"I said, I will never pretend to be strong again in the future!"
Though, the original aning of her words was not exactly like that.
Le Tong wanted to shake her head, but in the end, she nodded instead because she lacked the strength to bear the painful mories.
Luo Yifan’s stubbornness far exceeded what Le Tong had imagined.
"Yifan, you’re outstanding, and deserve a better woman. Don’t waste your ti on ."
But after all, it was still Luo Yifan’s birthday, so it was better to leave so things unsaid for now.
She wasn’t sure how he would confess his feelings for her without what happened with Zhang Yi, but from his behavior today, it seed he wouldn’t be able to hold it in much longer.
"I’ll walk you up then, it’s pretty late," Luo Yifan said as he unbuckled his seatbelt and looked at Le Tong.
But this rcilessness was precisely her expression of having feelings for him.
"When I t you, you were just eighteen, and I twenty-two. You had the innocent charm of a young girl, yet possessed a delicate sensitivity and steadiness that Yuan’er didn’t have. Perhaps it’s because you and Yuan’er, who I know so well, are completely different people. The traits on you that attracted Yuan’er equally attracted too. I believe you knew what I felt about you back then, but just as I was about to confess, you suddenly disappeared, and even Yuan’er didn’t know where you went. Later, I found out from Professor Liu that your mom was sick and you took a break from school to care for her."
Having known Le Tong for so many years, even if she hid it well, he could still vaguely sense her uneasiness and avoidance.
"It’s ... who should apologize..."
Or rather, she’s too afraid...
Initially, she deceived herself by thinking he just cared for Yuan’er and rely treated her well because of it.
Especially recently, too many triggers made her deeply repressed guilt grow rapidly, like a seed thickened with fertilizer and sunshine, becoming a towering tree, pressing on her heart to the point where she couldn’t breathe.
Faced with such a yielding Luo Yifan, Le Tong felt nothing but guilt.
But now that he had made things clear, she could no longer deceive herself.
Actually, over the years, there had been no shortage of pursuers, but under her cold deanor, none managed to maintain interest in her for long. Only Luo Yifan had always hovered around her.
Le Tong suddenly opened her eyes to look at Luo Yifan, who seed focused on driving but was actually also stuck in pain.
"Your mom’s illness must have made you suffer a lot. After you ca back, you had completely changed."
Afraid that Luo Yifan might say sothing else, Le Tong simply leaned her head on the back of the chair and closed her eyes to feign drunkenness.
Even now, she still couldn’t break free from that entangling net, and recently, the suffocating pain had beco even more intense and frequent than before.
"I’m sorry..." Luo Yifan turned his gaze away, focusing again on the road ahead.
Luo Yifan didn’t look at her, "Tongtong, I don’t know what you’re afraid of, but I will wait!
Le Tong hesitated whether to open her eyes or continue pretending to be drunk and asleep.
Luo Yifan paused, seemingly arranging his words.
Luo Yifan turned his face slightly to glance at Le Tong, and under the dim light, she could still discern the gloom in his eyes. "My words made you uncomfortable, right?"
Just as Le Tong pretended to sleep while her emotions churned, she suddenly heard Luo Yifan’s voice near her ear.
Seeing that she couldn’t persuade him, Le Tong had no choice but to stay silent.
She knew, she would have to carry this pain for life, but she deserved it!
She took a deep breath, staring at his handso profile.
.
These past events, Le Tong had always been reluctant to think about. Although it was only five or six years ago, it felt like a lifeti to her.
"Hmm?!"
"Yifan..."
The low, magnetic voice, against the hum of the car’s engine, seed ethereal, sowhat unreal.
"Tongtong, I like you!"
She was very clear that knowingly being unable to reciprocate his feelings yet dragging him along was being irresponsible to him.
A long ti ago, she thought he had given up.
Le Tong forcefully stopped herself from probing deeper, determined not to let herself drown in the mire of mories when rational.
"Tongtong, you don’t need to persuade ! Waiting is my business."
This man is actually quite handso, but alas, she doesn’t know how to appreciate that.
Previously, Le Tong was very careful, trying to avoid being alone with Luo Yifan as much as possible. Now that he had made his feelings known, she naturally didn’t want to give him any more opportunities to be alone.
But she couldn’t help feeling guilty.
She knew she shouldn’t bla herself. Under the circumstances, she had no other choices.
She heard Luo Yifan say again, "I know you’re not drunk, but just keep your eyes closed and listen quietly, so it won’t be awkward for us. I’ve ant to say I like you for a long ti, but never did, not because my feelings weren’t deep enough, rather the opposite..."
Luo Yifan’s words lingered by her ear, but Le Tong’s heart felt like it was instantly emptied by the past she didn’t want to recall.
But it turned out he hadn’t. He was just waiting for the right mont.
This side of Luo Yifan was giving Le Tong a headache.
The only thing Le Tong could offer him was a rciless rejection.
"No need, everyone living here are old neighbors, no strangers. You’re tired too, go back and rest early."
Afterward, the two remained silent all the way until the car stopped at Le Tong’s apartnt building.
All the way, Le Tong didn’t sleep. Her mind kept replaying Luo Yifan’s actions today and that hint of helplessness on his face just now.
Luo Yifan was probably a very patient person. From when she was eighteen until she was nearly twenty-four, for almost six years, he had never crossed any lines with her in words or action.
Luo Yifan gave her a deep look, sighed silently, and drove the car out of his own parking lot.
"I probably drank too much. My head’s a bit dizzy, let sleep for a while..."
What Le Tong feared most was Luo Yifan’s persistence.
Le Tong obediently kept her eyes closed because, as Luo Yifan said, opening them now, she really wouldn’t know how to look at him, nor what to say in response.
"Yifan..."
Once, just thinking about that seemingly endless and hopeless period, she’d fall into unexplainable anxiety, bewildernt, and imnse terror, struggling painfully with inescapable feelings of self-loathing and rejection.
"You don’t need to persuade . If I could have turned back, I would have long ago. However, you don’t need any burden. I’m still young, I can wait!" Luo Yifan interrupted Le Tong.
If it were in the past, Luo Yifan would mostly listen obediently and let Le Tong go up on her own, but today, he didn’t listen. He chased after her as she got out of the car.
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