Han Luo softly requested, "Big brother Yuan, can I sleep at your house tonight? I don't want to go home."
Whenever she was around Mo Yuan, she would be assured and she would feel safe. That's why whenever she was anxious about something, she would try to stay beside him. His presence was enough to comfort her.
Mo Yuan paused and then patted her head. He controlled his expression and stated in a deep voice, "My house is also your house. You don't need to ask for permission to go to your own house. You can go there anytime you want and do whatever you want."
Han Luo looked at him and gave him a forced smile. "Thank you big brother Yuan." She seemed slightly relieved.
Nothing missed from Mo Yuan's observant eyes but he decided not to force her for now. She didn't look like she had overcome her fear.
When the time comes, he will eventually find out what happened that made her frightened. Therefore, he took his time delaying.
The meals were served soon after that. Mo Yuan served her a bowl of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall stew.
The soup or stew consists of quail eggs, bamboo shoots, scallops, sea cucumber, abalone, shark fin, fish maw, chicken, Jinhua ham, pork tendon, ginseng, mushrooms, and taro. Some recipes require up to thirty main ingredients and twelve condiments. It takes two days to prepare this dish.
Han Luo had liked this soup ever since she was young. Ma Rui took her along with Mo Yuan to have this dish.
Han Luo looked better when she tasted her favorite spicy roasted duck. She liked spicy food and Mo Yuan knew it. That's why he ordered extra spicy roasted duck. Unlike before, she didn't talk much and only concentrated on eating whatever she was given.
Other times, she would have complained if she was forced to eat too much. This time, she dazedly finished her meal.
When they finished their meal, they went back to Mo Yuan's house.
"Luo'er wants to stay here! Good! Very good! Luo'er you should come here and spend some time with me often." Ma Rui was happy knowing that Han Luo wanted to stay here on her own.
"All right, mom," Han Luo agreed.
Last year, when Martha reported to her that Han Luo was drunk and Mo Yuan carried her in his room Ma Rui was thrilled. She pestered Mo Yuan for a week to find out if he made any move. However, he didn't utter a single word about that night.
Thinking that her son was a dull wood, Ma Rui gave up interrogating him. Since then, she kept advising her son to make a move and invited Han Luo to her house countless times. And yet, to disappoint her, their relationship didn't sprout the way she wanted.
Han Luo dragged her tired body to upstairs. Her room was situated right beside Mo Yuan's room. She took a bath and changed into a cotton nightshirt. Afterward, she went to bed and tried to sleep.
However, she kept recalling the incident that happened not too long ago. She turned around multiple times and squeezed her eyes shut. But it didn't work. After that, she faced the bed and covered her head with the pillow. It didn't help her to forget it either.
Later, she couldn't take it anymore. She got out of the bed and timidly went out of her room.
The house was completely dark and quiet. She wasn't afraid of darkness usually but today was a bit different. She shivered and hurriedly walked to the direction of Mo Yuan's room.
She stood in front of his door and knocked on the door cautiously. She was having a hard time standing in the darkness. She felt like someone would come behind her and stab her with a knife.
When she didn't hear any sound coming from his room, she turned the doorknob and went inside his room. She closed the door behind her and sighed in relief. Cold sweats formed on her forehead. She licked her dry lips out of nervousness.
Mo Yuan's room was dark and there was no sign of anyone moving.
'Did he fall asleep? What time is it?' She didn't know the time. She opened her mouth and softly called out, "Big brother Yuan."
She didn't know that Mo Yuan had yet to fall asleep. He was thinking of today's incident. He wished to surprise her by giving her a special kind of traditional chocolates that could only be shared between couples. That's why he left her outside the shop and went inside by himself.
However, after he bought the chocolates, he was the one who ended up being surprised by Han Luo's behavior. She looked ghastly pale as if she had seen something terrifying. He had no idea what could make her scared like that.
As he was pondering, he heard someone knock on his door. At first, he thought that he might have imagined it. So, he didn't reply. However, the door of his room suddenly opened.
Mo Yuan frowned. He thought, 'I should have locked the door before I came to bed.'
However, after a moment of silence, a soft voice called out his name. Mo Yuan instantly sat up on the bed and turned on the bedside table. The dark room was illuminated with a dim light and he saw Han Luo was wearing a strap-sleeved white cotton night top that covered her upper thigh. She was barefooted. Her hair was disheveled and her face was pale.
Mo Yuan asked, "Ah Luo, what's wrong?" He didn't think that she would come to him. Then again, it wasn't the first time she came to meet him at night.
Han Luo quietly muttered, "Big brother Yuan, I cannot sleep alone. Can L… sleep with you tonight?"
Mo Yuan gazed at her for a couple of minutes and his dark eyes gradually deepened.. Unknown to her, his eyes flickered as he reached out his right hand and stated in a deep voice, "Ah Luo, come here."