Song Qingchun placed the water glass on the bedside table and moved to help Su Zhinian lie back down, as she had lifted up into a seated position before giving him the water. When she bent over help him with the mattress, he reached out to grab her wrist. Song Qingchun froze, and the next second, she was pulled to join him in bed, caught in his tight embrace.
His unique scent covered her instantly and aroused the fear deep within her heart. It reminded of the thing he had done to her, and subconsciously, she tried to struggle from his grasp.
She escaped easily because he was weak from his illness. When she almost got up from his bed, she heard him beg in a weakened voice, "Can you please give me a hug?"
His voice sounded scratchy due to the fever, but his tone was surprisingly gentle; there was earnest pleading in it. This made Song Qingchun instinctually turn to look at this face. Then her whole body froze like some force had locked her in place.
Sadness and pain were written all over face. With his eyes screwed shut, his bloodless lips were murmuring non-stop, "…Just hug me once, please… I've met you so many times in my dreams, but you never want to give me a hug… So, couldn't you give me a hug just this once? Please? Just one hug… Please… Just one hug…"
The melancholy in his voice shot through Song Qingchun like an arrow. She felt her chest ache and tighten. The squeeze was so harsh that she had trouble breathing.
This was the second time that he had made her heart ache… The first time had happened half a month ago when she woke up from her nightmare and he told her he would not lay a finger on her again; it was the look he gave her before he left her bedroom.
Her impression of Su Zhinian had always been stuck at an image of arrogance and ruthlessness. He was aloof, cruel with his words, and in fact, she believed he was a man without emotions and sympathy. This was because she had never seen him smile even once in the time she had known him.
Therefore, she did not expect that she would one day see such intense sadness on his face and hear such desperate pleading from him.
Right then, she realized how pitiably little she seemed to know about him.
While Song Qingchun was lost in her thoughts, Su Zhinian once more reached out for her. He kept mumbling softly, but in the quiet of the night, Song Qingchun heard every single word clearly.
"Don't be afraid, I just want to hug you… Can you hug me, please?"
Song Qingchun was shaking violently. Her heart was tearing into pieces. This man before her had done such despicable things to her, and she knew this was his fever talking; the person he was looking for was not her, but right then, she seemed to have lost her mind and slowly raised her hands toward him, compelled by the sadness lacing his words.
His scent and body temperature still made her feel a certain degree of uncertainty and fear, but she still reached for his waist and pulled him in for a hug with shaking fingers.
She could feel the man's body freeze, and his arms that encircled her suddenly tightened, crushing her into his chest.