Lu Jinchen stared at Xia Yuqing for a long moment, his dark eyes searching her face. "Are you sure?" he asked quietly.
She nodded once, then again, her fingers curling into the sleeve of his shirt. "Yes… just don't be angry."
His gaze softened, and without another word, he pulled her into his arms. His embrace was warm and steady, but there was a heaviness in it too.
"Yuqing," he said, his voice low and steady, "I don't want to force you into anything. I know you have your secrets, and I respect them. I always hoped that one day you would feel safe enough in our relationship to come to me and tell me on your own. I wanted to give you time."
