Sudden Parting from Tender Affection

Evening.

In front of an abandoned unfinished building, Li Guanqi tightly grabbed Su Cheng's wrist and walked forward quickly. Her steps were extremely fast, and the gravel under her feet made a "clattering" sound, which was particularly harsh in the silent night.

And Su Cheng, who was being dragged by her, was extremely shocked by the change in himself at the moment.

He found that his body had become transparent, as if blending into the surrounding environment and hardly noticeable.

"How many more surprises do you have that I don't know about?"

While being dragged forward by Li Guanqi, Su Cheng couldn't help but sigh. His voice seemed to wake Li Guanqi up from her own thoughts.

Hearing the familiar voice behind her, Li Guanqi suddenly stopped and turned her head.

As she let go of her hand, Su Cheng's figure gradually emerged. First, he looked down at the change in himself, and then immediately looked up and locked eyes with Li Guanqi.

At this moment, Li Guanqi was holding a sharp blade in her hand, which glistened with a cold light in the dim light. At first glance, she looked like a young messenger from hell, sending chills down one's spine.

"Nice knife. It's perfect for killing scumbags," Su Cheng casually commented. Then his gaze shifted to Li Guanqi's even colder face than usual, and he continued, "Do you want to kill me?"

"This knife gives us the ability to turn invisible," Li Guanqi replied calmly, with no trace of emotion in her tone.

But her eyes were firmly fixed on Su Cheng's face, trying to catch every subtle change in his expression and movement.

"I see," Su Cheng's tone became subtle. "This knife is quite suitable as your exclusive weapon, just like the color of those crows that appeared just now. They all suit you well."

Li Guanqi didn't respond. Instead, she took a step forward and got closer to Su Cheng. The latter subconsciously took a few steps back, seemingly uncomfortable with this sudden closeness.

"Thank you for your help. I'll leave first," Su Cheng forced a smile, with a hint of alienation in his tone.

"You seem to have misunderstood something," Li Guanqi looked directly into Su Cheng's eyes. Those clear, black - and - white eyes were like a mirror, reflecting his figure.

"Huh?" Su Cheng blinked in confusion, tilted his head, and looked innocent.

"Actually, I share the same view as Ji Qingyi," Li Guanqi took another step forward. "We both want to take you back."

"Then isn't what you're doing redundant?" Su Cheng raised his eyebrows. "Isn't Ji Qingyi about to catch me?"

"But I'm different from her," Li Guanqi's tone remained calm.

"In what way?" Su Cheng subconsciously stepped back, trying to keep a distance between them.

"Because I want to figure something out," Li Guanqi stopped and stared intently at Su Cheng. "I want to know why you're avoiding me."

"We're just classmates, and we each have our own invitations," Su Cheng frowned, and his tone became more and more distant. "Please mind your own business and stop causing trouble for both of us."

After saying that, he turned to leave. However, Li Guanqi shouted at him loudly at this time, "Actually, it's because of me, right?"

Su Cheng stopped and turned around. "What did you say?"

"I'm saying that the reason you're choosing to avoid me is because of me, right?" Li Guanqi repeated, with a firm tone and a sincere and open look in her eyes, as if she had seen through him.

"You're overthinking," Su Cheng was silent for a moment and then shook his head. "How could it be because of you?"

"Why not?" Li Guanqi's dark and bright eyes stared intently at him. "Isn't it?"

"Why would you have such an idea?" Su Cheng retorted. "Don't you think it's a bit self - indulgent or self - righteous to say such things?"

Hearing this, Li Guanqi took another step forward. Su Cheng instinctively wanted to step back but finally gave up. He stood there, waiting for what she would say next.

Li Guanqi stepped closer and closer until the distance between them was very close. Her warm breath seemed to brush against Su Cheng's ear, making him unconsciously hold his breath.

"You're holding your breath, right?"

Li Guanqi suddenly asked an inexplicable question. Hearing this, Su Cheng lost his composure. Her words, along with her scent, seeped into the most hidden corner of his heart like a trickling stream.

Li Guanqi took a few steps back and lowered her eyes.

Her long and curly eyelashes cast a small shadow on her eyelids, making her facial features look more delicate.

She said in a calm and gentle tone, "I can feel that your burning eyes will gradually calm down when you get close to me."

Su Cheng's breathing became heavier, and his chest heaved violently. He tried his best to control his emotions and stay calm. "What nonsense are you talking about? How can someone's scent have such an effect? You should at least make sense."

Li Guanqi gently shook her head and locked eyes with him again. Her voice was as soft as a whisper. "Yes, there is. And it's quite common. For example, a crying baby will immediately fall asleep peacefully once it's in its mother's arms."

Su Cheng's pupils shrank. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to refute, but then he saw Li Guanqi getting closer again. She tilted her head slightly and stared at him steadily.

"Is this why you blurted out and called me 'mom'?" Li Guanqi's words hit Su Cheng's sore spot again. He stared blankly at her and forced a bitter, illusory smile.

"Is it because of shame?"

"Or are you trying to protect me?"

"Or maybe you don't want to put President Ji in an awkward position?"

"Probably... all of the above," Li Guanqi bombarded him with questions in rapid succession, but her tone remained gentle and calm. "So, you'd rather choose to avoid me, right?"

She reached out her hand, and her slender, fair fingers carefully touched his chest, as if she were handling a precious and fragile treasure.

"What you said isn't entirely true," Su Cheng reached out to stop her touch. He said frankly, "Of course, that's part of the reason, but it's not the main one."

Having said that, he paused and then continued to explain, "That night when I found that your scent could bring me inner peace, I was very confused. I didn't understand why or what the principle was. I just couldn't figure it out."

"So, do you have any conclusions now?" Li Guanqi stared intently at his face.

"Conclusions? What conclusions?" Su Cheng murmured to himself and slumped down on the steps beside him. He hung his head, looking extremely sad, but there was a broken smile on his lips. This sight undoubtedly stabbed Li Guanqi's heart severely.

The dim yellow street lamp cast a warm glow on his side profile, enveloping him in a soft halo. Li Guanqi stood there silently, patiently waiting for him to pour out his heart.

"Here," Su Cheng pointed to his left chest. "There's a bottomless hole in my heart. It's been with me since the moment I was born and has never healed."

Li Guanqi understood what was going on. For Su Cheng, an orphan, the void in his heart reserved for parents was an ever-open wound that could never be healed. However, she still had some doubts. Judging from his great emphasis on the orphanage, logically, he shouldn't have such deep psychological scars. Now it seemed that either there was a hidden story in his past or he himself had serious problems.

"And you've helped me time and time again, without reservation and without asking for anything in return," Su Cheng said with a self - mocking curl of his lips. "I don't know how to describe my inner feelings. Maybe I should be grateful to you, but this gratitude only makes me more afraid. I'm afraid that I'll be unable to repay you because I owe you too much."

"I'm not doing this without a purpose. On the contrary, I'm also in search of the truth and looking for answers that belong to me," Li Guanqi said firmly. "I think neither of us owes the other. It's just a matter of each getting what they need."

"Yeah, that makes me feel relieved. But..." Su Cheng sighed. "But the aura around you gives me an unprecedented sense of security and familiarity. Coupled with your kind face, it creates a strong illusion for me. It's as if I'm just a newborn baby in the stage of recognizing my mother, instinctively following your scent and longing for your comfort."

"Because only in this way can the emptiness in me that has never been filled become a little less empty. But my reason tells me that this is a morbid manifestation of the lack of maternal love, the so - called 'Oedipus complex'. I'm afraid that such behavior will hurt you and also hurt everyone else. So, I can only desperately suppress the longing in my heart."

Su Cheng's monologue was full of remorse and pain. His voice was sometimes impassioned and sometimes low, as if he was trying his best to vent something but could never completely let it go. Instead, that deep sense of emptiness intensified and almost swallowed him up.

At this moment, he simply squatted against the wall, curling himself into a ball, no longer showing the bravado and willfulness he had during the day. All that was left here was a vulnerable and helpless child, a poor child without parents, abandoned in the world, nakedly showing his battered soul to the world.

Li Guanqi knew that it was the aura around her that had tempted him to say these words that cast aside his dignity. With Su Cheng's usual pride and conceit, he would never easily reveal his innermost feelings.

This situation seemed just right for saying some comforting words, persuading Su Cheng to go back for treatment, and sending him back to Ji Qingyi's side regardless of his wishes.

Anyway, it was all for his own good.

However, things perhaps shouldn't have developed like this.

Many thoughts flashed through Li Guanqi's mind, and she had even thought about how to comfort Su Cheng.

But when she saw his dejected and humble appearance, the words in her throat just couldn't come out.

So -

She slowly stepped forward, opened her arms, and gently wrapped them around his head. Like a loving mother, she stroked his hair with tenderness, trying to give him endless warmth and protection.

And it was more than just a simple scent.