Love Me Again - Chapter 7.3

Credit: Edited by ttun65

His warm breath near her ear caused Luo An Hai to tremble. As she struggled to escape, Han Ting Hua’s hold tightened even more, preventing her from fleeing. “Han Ting Hua, you…”

“Shh. There’s a lot of people watching us, do you really want to continue struggling and make a fool of yourself?” Han Ting Hua knows how proud she is, Luo An Hai stills. Emitting a low laugh, Han Ting Hua takes a few strides while holding on to her waist, forcing Luo An Hai towards the dancefloor.

The hand around her waist is overbearingly strong as the two remain ambiguously close she can almost feel the shocked stares around them… in the end, what is he planning?

Suppressing the fluster in her heart, Luo An Hai forces herself to raise her eyes and glower at him, reprimanding him in a hushed tone “Exactly what are you planning to do?”

“What about you? How long do you plan on running?” Han Ting Hua immediately retorts.

“Who’s running?”

“….then who was it who refused to return home these last few days?”

Luo An Hai stiffens, then arrogantly raising her chin. “You can’t control me, whether I return or not is my decision.”

Han Ting Hua knows she’s stubbornly trying to bluff her way out…..

“I know you’re hiding from me, don’t deny it.” He doesn’t give her the opportunity to refute as his eyes lock onto hers.

“Luo An Hai, when will you be honest to yourself? What are you afraid of? You should know the more scared you are, the more obvious it is to me that you-”

*Pa* A slap interrupts Han Ting Hua’s sentence.

The crowd is completely shocked, staring at the two in wonder.

Luo An Hai clenches her fists, glaring at Han Ting Hua as her body shakes in anger. Ignoring the stunned audience, she turns and leaves the event.

She walks quickly, as though she was fleeing from something, while her clenched fist swells with the pain from slapping him. She closes her eyes.

The words Han Ting Hua wasn’t able to say were exactly those that had been hidden in the depths of her heart. Almost causing the lock that she didn’t dare think about, let alone touch, to burst open.

She doesn’t want to hear it, nor does she dare to, and only wants to escape. Suddenly a strong force appears behind her, causing her to look back.

“Ah!” Luo An Hai shrieks. “Han Tin Hua, you—-” Before she could even finish speaking, she was already brashly thrown into the car. Struggling to get off, she finds the doors already locked.

“Open the door! Let me out!” Han Ting Hua ignores her bellows, and steps on the accelerator.

As Han Ting Hua drives back to her residence. Luo An Hai, who had been yelling the whole time, suddenly turns silent, when Han Ting Hua takes her hand, pulling her inside.

Inside, the lights were off, aside from a faint glow coming from outside. The two of them stood silently in the dark.

Han Ting Hua heads to the counter, pouring himself a glass of water, before returning to Luo An Hai, offering the water to her. “Drink, you should be thirsty.”

Luo An Hai takes the water from him, dumping it on him and throwing the glass at his face.

The moment she hears the glass hitting his forehead, her heart tightens, soon followed by the sound of the glass smashing against the floor.

Enduring the pain, Han Ting Hua asks “Has your anger faded yet? If not, I’ll let you hit this side as well.”

He turns his right cheek towards her, as Luo An Hai slaps it, not even holding back a little, forming another handprint on his face. But it’s still not enough, as she practically leaps towards Han Ting Hua, beating and kicking at him as he bears her hits, not even retreating or evading. Not even uttering a sound as his body receives her attacks.

It was like Luo An Hai was venting out all her resentment, placing all her strength in her fists to express the rage and unspeakable grievances she’s experienced! Why? Why would he? Why would he force her? Why would he say those things to her?

“Han Ting Hua you arsehole! Why are you treating me like this? You don’t understand anything! You don’t know anything! Why are you forcing me?” She rages at him, hollering until her voice is hoarse, wails, then starts to push him away. “Leave, go away! Stay the hell away from me!”

Han Ting Hua doesn’t move, standing firmly in place as he locks his deep gaze onto her.

That expression almost drives Luo An Hai mad. Those eyes were so familiar, just like the man in her memories. That fool had always worn this expression as he stared at her picture…..

“Don’t stare at me like that! Stop! Just don’t!” Forcefully pulling his collar, she bites down firmly on his neck. She bites so hard her teeth had almost sunk down into his flesh, not even letting go as the taste of iron floods her mouth. As hot tears well up in her eyes, she tries to endure, preventing them from falling. As though crying would be like admitting something.

She’s always been resisting, always refused to admit……

Han Ting Hua remains silent throughout this exchange. Feeling her tremble, listening to her rapid breath, as though she was holding back her tears. She really is stubborn, for that stubborn person to know that there’s someone willing to treasure her, that there’s someone willing to give their all to protect her.

“Shh, don’t be afraid. I’m here. I’m here for you.” His voice is so soft and so tender, like a feather gently enveloping her. “I won’t leave. I won’t abandon you. I’m right here beside you.”

Luo An Hai opens her eyes, lashes lightly fluttering. After a while…. A tear accidentally flows down, one drop followed by another, dripping onto Han Ting Hua’s shoulder, causing his heart to tense.

Han Ting Hua feels as though his heart had completely turned soft. Perhaps he had always been waiting for this moment, waiting for her to openly cry rather than suppressing her tears even in her dreams.

She had hidden too many secrets in the depths of her heart, while he had wanted nothing more than to unravel those secrets, to lower her guard, so that when she’s hurt, she can cry to her heart’s content.

“I like you Luo An Hai.” The confession whispered into the dark strikes at Luo An Hai’s heart.

“You told me not to love you, but it’s already too late.” From a long, long time ago ….. From when his gaze could no longer leave her, it was already too late. “Luo An Hai, let me love you, okay?”

Luo An Hai closes her eyes, letting the tears flow from her eyes. She never knew why she was given another chance at life. She wanted to treat her father better, unable to forget his grief as he stood before her grave, yet even with another chance, she never knew how to interact with him. Or maybe, she had never relinquished her grudge towards him.

While towards Han Ting Hua… she had always hated him, hated how he had taken all her father’s love, hated how he and his mother had stolen her home. She had hated him so much she just assumed he would feel the same. There should only be hatred between them.

Yet after she died, he had spent night after night pacing around her room, every night holding her picture alone, and on her birthday he would buy a small cake, sing happy birthday to her, lie on her bed by himself, gazing at her until dawn. Day after day, night after night…..

She doesn’t understand. Why would he love her? The hatred in her heart turns into ignorance, unknowingly developing into heartache. She doesn’t want him to be like this, she doesn’t like it!

Love, she’s never needed such a thing!

Love makes people go mad. Recalling her love-crazed mother, who had spent her whole life madly in love, yet before she died, she had held her hand, crying as she told her never to believe in love, love will only cause people pain, just like her.

She had remembered her mother’s words, and never loved anyone. Look, wasn’t what her mother said true, just look at Han Ting Hua.

Isn’t it because he’s suffering from love that he’d be so sad and pitiful, holding her picture even as he died. What’s the use? It’s not like she could respond, she wouldn’t…..

Even if she gets another lifetime she still won’t love him, she only wants him to hate her!

It should’ve been like this…. He should’ve hated her.

Only, does she really want him to hate her? Does she really not want his love?

Luo An Hai, what are you running from—-that day, he had asked her, those eyes looking at her as though they could see right through her.

What was she running from… Luo An Hai recalls the tears he had shed at her grave, recalling that reluctance and heartache.

She was sympathetic towards his stupidity, but wasn’t willing … wasn’t willing to respond to him. This whole time she wasn’t willing to admit that what she felt for him already wasn’t hate since the hatred in her heart was already worn away by his foolishness.

She had called him stupid, yet those words weren’t wholly without affection, yet her mother’s legacy caused her to be afraid, too afraid to believe in love. So she pretended love didn’t exist, forcing herself to deny the tension between them.

He loves her, how could she not know? Their relationship had long developed into an ambiguous one, only she had forced herself to remain ignorant.

Just like how she could clearly ignore him, yet she deliberately chose to seek him out, to watch her, to never forget her existence.

That man used his foolishness to cause her to engrave him within her heart, so that even with another chance at life, even with her fear of love, and even with all the hatred she’s professed to have, she still can’t forget his foolishness, secretly becoming attached to his love, yet unable to admit it.

She fled, she hid, she guarded herself with all she had, yet she still feared that he would actually turn and walk away. Yet once he comes close, she can’t help being terrified. Until now, as he steadily presses ahead, no longer allowing her to escape.

While she was also tired of running. Maybe, in her heart she no longer wanted to run anymore, and had already wanted to love and be loved.

They had tortured each other like an S and M see-saw, if one came forward, the other would retreat, yet still firmly holding on, neither of them willing to let go —- actually, she had always feared he’d let go. She had thought, maybe the reason the Heavens had let her relive her life was because of him.

Not wanting to let him down any longer, Luo An Hai loosens her jaw, as Han Ting Hua smiles, “Not biting anymore?”

Luo An Hai remains silent. Glancing down, her hands grip his collar, slightly shaking it, as the taste of blood in her mouth almost causes her to smile, her heart feeling sour. This guy, just passively allowing her to bite, really such a moron.

“What?” Han Ting Hua couldn’t hear properly.

Luo An Hai doesn’t reply, and simply pulls him down towards her, before lifting her head to bite his lip, tears flowing from the corner of her eyes – idiot, she won’t run anymore.