Lu Xue nodded. "Yes. But after I turned eighteen and became an adult, I no longer accepted his financial support. By then, I was already capable of earning enough for my living expenses and tuition fees and taking responsibility for my own life. So, I returned all the money he had funded me. At that time, I still had a little wish in my heart, which was to gather all the money he had funded me over the years and return it to him in full."
Mu Yuze listened as Lu Xue softly told some of her childhood stories. Some of them were quite sad, yet she described them in a nonchalant tone.
What had been a devastating disaster for a little girl back then was now simply summarized with just a few words.
Lu Xue spoke casually, but Mu Yuze felt a deep pang of heartache in his heart.
If he had known earlier that Lu Xue had such a vagrant childhood and such a difficult early academic experience, he would have wanted to meet her earlier, find her earlier, and bring her a better life.
Probably sensing what Mu Yuze was thinking, Lu Xue shook her head and said, "I actually think it's good that we met at this point in time."
Mu Yuze suppressed the sourness in his heart and smiled. "Yes, I'm really grateful to meet you like this at this moment. At least fate hasn't treated us badly. Although it's many years late, we've finally met."
Saying this, he felt that he could no longer suppress the emotions in his heart. He reached out his hand and tentatively groped backwards.
He touched Lu Xue's palm, and their fingers intertwined. Mu Yuze lowered his voice.
"Maybe I was too impatient. I shouldn't have urged you about the wedding so quickly. There might be some knots in your heart that need to be slowly untied. Whether you're willing to marry me or not, I'm willing to accompany you through this period."
The car was dim and silent. A little moonlight spilled in through the car window and landed on their intertwined hands.
Lu Xue felt the scorching temperature of Mu Yuze's palm. That warmth spread from her palm, tingling all the way to her wrist, and then slowly flowed into her heart.
When Mu Yuze finished speaking and looked at her, Lu Xue only felt her heart warm, as if a warm current had been injected into it. Perhaps this was what being touched was like.
Lu Xue lowered her eyes and tried hard to suppress the fluctuating emotions in her heart.
She suddenly realized that she had imagined Mu Yuze to be too narrow - minded. Regarding the engagement, subconsciously, she had placed Mu Yuze on the opposite side of the negotiation table.
She wanted to escape from this matter and leave far away to gain a little bit of security in her heart.
But Mu Yuze had never forced her. He had always been so gentle and reliable, giving her complete security. No matter what happened, he was willing to stay by her side.
Mu Yuze was like the beam of light accompanying her through this period. At this moment, in the dim night, this beam of light passed through all the dark barriers and directly reached her heart.
Lu Xue took a deep breath and slowly spoke as if making a major decision.
"When it gets light, I'll go back with you!"
Mu Yuze was stunned for a moment and asked in surprise, "You're willing to go back with me?"
Lu Xue nodded. Mu Yuze was so surprised that he didn't know what to do. He tightly held Lu Xue's wrist, unconsciously increasing his strength.
When he realized his gaffe, he quickly let go of Lu Xue and said, "Don't worry. After we get back, I'll make sure Mu Ziyue never mentions the matter in the will again. Let's just pretend it never happened between us!"
Lu Xue nodded, and Mu Yuze also let out a sigh of relief. The barrier between them seemed to dissolve silently.
After this heart - to - heart conversation, they reconciled and could return to their previous relationship.
Lu Xue was a bit sleepy, so Mu Yuze urged her to sleep a little more.
The girl in the back row wrapped herself in the boy's coat and soon fell asleep, while Mu Yuze just sat quietly until dawn.
When it got light, a car finally passed by them. A kind - hearted villager gave them a ride back.
After returning to the small yard, Lu Xue's condition improved a lot.
She was still half - asleep when she received a call from Han Xiaolv.
After Han Xiaolv got through the call, she seemed to let out a sigh of relief.
"Lu Xue, I finally got through to you. Your phone was turned off for the past few days. I couldn't contact you and sent you several emails."
Lu Xue said apologetically, "I've been feeling unwell these days, so I didn't check my messages or emails. The internet speed here might not be very good."
Hearing that Lu Xue was sick, Han Xiaolv asked a few questions about her health.
Lu Xue explained that she had already returned from the hospital and there was nothing wrong with her. Only then did Han Xiaolv start talking about work.
"We originally had a business contract that night. We needed to meet a partner. It was something that had been arranged a long time ago, but we just couldn't contact you that night."
Lu Xue's emotions had been fluctuating greatly these days. It was only after Han Xiaolv's reminder that she just remembered this matter.