Of course, Lu Yan could sense Ning Anmiao's estrangement and resistance towards him. The hand he had raised dropped back down.
He didn't force the issue. Instead, he glanced at the wheelchair sitting beside him and asked, "Do you want to go out for a stroll this afternoon?"
Ning Anmiao was about to decline, but looking at the wheelchair that was obviously bought for her, her resolve wavered.
She couldn't very well turn down his kind offer. After all, Lu Yan meant well. So she asked, "Is there anywhere interesting nearby?"
Lu Yan replied, "No."
Ning Anmiao: …
She even began to wonder if Lu Yan was really sincere about going out with her.
Suddenly, Lu Yan seemed to realize something and coughed awkwardly. "Not far from here is the Berlin Wall. There's an exhibition of graffiti art on the wall there."
Ning Anmiao thought his way of asking her out was a bit clumsy.
Clumsy but sincere.
After lunch, Ning Anmiao sat in the wheelchair and found the experience rather novel.
Lu Yan walked over, placed his hands on the handles of the wheelchair, and slowly pushed her out of the hotel.
All the way, Ning Anmiao sat in the wheelchair, enjoying the service of the man behind her. Her eyes would occasionally wander to the passers-by on the street. She found this experience truly unique.
It was the first time she had been pushed around in a wheelchair.
Lu Yan was also enjoying himself. He walked at a leisurely pace, looking at Miao Miao in the wheelchair, excited because they were out. A softness crept into his cold and handsome features.
It was as if time had slowed down at that moment.
The afternoon sky was clear and bright. The warm sun shone down, making people feel comfortable all over. The whole street was bright and clean. The chatter of passers-by, the honking of cars, and the laughter of children...
All these noises blended together. Lu Yan looked down at the wheelchair in his hands and was momentarily dazed.
If he and Miao Miao were to be together for a lifetime, perhaps decades from now, they would still be in a similar situation.
Their hair would be gray. He might be hunched over, but he would still be pushing the wheelchair, looking at the woman in front of him, old but still smiling—
He thought that would be happiness.
Before they knew it, they had arrived at the Berlin Wall.
The Berlin Wall had fallen long ago, and it was almost impossible to tell what it used to look like. However, later generations had preserved a part of it as a memorial.
As time went on and society became more open, a graffiti wall was even designed for tourists to admire and visit.
Ning Anmiao stared intently at the graffiti on the wall, as if she could draw inspiration from the different patterns and colors.
Lu Yan still held the wheelchair and stood behind her, but he slowed down the pace.
He shifted his position slightly, using his broad and tall body to shield her from the harsh sunlight.
The two of them strolled leisurely, no different from ordinary lovers on a date.
Lu Yan looked down at her fair and soft profile. His deep eyes gradually darkened, and his voice was low.
"Miao Miao, do you know what the fall of the Berlin Wall symbolized?"
Ning Anmiao was so engrossed in the graffiti that she was caught off guard by his question. She looked up and replied casually, "It symbolized the unification of Germany at that time and also contributed to the end of the Cold War."
Lu Yan said calmly, "So, when will our cold war end?"
Ning Anmiao's pupils dilated suddenly.
Standing in front of the graffiti wall, the man's figure was stretched long by the afternoon sun, covering her completely.
Ning Anmiao looked up into his eyes against the light, but she couldn't see his expression clearly.
His features were shrouded in shadow, making it impossible to tell his mood. "I was too abrupt with my question yesterday. I'd like to rephrase it."
"… What's the question?" Ning Anmiao was taken aback.
Lu Yan bent down slightly. His dark and deep eyes were filled with meaning as he got closer to her. "Can I pursue you?"
As he spoke, Lu Yan noticed that Ning Anmiao's ears had turned red. Her confident gaze just now suddenly became evasive.
Lu Yan's heart skipped a beat. Her shy and inexperienced reaction was so alluring in his eyes.
As soon as he finished speaking, Ning Anmiao lowered her eyes and replied in a muffled voice, "No."
She didn't want to make the same mistake again, and she didn't want to be Lu Yan's best option.
Most importantly, she didn't want to be a dispensable part of Lu Yan's plan, a part that could be discarded at any time.
Rather than that, it would be better to say goodbye gracefully and retain some dignity.
Lu Yan was stunned.
After saying those three words, Ning Anmiao didn't dare to look at him. She forced herself to focus on the graffiti again, but it was no use.
After being rejected, Lu Yan's expression darkened a bit. He didn't say anything else and just quietly continued to push her.
After a while, Ning Anmiao lost interest and whispered, "Let's go back."
"Okay."
After they got back, the two of them tacitly didn't say a word. After Ning Anmiao returned to her room, there was no more sound.
Lu Yan was sensible enough not to disturb her.
It was as if nothing had happened this afternoon, but there was an inexplicable rift and distance between them again.
It wasn't until dinner time that Ning Anmiao still hadn't come out.
Just then, Lu Yan's phone vibrated twice.
Miao Miao: [Can you ask the waiter to change my bedsheet?]
When he saw this message, Lu Yan's eyes darkened slightly. Without a moment's hesitation, he rushed to Ning Anmiao's room, pushed open the door, and rushed in.
"Miao Miao, what happened…" Before he could finish his sentence, Lu Yan saw a bright red stain on the bedsheet and stopped in his tracks.
Ning Anmiao was holding her phone in her hand. She didn't expect Lu Yan to rush in so quickly. She was so embarrassed that she wished she could dig a hole and hide in it. "Um, I..."
After returning in the afternoon, Ning Anmiao was in a mess. So she simply lay in bed and took a nap. When she woke up, it was already dark.
As soon as she sat up, she saw the blood-stained bedsheet.
Because of the memory loss in the past three months, she didn't remember the date of her period and forgot to make preparations.
Lu Yan understood immediately after a quick glance. He nodded at her and said, "Go have dinner first. I'll ask the waiter to come and take care of this."
After saying that, he took out the sanitary pads prepared by the hotel from the cabinet and placed them in the bathroom for her. "Go change into clean clothes."
His tone was so natural and familiar, as if he had done this countless times.
Ning Anmiao blushed and walked into the bathroom with her clothes.
When she came out of the bathroom, Lu Yan was sitting at the dining table, with a cup of steaming medicinal tea beside him.
"Come and have dinner."
His voice was calm, but every word was filled with a faint concern.
She slowly moved to the dining table and sat down, staring blankly at the hot water beside her.
"Drink it while it's hot. You'll feel less pain later."
Ning Anmiao was stunned. She lowered her head and smelled the cup. It was the smell of motherwort.
He even knew about this.