This feeling of fear is not unfamiliar to Ji Rui.
But in the past, Ji Rui had only experienced this feeling with two people.
These two people, one is his mother, and the other is Baobao.
His mother and Baobao are both his blood relatives, but Le Tong, is nothing at all.
Because she is nothing at all, there seems to be no bond between him and Le Tong. This fragile relationship, which is so easily shattered, makes Ji Rui’s fear even more intense than before.
So much so that as soon as he sent the old man away, he needed to co and confirm Le Tong’s thoughts.
Le Tong glanced at him silently, then turned back to stir the at in the pan several more tis.
"No!"
Le Tong’s answer was, seemingly, both within Ji Rui’s expectations and outside of them.
Once, he thought she was a woman full of sches and vanity, but now, he increasingly discovers that she is completely different from the person he imagined her to be.
But how exactly she is different, he still doesn’t have a precise concept of until now.
Because often, when he believes he finally sees her clearly, sothing happens that again and again refreshes her image in his mind.
Like now, he had thought she would take the opportunity to complain to him.
But she didn’t!
Just answered him so calmly, as if the old man really hadn’t said anything to her.
But he knows better than anyone else that the old man definitely said so unpleasant things to her.
And yet, she said there was none.
Why?
Is it because she doesn’t want him to worry?
Or doesn’t want to damage his relationship with his father over this?
Or perhaps...
While Ji Rui was secretly filtering these possibilities one by one and denying them, he heard Le Tong speak.
"Mr. Ji, so words only hurt because you care. If you don’t care about that person at all, their words won’t cause you any harm."
Le Tong is very clever, subtly telling him that the old man did indeed say so unpleasant things to her. Because she knew this kind of thing couldn’t be hidden from him.
But she also subtly hinted to him that she wasn’t hurt by it. Because, to her, the old man is nothing, so he doesn’t need to stick his neck out for her. Since there’s no harm, there’s no need to seek justice.
Ji Rui’s feelings were complicated, he couldn’t even tell what he was feeling at that mont, but it certainly wasn’t happiness or joy.
Among these complex and indescribable emotions, there were faint hints of anger and sadness.
He couldn’t distinguish whether these feelings were for himself or for Le Tong.
"Are you always like this?"
Though he couldn’t identify the sources of many of these emotions, his tone at this mont clearly contained a trace of anger and resentnt.
Le Tong didn’t turn around, and just when Ji Rui thought she hadn’t heard him, she suddenly turned off the stove, turned around, and looked directly at him.
"Mr. Ji, there are many different classes of people in this world. So people, like you, who have power and influence, can justifiably be angry over a matter or even just a simple word, because you have the ability to seek justice for yourself. But so people, like , who have neither power nor influence, even if I feel very angry, I don’t have the ability to seek justice for myself. This anger ultimately becos a weapon that harms myself. So why bother? It’s better to treat those words and people like dog shit — if you step on it by accident, just wipe it clean on the grass. Standing on the street and cursing won’t make any dog co out to apologize, right?"
Le Tong’s mindset cannot simply be categorized as optimistic or pessimistic; to put it accurately, it’s a way that a small person living at the bottom treats herself well.
Everyone has to pay the price for their emotions.
Like soone like Ji Rui, if he is angry, he can take it out on many people, and those people wouldn’t dare to utter a word.
But soone like Le Tong, if she is angry, besides driving herself crazy, there is no other possibility.
Therefore, between driving herself crazy and trying to be open-minded, Le Tong chose the latter.
Her words make sense, are filled with wisdom, yet also reveal a deep sense of helplessness.
Ji Rui looked at her, not knowing for a mont what to say; embarrassnt slowly welled up within him.
Because he also seed to have, like the old man, casually said so hurtful things to her, thinking it was only natural to see her as a scheming woman chasing status at all costs.
At that ti, did she treat him like dog shit as well? Stepping on it and then silently going to the grass to wipe it clean?
"Le Tong, you don’t have to endure it like this silently; for whatever he said or did to you, I will get justice for you."
Ji Rui suppressed his self-disgust and assured Le Tong.
Le Tong shook her head, "Mr. Ji, you are overthinking! I really have nothing, I am not a strong person; if I had anything, I would hide in a corner and cry."
After saying this, Le Tong suddenly moved her face close to Ji Rui, "Look! Did I cry?"
Ji Rui looked at her from top to bottom, and for a mont, he saw a familiar smile in Le Tong’s eyes, a smile that Baobao had when being mischievous.
It seed that Le Tong had been influenced by Baobao!
Le Tong blinked hard at him, "Did you see it? No, right? My eyes are like little stars, twinkling and sparkling..."
Ji Rui was taken aback; this Le Tong, who was sowhat naughty and sly, really increasingly resembled Baobao.
"Le Tong, you’re becoming more like Baobao!"
Ji Rui said, unconsciously raising his hand to touch her head because, when Baobao acted out, he would often ruffle Baobao’s hair.
Le Tong seed to not understand his aning for a mont. When his big hand rested on her head, she obviously froze, her body suddenly stiffening, and the smile on her face instantly froze.
Obviously, she had never expected him to make such an intimate gesture toward her, let alone that her childish antics intended to lighten the mood inadvertently ignited a pile of dry wood in the man’s heart...
But Ji Rui’s hands did not stop because of her shock.
First, he rubbed the top of her head a few tis, then his long, strong fingers softly slid along her long, smooth hair, slipping halfway, curling a lock of hair around his fingers.
His handso face drew closer and closer, closer and closer, to Le Tong’s surprised expression...
[Chapter four, to make up for yesterday; still one Chapter owed to be made up tomorrow. Every day, I tell myself not to get hurt easily, to stay calm and peaceful to maintain a good mindset to write. But I always break my resolution. Haha, take a deep breath, love you all, goodnight!]
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