Gu Ting knew that Wen Ke’an had a habit of being drowsy when waking up, so her brain took some time to fully function. So, he quietly allowed her to lean on him.
In the quiet room, the rhythmic sound of breathing filled the air. Gu Ting lowered his gaze and glanced at the person in his arms.
Her face was pressed against his chest, eyes closed, seemingly asleep again.
Seeing that she could fall asleep even while standing, Gu Ting couldn’t help but smile wryly. He reached out and gently pinched her hand. No response at all.
Although the room was much warmer than outside, Wen Ke’an was only wearing a nightgown. Staying outside for a long time made her susceptible to catching a cold.
Gu Ting was about to bend down and pick her up when, unexpectedly, with his movement, Wen Ke’an, who seemed to be already asleep, slowly opened her eyes.
“Awake?” Seeing Wen Ke’an’s gaze, Gu Ting knew that she had successfully booted up this time.
“Yeah.” Upon hearing Gu Ting’s voice, Wen Ke’an instinctively responded.
Her voice elongated the tones, sounding soft, as if she were acting coquettish.
“Can you see who I am?” Gu Ting deliberately leaned closer, smiling.
Wen Ke’an remained silent for a moment, deliberately squinted her eyes, “Can’t see clearly.”
Gu Ting was amused by her, “Ah? Really don’t recognize me?”
At this time late at night, Wen Ke’an hadn’t fully awakened, and her mind was a bit sluggish. She raised her head, stared at Gu Ting seriously for a while, and then asked softly, “How did you come up?”
“I climbed up,” Gu Ting whispered.
“…”
“You climbed up?” Wen Ke’an blinked in confusion.
After looking at Gu Ting for a moment, Wen Ke’an instantly became wide awake, “But this is the third floor.”
Although their residential building wasn’t very high, the height of the third floor was still quite dangerous.
Wen Ke’an walked to the window, looked down for a moment, and then furrowed her brows slightly, “It’s so high, what if you get hurt?”
“The rooftop over there is close to your balcony, I can jump right over.” Gu Ting pointed to the right.
Wen Ke’an’s home was on the edge of the street, and there was a small rooftop next to their balcony. Outside Wen Ke’an’s window, there was a small platform that could be used for stepping. This way, Gu Ting could come to Wen Ke’an’s window by the balcony.
“It’s not very far, I won’t get hurt coming over.” Gu Ting explained again.
Wen Ke’an lowered her gaze and glanced at Gu Ting’s legs. In the previous life, he had injured his leg, and because the optimal medical treatment had been delayed, Gu Ting’s leg had never fully recovered. It would always be uncomfortable for him whenever it rained on gloomy days.
Wen Ke’an raised her eyes to look at him. Although she appeared calm on the surface, it was evident that her mood was not good. She spoke in a calm tone, “Don’t take such dangerous routes in the future. If you hurt your leg again, I won’t want you anymore.”
Knowing that she was joking, Gu Ting lowered his gaze and looked at her, gently smiling as he asked, “Really?”
Wen Ke’an responded with a muffled “Mm!”
Feeling that it was about time, Gu Ting knew it was time to take the initiative to apologize and admit his mistake.
Before Wen Ke’an could speak, she heard Gu Ting, who was beside her, sincerely saying, “I was wrong.”
“…”
“An-An, are you still not asleep?” The lights in the living room suddenly lit up, and the voice of Wen Qiangguo came from outside the door.
Wen Ke’an didn’t expect her dad to be up at this time. He probably heard voices in her room and called out to check.
“I’m just about to sleep,” Wen Ke’an turned her head towards the direction of the door, trying to keep her tone calm.
“Why aren’t you asleep yet? It’s already late.”
Listening to the footsteps outside, Wen Ke’an could sense that Wen Qiangguo had reached the doorway of her bedroom.
Feeling a bit anxious, Wen Ke’an instinctively tightened her grip on Gu Ting’s hand.
“Just played with my phone for a while. I’m going to sleep now.”
“Do you want some water? Dad will pour you a glass.”
Wen Qiangguo’s footsteps moved away from the bedroom door, and Wen Ke’an heard him heading towards the kitchen.
Wen Ke’an was still pondering where to hide Gu Ting when she heard the young man beside her chuckle softly and say, “What should we do?”
“Hmm?” Wen Ke’an looked up at him.
“How about we meet your father?” Gu Ting suggested tentatively.
“…”
Wen Ke’an was probably speechless for a few seconds, then lowered her gaze to look at his leg, asking seriously, “Your leg, don’t you want it anymore?”
“…”
If Wen Qiangguo knew there was a man hidden in her bedroom, he might get angry and, in his fury, even attempt to break Gu Ting’s leg.
Wen Ke’an knew that Wen Qiangguo had a habit of getting up for water at night, and this time, he had gotten up to fetch a glass of water from the kitchen.
After drinking his water, Wen Qiangguo pours another glass for Wen Ke’an and walked back to the doorway of her bedroom.
Wen Ke’an squeezed Gu Ting’s hand, signaling him not to speak.
“I don’t want it, Dad. I’m going to sleep.”
Wen Qiangguo didn’t raise any suspicions on the other end, “Okay, then rest early”
Hearing the fading footsteps of Wen Qiangguo, Wen Ke’an finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, this time it wasn’t her mom coming over; if it were Liu Qing, she might have just walked in.
As it wasn’t too early, Wen Ke’an chatted with Gu Ting for a while, and gradually, drowsiness began to set in.
Gu Ting naturally noticed the girl next to him, her gaze gradually becoming unfocused with tiredness. He smiled, gently rubbing her head, and whispered, “Go to sleep. I’ll leave once you’re asleep.”
***
These days, Chu Han’s family was moving, but Chu Han wasn’t ready to move into the new house yet. So, she temporarily stayed at Wen Ke’an’s house.
Wen Ke’an and Chu Han’s homes were close when they were young. They used to play at each other’s houses and sometimes even stay overnight. However, after Chu Han moved, their time together became less frequent. This time, with Chu Han staying at their house, Wen Ke’an was quite happy.
Middle Schools No. 1 and 2 were not too far apart, so after school, the two girls always walked home together.
On this day, Wen Ke’an finished school a bit earlier and waited for Chu Han at the agreed intersection.
The weather was getting colder, and Wen Ke’an bundled up tightly as soon as she stepped out. She wore various gloves and scarves.
Her obedience was mainly because Gu Ting’s school was nearby, and he might appear at any time. If he saw her not dressing properly, she would undoubtedly face another round of scolding.
Wen Ke’an had already been caught several times these days. While Gu Ting wasn’t very talkative on regular days, once he noticed she wasn’t taking care of herself or taking her medicine properly, he turned into a relentless monk, continuously lecturing in her ear.
Wen Ke’an hadn’t waited outside for long when Chu Han came out of school.
Seeing Wen Ke’an all bundled up like a big loaf, Chu Han couldn’t help but burst into laughter. She reached out and touched the fuzzy bunny ears on Wen Ke’an’s hat, smiling as she asked, “What’s going on with you? Why are you dressed like this? You’re hiding those big eyes of yours. If I didn’t know you, I wouldn’t recognize you, haha.”
Wen Ke’an’s cold hadn’t improved, and because she didn’t take her medicine properly during the previous illness, she got infected by other classmates in her class. Now it seems to be getting more serious.
“This way, I will stay warm and won’t get scolded,” Wen Ke’an said seriously.
Chu Han didn’t think much of it, assuming that Wen Ke’an’s parents instructed her to dress like this.
“Do we need to—” Chu Han’s words were cut off as she suddenly looked behind Wen Ke’an, her entire body stiffening. She then whispered, “Why is he here?”
Wen Ke’an instinctively turned her head and saw not far away the recently encountered Xie Huaiyan.
Chu Han grabbed Wen Ke’an’s hand like a startled rabbit and ran forward.
Wen Ke’an, dressed in layers, found it particularly challenging to run. When they couldn’t see Xie Huaiyan anymore, Chu Han let go of Wen Ke’an’s hand and patted her chest, “You scared me.”
“Are you afraid of him?” Wen Ke’an looked at Chu Han, noticing her unusual reaction, and asked quietly.
Wen Ke’an only knew that ten years later, Xie Huaiyan would take over the Xie family group and be a ruthless figure. However, ten years ago, he was only in his twenties, and he hadn’t even finished university.
Chu Han shook her head but after some thought, nodded.
“Why?” Wen Ke’an lowered her gaze to Chu Han and asked quietly.
It was evident that Chu Han didn’t want to be near Xie Huaiyan. She has always kept her distance whenever she saw him.
“Well, it’s just that I find his gaze a bit scary,” Chu Han smiled and replied softly.
Upon hearing Chu Han’s words, Wen Ke’an also felt a bit uneasy.
Xie Huaiyan’s gaze was icy, like a cunning and venomous snake, causing a shiver in the depths of one’s heart. However, Wen Ke’an always felt that when Xie Huaiyan looked at Chu Han, his gaze was different from how he looked at others.
Whether it was because she came back with a filter after her rebirth or because Xie Huaiyan already harbored different feelings towards Chu Han at this time, she couldn’t tell.
-End of Chapter 25.1-
