She had deceived him utterly.
A gently-bred, delicate young woman, raised in the seclusion of her chambers, had stolen his heart only to play him for a fool, all while she stood coolly on the sidelines, watching with detached eyes.
Xie Jinbai found such a cruel truth hard to accept.
He began to test her constantly.
He was constantly disappointed.
When his disappointment reached its limit, he tried to pull away from the relationship.
'When it came to composure and self-restraint,' Xie Jinbai thought, 'there was no reason he should lose to a woman who was the very picture of frailty.'
For a long time after, his words and actions were completely at odds with each other.
When reason prevailed, he distanced himself from her.
When love prevailed, he embraced her.
In the end, Xie Jinbai even began to hate her.
He hated her persistently detached attitude.
He wanted to tear apart that calm, unruffled mask she wore.
He wanted to make her cry.
To make her hurt.
