81 I WILL BE GENTLE

Hu Lei's attempt at self-therapy did not seem to work out no matter how much she tried to deal with the numerous psychological shadows plaguing her. On the bright side, she felt like a new person after spending eight days in the beautiful paradise.

Her body felt stronger and refreshed due to the change in diet. She also felt calmer about everything, no longer constantly overwhelmed by memories of pain and fear. In addition, she did not feel as afraid of the dark and being indoors as she had before.

Since Zhong Feng did not know of these improvements, they continued sharing a bed every night. Well, he had an inkling that she was feeling better, but after she used a paw on the second night, it seemed rude to wait for an invite on the subsequent nights.

He was also not willing to give up the feeling of being with the one person he had ever wanted. He still remembered how he had been planning to slowly draw her to him before she had disappeared. It would be senseless of himself to push her away now that she was in his arms.

During the day, Hu Lei still spent most of her time outdoors. She roamed the gardens, walked around the property and lounged on the porch. Regrettably, she had not had an opportunity to go into the woods.

Zhong Feng often sat next to her on the porch, and they always ate every meal together. Though they did not talk, they enjoyed a harmony that could only come when two souls were resonating. Naturally, he continued to catch up on his work and reject numerous bothersome calls from the company.

On that eighth afternoon, Hu Lei decided to take a break from her meditation self-therapy. Since she was already feeling better and healthy, she felt that she did not need to keep pushing against that immovable mental wall for now. It was time to move on to other things which would lead her back to normal society. With that thought, she walked to her bedroom and retrieved a hair brush and a comb.

She immediately went back downstairs and stood meaningfully next to Zhong Feng who was working on his laptop in the living room.

When the man looked up, he saw a cute woman looking impatiently at him, as if blaming him for not paying her any attention earlier. His eyes became warmer at the sight of pouting red lips and large gorgeous eyes.

She presented the comb and brush to him. He understood immediately what she wanted. Hu Lei had not combed her hair for the entire duration, only washing it. The original seaweed-like hair had become a complete rat's nest.

Zhong Feng placed his laptop on a coffee table before sitting back. He placed a cushiony pillow at his feet and Hu Lei plopped on it without grace.

Without further ado, he started on the task of untangling that long black mane. In truth, the hair was not in a bad state; it just needed a little combing and brushing to restore it to its glory. However, Hu Lei seemed to wince with even the lightest touch.

Zhong Feng's touch was extremely gentle, avoiding even the implication of tugging or pressure.

But when he had almost finished brushing Hu Lei's hair, he heard her sniffing behind the curtain of the black locks.

"Xiao Lei, did I pull your hair?" He inquired softly.

She nodded, her sniffs turning into soft sobs.

"Don't cry. I will be gentle." Zhong Feng patted the head in front of him softly.

The small sobs turned into loud sobs.

"So… painful, it's too painful." The words were almost concealed by the loud cries.

Zhong Feng realised at that moment that it was not about the tangled hair. Then, it dawned to him that she had finally spoken. Before he could think about it any further, she turned her body on her pillow and buried her face in his thigh, crying heartbrokenly and pitifully.

Each loud cry was like a stab straight into his heart, showing him every grievance that she had suffered. The tears were like liquid fire, spelling out her feelings of abandonment, betrayal, loss and unspeakable, excruciating pain.

Unfortunately, her current position was a little awkward. He wanted to lift her in his arms, but he knew that she needed to cry it all out. If he moved her and she no longer felt secure enough to pour out her pain, she would not be able to properly vent.

He could only let her cling to his thigh and sob into his trousers. He patted her head gently, feeling powerless over the situation.

The tears continued on for a long time. It seemed like hours before the loud cries turned into soft sobs and sniffs again. Zhong Feng immediately scooped her small curled figure into his chest. Her body felt weightless and fragile. He felt that if he was not careful, he might crush her in his grip.

When she stopped crying completely, her breath evened out, indicating that she had fallen asleep. Zhong Feng continued to hold her in his arms.

Just as he thought that she was completely asleep, she started squirming in his arms and lap due to the uncomfortable curled up position. This action put the powerful man holding her in a different uncomfortable situation, causing her to be even more restless.

Zhong Feng felt that the current circumstances called for a calm mind and body, so he attempted to lift her off him. Unfortunately, he underestimated the power of the little woman because her arms immediately went around his neck and held him in a tight grip.

Finally, he accepted defeat at the hands of this sleeping woman who was more than a foot shorter than him and as light as a feather. He could only let her move around on his lap to her desired position before leaning back on the couch.

It was going to be a long and hard afternoon.