Most importantly, every time he learned about He Xiu's situation during a phone call or text message with Xia Ran, his heart would be stirred.
Although he's been single since birth, he's not stupid; how could he not know what's going on in his situation?
He hesitated for a long time, thinking that he should let time settle things and let time prove everything. If he still had even a little bit of feelings for He Xiu after the New Year, he would come over.
But plans don't always go as expected. He arrived ahead of schedule because of Grandpa Xia's passing and also ran into He Xiu.
This matter left him no time to consider or confront his own thoughts. He understood his own feelings, but when asked to speak to He Xiu, he couldn't bring himself to say it, and even felt extremely uncomfortable, just like he was now.
Dazhuang came out with a plate of fruit and two glasses of milk. There was nothing they could do; these were all the things they had bought the night before.
When he saw He Xiu smoking, he paused slightly, but then forced himself to remain calm and walked over, placing the things he was carrying on the coffee table between him and He Xiu.
"Well... how about we eat some fruit and drink some milk first?"
He Xiu glanced at him, then extinguished his cigarette. He looked at the fruit and milk, but ultimately ate them silently.
Seeing this, Dazhuang could only pick up the milk and take a sip.
The atmosphere between the two seemed to freeze again, or rather, it seemed to have never eased. From the moment He Xiu appeared, their relationship had been extremely tense.
Da Zhuang had been waiting for He Xiu to speak, since he himself didn't know what to say.
However, He Xiu, who was sitting opposite him, kept eating fruit and showed no sign of wanting to speak.
Even as the fruit was almost finished, He Xiu hadn't said a word, making Da Zhuang increasingly restless.
"Cough cough..." Da Zhuang coughed deliberately.
He Xiu paused for a moment, looked up at him, and looked at him with a hint of doubt in his eyes.
Da Zhuang: "…………" Could it be that He Xiu is waiting for him to speak?
But he... Da Zhuang's scalp tightened, his lips moved, but he couldn't say anything.
"Never mind, you should finish your food first," Dazhuang said.
He felt he needed to think things through a bit more.
He Xiu glanced at him suspiciously. Just when Da Zhuang thought He Xiu was going to say something, He Xiu silently lowered his head and finished the rest of the fruit, and then started drinking milk again.
The atmosphere was so strange that Dazhuang couldn't stand it anymore, so after He Xiu finished drinking his milk, he couldn't help but speak up.
"Um... did you come all this way specifically to see me?"
After saying that, Dazhuang regretted it. He felt that he must be out of his mind to ask that question. He Xiu had gone straight to Xia Ran's house. If he wasn't here to see him, then who was he here to see?
Sure enough, He Xiu looked at him with a complicated expression after hearing his words, making Da Zhuang even more embarrassed.
"What do you think?" He Xiu actually asked in return.
Da Zhuang was extremely embarrassed. He took a deep breath and spoke again.
"So... what are you planning to do here this time? Or is there anything you want to say?"
"Didn't you say you wanted to talk? If you don't come over, I'll have to come to you."
"Oh...I see." Da Zhuangyan swallowed hard. "Then...how do we negotiate?"
Hearing this, He Xiu couldn't help but sigh. Judging from Da Zhuang's expression, it was hard to imagine how far their conversation would go today.
Dazhuang couldn't help but want to speak, but after thinking about it, he held back. If he really spoke, Dazhuang might come up with some strange excuse again.
It's just a matter of time; he can afford to wait anyway, so let's just sit and sit with Dazhuang.
"Hmm..." Dazhuang suddenly stopped again, "How do we talk?"
"How do you want to talk?" He Xiu threw the question back at Da Zhuang.
"Huh? Um... I... I don't know either." He was filled with guilt.
"Talk however you want."
"Really?" Da Zhuang took a deep breath, unsure whether He Xiu's words were true or false.
He Xiu gave a soft hum, and for a moment he felt that Da Zhuang's words were like a trap for him, but it was only for a moment. He quickly calmed down. Anyway, Da Zhuang couldn't do anything to him, so there was nothing to worry about.
Upon hearing this, Dazhuang's eyes lit up instantly, and he immediately asked,
"Then why did you block all my contact methods back then? Explain yourself."
Now, it was He Xiu who was stuck in a daze. He had expected Da Zhuang to ask him many questions or talk about many things, but he never expected him to ask this.
He looked a little uncomfortable. He couldn't very well say that he did that because he wanted to distance himself from Dazhuang, could he?
If he really said that, he could probably guess how Dazhuang would react—he would definitely laugh at him mercilessly, so there was no way he would admit it.
"Speak up, why won't you say anything? Is there something you can't tell us?" Da Zhuang approached He Xiu step by step; he really wanted to know.
Fortunately, He Xiu was used to having a blank expression, so he could control his emotions well. He leaned back slightly on the sofa and said, feigning composure,
"You said back then that there was no way we could be together, and you clearly stated that you didn't like me. Isn't it normal for me to block your contact information? If it were you, wouldn't you block me too?"
Goodness, this statement instantly shifted the pressure back to Dazhuang. He had been excitedly questioning He Xiu just moments before, but now he didn't know how to answer.
"I...this..."
"Hmm?" He Xiu gave a soft, questioning "hmm," which successfully made Da Zhuang even more guilty.
As a psychologist, he figured he couldn't lose a negotiation with Dazhuang.
Da Zhuang still didn't answer the question, because just as He Xiu had said, if it were him, he would probably block him too.
"Alright then, let's change the subject. So, you came to see me this time really just because I said I wanted to talk to you the other day, so you came?"
"What do you think?" He Xiu countered. "Do you want any other reasons why I came here? If you want, I can tell you."
This means there are other reasons as well.
Da Zhuang twitched his lips, feeling utterly exhausted. He realized that no matter what he said, he couldn't get He Xiu to reveal anything, and He Xiu always managed to turn the tables on him. Even when he wanted to question He Xiu about something, He Xiu always managed to successfully turn the tables on him.
So, is this an advantage of being a psychologist?
Da Zhuang thought about it for a while and suddenly realized that no matter what he said, He Xiu would take the initiative, so he might as well just ask directly. He really had no other choice.
"Alright, alright, He Xiu, just tell me what you want. I really don't know what to say. If you haven't thought it through yet, why don't you go back first, and let's calm down for a couple more days and see what happens."
He Xiu's face froze completely, utterly surprised that Da Zhuang would say such a thing.
"Are you trying to get rid of me?" He Xiu asked, taking a deep breath.
Da Zhuang frowned. "No, didn't I just say we could cool off for a couple of days? Because, as you can see, neither of us knows what to say, and we're just stuck here in this awkward situation. We might as well go back and think about what to say. Anyway, I'm not running away this time."
He's completely given up now; he's had enough of that awkward atmosphere where he didn't know what to say.
He Xiu gritted his teeth, "How long do you intend to stay calm? Don't you have anything else to say? I've gone to such lengths, don't you understand?"
He had originally wanted Dazhuang to take the initiative, but now he simply couldn't hold back any longer.
He felt that if he had two more days to calm down, he would go crazy.
Da Zhuang hadn't expected He Xiu to react so strongly, and was a little bit startled.
"I...I was just saying. After all, we don't seem to know what to say right now, so it's good to calm down."
He Xiu took a deep breath. "No need to calm down. Let's make things clear today."
"Are you sure?" Dazhuang sat up straight. "It's possible if you want to."
He Xiu calmed himself down. "Now I'll ask you questions, and you just need to answer them."
"good."
Dazhuang quickly sat up straight, just like a child waiting for the teacher to criticize him.
"I'm asking you, what are your feelings for me now? Do you understand my feelings now?"
Dazhuang suddenly felt a little uneasy. "I understand. I... I haven't thought it through yet."
He Xiu had been paying close attention to Da Zhuang's emotions and expressions, and now he understood what Da Zhuang meant as soon as he heard what he said.
The fact that Dazhuang didn't immediately refuse proves that there's still room for negotiation.
"So, do you have any feelings for me at all?"
He Xiu appeared calm and collected on the surface, but in reality, he was extremely nervous.
This wasn't the first time Dazhuang had been asked this question, but he was still nervous. This time, he hoped for a different outcome.
Da Zhuang hadn't expected He Xiu to be so direct, so he was stunned for a moment, and when he came to his senses, he couldn't help but blush.
Help!! So much time has passed, why is He Xiu still speaking so bluntly? Doesn't he even have a little bit of tact?
Even though it was the dead of winter, Dazhuang felt incredibly hot all over.
"Hmm?" He Xiu asked again.
Dazhuang mentally prepared himself for a while, thinking that he had nothing to be ashamed of. After all, he was a real man, so what was there to be afraid of admitting?
"Actually... to be honest, I did have some feelings, but..."
Before Da Zhuang could finish speaking, He Xiu across from him jumped up and sat down right next to Da Zhuang.
"What did you just say? You mean you have feelings for me?"
Dazhuang was startled by He Xiu's excited expression.
"You...you don't do this, I'm a little scared. Let's talk slowly, let's talk slowly."
He Xiu froze, realizing he had indeed been too excited, and quickly suppressed his emotions.
"Okay, take your time, go ahead and tell me."
Da Zhuang felt his ears were a little hot and couldn't resist rubbing them with his hand. He Xiu also noticed Da Zhuang's bright red ear tips and felt a little itchy to touch them. He suppressed the urge to touch them for a long time.
Dazhuang was unaware of He Xiu's thoughts; he was simply pondering how to respond to his next words, and it took him quite a while to organize his thoughts.
"Actually, I do have some feelings for Duoduo, but I'm not sure how long these feelings will last. I've been quite conflicted about it, and I still haven't figured it out. If you really like me, I think we can...we can give it a try."
Despite Dazhuang's calm demeanor, he was actually very nervous and at a loss.
He just blurted things out without thinking, since it's not his style to dawdle any longer.
A smile slowly crept onto He Xiu's face. He didn't dwell too much on what Da Zhuang had just said. Of all the things Da Zhuang had said, only two sentences really stuck in his mind.
One was Da Zhuang saying he had feelings for her, and the other was Da Zhuang saying he could give it a try.
Although Dazhuang said he was just trying it out, He Xiu was confident that once he was with Dazhuang, he wouldn't give Dazhuang a chance to break up with him.