Chapter 149: She Seems to Be Growing More Delicate

"Let go of me—"

Dizzy and disoriented, Ruan Cha raised her hand and slapped Gu Zhenzhi's back. Her slender waist was firmly gripped by the man's hand, leaving her unable to move. Her head hung in the air, throbbing as if blood were rushing to it, mingled with the woozy sensation of alcohol rising to her brain. After a few seconds, realizing that struggling was useless, Ruan Cha raised her delicate, fair hand to cover her mouth, fearing she might actually vomit from Gu Zhenzhi's rough handling.

Inside the car.

Ruan Cha was tossed into the passenger seat by Gu Zhenzhi. He had come out alone today, without his assistant. Once thrown into the seat, the spinning in her vision finally began to settle. She sat there in a daze for a moment.

By the time she regained her senses, Gu Zhenzhi had already opened the driver's side door. Ruan Cha’s eyes tightened. Without a second thought, she didn't wait for him to get in; she quickly pulled the door open and bolted out as if trying to escape—

"Come back."

Gu Zhenzhi, one foot already inside the vehicle, set it back onto the ground. He braced his arm against the roof, his bottomless eyes fixed intently on the girl's slender back.

The girl’s stubborn figure paused for a moment, then she turned around slowly. Under the dim streetlights, her clear eyes shimmered with a faint, watery light. Gu Zhenzhi felt a tightness in his chest as he looked at her. An uncontrollable emotion surged within him.

Ruan Cha clenched her fists, then slowly released them a moment later. She sighed. It seemed she had so much to say, yet for a long time, she only looked silently into Gu Zhenzhi's eyes.

"Gu Zhenzhi, do you think that just because I like you, I must be someone you can summon at will and cast aside whenever you please?"

The girl's cheeks were slightly flushed, but her lips had begun to lose their vibrant color. Gu Zhenzhi felt a sour pang in his heart at her words. He pursed his lips, as if about to speak, "..."

Before he could utter a word, he saw the girl, who had been holding herself tense, suddenly collapse as if drained of all strength. She crouched down, wrapped her arms around her legs, and buried her face in her knees.

The sight struck Gu Zhenzhi to his core. He took a deep breath, a dull ache blooming in his chest, and stepped toward Ruan Cha.

"Gu Zhenzhi, being cold to you... it doesn't feel good at all..."

Her tightly wound nerves seemed to have found an outlet, and she spoke softly, emboldened by the alcohol.

"You are always so distant, as if no matter what I do, I can never warm your heart." Ruan Cha let out a soft sob. "But have you ever thought about it? I am only a teenager. Why should I have to endure all of this?"

Ruan Cha was a person who could endure much. When she was on her own, to force herself to stop being bullied, she constantly challenged her own limits. To train her physical stamina, she could jump from several meters high without a change in her heart rate; to survive, she had even scavenged discarded food from the streets.

She could endure all of those things.

But somehow, ever since she met Gu Zhenzhi, she seemed to have become increasingly delicate. She found her thoughts swayed by him, and she felt deep sadness because of his lack of response. Ruan Cha didn't know what had happened to her. Before, when she acted spoiled or played the victim in front of Gu Zhenzhi, it was only to win his sympathy. But now, her heart felt truly, deeply pained.

Tears fell onto her knees, the warm liquid sliding down her shins.

"Ruan Cha."

Gu Zhenzhi had already reached her side. He leaned down, his eyes filled with nothing but tenderness. He called her name softly.