One is pretending to be oblivious, the other is pretending not to notice the pretense.
This state is the mode of interaction both had tacitly agreed upon long ago.
Gu Shaozhi carried Wanxia into the bedroom, bent down to place her on the bed, and pulled a thin blanket over her.
He sat by the bed, his slender fingers gently brushing aside the strands of hair on the woman's cheek. The motion was tender, and finally, he lowered his head to place a feather-light kiss on her forehead.
He answered her question, "It wasn't me."
As long as he didn't say 'yes', it wasn't a transaction, and she wouldn't have to force herself to give him an equivalent return.
The truth was already dug out by his hands and delivered to her face, so whether spoken or not, it made no difference.
Wanxia responded softly with an 'oh', without any expression.
Gu Shaozhi watched her turn her back to him, pulling the covers over her little face.
