A Date!
A Date!
Confused, he turned to look at her and heard her
"Leave my hand."
A frown immediately marred He Jian's forehead. His hold around Mo Roulan's hand went firm before he loosened it and left her completely.
Fang Zhihan had told him yesterday that to make Mo Roulan feel safe with him after he had kissed her so abruptly, he should try to respect her decisions.
Though He Jian was reluctant to leave Mo Roulan's hand, he still did so because he could see how pale she had been looking since this morning.
He could see that the last night had made her like this.
"Lanlan, is everything alright?"
He Jian asked gently as if he was trying to know why she wanted him to leave her hand. On the other hand, Mo Roulan was a little speechless at the question.
It should be she who should ask this question.
Was everything alright with him?
The last night and today's incident in the office…she didn't know what she should conclude from them as the remembrance still made her feel confused.
"No!"
Mo Roulan whispered as she looked away from He Jian's eyes.
He Jian looked at her for a moment but didn't say anything. Then he started to walk inside the restaurant making sure that Mo Roulan was walking beside him.
Mo Roulan's eyes searched inside the restaurant when they stepped inside but she didn't find anyone.
"Where is everyone else?"
She blurted out in confusion.
Since it was a party, should there not be other people in the hall? She could see that the hall was decorated very well but she couldn't see anyone.
Mo Roulan never noticed how He Jian's tips of ears went red after he heard her question.
He Jian cleared his throat before he said
"That…they are not here."
The answer made Mo Roulan frown. She wanted to ask more but her words stuck inside her throat when she felt He Jian's hand slipping inside hers again.
The warmth covered her cold hands as she was pulled by him further inside the restaurant.
Her eyes slowly started to go blank when she saw the weird decoration in the inner part of the restaurant.
The red roses, the candles, the dim light of those candles, and then a table that had two chairs around it…for a moment Mo Roulan thought that someone was having their date here.
But the difficult moment came when He Jian pulled her towards the table, slowly pulled out a chair, and then looked at her gently.
"Lanlan, come. Sit here."
With blank eyes, Mo Roulan looked at the chair and then at He Jian.
She wondered whether there was something wrong with her own mind. It was all a mess again.
He Jian's words from this afternoon came to her mind and she felt colder and colder.
She was breathing heavily so when she opened her mouth and asked He Jian a question, her voice came out a little breathless.
"Mr. He, What is going on?"
He Jian's smile was still there.
He stepped forward to hold Mo Roulan's hand again, however, this time, Mo Roulan didn't let him.
She put her hand behind her back as if she was resisting him silently.
He should first give her some explanation. That was what she thought.
He Jian's eyes flickered when he saw her determined eyes but he kept a calm face as he stood straight and looked at her.
"We are having a date."
After finishing his words, He Jian looked away from Mo Roulan's eyes and said as calmly as he could.
"It is my first time. I can make some mistakes but tell me whatever you don't like. I will try to improve in the future."
While saying his last words, He Jian sincerely looked at Mo Roulan. He wouldn't mind if she really pointed out some mistakes.
He Jian knew very well that he didn't know anything about all this but he was ready to learn if it was needed to make Mo Roulan stay happy by his side.
Fang Zhihan had said that girls like all these things so Mo Roulan should like this.
"I had them made your favorite dishes. Coem and see Lanlan…"
He Jian said with a smile as he looked at Mo Roulan but Mo Roulan never reciprocated it.
"A date…"
She was still pondering over He Jian's last words.
"But... why should we have a date?"
Mo Roulan asked in almost a whisper but He Jian heard it.
He turned to look at her with amusement.
Was she really asking him this question after whatever he told her in the afternoon?
But that amusement vanished when he saw her lost and confused eyes.
He completely turn to look at Mo Roulan who was looking towards the table and sometimes the decorated room as if it was the weirdest thing in her life she had ever seen.
He Jian didn't know but it was.
Hearing words like' I love you' from him and then him arranging a date for both of them…all of this was something that Mo Roulan would never expect from him.
Love…this word never existed between her and He Jian. Mo Roulan had learned it a long time ago.
It was ironic.
He Jian never said these words to Mo Roulan in her past life.
Not even once.
And now he was saying it again and again but…Mo Roulan was not ready to believe him.
It, of course, was a little difficult to believe.
Something that she had been running after for her whole life, she never got it back then.
And now when she had finally learned that she could also live without it, when she had finally sealed her heart firmly, he was standing there knocking on those closed doors of her heart.
And for Mo Roulan, it was nothing but a mockery of everything she went through in her past life.
Life could indeed be very playful sometimes.
And both of them would learn it hard way.
.
.
.
"Mr. He"
Mo Roulan suddenly looked at He Jian firmly.
"I want to go back home."
He Jian's frown disappeared and he looked very calm. However, inside his heart, he was not as calm as he looked.
"Why? Did you not like something?"
He asked stiffly.
Mo Roulan lowered her head at his question. Her eyes were filled with endless confusion again as she shook her head and said in exhaustion.
"I don't understand what is going on. You…what are you trying to do! I am not getting anything."
She said honestly as the tears of frustration started to fill her eyes.
He Jian was a little startled by her outburst but soon pity and distress flashed through his eyes when he looked at Mo Roulan's lowered head and heard her choked voice.
Perhaps he was going too fast.
He stepped forward so that Mo Roulan's head was resting on her chest. His arms surrounded her small frame and he patted her back gently as he whispered
"It's alright. Take your time. We will go back home. I won't mention it again until you are ready, alright? We will go back to how we were. Just…don't cry."
He Jian said anxiously as he could feel Mo Roulan's trembling shoulders.
He didn't know whether she heard him or not. He stood there for a few moments until Mo Roulan stopped crying and her sobs started to covert into soft sniffles.
After that, he pulled her out of the restaurant without saying anything.
He Jian drove back in silence.
Though every few minutes, he would look at Mo Roulan to check if she was still crying. Fortunately, she was not.
He was relieved.
It took twenty minutes to reach the building.
He Jian unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to look at Mo Roulan but stopped amidst his actions when he saw that she was deeply asleep.
The exhaustion finally won over Mo Roulan's body. She had not been able to sleep very well last night and then the whole day, she had gone through so many changes of emotions that it had exhausted her mentally as well as physically.
He Jian's blue eyes flickered suddenly as he leaned down to look at her more closely.
He could feel it again.
The fast heartbeat inside his chest. It only happened when he was with her.
But she was too naive to understand it right now.
He Jian smiled bitterly.
He sighed lightly as he tucked the strands of hair that were falling on her face.
There was a strong urge to hug her in his arms, to touch her, to kiss her but he could only suppress it.
He didn't wish to wake her up seeing that she was in a deep sleep.
He knew very well that she must be very tired.
Without making any noise, He Jian leaned against his own seat. His face was towards Mo Roulan as he silently stared at her sleeping face.
A genuine smile graced his lips as He Jian thought that this was better than the date.
As long as she was beside him, he could wait as long as she would want him to.