat much, only drinking two cups of Hawthorn tea. Seeing that she was troubled by something and not wanting to force her, Ran Xu did not urge her to eat more.

Afraid Yan Luoxi would catch a cold after hearing her sneeze twice in succession, he insisted she go rest inside the bedroom. Feeling very cold throughout, Yan Luoxi obediently got into bed under a thick quilt but still felt chilly; seeing how she shivered, Ran Xu added another blanket on top.

Ran Xu fetched a thermometer and had Yan Luoxi take her temperature; it read 38.5°C — Yan Luoxi was running a fever.

"Luoxi, let me take you to the hospital," said Ran Xu with concern.

“It's okay, I'll be fine after some sleep,” replied Yan Luoxi in a congested voice.

Ran Xu saw that Yan Luoxi refused to go to the hospital, so he first gave her an ice pack to place on her forehead. Then he hurriedly went to the kitchen to cook some ginger soup for her. Seeing his caring expression and busy figure, Yan Luoxi was deeply moved.

The sky was already pitch black, with a bright moon slowly rising in the sky. Outside the window without any tall buildings blocking or city noises, every little sound could be clearly heard.

There wasn't much wind outside; sea waves sounded as they were carried by the breeze. Yan Luoxi heaved a heavy sigh.

Starting from today, she had completely lost Zhou Guangtao and would have to take full responsibility for her life on her own. She could no longer indulge in thoughts about him or care about him anymore.

Zhou Guangtao could only be deeply buried in a corner of her heart that nobody knew about. In the quiet of night when she wakes up, she would secretly savor the memories alone.

Yan Luoxi couldn't help shedding two more tears.

Ran Xu brought the ginger soup over; Yan Luoxi didn’t need him to coax her or persuade her. She struggled to get up on her own and bravely drank the spicy soup.

She wasn’t anyone special to Ran Xu, so she couldn’t be overly sentimental with him. After drinking the ginger soup, Yan Luoxi asked Ran Xu to go back to his room for rest.

Ran Xu smiled gently, with a hint of understanding and sympathy in his smile. "Luoxi, you don't need to feel like you're causing trouble or that you owe me something. Think about the past; didn’t you take care of me all night when I had a fever Today, just consider it as my repayment."

"How can this be repaid back and forth" Yan Luoxi felt somewhat uncomfortable. She was a type of woman who would selflessly attend to someone like she did for Ran Xu that night; however, the reverse made her feel uneasy.

Ran Xu noticed her concerns and pointed at the hallway outside the bedroom. "You just rest assured and go to sleep. I'll sleep in the corridor outside your room, so if you need anything, call out loudly." Saying this, he didn’t wait for Yan Luoxi’s refusal and walked out.

Yan Luoxi saw Ran Xu close the door behind him, sighing softly.

Sleep came unexpectedly despite her wide-awake state, as she tried to recall everything that had happened throughout the day. She thought that too much pain and distress would keep her up at night, but her drowsy mind, coupled with the ticking of her bedside alarm clock, made her eyelids grow heavy. Before long, she fell asleep.

After Zhou Guangtao saw Yan Luoxi run away from He Yufan's house, he was stunned for a moment before quickly turning back to put on clothes and go out to chase after Yan Luoxi.

In his disheveled state, the words He Yufan muttered beside him were indistinct and unclear.

Zhou Guangtao wanted to maintain his composure and act with grace, but he was overwhelmed by conflicting emotions that made it impossible for him to control himself.

He knew Yan Luoxi's feelings towards him and understood the devastating impact on her mind and body of everything she had witnessed today. Her appearance earlier was so fragile, sorrowful, thin, and helpless—seeing her like this touched a soft spot in his heart.

Zhou Guangtao feared that Yan Luoxi might do something foolish.

His betrayal was real, but so were his lingering concerns for her. Life truly is contradictory.

Afther chasing down the stairs and not seeing any sign of Yan Luoxi, he called her only to find out that her phone was turned off.

Racing back home in his car, he found no trace of Yan Luoxi. He tentatively called Xue Liping; on the other end, there were sounds of laughter and joy from the Sch family. Xue Liping's mood was unusually high-spirited—Yan Luoxi had not gone there.

Where could Yan Luoxi be

Zhou Guangtao felt ashamed, guilty, remorseful, and anxious to the point where he wished he would just die in a car crash at that moment.

In his car, he searched everywhere on the streets and along the coastline—anywhere Yan Luoxi might go—but found nothing but disappointment.

Zhou Guangtao felt extremely anxious and suddenly pulled down the glass window. The cool evening breeze rushed in, hitting his face and causing a faint pain as if his heart was trembling.

Although it was cold, it made him abnormally clear-headed.

Six months could change someone's mindset but couldn't erase their memories.

Zhou Guangtao vividly recalled the passionate times he had with Yan Luoxi. They used to call each other across oceans, pouring out their hearts; he once waited under a rainy sky at the entrance of her dormitory and braved the scorching sun to buy her a box of egg tarts...

What about now

The pursuit of work and fame had worn down his former dreams, while unexpected incidents, narrow-mindedness, and trivialities had extinguished the passion in their relationship.

He was entangled in Yan Luoxi's and Li An's past, unwilling to face his feelings for her and deliberately avoiding her affection.

In the twilight, Zhou Guangtao returned home, exhausted.

The moment he opened the door, the coldness and emptiness of the house made him shiver involuntarily.

Yan Luoxi's bedroom door was still open. The bedsheet was left unfolded, her water cup left on the water dispenser. It seemed she had hurriedly left without closing the shoe cabinet which remained wide open.

Zhou Guangtao closed his eyes in agony. In the empty room, there lingered a faint fragrance from Yan Luoxi's hair; he could almost see her pink lips pouted and her eyes gazing at him with water-like tenderness.

Yan Luoxi had been devoted to him with all her heart and care, yet he betrayed her mercilessly because of his narrow-minded thoughts.n him in his long-term rental suite at the hotel.Yan Luoxi could not agree with Li An's proposal; she couldn’t blindly rely on someone again.The experiences she was going through were actually common...