Chapter 121: Lu Yunzhou, do you really know what it means to like someone?

Lu Yunzhou carried Shen Zhaoxi into the house at the rescue base. This area was on higher ground, so the floodwaters had not submerged these buildings. The local residents had also been moving their belongings to this site. Ahead, a light glowed; under the streetlamp, the man’s silhouette was elongated, standing tall and handsome. Shen Zhaoxi was on his back, and he carried her like this through the dimly lit streets.

"Lu Yunzhou, do you really like me?" Shen Zhaoxi asked suddenly.

After she said this, she could clearly feel the man’s body stiffen. Leaning against a wall, his eyes grew dark and unfathomable. His throat tightened, and even his breathing slowed.

"Five years ago, I actually heard your conversation with Grandfather."

Back then, she had just returned from the military district and happened to pass by the pavilion in Birch Garden. The handsome youth, whose brows and eyes were as picturesque as a favored child of heaven, was cold, reserved, and gentle as he played chess with her grandfather. Just then, her grandfather had smiled and asked him, "Do you truly not like our Zhaozhao?"

The youth held a chess piece, placed it down calmly, and frowned. "Yes."

His tone had been calm and gentle, yet carried a hint of nervousness. "Teacher, although I know that calling off the engagement might have a negative impact on both families, matters of the heart simply cannot be forced..."

"So, Lu Yunzhou, liking me is not something that can be forced," Shen Zhaoxi continued. "I believe you had already guessed why I was putting on an act in front of you—it is because I have been dwelling on what happened five years ago. I hid all my grievances and unwillingness in my heart. I was in pain... and I kept thinking that one day, I would take revenge on you."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yunzhou’s gaze darkened. He halted his steps, stopping in the middle of the street. Under the dim yellow streetlamp, he looked like the most somber soul in the downpour. A complex emotion rolled within his pitch-black eyes, yet on his face, it transformed into tender pity.

Who could guarantee that words spoken in youth would not come with a price? At that time, he was a young man who had achieved fame early, a child of heaven, whose heart was entirely focused on his career; he had never considered the affairs of the heart. When he came to play chess with his teacher and mentioned the engagement, it was out of a sense of responsibility toward the Shen family. He felt he had no romantic feelings for Shen Zhaoxi, and perhaps binding them together in a marriage contract was an act of extreme irresponsibility toward her. That was why he wanted to speak to his teacher.

But he never imagined that because of a single sentence from his youth, he would lose his only chance to truly understand her—to get to know her when they were young.

As the girl on his back finished speaking, Lu Yunzhou’s eyes grew deep and dim. "I know."

His voice was low and hoarse. In the darkness, Shen Zhaoxi could not see his cold, handsome face, yet she faintly felt that his tone was tinged with a touch of pity. Heartache. Was it her imagination? Why would he feel this way? Shen Zhaoxi thought to herself, then suddenly sneered. "You know?"

"You don't know anything at all," she continued. "You are good to me only because we have an engagement. You take care of me only because you feel it is a duty you owe me. Lu Yunzhou, do you even know what it means to like someone?"

On Shen Zhaoxi’s pale face, the corners of her eyes turned red, and a hot tear rolled down, turning into a scalding drop that landed on the back of his neck. His body shuddered, and he paused, frozen there. The small point of heat on his neck began to scorch his heart.

Shen Zhaoxi had known that her previous tactics were ineffective, as he didn't seem to resent her. She had said this on purpose, intentionally throwing a tantrum. But Lu Yunzhou’s reaction took her by surprise. Even after knowing she was putting on an act to annoy him, and even after she explicitly told him she was doing it to take revenge for that remark from years ago, why didn't he give her the reaction she had expected? He seemed to be swallowing all his emotions into his stomach.

Perhaps in her eyes, everything had been a performance from start to finish. But for Lu Yunzhou, it was not so. He didn't know when it started, but he had begun to care about her every move. He found himself experiencing inexplicable emotional highs and lows because of her. If she even slightly frowned, he would worry and couldn't help but feel tense. He didn't know when he had first noticed a hint of something different about her—as if, when she looked at him, he could see a flicker of something else in her eyes. The complex, subtle emotions hidden within those cold eyes were something he couldn't decipher. But he had never thought too much about it. As long as she was by his side, as long as she was happy, she could do whatever she wanted.

But today, hearing these words, Lu Yunzhou finally understood the reason. So that was it. Because of a single sentence he had uttered to his teacher when he was young and naive, she had held onto that resentment for years, waiting to take revenge. Perhaps he had sensed it long ago, but he had thought that as long as she could feel a little better, it didn't matter what he endured.

She had asked him if he knew what true liking was. Perhaps he didn't have an accurate answer right now, but he wanted to say that he could not bear to see her frown or shed tears in front of him. As long as she cried, he couldn't care about anything else; he only felt the need to soothe her. Their engagement had become the only ray of hope in his heart.

Yet, despite the thousands of words on his lips, he kept them tightly pressed together. Finally, he spoke, "I am very sorry for what happened back then."

Having said that, he didn't stop, for the wind was cold in the rainy night. The temperature had dropped. If he stayed out here any longer, Shen Zhaoxi would catch a cold. With a somber gaze, a hint of hidden endurance flashing through his dark pupils, he stepped forward and headed toward the temporary housing where his unit was stationed.

The buildings here had been cleared out. After the floods receded, aside from the muddy ground, the rest was passable. Entering a room at the far corner, Lu Yunzhou turned on the light and placed her on the bed. His clothes were soaked through with rain and stained with mud and blood; he frowned slightly and said to her, "I’ll go get you something to eat."

Shen Zhaoxi looked at him, seemingly puzzled. How could he still be so calm and speak to her like this after everything that had happened? "I'm not hungry," she replied, thinking it over.

"Not hungry?" Lu Yunzhou frowned. He knew she had left the previous rescue point and spent the entire day searching for him. How could she not be hungry? But he suddenly recalled that when they were at the military base canteen, the young girl was just as picky. She liked spicy food and disliked green onions... perhaps many dishes didn't suit her taste.

Thinking this, Lu Yunzhou walked up to her and looked at her earnestly. "What would you like to eat? I'll go make it for you."