Chapter 10: His Indifference
Under the astonished gazes of everyone, President Luo scooped up Yun Xinyu and carried her away.
He left behind a disarrayed crowd of managers, staff members, models, and audience.
Despite countless warnings and preparations, disaster had still struck. If President Luo held them accountable, how many would lose their jobs? This thought unified nearly every employee present.
All were equally shocked that the notoriously cold and unapproachable President Luo would publicly carry off a woman—a mere ordinary model—with such intimacy.
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Luo Fan brought Yun Xinyu to his temporary hotel suite, laid her gently on the bed, and summoned his private physician. After taking her pulse, the doctor declared, "Exhaustion compounded by chronic malnutrition. Ensure she sleeps thoroughly and eats regular meals. Nothing serious."
With that, he departed.
Luo Fan sat beside the bed, studying Yun Xinyu’s tranquil face with mingled concern and puzzlement. Her pale forehead gradually creased as if plagued by nightmares. Soft whimpers escaped her: "Dad... Don’t leave..."
A flicker of tenderness crossed Luo Fan’s eyes before hardening into frost-like detachment. When her nightmares subsided, she stilled, and he eventually dozed off beside her.
Much later, Yun Xinyu writhed again in her sleep. This time, she dreamed of Luo Fan staring coldly at her while demanding, "Who are you?"
Her heart clenched as she thrashed weakly, murmuring, "Luo... Luo Fan... Don’t..." What she meant to cry was: Don’t forget me. I’m Yun Xinyu.
Half-asleep, Luo Fan lifted his head and squinted at her. Instinctively, he captured her flailing hand. "Sleep. I’m here," he mumbled before sinking back into slumber.
Miraculously, his touch dispelled her nightmares. Serenity returned to her features, bitter anguish dissolving into warm solace.
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Long ago, after they’d first become a couple, Yun Xinyu often had nightmares during study sessions. Once, her thrashing hand struck Luo Fan awake beside her.
Instead of anger, he’d grasped her hand and whispered at her ear: "Don’t fear. I’m here." The method never failed to calm her.
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Exhaustion kept Yun Xinyu deeply asleep. When Luo Fan awoke later, their tightly clasped hands froze him in recollection—he’d once soothed her this way.
But now, she’d hurled him into icy solitude. How could he forgive? He tried withdrawing his hand, but her grip held fast. Forced to pry her fingers loose, he stirred her awake.
Dazed, she tightened her hold. "Stay," she slurred, smacking her lips before drifting off. Luo Fan’s mouth twitched, but he remained seated.
Seconds later, Yun Xinyu jolted fully awake—this wasn’t a dream. She’d truly fainted into Luo Fan’s arms. Peeking through her lashes, she found him watching her.
"Awake? Let go," he said coldly.
Blushing, she released his hand. Luo Fan retreated behind his customary frostiness, though it wounded her most—this foolish girl who’d loved him ten years.
"Are you so desperate for money?" he pressed, masking concern with harshness. "Skipping meals, losing sleep? Is cash all you care about, Yun Xinyu?"
She hung her head, suffocating under unspoken explanations.
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She remembered their breakup: clutching another man’s hand while lying, "Let’s part, Luo Fan. I love him. He can give me the life you never will. You have nothing. Leave and never return."
She’d forced icy resolve into her stare as he walked away, then collapsed weeping when his heartbroken silhouette vanished. She knew she’d lost him—her first and only love, the man who’d colored her world. Without him, her heart turned leaden, each memory a fresh ache.
(End of Chapter)
