Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

"You owe me an explanation." Jia Zhang's tone became more resolute. "You owe me an answer, an answer that will let me understand what kind of person you are and why you never tell me your true thoughts. Do you think that if you just stand there quietly and say nothing, everything will be fine?"

Li Xiangqian raised his head suddenly, looking at Jia Zhang's hard eyes, and he suddenly realized that he might never face real fear in his life. But at this moment, he felt real fear - fear of losing her, fear of never being able to turn back.

"What exactly do you want me to do?" Li Xiangqian's voice finally broke down. The question almost burst out from the depths of his heart. A trace of pain and anxiety appeared in his eyes. "I have tried my best. Isn't it enough?"

Jia Zhang's face was still stern, with an unspeakable sadness hidden deep in her eyes. She did not answer immediately, but turned around, with her back to Li Xiangqian, and stood silently for a moment. Then, she slowly said: "I want you to tell me what you really want, Li Xiangqian. Are all these things you have been doing really out of your own wishes? Do you think you can really get away with everything by doing this?"

Li Xiangqian's heart was like a stirred lake, churning and churning. He wanted to open his mouth to refute, but found that he had no way to say anything. Deep in his heart, all the answers had already disappeared, leaving only deep confusion and powerlessness.

Jia Zhang's back seemed to be getting farther and farther away, but Li Xiangqian felt as if a heavy weight was weighing on his heart. He knew that Jia Zhang did not want him to explain everything in the past, but what she wanted to hear from him was his courage to face his true inner thoughts.

However, Li Xiangqian's steps still stopped, his heart filled with anxiety and heaviness. He clenched his fists, as if to give himself some support. However, he knew that such support was not enough. What Jia Zhang needed was perhaps not his repeated escape and silence, but that he could face the past, himself, and all the unspoken truths between them.

Jia Zhang turned around again, her eyes showed no fluctuations, but at that moment, Li Xiangqian seemed to be able to read some kind of sadness from her eyes.

Li Xiangqian's eyes followed Jia Zhang's back involuntarily. Her slow steps seemed to stir up a wave in his heart. The inexplicable feeling of oppression made him almost breathless. She had begun to question him, accusing him of not daring to face his past and not daring to confess to her, but at this moment, Li Xiangqian suddenly had an inexplicable thought - Jia Zhang was really good at taking advantage.

He understood her logic, and her words were full of decisiveness and calmness, as if everything he did was just the compensation she deserved. However, this "deserved" made Li Xiangqian feel a subtle dissatisfaction in his heart - it seemed that she had already preset his role, expecting him to respond to all emotions and responsibilities in the way she set.

"Looking for an advantage..." Li Xiangqian muttered self-deprecatingly, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. Countless fragments of his interactions with Jia Zhang emerged in his mind. All those words and actions seemed to have set the tone at a certain moment, becoming irreversible.

Li Xiangqian knew that he was not good at resisting people. He always chose to compromise and obey others' expectations of him, even if he had a hidden doubt in his heart. However, this time, he felt that he could not continue like this.

Jia Zhang always pinched the most fragile string in his heart without making a sound. She was so confident and persistent, but she seemed to never really understand his inner struggle and helplessness. Every time she pressed him, she hurt his most sensitive part - his inner fear and the secrets he had always wanted to bury.

Li Xiangqian clenched the shopping bag in his hand. Those items were no longer meaningful to him. He slowly walked to a bench not far away. His heavy steps made him feel like he was carrying the weight of the whole world. He sat down, staring blankly at the blank space in front of him, as if hoping that the blank space could swallow up his pain and confusion at the moment.

However, the uneasiness in my heart did not disappear, but became even stronger.

He knew that Jia Zhang's persecution was not out of ruthlessness towards him, but a desire for the truth. She hoped to see him stand up, face the past bravely, and give an answer bravely. But Li Xiangqian had a voice in his heart telling him that he was not ready to face such a truth.

He lowered his head and took a deep breath, feeling a heavy sense of oppression in the air. Thinking of this, his face suddenly turned pale, and Jia Zhang's firm eyes appeared in his mind. Those eyes, like an invisible hand, firmly grasped his heart, making him unable to escape.

Li Xiangqian closed his eyes slightly, as if he wanted to temporarily distance himself from everything in front of him. However, the resentment in his heart was still surging.

"Am I really running away?" Li Xiangqian asked himself in a low voice, the confusion in his eyes was obvious. In all those years, he had never realized so deeply what he was afraid of and what he was running away from. The words that Jia Zhang asked him repeatedly flashed in his mind - "What do you want?" "What do you owe me?" Every time she questioned, it was like a sharp knife, piercing the deepest line of defense in his heart.

Jia Zhang's voice sounded again, as if it was still echoing in his ears: "You dare not face it, you can never give an explanation, are you really ready to live in this predicament forever?"

Li Xiangqian suddenly raised his head, and a gleam of determination flashed in his eyes. Yes, he was afraid. He was afraid to face the past, afraid to face the mistakes he could not admit. However, what would be the result of escaping? He had been escaping, but every moment of escaping, the pain and heaviness in his heart accumulated, and eventually he would be completely unable to breathe.

Li Xiangqian took a deep breath, as if to muster up his courage. He decided to face it and not to avoid it anymore. However, he was still filled with uneasiness in his heart - he was not sure if he had enough courage to bear the truth that was about to be revealed.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps. It was Jia Zhang's footsteps. She seemed to be back.

"Are you going to sit like this?" Jia Zhang's voice sounded again, with a trace of calmness and decisiveness that could not be ignored. She stood in front of him, with no anger in her eyes, only an indescribable disappointment and persistence.