Chapter 37: Heart-to-Heart! A Nighttime Conversation with Xia Qingxue
At dusk, the afterglow of the sunset painted the sky a brilliant orange-red.
Chen Pingchuan sat in the speeding taxi with a vacant stare, a lingering fear still gripping him. He had been so close to rekindling things with his landlady.
Although a small part of him was a little expectant, he was a respectable, well-educated young man. How could he commit such a shameless act? He understood all the reasoning, but the pristine white image in his mind refused to fade.
Chen Pingchuan hurriedly shook his head to break the train of thought. As he looked at the communicator in his hand, a look of relief washed over his face. Thank goodness I messaged Xia Qingxue before I left, and she just so happened to reply. Perhaps this is fate’s best arrangement.
...
On the rooftop of the orphanage, a young man and woman sat silently on the ledge, staring blankly at the moonless, starry sky.
"I called you at noon. Why didn’t you answer?"
"Did you? I must not have heard it. I think I was asleep."
A flash of panic crossed Xia Qingxue’s face, but she quickly hid it and deflected the blame to Chen Pingchuan. "Well, it’s your fault! If you hadn’t worn me out so much last night, do you think I would have missed it? It’s all your fault! Hmph!"
She then gave Chen Pingchuan’s arm a light pinch to show her anger, but the gesture was so gentle it felt more like a massage.
Looking at the blushing Xia Qingxue, Chen Pingchuan felt an inexplicable wave of guilt wash over him. She’s as innocent and pure as an angel, while I’m utterly filthy.
This wasn’t Chen Pingchuan putting himself down; it was an accurate self-assessment. He knew exactly what kind of person he was. Take what just happened, for instance. If he had genuinely been resistant, he never would have ended up in Huang Yujia’s room in the first place.