In the end, he raised his hand to check his wristwatch, only to find out that it was already past three in the morning.
There was a slight painful pang in his lungs, and his mouth was dry and bitter—probably from smoking too much.
It was past three in the morning. She must have fallen asleep by now, he reasoned.
Yet, he found himself unable to resist the urge to go and see her.
But...
What if she wasn’t asleep?
Would she start speaking those words again?
After pondering for a mont, Di Mingzhe eventually lost control and headed involuntarily towards the main hall.
The early morning air was crisp and silent—only a few guards were on duty, all of whom saluted him as he passed.
Di Mingzhe gestured for them to stop.
Before he knew it, he had ascended to the second floor, arriving at the door to her room. He loitered at the entrance for a while before finally twisting the doorknob lightly.
To his surprise, the door was unlocked.
He tiptoed in without making a sound. Illuminated by the night lamp, he saw an untouched bowl of clear porridge on the bedside table and the girl curled up on the double bed.
He just stood there, watching her for what felt like an eternity, until his legs began to feel numb. Then, he quietly walked over, sat down, and stared at her side profile.
Her brow was deeply furrowed, suggesting she was having an uneasy sleep. Her curled up form resembled a lost cub, stirring a sudden wave of pain in his heart.
Without thinking, he reached out, wanting to smooth out the wrinkles on her forehead. Her furrowed brow unnerved him far too much.
His outstretched hand hovered in the air for a mont, hesitating. It was only after a lengthy silence, when he was sure she was fast asleep, that he gently touched her forehead.
But at that exact mont, Di Xiaxia abruptly opened her eyes.
Caught by surprise, Di Mingzhe, like soone hit by an electric shock, tried to quickly retract his hand, but it was firmly clasped in hers.
Di Mingzhe was dumbstruck. He wanted to say sothing but didn’t know what.
The atmosphere instantly froze as they stared intently at each other.
"Am I dreaming?" Di Xiaxia suddenly broke the silence. "Brother, are you really back?"
Nothing but silence.
An eerie, deathlike silence.
Di Xiaxia’s lips curled into a self-deprecating smile. "So, I am dreaming. I thought...I thought you were back."
Upon hearing her words, a pang of pain struck Di Mingzhe. However, he couldn’t resist and slowly nodded. "Yes, I am back."
At his words, Di Xiaxia’s eyes instantly brightened. "Really? You finished handling your business."
"Yes." Di Mingzhe confird.
Then, after a two-second pause, he advised, "You should rest."
With that, he tried to pull his hand away, but to his surprise, Di Xiaxia held onto it tightly.
"Big Brother..." Di Xiaxia looked at him, her eyes shining brightly. After a two-second pause, she finally said, "Big Brother, you need to stop being insane, because I’ve fallen for you."
Di Mingzhe shuddered violently, finding it hard to believe his own ears.
"What did you say?" He stood up abruptly, gripped her arm tightly, and stared at her intensely.
He had never doubted his own hearing, nor had he ever resorted to such stupid rhetorical questions.
But at that mont, he was truly unsure. Had she really just confessed her love for him?
"I said, I love you." Di Xiaxia gazed back at him without flinching and spoke her feelings clearly.
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