Gu Xiang used to be a bubbly girl and a troublemaker.
Early on, her mother left her. Whenever she did done something wrong, no one in the house would defend her. Even when she made the smallest mistake like breaking a bowl accidentally, her father would beat her. A slap on her face was par for the course.
She would get beaten up if she got even a single question wrong on examinations. Her father’s strictness towards her was borderline twisted. He had passed away long ago, but he still remained in her memory. Every now and then, she would have recurring dreams of herself getting beaten up.
In her dreams, she was still the weak and helpless girl who could not stand up for herself… She would hide in darkness, unable to see any light.
…
“Gu Xiang!” She was woken up by Jiang Chi.
When she opened her eyes, she saw his handsome and kind face which gave her a sense of security. He was a doctor. His appearance was not aggressive at all. If anything, it was reassuring. When she saw his caring gaze, she was dazed for a moment. Then, she realized that her eyes were wet. She had dreamt of her father again!
It seemed like every time she dreamt of him, she cried real tears despite it being a dream.
Dodging his gaze, she lifted the blanket and went straight into the bathroom before closing the door. She turned on the tap and splashed water on her face, in a bid to sober up. Her memories would haunt her in the form of nightmares every now and then.
Even now, when she felt that she was powerful enough to be independent and that she had forgotten about the past, the trauma that was buried deep in her heart could still overwhelm her. It might follow her for the rest of her life!
Thinking about how she had lost control of herself in front of Jiang Chi just now, Gu Xiang felt embarrassed. Upon remembering that she still had to return to the store, she forced herself to regain her senses before walking out of the bathroom.
…
Rain splattered the glass as the sky grew dark. Jiang Chi had already changed into slippers and taken off his outerwear. Holding a remote, he drew the curtains.
This house did not have many rooms. However, it was very big, so each room was very spacious. When he saw Gu Xiang walk out of the bathroom, he fixed his gaze on her.
Right now, what Gu Xiang was most afraid of was him looking at her. She was really scared that he would mock her for having a nightmare. Somehow, she felt that someone like him would be capable of that.
“What did you dream of?”
As expected, he asked her. However, a hint of unexpected concern could be heard in his voice. It was as if the person standing in front of her now was not her husband, but a doctor.
Gu Xiang answered indifferently, “Nothing.”
“Was it something related to your past?” The next question he asked got her.
The feeling of being stripped naked made her rather uncomfortable.
“It has nothing to do with you.”
Luckily, Jiang Chi did not probe further. Instead, he talked to her about something more important, “It’s raining now. You should just sleep here tonight. It’s late and I’m tired. I don’t want to make another trip. You can take a shower. I prepared some clothes for you over there.”
After saying that he put down the remote and picked up the medical book that was beside it. Thereafter, he walked out of the room and closed the door.
Gu Xiang was silent. It seemed like he could tell that she was feeling very uncomfortable, so he left this space for her.
There was a fresh set of clothes that he had prepared for her on the couch. White T-shirt and a pair of pants. It was clear that the clothes belonged to him.
Since he distanced himself from women, it made sense that he did not have any clothes for women.