Had it Tough

After a long absence, he had a multitude of words he wished to share with her. However, he was not a man of many words. He yearned to speak, yet he was at a loss for where to begin. 

His thoughts drifted back to the recent incident involving Hu Jie, and he instinctively began to explain. He had no desire for Gu Zi to harbor any misunderstandings. "I want to say, about Hu Jie, I didn't..."

Upon hearing this, Gu Zi interrupted him, stating, "Hu Jie has already apologized, let's consider the matter settled. I didn't take it to heart, but if you bring it up again, I might get upset!"

Did she really appear so petty to him? He felt the need to explain himself repeatedly over this matter. And the way he looked, a grown man of thirty, appearing timid and pitiful in front of a young, beautiful girl like her. He was a man as sturdy as a mountain, so why was he putting on such a fragile, sentimental act?