Autumn had arrived. Bai Peiwen sat deeply in the corner of the sofa, his face hidden behind a newspaper. However, his gaze didn't remain on the paper. Quietly, he watched Han Yan, who was working at the desk behind it. She was drafting a letter, holding a pen, her head slightly lowered. One side of her long hair fell loosely beside her ear, partially covering her face. Her eyeshes were half-closed, and her starry eyes were half-veiled. Her small white teeth gently bit her lip… She seemed deep in thought, focused, and absorbed.

  After a while, she set down the pen and gnced out the window. Perhaps it was a cloud floating in the sky or the flowers on the golden rain tree outside the wall that caught her attention. She suddenly fell into a trance. A thin mist seemed to cloud her rge eyes, and her brows lifted slightly. Her thoughts clearly drifted into an unknowable realm. Was it a realm of beauty? Of mystery? Of the unknown?

  Bai Peiwen lowered the newspaper and abruptly stood up. Han Yan, startled by his movement, quickly drew her gaze back from the window, meeting his face and giving him a hurried smile.

  "Stop writing, Han Yan; put down your work," he said.

  "Why?" She raised an eyebrow, looking at him suspiciously.

  "Come over, sit on the sofa."

  "The letter isn't finished."

  "Don't finish it; write it tomorrow!"

  "Is that an order?" she asked with a smile.

  "Yes."

  She walked over and smiled as she sat on the sofa, looking up at him. Her eyes held a questioning expression, but she didn't say a word. The corners of her smiling lips formed a small dimple, and she subtly pressed her lips together, the little dimple appearing and disappearing. Bai Peiwen walked over, standing in front of her. He rested his hand on the armrest of the sofa, leaned in toward her, his eyes fixed on her face, and lowered his voice:

  "How long are you going to keep pying hide-and-seek with me?"

  "Hide-and-seek?" She blinked her eyes, showing an expression of innocent confusion.

  "What do you mean?"

  "You know what I mean!" His eyes bzed with fire. "Don't pretend to be so clueless!"

  "Oh? Sir?" She widened her eyes, looking startled. "Don't be so fierce; you're scaring me."

  He stared at her, his expression as if he wanted to devour her. After a long moment, he reached out and lifted her chin, his eyes scanning her face, top to bottom. Her eyes were wide open, candid, startled, and innocent, yet they were misty, full of countless dreams and poetry. What kind of eyes were these? How they twisted his heart, pulling at his very core. He felt his breath quicken, his blood surging violently in his chest.

  Fixating on her, he blurted out, "Stop avoiding me, Han Yan, I want you!"

  She shrank back into the sofa, her eyes filled with a hint of near fear. "No, sir," she said, trembling.

  "Expin, 'No, sir,'" he demanded.

  She curled deeper into the sofa, as though she wanted to hide inside it.

  "I don't want to, sir," she said clearly.

  He stared at her, his heavy breathing fring his nostrils, his eyes burning with two fmes. The heat from those fmes pressed down on her, causing her to shiver uncontrolbly. "Do you think I'm joking?" he asked, his voice low and forceful. "What I mean is, I want you to marry me, understand? I want to marry you; do you understand?"

  She looked at him, shaking her head.

  His hand nded on her shoulder, gripping her scapu. Her delicate shoulder was easily held in his rge palm, and as he applied slight pressure, she winced in pain, curling her body. Her rge eyes remained locked on his, unblinking, filled with a steadfast, resistant force.

  "Who is he?" he asked.

  "What?" she responded, confused.

  "My rival. The man in your heart."

  She shook her head. "No one," she said. "There is no one."

  "Then why refuse me? Am I not enough? Not ideal enough? Not worthy of you?" He pressed her.

  "It's my fault. I'm not worthy of you," she said softly, tears welling up in her eyes.

  "What do you mean?" he asked.

  "Spare me," she said, turning her head. "I am small and insignificant. You will find the right girl for you."

  "I've already found her," he said urgently. "I don't want anyone but you. You're not small; you're not insignificant. You are the noblest and purest woman I've ever met. Tell me, will you marry me?"

  "No, sir," she bowed her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Please don't force me, sir."

  His hand tightened around her shoulder, pressing painfully into it.

  "You don't like me? You don't love me? Is that it?" he asked.

  "No, sir."

  "Is 'no, sir' all you can say?"

  "Oh, please spare me!" She looked up at him, her tear-filled eyes full of endless pleading and desperation. Her small face was pale and haggard, fragile like a bde of grass, unable to withstand even the slightest storm. But within her, there was also a sharp, unyielding strength. Bai Peiwen knew that even if he crushed her, ground her into powder, or burned her to ashes, he could do nothing to her.

  He rexed his grip, standing upright, gring at her. "I'm not so vile as to use violence to seize love, but I won't let you off easily. I'll give you a few days to think over my proposal. I suggest you consider it seriously."

  She remained silent, merely gazing at him quietly.

  He turned and walked away, standing by the window as he lit a cigarette. He usually smoked very little, only occasionally lighting up one or two when he was in a bad mood or extremely busy. He exhaled a puff of smoke, watching it spread, and felt the overwhelming sense of frustration in his heart, denser and thicker than the smoke itself.

  Yet, every fiber in his being, every drop of blood in his veins, every cell in his body, screamed more intensely than ever before: I want her! I want her! I want her!

  (T/N: Suddenly I remember ′To the Bone′ by Pamungkas... the lyrics are like this:Have I ever told you…I want you to the bone.Have I ever called you….When you are all aloneAnd if I ever forget….To tell you how I feelListen to me now, babeI want you to the bone...I want you to the bone...)