Chapter 22

Tao Ruan leaned on Gu Zhizhou’s shoulder and cried, sobbing uncontrollably.

She could feel the man’s arms tighten around her, and then a sentence fell into her ear.

It was Gu Zhizhou who said to her, “I’m sorry.”

Tao Ruan decided to give Gu Zhizhou another chance. She asked Gu Zhizhou, “What are you sorry for?”

Another long, suffocating silence followed.

After a moment of silence, Gu Zhizhou gently patted her head and said in a tender voice, “I brought you breakfast. Eat some first, okay? Don’t be angry anymore.”

How could Tao Ruan not be angry?

She pushed Gu Zhizhou away, lifted her eyes from his embrace, and saw that the man in front of her was handsome and gentle, the kind of man many young girls longed for. But she knew clearly that the real Gu Zhizhou was not the way he appeared now.

Why?

Why did Gu Zhizhou do this?

Why did Gu Zhizhou treat her that way without giving her a reason?

She really couldn’t understand it.

“Soft…”

Gu Zhizhou raised his hand again to wipe Tao Ruan’s tears, but Tao Ruan slapped his hand away again.

“I’ll ask you one last time,” Tao Ruan sniffed as she looked at him earnestly, “Don’t you have anything to explain to me?”

Gu Zhizhou handed over the bag in his left hand, his eyes lowered: “Eat something first.”

Tao Ruan broke down in tears again.

She didn’t want to eat anything. What was there to eat? All she wanted now was an explanation from Gu Zhizhou, but not only did he not explain, he also tried to evade the question.

“Ruanruan,” Gu Zhizhou frowned, “Don’t cry.”

Tao Ruan completely erupted.

She snatched the bag from Gu Zhizhou and threw it at him. The hot milk and pan-fried buns left stains on Gu Zhizhou’s white shirt, but Gu Zhizhou stood still and didn’t flinch.

“Why did you do this to me?” Tao Ruan cried and ran away.

She could sense someone chasing after her, close behind not far away. She knew it was Gu Zhizhou, but she didn’t turn around.

She’s angry with Gu Zhizhou now, and she doesn’t want to see him anymore.

Tao Ruan walked around the school crying, not knowing where she was going. She wandered aimlessly. It was the weekend and morning, and there weren’t many people outside the school, but a few people passing by would still look in her direction.

Tao Ruan and Gu Zhizhou’s good looks were already too striking. Add to that Tao Ruan crying in front and Gu Zhizhou following closely behind in a shirt stained with oil and milk, and they looked like they had a story to tell.

Tao Ruan knew that she would be watched and talked about because of this, but she didn’t care at all.

She walked through the school building, across the small bridge, and along the path lined with camphor trees, crying as the breeze dried her tears, only for new tears to fall again. Before long, her pretty little face was covered in tear stains.

In the end, because she hadn’t eaten and was crying so hard, her low blood sugar flared up again and she couldn’t stand up. Gu Zhizhou helped her up from behind. She was too tired to resist and had cried herself to sleep, so she finally managed to stop crying.

Gu Zhizhou helped her sit down to the side, took out a piece of chocolate from his pocket, unwrapped it, and put it to her mouth.

Tao Ruan ate it without any backbone.

“Are you feeling any better?” Gu Zhizhou gently wiped away her tears again.

Tao Ruan sniffed, and her whole demeanor calmed down considerably.

She even had the leisure to ask, “Do you love chocolate? Why do you always carry it with you?”

Gu Zhizhou looked at her, his eyes deep and focused.

He said softly, “This is for you.”

Tao Ruan was stunned for a moment, and then her heart softened again.

Gu Zhizhou has a problem, but even though I was so mean to him and threw the breakfast he brought me on him, he didn’t complain at all. Instead, he followed me all the way here and coaxed me.

“You…” Tao Ruan reached out her hand, wanting to touch Gu Zhizhou’s wet shirt, but seemed to feel that such a gesture was too intimate, so she withdrew her hand at the last minute, only softening her tone and asking softly, “Did you burn yourself just now?”

Gu Zhizhou shook his head and said no.

Tao Ruan looked away, kicked her feet together, a little awkwardly: “Then go back and change your clothes. Tell me the price of the shirt later, and I’ll buy you a new one.”

Gu Zhizhou said no, and then continued to squat beside her.

Tao Ruan pouted and glared at him again, her voice choked with emotion once more: “What exactly do you want?”

Gu Zhizhou looked at her for two seconds, then told her, “I want to stay with you.”

Tao Ruan’s mind was in turmoil again. She wanted to ask Gu Zhizhou if he liked her, but then she thought that Gu Zhizhou hadn’t answered a single crucial question before, so what could she expect him to say now?

Tao Ruan didn’t ask.

She just sat there.

Gu Zhizhou sat beside her, keeping her company.

In the end, Tao Ruan couldn’t stand it anymore. She looked at Gu Zhizhou’s clothes and felt uncomfortable no matter how she looked at them. She didn’t know why, but she blurted out, “How about I go back with you to change your clothes?”