Small Acts of Love (3)

Qiao Anhao didn't dare open her eyes to see Lu Jinnian. She just kept her eyes shut, as she heard the faint sound of Lu Jinnian's footsteps, followed by the sound of a lighter. Then, the faint smell of tobacco wafted into the room.

To her knowledge, Lu Jinnian never smoked. This was the first time that he smoked in front of her since they got married. Qiao Anhao couldn't help but feel a little curious inside. Since when did Lu Jinnian start smoking?

Lu Jinnian took two puffs, then glanced over at Qiao Anhao who was silently lying side by side with the giant teddy on the bed. Then, he turned his head emotionlessly, walked over to the balcony and opened the window.

After Lu Jinnian finished smoking, he waited for the cigarette smell to disappear a little before closing the window and heading back to bed.

This time, when Lu Jinnian laid down, he didn't move another inch.

Without Lu Jinnian's incessant tossing and turning and because of the teddy bear between them, a sleepy Qiao Anhao seemed to slowly put her guard down despite the nerves she felt inside. Just before she fell asleep, she started reminiscing.

After they entered university, for some reason, Lu Jinnian started to treat her with hatred and disdain. At first, she thought she was too sensitive because of her crush towards him.

But later, Xu Jiamu accidentally told Qiao Anhao that Lu Jinnian had someone he liked, so when she bumped into Lu Jinnian, she couldn't help but ask him who that girl was.

Even though Lu Jinnian had shown signs of irritation to her several times before, it had never been like that day.

Even after so many years, she could still distinctly remember that moment. With a forbidding expression, he snarled, "Why would you care who I like? It definitely isn't you!"

That was when she finally understood that Lu Jinnian must really hate her.

Even though she never found the reason for his hatred, from that day onwards, she started to avoid him.

Just as she had told Zhao Meng, they stopped interacting from that day onwards. The few times when they had met, there wasn't much talking, and whenever they were forced to talk, his words were always hurtful.

Because of her deep love for Lu Jinnian, Qiao Anhao paid attention to his every word. Because of her deep love for him, he could easily hurt her vulnerable feelings. Over time, she started to fear his presence, fear interacting with him, for every time he spoke, his words would trample all over her heart.

She always thought that as long as they didn't interact much, the two of them would just part ways, becoming strangers. One day, though, fate dramatically forced them to become a couple.