Her brain was completely blank, so shocked that no thoughts formed in her mind. As he revealed the secret that he had hidden in his heart for so many years before her, Su Zhinian’s heart stopped alongside his breathing as he stared into Song Qingchun’s eyes. He was nervous, anxious for her reaction.

  Silence reigned once more. It was even more silent than when she had been waiting for him to answer her earlier. The sun poured in through the window, lighting up the room.

  Song Qingchun froze, staring at Su Zhinian. She didn’t move, and her eyes were as blank as the expression on her face; there was no trace of emotion. Her silence caused the blood flowing through Su Zhinian’s veins to slow down until it came to a halt.

  Even though there were no thoughts circulating through her mind, by holding her hand, he knew she was stunned by the revelation. This reaction of hers was something that he was unfortunately very familiar with. It was how those people from his childhood had reacted when he told them their secret thoughts.

  After the other person recovered from the shock, they would come up with many reasons to resolve the awkwardness, like having their darkest secret revealed or glare furiously at him. Eventually they would all run away from him like he was some kind of detestable trash……

  What about Song Qingchun? Would she have the same reaction? Su Zhinian suddenly didn’t have the courage to face what came next. He was not afraid of being abandoned by the whole world, but he didn’t think he could survive being disposed of by her.

  Su Zhinian lowered his gaze, and his hand that held Song Qingchun started to slip. Just as he was about to turn and walk away, Song Qingchun raised her head dumbly to stare into his face. She looked at him thusly for quite some time before asking a silly question. "Su Zhinian, was everything that just happened…… real?"

  She’s finally caught on to the truth…… Here it comes, the thing that I’m afraid of the most……

  Things had already reached this juncture. Even though he was afraid, there was no other option for him to take. Facing her question, he could only nod and answer, "Yes, they’re all real."

  "Okay." Song Qingchun nodded before lowering her head to stare at the paper that had the words ’My name is Song Qingchun’ on it. She contemplated it for a moment before rushing out of the study without a word. Her speed was fast, but she didn’t forget the slam the door shut behind her.

  Su Zhinian, who stood in the study, could hear Song Qingchun as she rushed down the stairs and the front door being pulled out. He turned unconsciously towards the window and saw that the girl had raced across the pebbled patio towards the gate without even putting on her shoes.

  She looked like she was running away from a monster.

  He didn’t blame her for acting this way, but an indescribable sadness washed through him like rain, causing his breath to catch in his throat