His heart was hardened, he pretended not to see, falsely claiming he had business to attend to, letting her go back to the dorm alone.
Why didn't she get angry or argue with him at the time?
Because Meng Xiao was empathetic towards him, burdened with a huge debt. Six yuan, enough for a vegetarian meal and rice in the cafeteria.
But now, she treats the oil painting he had gifted the same way. She held onto it tightly for only the first two days, and now it's locked away in the safe.
It is as though it's not a gift from him, but his possession, which she would return to him untouched.
He wants to appease her by buying her balloons now, but those balloons are long outdated, unwanted by anyone. The little girl Meng Xiao has wandered away, lost from his sight, but he hasn't tried to find her. Now all that's left is an empty shell, adapting to him as best she can.