With a barrage of words, Jin Ying slammed the car door shut with a bang, giving Lou Yuming no chance to react. She quickly bent over and slipped into a taxi, and in the blink of an eye, the car merged into the traffic and disappeared.
Only three people remained in the car.
Yao Yifan, in particular, was roaring internally: Sister Jin, take me with you!
Lou Yuming coughed twice and instructed, "You get out first."
Yao Yifan felt a wave of relief.
And so, only Song Xi and Lou Yuming were left in the car.
Unable to see her expression, Lou Yuming patted the seat next to him and said, "Come here."
Song Xi remained motionless.
Lou Yuming gave her some space and called out again, this time in a much gentler tone, "Alright, come here."
Song Xi finally reacted. She opened the door, got out, walked around the front of the car expressionlessly, and then got back in.
Lou Yuming watched her series of actions and couldn't help but chuckle, "Couldn't you have just climbed over?"
Song Xi rolled her eyes internally: Absolutely not!
She didn't know what to say. After all, Jin Ying's words earlier, rapid-fire like a machine gun, had been incredibly accurate.
The atmosphere wasn't exactly awkward, but rather a sense of being caught off guard, like a windowpane had been unexpectedly pierced.
After a long while, Lou Yuming suddenly seemed to remember something. He reached into his pocket and produced something, handing it to her. "Keep it safe."
Song Xi then realized it was the bank card she had left on the table at You Yan Restaurant.
How did it end up with him? This meant he had indeed been there at the time, and he had seen everything clearly.
Song Xi snatched the card back and finally asked the question she had been wanting to ask for days, "Were you happy watching me being insulted by others?"
Where did that come from?
Lou Yuming's expression soured.
Song Xi continued, "You didn't intervene at the restaurant last time. Why did you help me today?"
Lou Yuming finally understood her meaning. "I thought you didn't need it."
"And today you thought I did?"
"Yes."
Lou Yuming was telling the truth, but Song Xi was furious upon hearing this answer.
What did he think their relationship was?
Imagine, the person you like confesses their feelings to you, and then you see yourself being bullied and insulted by another man, and they merely observe it all, with the reason being: "I thought you didn't need help."
Any man witnessing such a situation should not be indifferent, let alone this man who had confessed his love to her a month ago! Song Xi found it incredible. She let out a faint laugh, "Okay, I understand."
Lou Yuming pressed, "Are you still angry?"
Song Xi closed her eyes, feeling utterly helpless. "Let's drive. I'm a bit tired."
She did look very weary. Lou Yuming called Yao Yifan back into the car.
Twenty minutes later, the car stopped at the hotel entrance.
Lou Yuming asked, "When will you be back?"
Song Xi got out of the car with her head down. "We'll see."
"Okay." Lou Yuming didn't rush her. Since she needed time, he would give her more.
However, unexpectedly, a few kilometers after the car drove away, Lou Yuming's phone suddenly vibrated with a text message alert.
He opened WeChat and saw it was from Song Xi.
"Let's just stay as we are."
Lou Yuming's expression turned grim, and a low pressure began to permeate the entire car.
Lou Yuming: "Is this your answer?"
Song Xi: "Yes."
Song Xi collapsed onto the bed, watching "typing" on Lou Yuming's end, her heart in turmoil.
She waited for a long time, but until evening, he had not sent any reply.
It seemed he thought the same way she did.
But if that were the case, why had he impulsively said that?
Did he know how devastating that statement was to a woman?
That scene, the Spring Festival Gala, the fireworks, the New Year's Eve dinner, the sincere confession – she still remembered it all clearly.
Clearly, he, Lou Yuming, was not an impulsive person.