Chapter 27: Impure Hearts, Precious Emotions

She never once questioned why there were pink slippers here. Yet Henry, seeing her lack of surprise, became even more convinced that she was not as innocent as she appeared on the surface. The presence of women's slippers in his home didn't seem to faze her at all.

Sunny, noticing his furrowed brow and uncomfortable demeanor, guessed that he might be feeling the effects of the alcohol again and said, "I'll go warm some milk for you. Milk helps sober up. It'll make you feel better."

Henry chuckled bitterly, "I haven't been back to this house in three years, how would I have milk?" This villa was only maintained by cleaners periodically to keep it tidy and clean, its kitchen hardly ever used.

"I'll go out and buy some," she said, before dashing out.

"Hey, come back!" Henry called out. But his voice was too soft as the effects of the alcohol surged again.

That girl... The villa complex was inhabited entirely by business tycoons and celebrities, serviced only by an exclusive supermarket which she wouldn't be able to access. And there were no other supermarkets or convenience stores nearby.

He just hoped she wouldn't get lost and remember her way back. Henry, despite sweating profusely and feeling sticky, found himself glued to the front door, not moving an inch.

Truth be told, he wasn't a gentle man.

Having acted in many productions, he often portrayed the gentle and sunny type, so much so that he started to see himself in that light.

"Ha," he wondered why he was getting sentimental over a young girl today.

It wasn't until over half an hour later that Sunny returned, out of breath, carrying a large can of milk and some snacks. Henry smiled sincerely.

This little girl had managed to tug at his heart again.

"Drink it while it's warm," Sunny panted.

He looked at her for a long time, then took the milk and drank it all in one go.

He actually hated milk, a lot.

"Try some of these," Sunny cheerfully pushed, seeing him finish the milk she'd bought.

But the milk had upset Henry's stomach; he couldn't eat anything else and simply shook his head, "You eat. I need a shower."

Sunny felt a bit disheartened but insisted no further, realizing these were bought from a roadside stall and he might not be used to them.

So, she simply smiled, sat down, and began to eat. She was famished.

Her smile seemed forced, and Henry felt somewhat guilty. "I'm hungry, I'll eat," he unexpectedly compromised.

"Yes, do!" Sunny smiled, pushing another bowl of dumplings and a bag of scallion pancakes in front of him.

"I found a celebrity supermarket, but no matter what I said, they wouldn't let me in. Otherwise, I could have bought some cleaner, better-tasting food for you. These from the roadside stall, I wasn't sure if you'd be alright eating them…"

Henry paused, then realized her disappointment wasn't at his refusal of the food but at her thoughts that it wasn't clean or tasty enough.

He looked at her warmly, took a bite of the dumplings, and found his upset stomach calmed by the milk. "Delicious!" he sincerely remarked.

He couldn't help himself and finished the bowl of dumplings quickly followed by the scallion pancakes.

"Really tasty, where did you buy them? I want to go next time," Henry chewed on the pancakes and asked.

"Right at the entrance to the complex, go left, then turn left again at the newsstand, then right into an alley, and about a hundred meters down is the stall…" Sunny explained with gestures.

Henry, a big star unfamiliar with such hidden locales, could only smile blankly in response.

Sunny boldly said, "Next time I'll take you!"

Henry, happy with the food, didn't notice anything odd about her statement and nodded eagerly, "Mm-hmm!"

The villa had several bathrooms, and Sunny chose one at random to shower in.

Mid-shower, she heard a knock on the door.

Startled, she knew it could only be Henry. But why would he knock on the bathroom door now, knowing she was inside?

"Can you wait a moment, I'll be done soon," she called without opening the door, then resumed washing off the soap suds, only to hear the bathroom door suddenly open and Henry walked in.

Sunny was so surprised she didn't scream or step back.

Not until Henry approached and enveloped her in his arms did she finally react, "Ah—get out!"

But Henry, ignited by her sleek, well-formed body, was not so easily deterred.

"You like me, right? Then let's try!" Henry's hands moved to Sunny's back, embracing her more tightly.

"Let... Let go!" Fear crept in as Sunny began to struggle.

No one had ever held her this way before; she was petrified. The hardness pressing against her waist grew firmer; at twenty, she was innocent but not naive about what it meant.

"You agreed to stay here; didn't you foresee this?" Henry spoke displeasedly. "Besides, I told you, I'm not that nice, I'm even a bit bad."

At that moment, Sunny truly realized his intentions, and the perfect image of him in her heart instantly shattered. She began to resist fiercely.

Henry, not one to force himself on women, let her go seeing her vehement resistance.

"Take your shower, then go to bed early. You need to leave before dawn to avoid the paparazzi," he advised.

Sunny didn't have the courage to look at him anymore but nodded, still clutching herself tightly.

Without a change of clothes, she had no choice but to put on her dirty ones again.

Exiting, she didn't see Henry and headed towards the guest room.

Passing by the living room, she noticed Henry standing on the balcony smoking.

His silhouette appeared... forlorn.

Sunny recalled the many pictures of him standing alone on the balcony at night that had appeared on his Weibo. She had endlessly gazed at those pictures and felt sorry for him.

Kicked out of his home at a young age, suppressed by his family's authority, he struggled silently, enduring numerous hardships and humiliations, the extent of which she could hardly imagine. She always quietly read posts analyzing his early experiences, feeling sad for him.

Even after he became famous, he didn't seem happy or fortunate. Although she often saw joyful pictures of him on his Weibo, the occasional picture of him alone on the balcony at night or those taken by paparazzi revealed the oppression and loneliness in his heart.

This huge villa, with its cold color scheme, mostly grey, resembled his heart and past experiences.

Unconsciously, she found herself standing behind him.

He said he was bad, and in the last few minutes in the bathroom, she had roughly understood what he meant. And perhaps, he also thought she wasn't a good girl.

She should be disappointed or stormed out, yet she couldn't bring herself to dislike him.

Looking at him smoke, the skilled movements didn't repulse her; instead, they made him seem more real.

Yes, he was human, not a star in the night sky, shining brightly without fault. He had his dark side as well.

"Changed your mind?"

Henry's voice suddenly sounded above her, cold yet warm, pulling her from her thoughts. She looked up to see him staring down at her, the desire in his obsidian eyes no less intense than in the bathroom.

He tossed away the cigarette and wrapped his arms around her in one swift motion. "Since you chose to come close to me, you won't have another chance to refuse me," he declared, lifting her and heading inside.

The moment he kissed her, Sunny didn't know how to describe her feelings; her mind was hazy, her lips warm, and the slight hint of tobacco only weakened her already faltering resistance.

Pressed down on the bed, she thought, perhaps, she wasn't so pure after all.

Perhaps remembering his words that she had to leave before dawn, she didn't dare to fall asleep completely and woke up around five.

Carefully moving to the edge of the bed, she looked down at Henry from above.

In his sleep, Henry had an innocent, childlike purity. His brows relaxed, eyes gentle, long eyelashes casting perfect shadows, lips slightly pursed - irresistibly adorable and defenseless, making Sunny momentarily distracted.

It was hard to imagine that this pure, adorable man was the same fierce, even cold person from last night.

She cried, pleaded, but he hadn't spared her.

Perhaps, this was what he meant by being "bad."

Struggling through the pain, Sunny began to dress.

Tears fell unexpectedly.

Sunny quickly wiped them away, telling herself, "Sunny, don't cry, you're an adult now; you have to take responsibility for your actions."

"Why are you crying?" The sudden voice from behind startled her, and she spun around to see Henry, draped in a bathrobe, standing behind her.

"It's nothing, you saw wrong!" she stiffened in her explanation.

Henry frowned, sighed, and pulled her into his embrace.