Chapter 2197 - 2398: Duet of the Two Goddesses!!!

As soon as he walked into the room, he was utterly baffled. The people inside weren't just anyone, but Fatty Hu Lai, Zheng Jun, He Qiqi, and the others, including Zhang Danlin. There were even some people he didn't recognize. As he followed Liang Xiaohan through the door, all eyes instantly fell on him.

He's not dumb. Seeing this scene, he immediately realized that this was all meticulously prepared in advance. No wonder they said they were skipping class today and called Hu Lai and Fatty, who both refused to come, claiming they needed sleep and acted utterly exhausted. Turns out it was all a ploy to get here behind his back.

At the same time, He Qiqi and a few girls were also there. What surprised him the most was that Zhang Danlin was actually there. Most of the close friends from Class 1, Year 3 were present, and even a few he wasn't familiar with but had seen around school and could recognize by face. Looking at everything, Hao Jian was dumbfounded, wondering what this was all about.

He also thought about how mysterious Liang Xiaohan had been acting today, asking him to meet at night early in the morning. It seemed like everything was prepared long ago. As for gathering this group of people in a KTV room, he wasn't sure what was going on, looking puzzled.

At this moment, Liang Xiaohan quietly whispered in his ear, "Um… actually, today is Zhang Danlin's birthday. But your relationship seems awkward, and she wanted to invite you but was too shy to do it herself. So she asked me to invite you, and I brought you here this way. Don't be mad. Since you're here, just celebrate her birthday."

"Huh?" Hao Jian looked puzzled.

Today is Zhang Danlin's birthday, and now everyone is gathered here to celebrate it. Hao Jian felt as if his brain suddenly ran out of oxygen and he couldn't breathe. How could he not know it was Zhang Danlin's birthday today? Maybe Zhang Danlin mentioned it before, but he had selectively forgotten.

What puzzled him the most was that usually, Liang Xiaohan was against him seeing Zhang Danlin. Yet, this time, she helped Zhang Danlin invite him. It was indeed strange. They say a woman's heart is like a needle in the ocean. Normally, they seem at odds, but somehow they're in agreement on this.

He didn't know how Liang Xiaohan and Zhang Danlin started talking since they usually didn't speak to each other in class. In the past, with him around, they spoke sometimes. Since Zhang Danlin told him to reduce contact, they hadn't interacted.

However, he was lost in thought when Liang Xiaohan seemed to know exactly what he was thinking. She discreetly pinched him while no one was looking, bringing him back to reality, and whispered, "You're probably wondering why I'm helping Zhang Danlin, right? Well, girls aren't that cunning. It's just a birthday celebration, nothing significant. I won't tell your cousin either, so just relax and celebrate her birthday as a friend."

"Oh." Hao Jian responded to Liang Xiaohan.

Since he was already here, as awkward as it was, he couldn't just leave, could he? That would be incredibly rude, making future encounters even more embarrassing.

Once he figured it all out and saw that everyone was focused on him, he decided to break the awkwardness by greeting everyone, "Hi, sorry I'm late."

Smiles appeared on everyone's faces, including Zhang Danlin. Then Hu Lai and Fatty rushed over, grabbing Hao Jian's hand. Fatty said, "Come on, Hao Jian, since you're late, you have to down three glasses of wine."

Knowing Fatty, they were joking; Hao Jian didn't want to kill their vibe, so he walked over, picked up a glass, and downed it in one go. Hu Lai and Fatty's group praised his drinking ability. As soon as the first glass was done, he picked up the second and third, drinking them in succession. In no time, the three glasses were drained.

"Alright," Hao Jian said, putting the glass down.

Hu Lai and Fatty cheered along, and Hao Jian scanned the room. He didn't see Liu Jie, which made sense. As the host, Zhang Danlin knew about Hao Jian's discord with Liu Jie, so she wouldn't invite him. Even if she did, Liu Jie would likely sense the tension and know his presence would dampen the mood. It was best not to come, or he'd be terribly awkward.

Liang Xiaohan sat on the side. Though she arrived late like Hao Jian, no one asked her to drink three glasses. Her commanding presence kept anyone from daring to challenge her.

No one except Liang Xiaohan knew about the fallout between Zhang Danlin and Hao Jian. She was a witness to it. So everyone assumed Hao Jian was merely late and didn't think Liang Xiaohan had devised a plan to bring him.

Sure enough, once Hao Jian arrived, everyone focused on him, teasing him endlessly — either feeding him drinks or playing games that targeted him for entertainment. It was supposed to be Zhang Danlin's birthday, but it started feeling like it was Hao Jian's party. However, Zhang Danlin didn't seem upset. Instead, she laughed happily at Hao Jian's antics with everyone.

But Hao Jian was not unaware. He knew it was Zhang Danlin's birthday, and he shouldn't overstay his welcome. After finishing a glass of wine, he clapped his hands and said loudly, "Uh… since today is Danlin's birthday, I think it'd be great if Danlin could sing us a song. What do you guys think?"

Zhang Danlin, who was previously laughing, didn't expect Hao Jian to suddenly shift the spotlight, making her blush instantly. She shyly said, "I'm not good at singing, so I'd rather not."

The people around her started coaxing, "How could it not sound good? You sang so well last time at the KTV. Don't be shy; we're all friends. Nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Yeah, yeah, everyone knows Danlin has a great voice. Sing, it's your birthday, you should definitely sing a few songs to enjoy yourself," a girl said.

Liang Xiaohan didn't waste any words. Seeing everyone encouraging and Zhang Danlin looking hesitant, she walked up and grabbed the mic, picked a few songs, then handed the mic to Zhang Danlin, saying, "I've picked the songs for you, you have to sing them."

Zhang Danlin saw Liang Xiaohan handing her the mic and felt embarrassed to refuse. She took the mic, and the classmate sitting next to the song selection screen clicked start, and the intro began to play.

"How many times does a butterfly blink before it learns to fly... The night sky scatters stars, but how many will fall..."

Zhang Danlin started to sing along with the rhythm, singing Wang Leehom's "All the Things You Never Knew." As soon as she began, the whole room fell silent, entranced by her sweet and story-laden voice. Even Hao Jian was drawn in by Zhang Danlin's every word and note.

Before long, as the last note ended, Zhang Danlin's voice ceased. As the song finished, Hao Jian opened his eyes, snapping back to reality. At that exact moment, Zhang Danlin looked up after finishing the song, and their gazes coincidentally met.

In that instant, Hao Jian quickly diverted his eyes, and Zhang Danlin also hurriedly looked away. Both wore expressions of awkwardness. Fortunately, a group soon praised Zhang Danlin's singing and urged her to perform another, melting away the awkwardness without a trace.

Consequently, Hao Jian no longer dared to close his eyes while listening, fearing their gazes might meet again.

Zhang Danlin's several songs were exceptionally good, and everyone was enchanted. But when Zhang Danlin finished her next song, Hu Lai loudly started hyping, "I bet our Xiaohan also sings beautifully, we've never heard the goddess Xiaohan sing, how about we let goddess Xiaohan sing one too?"

Fatty chimed in, "Why not let Xiaohan and Danlin sing a duet?"

"Yes, yes, let the two goddesses sing a duet, this is truly a rare sight," someone else joined in enthusiastically.

"Duet, duet..." a group of people began to cheer.

Liang Xiaohan was never one to shy away. Zhang Danlin already had one mic, so Liang Xiaohan took the other, picked a song, and the intro slowly started to play.

This time, she picked a widely popular duet love song by Wang Leehom and Candy Lo, "Good-Hearted Breakup."

"Are you surprised, speechless..." Liang Xiaohan.

"Maybe I should be distracted, shouldn't say anything..." Zhang Danlin.

The duet by two campus goddesses was really rare. One sang sweetly, the other passionately, and everyone was mesmerized. Who would've thought they would have the chance to enjoy such a performance? Everyone was immersed in a state of enchantment.

When the song ended and the music stopped, everyone remained in a trance, looking like they thoroughly enjoyed it.

"Bravo!" Hao Jian shouted for the first time, clapping vigorously.

"Bravo..." a group of people echoed in succession.

To be honest, their duet was truly splendid. After finishing, the two put down their mics and exchanged a knowing smile, feeling a sort of kinship through the music.

At this moment, Hu Lai patted Fatty, who didn't know what was happening at first, but when Hu Lai shot a glance at Hao Jian, Fatty instantly understood.

Their eyes reached a consensus.