Chapter 395 - 353: Two Hearts Closer Than Ever Before
Chapter 395: Chapter 353: Two Hearts Closer Than Ever Before
Gu Ning had never seen Barto look like this before, and she froze.
Her hands were ice-cold, but the little fox’s tears were scalding hot. His face was burning up, melting the thin layer of snow caked on it. The water mixed with his tears, soaking a patch of his skin. His defiant expression made it hard for her to tell if his face was wet with tears or melted snow.
Even when he cried, the fox looked stubborn, proud, and defiant. No matter how wronged or hurt he felt, he would never admit to his own tears.
"WOOF!"
Cook had appeared by their side at some point. He nudged her gently, then rested a paw on her hand. "Ning, Bar... good. No fight."
Barto slowly clenched one of his hands into a fist, grabbing a handful of snow and throwing it at Cook’s head. "Go away."
His voice was unnaturally calm, devoid of anger or irritation, yet it was as fragile as a balloon on the verge of popping.
Gu Ning pushed his hand down.
Cook shook the snow off his head, let out a small "woof," and backed away, lying down to the side to quietly watch the two argue.
He knew Barto wouldn’t hurt Ningning, and Ningning couldn’t hurt Barto. But he could sense the unhappy atmosphere between them, so he stopped making a fuss and just kept his eyes fixed on them.
"Alright..."
A moment later, Gu Ning reached out to wipe away Barto’s tears. "I was worried about you."
The moment the little fox started crying, all her anger vanished.
She knew his personality all too well. He was proud and headstrong. He wouldn’t just refuse to cry; he wouldn’t even accept help from others, because it would make him look weak.
Barto watched her without a word, showing no signs of struggling beneath her.
"From now on, don’t do this." Gu Ning’s hand was damp, so she used her sleeve to keep wiping his face. "If there’s a problem, we’ll face it together. Let’s talk it out. No tantrums, no silent treatment, no running away, and especially... no losing contact."
"I’ll worry," Gu Ning said. "I’ll worry a lot."
By the time she finished, the little fox’s tears were wiped away, but his eyes had only grown redder.
Gu Ning said, "Don’t cry. You’re the one who... ran off first, and now you’re crying."
Barto didn’t shed any more tears. He just stared at her, the vulnerability in his eyes seemingly wiped away by her cool, soft palm. Washed clean by tears, his pair of amber, slitted pupils shone with a startling brightness.
Seeing the little fox remain silent, Gu Ning decided to get up and go back to have a proper talk with him.
"Let’s go. We’ll go back..."
"Can I... too?"
Gu Ning was halfway up when Barto pulled her back down, causing her to fall back onto him.
"What?" Gu Ning pressed her hands against his chest, barely managing to steady herself. She looked at the little fox and asked, "Barto, what did you just say?"
Barto didn’t answer. The hand on her waist moved to the back of her neck. His large hand cupped the back of her head, and he applied gentle pressure, pulling her toward him.
But just for an instant. He released her, sat up, and wrapped his arms around Gu Ning to stop her from sliding off his lap. His breath washed over her.
Gu Ning’s pupils contracted as the little fox’s face grew larger in her vision.
The moment their noses touched, Barto’s movements froze again.
In that moment, he didn’t know if it was reason that stopped him, or timidity that made him afraid to move any closer.
His Adam’s apple bobbed again and again. His heaving chest and ragged breathing betrayed the fact that he was anything but calm.
Barto’s sudden actions made Gu Ning nervous as well.
She held her breath and said, "Barto, are you trying to..."
Gu Ning’s throat suddenly felt dry, and she fell silent.
She placed a hand on Barto’s shoulder, trying to put some distance between them, but he tightened his arms, neither letting her retreat nor moving any closer.
The two of them simply stared at each other in silence, neither daring to take a deep breath.
"WOOF!"
Cook couldn’t stand it anymore and barked at them.
’I don’t get it,’ he thought. ’Ningning and Barto both want to lick each other, so why are they pushing and pulling? If you like someone, you should just lick them.’
Gu Ning and Barto were both startled by his bark. They glanced at the little dog before their gazes returned to each other’s faces.
The instant their eyes met, it was as if they were finally on the same wavelength. Both of their heads moved forward.
The moment their lips touched, the little human and the fox both held their breath.
Their hearts began to pound, THUMP-THUMP-THUMP, beating closer together than ever before.
There were no further movements. They stayed like that for a few seconds before both pulled back, their faces flushed red.
"Let’s... let’s go back," Gu Ning said.
"Okay." Barto scrambled to his feet and helped her up. He was about to brush the snow off her, but Gu Ning grabbed the floating camera orb and turned to leave.
She strode ahead with her head down, while Barto followed behind with small steps, holding her hat, his eyes never leaving her for a second.
Cook happily darted back and forth around the reconciled pair.
But neither of them had the mind to pay attention to the little dog. One stormed ahead, head down, while the other followed in a daze. They walked right past the hospital without even noticing, until a dark figure approached and called out to Gu Ning.
"Ningning."
Seeing Alex, the two of them snapped out of it as if waking from a dream and stopped in their tracks.
"It’s gotten dark." Alex walked up to Gu Ning, adjusted her scarf, and put an arm around her. "It’s time to go back. You’re still sick. You can come out to play again in a couple of days."
Gu Ning mumbled an incoherent reply, her thoughts a jumbled mess, and lowered her head even further.
.
Back in the hospital room, Alex reconnected Gu Ning’s IV drip. "Get some rest. I have some business to take care of, so Barto will stay with you again today, alright?"
Gu Ning grabbed Alex’s wrist.
It wasn’t that she wanted to make him stay; it was an instinctive gesture to stop something from happening.
’In fact,’ she thought, ’it would be best if I were alone tonight. I don’t want anyone with me.’
"I’ll come back to stay with you after I’m done," Alex said, kissing her forehead. "You can call me anytime if you need anything."
With that, he glanced toward the bathroom and left the room.
Outside the room, Lanuo was leaning against the hallway wall. Seeing Alex come out, he yawned and said, "Are you really okay with leaving Ningning alone with him? Even though he’s a Mixed Breed and won’t go into heat, there’s still a chance of passive estrus."
Alex said, "I know."
Lanuo paused, glanced at the hospital room, and then followed him. "The fox seems stable for now, but there’s no guarantee he won’t lose his mind during a passive estrus and hurt Ningning while mating."
Alex remained silent.
Lanuo grabbed his arm. "Tell me the truth. Is there some kind of secret about this fox?"
Alex stopped walking. "No."
Lanuo: "If there’s nothing, why are you so at ease with him? Tsk. Just say it. You think I don’t know you? You can hide it from others, but you can’t hide it from me."
Alex: "Then guess for yourself."
Lanuo: "..."
.
Barto carried a bucket of hot water and placed it by Gu Ning’s bed.
Gu Ning had just put her feet in the bucket when Barto suddenly said, "You should probably take a bath."
He said, "You were out in the cold wind for a long time. A hot bath will warm you up."
Ordinarily, Gu Ning would have done so, but today... she decided against it.
She hesitated for a moment, then waved the terminal on her wrist. "I have to edit a video."
Barto said, "If you’re not going, I will."
As he spoke, he got up and started walking toward the bathroom, but he turned back halfway, scooped Gu Ning up from the bed, and said, "I’ll help you edit it after you’re done bathing."