56 Can I… Hug You?

Shen Hanyu fell into silence again. He stared at the sea in the distance for a long time, thinking about something.

Sang Qianqian didn’t say anything else as she stared at the sea in a daze.

She had thought that Shen Hanyu would be as cold, cruel, and unreasonable as he was in her dream. After all, he could be so cruel to the Han family.

The tragedy that had befallen the Han family still left a lingering fear in Sang Qianqian’s heart.

Han Shangrong had committed suicide by jumping off a building. The huge Kexing Group had collapsed. Moreover, Han Tianyi had turned from a rich young master to a homeless wanderer with nothing.

It was said that he had been kidnapped before and had lived a life worse than death for several days. No one knew who had kidnapped him. He suspected that it was Shen Hanyu, but he had no evidence.

After the Han family was in trouble, no one in Ming City dared to lend Han Tianyi a helping hand, for fear of offending Shen Hanyu and getting into trouble.

At that time, Wen Xu was in the United States. After hearing about the incident, he rushed back to Ming City and searched for a long time before he finally found Han Tianyi under a bridge.

His beard and hair were unkempt with tattered clothes and dull eyes. He was curled up in a pile of homeless people, completely losing his former elegance.

His body was covered in unformed scabs and some of the wounds had even festered. His tragic appearance almost made Wen Xu cry.

Han Shangrong was indeed guilty, but Han Tianyi was innocent. Shen Hanyu had destroyed the Han family, Kexing Group, and Han Tianyi’s life.

Every time Sang Qianqian thought about it, she would feel a chill in her heart. Subconsciously, Shen Hanyu’s current image was almost the same as the Shen Hanyu in her dream.

However, he seemed to be more restrained and gentle than she had imagined.

The ringing of the phone broke the silence between the two. It was a call from Xie Shi’an.

“Qianqian, your colleagues from your department said that you left in a hurry this afternoon? Is there something wrong?”

“Don’t worry, just a small issue.”

Sang Qianqian glanced at Shen Hanyu. She didn’t know how long Shen Hanyu was going to stay at the beach. She was afraid that Xie Shi’an would make a wasted trip, so she wanted to ask him to postpone the dinner.

However, she was afraid that Xie Shi’an would be disappointed. Just as she was thinking about how to phrase her words, Xie Shi’an said, “Are you still going back to the hospital? I’ll be waiting for you there.”

Sang Qianqian hesitated for a moment. “Shi’an, I might be very late…”

She still had to go to the small apartment to check on Wen Xu’s situation.

“It doesn’t matter, I’ll just wait.” Xie Shi’an said warmly.

After she hung up, Sang Qianqian noticed that Shen Hanyu was looking at her. “Are you busy tonight?”

Sang Qianqian replied vaguely, “I’m meeting someone for dinner at my house.”

Shen Hanyu was silent for a while. “Let’s go. I’ll send you home.”

Sang Qianqian was surprised.

She thought that if Shen Hanyu wanted her to come to the beach, he would at least ask why she had lied to him.

But he didn’t pursue the matter. Instead, he only asked if she was doing well and what kind of nightmare she had. She had thought that she would be greeted with a storm, but this was nothing, not even a light breeze.

So, what had Shen Hanyu gone through in the past five years that made him change so much?

Seeing Sang Qianqian’s dazed look of disbelief, Shen Hanyu didn’t know what to feel. Did she really not trust him that much?

Shen Hanyu felt sorry for her when he recalled what Wen Xu said about her waking up from nightmares related to him. Now that he knew what she cared about the most and what she was most afraid of, he was willing to give her a guarantee and let her be at ease.

“I once promised you that I wouldn’t make things difficult for the Sang family. I can promise you one more time.”

The man’s cold and deep voice, accompanied by the gentle sea breeze, fell into Sang Qianqian’s ears word by word, as if he was making the most solemn vow in his life.

He said, “I will never make things difficult for the Sang family, and I will not do anything to hurt the Sang family. In the future, you can come back to Ming City if you want to. Don’t worry, I will stay far away from your life and will never set foot in Yuecheng city again.”

When Shen Hanyu said these words, he felt as if his heart was being torn apart by something, and he felt a faint pain.

However, no emotion could be seen on his face. There was only a clear and honest decisiveness in his eyes.

Sang Qianqian’s emotions were complicated. She didn’t expect Shen Hanyu to make such a promise.

He would no longer make things difficult for the Sang family and would completely withdraw from her life. He would never set foot in Yuecheng again.

Every word he said was sonorous and powerful, making people feel convinced that he would definitely do what he said.

Sang Qianqian should’ve been happy, but she felt a little strange in her heart. She couldn’t tell what was wrong.

Shen Hanyu had already turned around and was walking back with her. She thought he was going to send her home.

However, Guo Muyang was waiting by the side of the road and had already called for a taxi for Sang Qianqian.

“Miss Sang, Hanyu and I won’t be seeing you out,” he said politely.

The Sang family wouldn’t be willing to see them, and if they did, there would be trouble.

Sang Qianqian turned around and looked at Shen Hanyu. In the end, she didn’t say anything. She opened the car door and prepared to get in.

Shen Hanyu finally took two steps forward and said in a hoarse voice, “Sang Qianqian.”

“Is there anything else?” Sang Qianqian turned around.

Shen Hanyu’s eyes were dark, but there was a hint of expectation in them.

“Can I… Hug you?” he asked in a low voice.

Sang Qianqian was stunned.

Shen Hanyu’s thin lips curved up a little. “Friends will hug each other when they meet again after a long time. Besides, we haven’t seen each other for five years.”

Friends. Sang Qianqian was a little surprised. Was he treating her as a friend?

Sang Qianqian couldn’t read the dark emotions in his eyes, but for some reason, she couldn’t reject his request.

She hesitated for a moment. Then, she walked up to Shen Hanyu and gently hugged him.

Shen Hanyu’s hand trembled slightly as he placed it on the girl’s shoulder. For the past five years, he often found it hard to fall asleep. Even when he did, he would always dream of Sang Qianqian covered in blood, softly falling into his arms.

The girl had lost so much blood that her body was stiff and cold, and she never woke up again. It was Shen Hanyu’s nightmare that had haunted him for years.

However, the girl in his arms was soft, warm, and had a unique fragrance. She was alive and well, standing in front of him.

The nightmare that had haunted Shen Hanyu for five years seemed to have finally disappeared.

Shen Hanyu closed his eyes to suppress the surging emotions in his heart. After a while, he gently let go of her.

He took two steps back and looked at her with a gentle gaze. “Go back.”

Sang Qianqian realized that she really couldn’t understand Shen Hanyu.

Five years ago, his emotions and thoughts didn’t seem to be as unpredictable as they were now.

“What about you?” she asked hesitantly.

“The view by the sea is beautiful,” Shen Hanyu said with a smile. “I’ll take a walk.”

Sang Qianqian got into the car. She tilted her head and looked at Shen Hanyu again through the window as the vehicle began to move.

As the sun gradually set in the horizon, he stood in the afterglow of the setting sun with his back against the light and watched her leave.

His eyes were dark and cold, but… Gentle.

This time, Sang Qianqian was certain that she hadn’t seen it wrongly.

He indeed had a gentle but also heart-breaking aura surrounding him.