If it was love, it clearly wasn't. Yet, she wasn't completely without weight in his heart.
Even he hadn't realized that, imperceptibly, he had silently moved himself into an irreplaceable position in her life! In the beginning, his attraction to her was because she was the only woman whose presence—at least physically—he didn't find repulsive. But as time passed, he grew accustomed to arguing with her, to her being by his side, to every piece of advice she gave......
Maybe he hadn't thought it through much, hadn't planned the future as typical lovers do, but, he had gradually come to consider himself "her man." He would slowly respect her habits, would take her advice and work seriously, would get jealous when provoked by Situ Xuan, and when he saw her leave, when he saw such disappointment in her eyes, his heart would sour......