Chapter 67 - "Blame"

"Lai Jiayi, what– happened– "

Zhao Yang kept mumbling as he pressed his right sleeve to Lai Jiayi's eyes. The guy looked down at the girl with sweat slowly dripping down his forehead.

The eyeshield on his eyes was gone, but no one paid attention to that. The guy slowly put Bunnie inside his chest pocket with a trembling hand.

Now, not only his hand but his body was also trembling. His fingers won't stop fidgeting. Zhao Yang subconsciously took a few steps forward as he whispered,

"What– what...why...did I do something– "

The guy really had the habit to blame everything on himself. Still, he didn't realize this.

Zhao Yang just leaned closer and his towering body covered Lai Jiayi's body from the blinding sunlight of the sunset.

The distance between the man and the girl was so close that at this moment, Lai Jiayi could hear Zhao Yang's heartbeat.

BA-THUMP. BA-THUMP.

The man's calming nature scent lingered in the air until Lai Jiayi could smell it.

At this moment, Lai Jiayi's head turned blank. The girl felt like her circuit just blew up.

'This...this...what the heck? What's happening?! Mr. CEO, what are you doing, ah?? I don't understand!!'

Lai Jiayi didn't speak and just let her tears flow out. That's the only way she could lessen the pain she felt.

But, the more the girl stayed silent while she kept crying, the more Zhao Yang panicked.

The man subconsciously rubbed his sleeve to Lai Jiayi's eyes.

"That– did I scare you or– " The man stuttered. He touched the back of his neck with his other hand, feeling his body temperature rise several degrees.

'Is she crying because I shouted at her?? Wait, why is she crying in the first place? What to do??'

Zhao Yang looked down at the crying girl, and his heart throbbed.

'Damn it. Should I wipe her tears? Wait– no. She will just cry even more. Then what?'

Zhao Yang gritted his teeth as he glanced at the sleeve he used to cover Lai Jiayi's eyes. The guy instantly had a thought.

'Let's...just use my sleeve to wipe her tears.'

Zhao Yang slowly moved his right arm, intending to wipe the girl's tears with his sleeve. But then, Lai Jiayi recalled Yaya's words before.

"Don't rub your eyes, quack!"

Recalling this, the girl instantly grabbed Zhao Yang's sleeve with both of her hands as she shouted,

"W-wait, don't move!"

'If you move, you will rub my eyes, which might worsen the gas effect!!'

Zhao Yang paused. The guy obeyed Lai Jiayi's wish and didn't retract his hands at all.

'Did she...not want me to see her face? Or...she doesn't want me to do anything?'

Zhao Yang tapped his right foot to the ground. He kept looking down at the girl with a gloomy face.

'Why is she crying? Can I ask her? What if it's because of me?'

The man's heartbeat increased. He felt like his pants were on fire, but Lai Jiayi didn't know any of this. The girl just clung to the man's sleeve, refusing to let go.

'Since I already got a shield for free, why should I let him go? There's no way I'll show anyone my crying face!!'

Lai Jiayi gripped Zhao Yang's sleeve tightly, not realizing that her tears wet his sleeve. The girl's thought was more of how to avoid anyone seeing her face.

'I must look bad with a snotty face. I can't let anyone see me!!'

Thus, Lai Jiayi quietly let out all the tears she got from the effect of the tear gas while Zhao Yang stayed still, letting Lai Jiayi use his sleeve.

He didn't ask anything and didn't leave either. He just stood there, unmoving.

While the two people were doing their own business, Yaya, who was watching this from behind Lai Jiayi, couldn't help but slowly turn off his invisibility mode. He then spoke to Lai Jiayi through telepathy,

[Uh, Jia...are you alright, quack?] The duck's voice sounded inside the girl's head. His voice was rather trembling. Either he was nervous or worried.

[You think I'm okay? This hurts like hell!] Lai Jiayi pressed her eyes to Zhao Yang's sleeve as she quietly sobbed. The girl would occasionally rub her eyes to the man's sleeve, but it only worsened her pain.

So she stopped doing that after a few seconds.

[Uh, no, quack, that's not what I mean– ] Yaya glanced at Zhao Yang, who was still looking at Lai Jiayi with a troubled face.

The guy would sometimes stretch his left arm toward the girl, seemingly about to pat her head. But then, he would always pause a few inches from Lai Jiayi's head and abruptly retracted his hand.

This already happened three times that Yaya could only shake his head.

[Jia, I'm asking you...if you are alright, quack but not about the tear gas…] Yaya glanced at Lai Jiayi. The girl couldn't see him since her eyes were buried in Zhao Yang's sleeve.

[Then what? Are you going to ask me if I'm fine losing the Friyay event?] Lai Jiayi rolled her eyes in annoyance, but that just gave more pain to her eyes.

The girl inwardly bawled again.

[No, no, that's not– aish, I'll speak honestly then, quack.] Yaya sighed. He then carefully chose his words before speaking again.

[You...what about your phobia, quack? Are you OK with men now, quack?]

...hm?

Lai Jiayi stopped wailing. The girl blinked while still burying her eyes in Zhao Yang's sleeve.

[Of course not. I still fear men– ]

[Then you do know that you are so close to Zhao Yang right now, quack? And you also...touch his arm?]

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