Chapter 20 - OBSERVING AND ANALYZING HAN LUO
Mo Yuan couldn't help but ask, "How're your feet? Are you still cold?"
Han Luo's feet indeed were cold, since no one warmed up her feet before helping to put on her shoes. Yet she shook her head and adamantly answered, "I'm not cold."
Mo Yuan narrowed his eyes, refusing to believe her. He knew that no one warmed up her feet. "Show me."
Han Luo blinked. She didn't understand what he meant.
Mo Yuan softly patted the couch with his right hand. "Sit here."
Han Luo knew that he didn't like her, so she hesitated before moving forward to sit beside him. But the couch was too high for her little legs. In the end, Mo Yuan stood up and carried her to the couch. He then knelt in front of her and gently took off her shoes. When he touched her feet, he frowned. It was just as he thought – her feet were frigid.
With his warm hands, he rubbed her feet a couple of times, gradually heating up her feet. While rubbing her feet, he occasionally glimpsed at her expression. Han Luo quietly sat on the couch and let him do whatever he wanted. He felt some remorse hauling on his chest. 'Is she acting like this because I was too cold to her before?'
Mo Yuan found her interesting. Most children and elders would fall for his face; elders would pinch and stroke his face, while children – especially girls – would chase after him. This irked him, and it was because of this he became distant and cold towards others. He knew where to draw the line. Many elders, including Elder Tang, respected Mo Yuan's reserved and stoic attitude. However, young girls wouldn't understand the meaning behind his cold attitude. His handsome appearance and stony attitude made him even more charming to both girls younger and older than him. It's useless being cold towards them.
Han Luo was different from the very beginning. She stayed away from him and never acted intimately. She avoided the places where he frequently went. Whenever the trio read books or had lessons, she would stay silent. Whenever they took a nap, she would quietly stay by their side. Other than that, she was always cheerful. Little Luo got along with everyone including the guards and the drivers.
One day, Mo Yuan even saw her playing with a few guards. They were playing hide and seek, and it was fun to see the guards hide themselves in such obvious places where Han Luo could easily find them. They seemed very attached to her.
And Little Luo liked gifts no matter what they were. Even if she were given wilting flowers or small, broken marbles, she would thank the gift-giver with gratitude and carefully place the presents in her room. She also had a habit of saying "it's delicious" to food, even if it were the most unappetizing thing she's ever tasted. It was because she was grateful for the food.
Han Luo never acted spoiled and never threw a tantrum. When she was being bullied by Han Luilui and Han Wanwan, she didn't cry or complain to Han Sheng Ming. She did try to avoid her cousins as much as possible, but the two imps just didn't know when to quit. If she wanted to, she could've easily destroyed the relationship between Han Sheng Ming and his sisters. After all, Han Sheng Ming doted on little Luo the most. But she didn't – she's not as cunning as her cousins.
'Could it be… she avoids me just like she avoids them?' Mo Yuan sighed. He couldn't help but think, 'Is it because she just dislikes me, or is it because I was too cold towards her? In this house, no one seems cold towards her apart from me and those two annoying girls…'
Mo Yuan's expression darkened, as though a shadow was cast on his countenance. Just placing himself on the same level of those two girls made him feel nauseous. 'I'll wait and see what kind of person this girl becomes.'
While he was thinking, he kept on rubbing her small feet without stopping. Eventually, Han Luo said, "I'm warm. Thank you, big brother." She smiled at him, full of affection. She was polite and spoke as though she respected him as an elder.
Mo Yuan's eyes widened in realization. 'Though I'm older, I hope she doesn't think of me as her father figure or something... that'd be so annoying.' He didn't know why he thought that way, but he really didn't want to experience something like that. Han Sheng Ming and Tang Yujin would probably make fun of him, if that were to happen.
After warming her up, he helped Han Luo to put on her shoes and sat beside her. The two of them continued to watch the movie silently until Tang Yujin and Han Sheng Ming came back.
Han Sheng Ming was terrified of seeing his cousin with his friend. He hurriedly rushed forward and hugged Han Luo. "Xiao Yuan, what did you do to my little Luo Luo?"
Mo Yuan exhaled. He looked at his friend and asked, "What do you think I can do to her?"
Han Sheng Ming warily asked him back, "Did you force her to watch movies with you?"
"Uh…" Mo Yuan suddenly froze. Did he look like some kind of monster who would force a two year old child to do anything?
[A/N: Have you forgotten that you pushed Han Luilui into the lake and she is only three years old? ((-_-))" ]
Tang Yujin was stunned at first, but his face quickly returned to a neutral expression. He walked forward with a smile. "All right, enough. Sheng Ming, you know Xiao Yuan wouldn't do something like that."
Han Sheng Ming protested, "But why would my little Luo Luo sit beside Yuan? Didn't you see before that she always avoids him? She's obviously scared of him!"
Mo Yuan's eyebrows twitched. He looked back at the television screen and watched the movie without a word.. But his eyes always trailed back to Han Luo, multiple times, observing if she was truly afraid of him or not.