I'm not as weak as you think I am.

  "What's wrong with me?" I glared at him sulkily.

  "When you talk to Dad, there's a gentle glow on your face." Hua Jing leaned in close to me, "Why can't you be gentler with me?"

  "Because you're not my dad." I forced out the words gruffly.

  "I can be the father of your child." Hua Jingyan said, gazing deeply at me for a moment.

  "Stop it!" I shook off his hand. "Don't always say such inexplicable things, you misled my parents just now and now you're misleading me too!"

  I vented out the reason for my indignation.

  "Deception?" Hua Jingyan smiled, and the orange streetlight highlighted his perfect profile. "Why can't it be my true feelings?"

  "Hua Jingyan, what do you mean by this?" Anger burned in my chest.

  "It means exactly what it says." Hua Jingyan said lightly.

  It's really infuriating, I clenched my fists.

  Hua Jingyan suddenly pulled me over.

  The stray dog in our neighborhood walks by us with a lonely and desperate gaze that reveals a helpless and defeated vigilance, just like my own eyes.

  "Why are you misleading Dad and Mom that I'm pregnant?" I asked.

  "I went along with what they literally said, but Eastern people seem to like deriving another meaning from the literal one. Like you just said, what does it mean? Are you pregnant?"

  "You..." I was so angry with him, "It doesn't make any sense!"

  "It doesn't make sense, how can you still think I misled them..." Huajing Yan's eyes of Du Ruolan color sparkled with puzzlement, "Mieluo, I really didn't mislead."

  "You didn't mislead me, so why would Dad and Mom think I have your child." Tears flew into my eyes, an overwhelming sense of injustice swept over me.

  Hua Jingyan let out a soft sigh, and her tone softened.

  "My Chinese is not good. There's a communication problem between us, can you explain it this way?"

  I'm so angry, this explanation is too terrible! Turning around, I'd rather be with a stray dog than stay with him.

  I sniffed hard, trying to hold back tears from falling.

  Suddenly, Huajing Yan wrapped her arms around me from behind.

  His chin rested on my shoulder, and the night had swallowed up his expression.

  "Miyue'er, don't reject me."

  His voice also blended with a special spell.

  I stopped struggling and let him hold me, feeling the warmth he transmitted.

  Later on, I found out that this curse was called your damned gentleness.

  "Miyue'er, in front of me, you don't need to pretend." Huajing Yan's hand swept over my body, his thick palm gently stroking along my spine as if soothing my ruffled feathers.

  "I'm not pretending." I said in a low and even tone.

  Under the dim street lamp, a faint laugh echoed from Hua Jingyan.

  "Rolling oneself up into a ball, once the external environment changes, then like a hedgehog bristling its quills, protecting itself. Still not acknowledging one's own disguise?"

  "I'm not as weak as you think." I said softly.

  "Miyu, I know you're not weak, but you're also not as strong as you think you are." Huajing Yan's breath came down from above.

  "Your Chinese is too good, I don't understand." I gazed at him, wanting to get a clear look. But the dim light blurred his outline, reflecting a hint of tenderness, my heart skipped a beat.

  Hua Jingyan let out a soft sigh.

  "Mier, there are many things you don't avoid because you know you can't avoid them. When you can't avoid them, you refuse to accept yourself."

  Hua Jingyan's words were like a slap in the face, I tried to escape but he pulled me back fiercely.