Chapter 2085: Chapter 2286: You’re Perfect in Every Way!!!
As the saying goes, "A man chasing a woman is like climbing a mountain, while a woman chasing a man is like pulling a veil." When a girl takes the initiative to pursue a boy, it means she has given up her own restraint. She would only do this if she likes and loves the boy enough. Now, Zhang Danlin has already taken several steps forward by calling Hao Jian out and the two of them being alone together.
Just now, she leaned towards Hao Jian and even placed his hand on her leg. All of this was only to make Hao Jian look at her more often and to feel differently about her. Every girl hopes that the person she likes treats her differently than others, to have a special fondness. That’s all she is hoping for.
However, after she did all this to Hao Jian, instead of being delighted, he only appeared nervous and seemed eager to escape, which made her unhappy. But she couldn’t show this unhappiness on her face, so she had to keep it hidden in her heart.
After taking a sip of water, Hao Jian originally intended to sit on the stool. He didn’t dare sit on the bed because if Zhang Danlin came closer again, he figured he wouldn’t have a reason to stand up. As he was about to move over to the stool, Zhang Danlin pressed down on it and then pointed to the edge of the bed.
"Sit here!" Zhang Danlin said.
Hao Jian had no choice but to swallow hard and then sat down next to Zhang Danlin. Sitting beside her, his heart started pounding again. He didn’t know why, but his reaction today was unusually strong, considering he usually wasn’t that interested in girls.
Zhang Danlin suddenly looked at him, asking with concern, "What’s wrong with you, are you feeling unwell?"
Hao Jian quickly shook his head and said, "No, no, it’s just that time is running out. If I don’t go back soon, I’m afraid I’ll be late for class."
When Zhang Danlin heard this, she knew he was just making up excuses and rolled her eyes at him, saying, "You’re usually so brave, sleeping in and skipping classes. Why are you so timid this time? Or are you basically just cowardly?"
Having fallen for Zhang Danlin’s provocations twice before, this time, Hao Jian steadied himself and was determined not to fall for her goading again. If he did, wouldn’t he be no different from a fool?
Seeing Hao Jian still look so composed, Zhang Danlin gave him an amused glance before quickly withdrawing her gaze. At this moment, she suddenly asked Hao Jian, "Do you remember what happened last night?"
The mention of last night made Hao Jian frown. Everything started from last night, didn’t it? He almost lost his life then, and mentioning it now made his hair stand on end in fright.
He steadied his courage and said, "Last night, we drank and grilled some skewers. Everyone had a great time, then went home."
"Oh! There’s more..." As he saw Zhang Danlin looking at him as if she wanted to ask something, he hurriedly added, "You got drunk last night, and it was He Qiqi who took you home. While drunk, you kept rambling about not going home until completely drunk. If there were more people, we wouldn’t even know how to help you home, hahaha..."
While saying this, Hao Jian couldn’t help but laugh as he pretended it was amusing. He knew what Zhang Danlin wanted to ask and say, so he quickly switched the topic at the moment she opened her mouth, trying to steer the conversation away.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Danlin shook her head and said, "That’s not what I wanted to say. What I meant to say is that I actually didn’t want to get drunk last night, but because of certain things, I unknowingly got drunk. It’s like they say, ’Sometimes it’s not the wine that intoxicates, but the circumstances that do.’ Last night was one of those times for me."
Hao Jian was stunned and speechless, unsure of what to say. Zhang Danlin continued, "You actually know what I was about to say last night, don’t you? But you didn’t want me to say it, did you? You didn’t want to hear me say those things, so you deliberately claimed that I was drunk and had them take me home, right?"
She didn’t know what happened, initially feeling fine, but suddenly became unhappy, and her emotions crumbled. She then spurted out those words, tears in her voice.
Listening to her, Hao Jian was dumbfounded. He never expected Zhang Danlin to bring these things up now. He initially thought that if they weren’t mentioned, there would be no problem. But unexpectedly, Zhang Danlin said them herself.
He was suddenly at a loss, dumbly expressing a frozen countenance, not knowing how to respond. He had never wanted to hurt Zhang Danlin, but never imagined that in his attempt not to hurt her, he had already hurt her long ago. This went against his intentions, as he never wanted to hurt anyone.
"You don’t have to say anything; I know what you’re thinking." Zhang Danlin said, "Is it because Liang Xiaohan was there last night? Is that why you behaved this way towards me? If Liang Xiaohan wasn’t there, would you have been willing to listen to what I wanted to say?"
Yawen asked Hao Jian several times if it was because of Liang Xiaohan, but when she dropped Liang Xiaohan’s name, Hao Jian was speechless. He wanted to say that this had nothing to do with Liang Xiaohan. If it weren’t for Liang Xiaohan, he wouldn’t have been there in the first place. What did this matter have to do with Liang Xiaohan?
Yet he didn’t dare say so, only shaking his head and replying, "Oh! You drank too much last night, and everyone was afraid you’d feel uncomfortable if you drank more, so we sent you home. This really has nothing to do with Liang Xiaohan."
"You’re still protecting her!" Zhang Danlin suddenly raised her voice. "Last night, she behaved that way. When I tried to shield you from drinks, why did she step out and say those things that left me humiliated? But you didn’t say anything to stop her, and you even drank that cup. What’s the meaning of that? While she didn’t care about my dignity, you drinking that cup disrespected me. How can I still have face in front of them?"
Saying this, Zhang Danlin’s voice revealed tears. Hao Jian knew there was a bit of truth to him wronging her last night, but given the situation, he had no choice then. If he hadn’t drunk that last cup, he might not have survived the night. It was for survival’s sake; otherwise, he wouldn’t have drunk it.
So he said, "I’m sorry; I didn’t think things would turn out this way."
As soon as he finished his sentence, Zhang Danlin promptly reached out, blocking his lips with her hand and said, "You can’t apologize to me. If you say sorry, I’ll feel unhappy."
Hao Jian was speechless, suddenly feeling he had made a grave mistake. He shouldn’t have come to Yawen’s place, shouldn’t have gone to Class Three. Unwittingly, he had harmed a girl, and now she seemed deeply entrenched in her feelings for him. He didn’t know what to do.
If possible, he felt he shouldn’t have come here in the first place. If he hadn’t, none of this would have happened. To her, he might be someone she loves dearly, but to him, she was just a brief passerby in his life. Once he leaves, her traces will gradually disappear.
"Do you like me?" Zhang Danlin abruptly asked.
The atmosphere was already quite heavy, and Zhang Danlin’s question made it even heavier. Hao Jian remained silent, and so did Zhang Danlin. Both were quiet—one waiting for an answer, and the other contemplating how to respond. They both fell into deep thought.
Hao Jian didn’t want to hurt her, but it seemed that if he didn’t, her pain would deepen, as was the case now, and it would worsen. He understood a simple truth: if you don’t want to hurt someone, then sever any situation that could cause harm. Now, only making Zhang Danlin give up could prevent further hurt.
Although this might seem cruel to her, often there are no other options. Only this way, after brief suffering, could all pain be severed, leading to the best possible outcome, the ideal outcome.
After pondering, Hao Jian prepared to give his answer.
However, he realized that three to four minutes had already passed during his reflection. Those few minutes were more than enough time to consider many things. If he cared enough, he’d have already responded. So, after waiting a few more minutes with no response, deep down, Zhang Danlin already knew the answer.
"I..." Hao Jian began.
"I already knew!" Just as Hao Jian was about to continue, Zhang Danlin suddenly interrupted.
"I already know the answer, so you don’t need to say it." Zhang Danlin said.
Hao Jian was astonished, not expecting Zhang Danlin to say that. If she knew, all the better, as voicing it would just wound her heart once more. Silence might be a kinder option.
So he kept quiet.
"But..." Zhang Danlin looked at him earnestly and said, "Can you give me a reason? Compared to Liang Xiaohan, how am I lacking? Tell me where I fall short, so I can improve. Only then can I compare with her and become better, more suited to you."
Hao Jian was stunned, unsure of how to respond.
Honestly, he shouldn’t have gone out with her today. If he hadn’t, nothing would have happened, and her emotions wouldn’t have spiraled, and she wouldn’t have said these things.
This question left him struggling for an answer.
"In every way, you are not lacking compared to her!" Hao Jian suddenly said.
A glimmer of surprise flashed in Zhang Danlin’s eyes.
