Chapter 70

That tone, that expression.

Guan Nan felt a sudden pang of sadness.

Between them, nothing has changed since their second year of high school.

It seems like they just had a big argument.

It also seemed like she had just been angry for a very long time.

Neither of them paid any attention to the other.

Whether it was in her second year of high school or now, it was clearly her problem and her fault. She was the one who pushed away Jiang Li, who was so good to her, time and time again.

Even if it was unavoidable, even if...

"Hey, Jiang Li," Guan Nan heard someone call out as the door to the private room was pushed open, "your girlfriend is here."

Suddenly, Guan Nan shook off his hand and followed Luo Haoyu out.

The relationship, which had finally begun to ease, was once again pushed to a freezing point.

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After watching half the game, Lin Rui almost choked on his breath. He glanced at them and said in an extremely unfriendly tone, "Are you sick in the head?"

The party club's overall decor leans towards a Southeast Asian style. It's a large villa with a small garden outside, complete with a swing and a small tea table and tea ceremony area.

As soon as they sat down, someone brought them water and desserts.

Facing Luo Haoyu, Guan Nan, who had only been deskmates for a year in the first year of high school and wasn't particularly close to him, didn't know what to say. But sitting like this was too awkward.

Noticing her discomfort, Luo Haoyu spoke first, "How's work lately?"

"It's fine," Guan Nan said, taking a sip of water. "You must be quite busy at the institute."

Luo Haoyu: "You care about me that much?"

"..." Guan Nan gave a dry laugh, "I've seen your science videos."

Changing the subject abruptly, Luo Haoyu asked, "You've been single all these years, haven't you thought about dating someone?"

Guan Nan shook her head and put down her water glass. "My focus is on work."

“Me too,” Luo Haoyu said.

His comment, "Me too," left Guan Nan wondering if he was also focused on work or if he had been single for many years. But discussing such sensitive topics between a man and a woman is clearly very awkward.

Guan Nan didn't intend to chat much, and just smiled to brush it off.

Surprisingly, Luo Haoyu didn't have such plans, and added, "I heard that Jiang Li has an ex-girlfriend, and they had a very deep relationship."

There was a brief silence.

Guan Nan: "...I don't know."

"Don't you plan to find someone else?" Luo Haoyu asked again, "You like him that much."

His words were sharp and his angles were unconventional; he got to the point in just a few sentences.

Guan Nan almost got caught up in his words, but after realizing what he meant, she immediately pretended to be clueless and said, "I didn't understand what you were saying."

Seeing this, Luo Haoyu clasped his hands together, leaned forward in an aggressive stance, and instead of beating around the bush, chose to get straight to the point and say, "We know each other well, so why don't you consider me?"

Guan Nan hesitated, then pursed her lips. "When...did you find out?"

“It’s very early,” Luo Haoyu leaned back a little, his posture relaxed, and chatted incoherently. If someone suddenly came in, they might not understand what secrets the two were talking about. “It’s hard to explain in a short time, and you probably can’t explain it yourself either.”

“Hmm,” Guan Nan breathed a sigh of relief and said slowly, “I’ve met many good people. They are all very good, just as good as you, but that’s being good, not liking.”

What do you think liking is?

What is liking?

It's blushing when we make eye contact, a racing heart, a feeling of unease and helplessness, and the nervousness of sweating.

I felt both anticipation and apprehension.

The anxiety of being discovered.

The reluctance and unwillingness to give up.

After thinking for a long time, Guan Nan solemnly gave her answer: "It's Jiang Li."

It's Jiang Li.

Only Jiang Li.

The name was like a boulder crashing into a stagnant pool, revealing to her an unprecedented vibrancy full of color, and from then on, the boulder remained fixed in the center of the water.

It also permeated her entire girlhood, a quiet and silent youth shrouded in black and white.

"But Guan Nan, do you know?" Luo Haoyu smiled, as if she had expected this, and said softly, "It's very obvious when someone likes you."

Luo Haoyu didn't know if he was telling her or himself what he was saying.

But Guan Nan said, "I have a moral bottom line."

Luo Haoyu just smiled and said, "He's been dating this girlfriend for a year, but I doubt it will last much longer. If you don't mind, you can wait a little longer."

Guan Nan wanted to reply to him, but then she heard Xie Shuwan's voice coming from the upstairs terrace, calling her up.

After saying hello, Guan Nan stood up and walked forward when she heard him say, "But I still stubbornly believe that he is not worth it, and you should have someone better."

She seemed not to hear, and walked forward without hesitation, going upstairs through the glass door.

Whether it's worth it or not, she said it's up to her.

"What are you two talking about? Why are you taking so long?" As soon as she went up, Chen Fei stood next to Xie Shuwan and asked in a low voice, "You two didn't start dating, did you?"

The three of them stood at the door of the private room on the second floor.

The private room wasn't exactly soundproof, and the door was barely ajar, but music flowed freely. Some people were singing love songs, some were chatting about their recent lives, and some were discussing the protagonist's feelings.

But before Guan Nan could even speak after hearing Chen Fei's words, Xie Shuwan, who was standing nearby, overheard them.

She made a weak, trembling "ah" sound.

Xie Shuwan's eyes widened. She quickly glanced into the private room, covered her mouth with her hand to calm herself, and pointed helplessly at the room, "Promise... no way? This is so scary! Then, what about J... what will happen to him?"

"Who?" Chen Fei caught a whiff of gossip.

Guan Nan found it a little strange that Xie Shuwan was so nervous.

"It's just... um..." Xie Shuwan was so anxious that she couldn't utter a single word. She was so frustrated that she was almost incoherent. So she simply gave up and started making a fuss, "Anyway, anyway, oh well, how should I put it, you're not allowed to talk to him! You're not allowed to talk to him!"

Chen Fei asked suspiciously, "Why? There must be a reason."

She was frantic, trying to come up with an excuse but unable to tell the truth. Her eyes darted towards the private room, hoping someone would come to her rescue.

Surprisingly, no one knew what was happening outside, and no one came out.

Xie Shuwan held Guan Nan's hand, looked into her eyes, and said earnestly, "Nan Nan, do you believe it—"

"I believe you." Guan Nan nodded without saying a word.

"No, I haven't finished yet," Xie Shuwan continued, "If I said that in this fast-paced era, someone has really liked you for a very long time, would you believe me?"

Chen Fei answered first: "No."

"..." Xie Shuwan took a deep breath and calmly explained, "Don't interrupt me. Let me finish, or I'll really get angry later."

Her cold expression was rather frightening.

Chen Fei remained silent.

After saying that, Xie Shuwan looked at Guan Nan again, "Do you believe it?"

Guan Nan forced a smile, unable to find the words to say.

If you say you believe me, she definitely will, because it's her.

I don't believe it, and I don't believe it either, because no one would like her.

Without receiving a reply, Xie Shuwan assumed that the other person did not believe her, but she could not force the other person to give her the answer she expected. Her smile was somewhat awkward and her eyes were red. "Whether you believe it or not, I hope we can always be friends. After all, there's nothing I can do about some people who are not up to par."

"Um, Tang Xin is here. I'll go in first. You guys chat." Xie Shuwan let go of Guan Nan's hand, her fake smile obvious, and made an excuse to leave for the private room.

Guan Nan felt a little confused, wondering who she was referring to, whether openly or secretly.

Although there is a vague direction in my heart.

But she always felt it was impossible.

Chen Fei glanced at Xie Shuwan's retreating figure as she entered the room, pursed her lips, and looked somewhat puzzled. She came over and took Guan Nan's arm, saying, "What's wrong with her? She only said a couple of words, why is she angry?"

“She wasn’t angry,” Guan Nan corrected her. “She was scared.”

Chen Fei didn't understand: "What are you afraid of?"

“I’m afraid…” In that instant, Guan Nan seemed to think of something inappropriate, pursed her lips and whispered, “I’m afraid that one day in the future… we won’t be able to be friends anymore after we get married.”

"Can't we be friends after marriage? She seems like a very cheerful person, how could she think like that?"

Hearing this, Guan Nan wanted to explain that it wasn't what she thought, but explaining would lead to other issues, so she could only say, "It's not what you think."

The two chatted for a while, and Chen Fei suddenly remembered Jiang Li from earlier, as well as the series of events she had witnessed at the hospital.

Chen Fei spat, "By the way, that Jiang Li, he already has a girlfriend, why is he still showing you affection? He's like a peacock displaying its tail feathers, he's a scumbag. He tries to flirt with everyone he meets!"

Seeing that she had misunderstood, and unable to bear hearing him being slandered, Guan Nan said seriously, "It was me. I provoked him first."

A moment of silence.

Guan Nan gave a vague explanation.

"..." Chen Fei swallowed, trying to convince herself, "Actually, I think I might not be so averse to it... uh, yes, feelings come first, if there's love, I'll go for it!"

Guan Nan was speechless for a moment.

"Guan Nan, as a woman of steel, I...I..."

As she spoke, Chen Fei lost her confidence and said with a droopy face, "Maybe we should just give up. There are so many men in the world, we won't miss him."

Seeing this, Guan Nan had the idea to tease her, "But there's only one of him."

"...Although I admit you're right."

Guan Nan suppressed a laugh and said seriously, "Feifei, I've really liked him for a long time, from high school until now. If I can't be with him, I probably won't like anyone else again."

"Ah..." Chen Fei was speechless.

"Over the years, I've only ever liked Jiang Li, if my future partner isn't Jiang Li."

Chen Fei looked at her, but didn't dare to say a word.

“If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have gotten married,” Guan Nan said. “In other words, I would never have gotten married. I would rather grow old alone. Because you don’t know how good he is, but you might never meet someone as good as Jiang Li in your lifetime. But now that I’ve met him, I can’t bear to let go.”

"But...but..." Chen Fei couldn't utter a word for a long time, "Is the love this deep?"

Guan Nan smiled and said, "It has to be him."

No one could have imagined that Guan Nan, who seemed so well-behaved and quiet, would one day speak such resolute words in the gentlest voice.

For a moment, Chen Fei truly saw her determination, and couldn't help but feel a little scared.

And in the gap that no one noticed, a shallow, elongated reflection quietly appeared.

Just then, the door to the private room, which was neither open nor closed, was knocked on.

The two of them instinctively turned around.

After uttering such outrageous words, Guan Nan was terrified that someone might overhear, as it sent chills down her spine and made her scalp tingle.

A few seconds later, no further movement was seen, confirming that no one was there.

Chen Fei looked away, hesitated for a long time, and then said with difficulty, "Morally, I am not allowed to support you, but as a friend, my friend, I will always stand behind you."

After the heart-to-heart talk, the two walked back to the private room arm in arm.

The door opened, and Guan Nan saw the person sitting on the sofa. Her face went blank.

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