Song Yan was completely bewildered by these two people. For now, she had to play it safe with both of them and couldn't afford to offend either.
Thankfully, Ding Ruola, this well - spoken girl, gave Song Yan plenty of leeway in her words. However, saying these things to Song Yan was of little use. Only when they were said to Fang Siyan would the message get through.
"Sister Yan, I'll clarify this matter with Lao Fang. Don't worry," Ding Ruola said.
After hanging up the call with Song Yan, she immediately dialed Fang Siyan's number.
It was answered in an instant! Before the carrier's prompt tone could even finish ringing, the man's voice came through the phone.
"Do you like it?"
"Lao Fang, I like your big head!"
Fang Siyan was once again left at a loss by this barrage of retorts.
Finally, the two met at a Sichuan cuisine restaurant. The spicy diced chicken in front of them was as fiery as Ding Ruola's anger.
She kept her chopsticks moving non - stop, shoveling rice into her mouth. During this process, she would glance at the man sitting across from her from time to time.
"Lao Fang, you're really rich. You find all sorts of ways to insult people," she said with a hint of sarcasm.
Was she being sarcastic?
Fang Siyan didn't quite understand Ding Ruola. It seemed that this girl's way of thinking was on a different wavelength from his.
"You wanted to act. I was afraid you'd get hurt, so I..."
Before he could finish, Ding Ruola interrupted him.
So he thought Ding Ruola was angry with him because of the acting thing.
"Lao Fang, I know you're capable, but can you please consider my feelings?"
What Ding Ruola wanted was to stand on equal footing with this man through her own efforts, to be able to stand side by side with him, rather than being in the current situation.
Everything had to be helped by Fang Siyan, and she had to rely on his fame for everything.
Since the topic they had never talked about had started, they might as well continue.
Fang Siyan folded his hands on the table. Every time the girl reasoned with him, he felt an indescribable nervousness!
He looked up at Ding Ruola, waiting for her to speak.
The girl started eating again!
Silence fell over the table once more.
"Ruoruo, I thought you'd like it. I wanted to give you the best," Fang Siyan said.
Ding Ruola covered her mouth with one hand, put down her chopsticks with the other, and casually grabbed a tissue to wipe the juice from the corner of her mouth.
"First, sort out the matter with Sister Yan," she said.
Fang Siyan nodded, indicating that he had already asked his assistant to talk to Song Yan.
"Lao Fang, I love you very much, but this side of you scares me," Ding Ruola said.
What exactly did a woman want from love? Why would she be scared even when things were too good?
"I feel insecure. The way you handle things is not because of love at all. It's more like an elder's way," she continued.
Fang Siyan was stunned. He hadn't even realized that the way he had handled things these few times was so unreasonable.
He always stopped the girl from doing various things in the name of protecting Ding Ruola.
They had quarreled over the acting thing because he was afraid that Ding Ruola would also suffer from online violence. He had witnessed with his own eyes how Ding Ruola was afraid of her phone because of the netizens' doubts.
He was angry because Ding Ruola had been approached by the Gu family without any defense.
To make up for these, he had casually given her gifts that he thought she would like.
In Fang Siyan's eyes, all these were acts of protection, and in his heart, he thought this was love.
But not for Ding Ruola!
This wasn't what she wanted!
"Lao Fang, I'm starting to wonder if we're really not suitable for each other!"
The two looked into each other's eyes. When Ding Ruola said this, her eyes were unfocused. She was like a lost lamb without hope.
Fang Siyan, on the other hand, was like a predator whose prey was about to escape.
"Ruoruo, why do you stay stuck in your own way of thinking and refuse to come out?"
Bi Shuang had said the same thing to Fang Siyan.
Insecure people regarded others' care as a form of charity. Ding Ruola's eyes had been blinded by her own inferiority.
"Shall we go for a walk outside?"
The restaurant was filled with the smell of cooking. Fang Siyan, who had been in a calm mood, suddenly felt irritable.
The late spring cold hadn't passed yet. The passers - by outside were still wearing winter clothes, and the trees were still bare. The only difference from winter was that the east wind was blowing strongly, and even with their clothes tightly wrapped, it still felt cold.
After walking just a few steps outside, Ding Ruola's nose was already red from the cold, and her lips were pale.
Her hands were cold too. There were no pockets on her clothes. To look more presentable and elegant, she could only try to tuck her hands deeper into her sleeves.
Fang Siyan noticed every move of Ding Ruola.
The man reached out and pulled the girl's hand out of her sleeve. He moved closer to her and put her hand into his own coat pocket.
"Shall we go back first?"
It really wasn't a good time to be out for a walk.
The two returned home, and everything in the house was in place.
Fang Siyan poured water for Ding Ruola, while Ding Ruola went to rummage through the fridge to see if there was anything to eat.
The moment she opened the fridge door, Ding Ruola froze.
Mangoes, oranges, durians... There were many kinds of fruits in it, mostly the ones Ding Ruola liked.
She casually picked up a box, and the date on it was fresh.
Looking down, she saw some fruits in the trash can next to the fridge. They were shriveled, with black spots on them, and no longer fresh.
It seemed that Fang Siyan replaced the fruits in the fridge every day. He had been waiting for Ding Ruola to come back every day.
Even though he missed her terribly in his heart, he still pretended to be nonchalant.
"Baby!"
"Lao Fang, do you love me?"
Fang Siyan was taken aback. He always felt that his tongue would get tied up just when he was about to say that word.
"Love!"
One short and powerful word.
With just this simple word, all the contradictions of the past few days were resolved.
Ding Ruola was sipping hot water while replying to Bi Shuang's message.
[I'm home. Don't worry about me.]
The cute emoticon expressed her inner joy.
Bi Shuang stopped playing games. Could it be that her wish had come true tonight?
Since Ding Ruola's relationship problem had been solved, Bi Shuang also felt like she had been reborn.
[Bi Shuang: May you and Professor Fang have an unbreakable relationship!]
After this simple message, there was no more news.
Fang Siyan put the documents in the study and then sat on the sofa in the living room with Ding Ruola to watch TV.
It was more like the TV was just providing some background music for the chatting couple.
Ding Ruola tilted her head and leaned on Fang Siyan's arm.
"Lao Fang, why don't you let me get close to the people from the Gu family?"
She just suddenly remembered this. Fang Siyan pulled his arm out of Ding Ruola's embrace and then put his arm around her, pulling her into his arms.
"The people from the Gu family are not simple. I'm afraid they'll hurt you because of me," Fang Siyan said.
He didn't elaborate on the reason. Naturally, he wouldn't tell Ding Ruola.
In the current situation, the less Ding Ruola knew, the safer she would be.
Ding Ruola had her own understanding. Now, whenever she thought of the people from the Gu family, the first person that came to her mind was Gu Qianxue.