Qin Chuan was at a loss for words. He felt she was lonely, but she didn't seem lonely at all, or at least he felt she wasn't. Qin
Chuan had always felt that what humans feared most was loneliness, the lack of hope and ambition. There's a saying that goes, "What's the difference between someone without goals and ideals and a salted fish?
" Qin Chuan looked at her with a wry smile: "Don't you have anything you want to do, anything you want to eat, any clothes you like, any treasures you want..."
Fan Qingchen was slightly taken aback. She didn't have many ambitions, but being asked this felt a little strange. She still replied, "I don't feel like there's anything I really want to do. Treasures are useless anyway."
"What about cultivation? Don't you want to become stronger?" Qin Chuan asked.
"Just let nature take its course!"
"What if a strong person tries to take advantage of you?" Qin Chuan asked curiously.
Fan Qingchen looked at Qin Chuan and smiled: "I'm confident in that. Without my permission, no one can get close to me."
Qin Chuan was stunned. He had originally wanted to use this topic to break the ice, but now he needed to continue searching for a direction.
As for what to say about a person, people need to detach themselves from external things, but if someone feels good about themselves and doesn't want to interact with others, there's nothing you can say. A person's willingness is priceless.
Qin Chuan looked at her hesitantly for a long time before finally asking, "Are you happy?"
"I don't know!" Fan Qingchen replied simply.
"Are you sad? Is there anything bothering you? Is there anything you can't understand?" Qin Chuan asked.
"I haven't thought about these things..."
Qin Chuan: "..."
Her words were a direct counterattack; she simply hadn't thought about these things. Putting
that aside for now, Qin Chuan looked at this thinner woman, unsure of his own thoughts. He noticed it was lunchtime.
"I'll cook, wait a moment!" Fan Qingchen said.
"I'll do it!" Qin Chuan said.
"How could I? You're a guest."
"Do we need to be so polite? Look how thin you've become. I'll make something to eat." Qin Chuan said, already heading into the kitchen.
Fan Qingchen was slightly stunned. Had she really lost weight? She went to the kitchen and watched Qin Chuan busy at work.
The kitchen was small, only big enough for one person to work in; two people would be too crowded. Fan Qingchen stood at the kitchen doorway.
"What do you usually eat?"
Qin Chuan glanced at the limited ingredients—mostly wild vegetables and fruits. This woman lived like this…
"I eat a lot of things: green fruit, black fruit, grapes…"
"Is that rice…?"
Luckily, Qin Chuan had brought plenty of ingredients with him, taking them directly from his storage container. He then asked, "Can you eat meat?"
"I don't have any dietary restrictions!" Fan Qingchen smiled.
Looking at Fan Qingchen's smile, Qin Chuan felt a pang of sadness for some reason. Her smile was radiant and breathtakingly beautiful, yet it held a bittersweet feeling.
Qin Chuan prepared four vegetarian dishes, four meat dishes, and a soup—a very lavish meal. The aroma was, of course, incredible. Fan Qingchen had eaten Qin Chuan's cooking before.
It had been so long, but the aroma still left her utterly astonished.
Since she wasn't picky about food, Qin Chuan took out a jar of plum blossom wine, poured it for her, and picked up a bowl himself: "It's been so long, let's have a drink."
"Okay!"
Fan Qingchen readily agreed and clinked glasses with Qin Chuan.
They ate
happily. Qin Chuan spent most of his time watching her; only now did she seem like a normal woman, not as ethereal and distant as before.
Humans eat grains and other foods; it's only when eating that our basic needs are met, and only sometimes do we feel more normal, like when we're in love.
"Your cooking is really good!" Fan Qingchen praised.
"Then eat more!" Qin Chuan helped her pick up some food.
This gesture was a bit intimate, especially since it was his chopsticks. After picking her up some food, Qin Chuan felt a little embarrassed, worried she wouldn't eat it.
Actually, it wouldn't matter if she didn't eat it; she could just eat what she picked for herself.
However, Fan Qingchen didn't seem to mind Qin Chuan, smiling and thanking him before continuing to eat.
"What exactly are you insisting on?" After finishing the meal, Qin Chuan couldn't help but ask.
He always felt this woman was holding onto something. If it was something, that would be fine, but if not, this ascetic lifestyle was truly worrying.
Being ascetic is fine, but you should at least have a few friends. You can't live like this all alone. Even those old monsters couldn't endure such loneliness.
How long could she endure it? Ten years, fifty years, a hundred years? And then what? What if she couldn't endure it anymore
? That was what Qin Chuan was worried about. Why was Qin Chuan worried about her? Thinking about this question, Qin Chuan was also taken aback. Yes, why was he worried about her?
Did he like her? Perhaps. Liking someone doesn't need a reason. They had met before, and even worked together later, so at least it was a bargain.
Did he have ulterior motives? Qin Chuan shook his head. He truly felt he had no ulterior motives; he just wanted her to be better off, to live a better life.
Is there such a thing as pure friendship between men and women?
Qin Chuan felt it was possible, but extremely rare, especially when a woman possesses unparalleled beauty. If she were a shrew, then pure friendship would be perfectly normal.
But for a woman of breathtaking beauty, for a man to have pure friendship with her is truly, truly difficult.
So Qin Chuan kept asking himself, did he have designs on her?
Fan Qingchen seemed completely oblivious to these thoughts, acting as if she had nothing on her mind.
She paused, taken aback by Qin Chuan's words: "What do you mean by 'insist'?"
Never mind, Qin Chuan decided not to ask any more questions and simply said, "What if one day you suddenly feel that this is meaningless? What will you do then?"
"Why think about these things? Isn't it better to just let things take their course?" Fan Qingchen looked at Qin Chuan, her beautiful, clear eyes fixed intently on him.
Was he just being nosy…?
Never mind, he'd stop here, rest for a few days. After all, they were good friends; he'd stop for a while before leaving.
"Qingchen, you're free this afternoon, show me around the neighborhood!" Qin Chuan said with a smile.
Fan Qingchen was startled by Qin Chuan's form of address, but she quickly smiled and nodded: "Okay!"
Qin Chuan was being deliberately oblivious, but this woman only paused slightly, saying nothing, her expression perfectly natural.
In the afternoon, Qin Chuan and Fan Qingchen viewed the small hill. Although it was small, it was still a small hill, so even walking around, it would take a long time to see it all.
The two walked side by side. Fan Qingchen's figure was so graceful that it was indescribable. Her simple clothes could not hide her peerless beauty. As she walked, her clothes fluttered, and she stood alone, making Qin Chuan slightly lost in thought.