Chapter 2205 - 2406: Narrow-Minded Woman!!!

"Boss, we're heading out first." With that, Hu Lai and the others took a cab with a few girls and left.

Left behind were Zhang Danlin, Liang Xiaohan, and Hao Jian. Liang Xiaohan planned to leave with Hao Jian later, and she mentioned that her dad would be picking her up, so she didn't need anyone to escort her.

Under the night sky, the three stood in front of Vienna KTV, and the situation began to grow a bit awkward. Hao Jian wanted to say something to Zhang Danlin, as it was her birthday today, yet he hadn't wished her a happy birthday in private. On any other occasion, he would've said it casually, but the awkwardness between them now made it hard for him to speak.

He felt awkward, unsure of what to do, unable to speak or leave, since her dad hadn't arrived, and it would be inappropriate to just leave with Liang Xiaohan and let her stay here alone.

However, just then, Liang Xiaohan nudged him, seemingly understanding his predicament, and actively gave him a push. Hao Jian was a bit surprised, not knowing what to do when Liang Xiaohan said, "Oh my, I'm so thirsty. I'm going to buy some water to drink. Do you guys want any?"

Both Hao Jian and Zhang Danlin were taken aback, unsure how to respond, and by this time, Liang Xiaohan had already run off. Her excuse to buy water was actually a way to slip away and give Hao Jian and Zhang Danlin a chance to be alone and talk it out.

After Liang Xiaohan left, only Hao Jian and Zhang Danlin remained, both feeling a bit flustered and unsure of what to do. However, as the guy, Hao Jian stepped up, smiled, and said to Zhang Danlin, "Uh, happy birthday. It was a bit awkward to say it with so many people around before."

Zhang Danlin smiled and said, "Thank you."

With the conversation started, it wasn't as awkward as before. At this point, Hao Jian looked at Zhang Danlin and said, "Your dad is coming to pick you up. How long do you think he'll take? If you'd like, Liang Xiaohan and I can take you home, it's on the way."

Hao Jian shouldn't have mentioned Liang Xiaohan. The mention of her brought back everything Zhang Danlin had seen that day, making her unsure of what to do, feeling a bit awkward and not wanting to face it, resurfacing some bad memories. She mumbled, "It's okay. I called my dad, and he said he'll be here soon, probably won't be long."

"Oh." Hao Jian also felt a bit awkward, and the two continued with small talk, "Alright then, we'll wait for your dad to pick you up."

After those words, they didn't speak again, just stood there, making the situation more awkward. Zhang Danlin's dad hadn't arrived, and Liang Xiaohan hadn't returned with the water, leaving the two at a loss.

At this moment, Zhang Danlin appeared to have struggled internally for a long time before suddenly saying, "Uh... thank you for coming to my birthday today, thank you."

"No problem." Hao Jian said.

For some reason, such politeness created a feeling of distance between them; close friends don't usually need such formality. Once things get formal, there's a barrier. Hao Jian felt it, and presumably, Zhang Danlin did too.

However, for Hao Jian, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. At least with this distance, Zhang Danlin would gradually forget about him, she won't dwell on him, and soon after he left, she'd likely forget all about him, which was a happy ending for everyone.

Deciding not to improve their relationship despite recognizing the change between them, Hao Jian silently stood there without speaking, and neither did Zhang Danlin. They both stood quietly. Before long, Liang Xiaohan returned with the water, and Zhang Danlin's father arrived.

The car stopped in front of Zhang Danlin. Seeing her father, she opened the door and got in. Though her dad wasn't particularly attentive towards her, he still maintained some fatherly demeanor. Seeing Hao Jian and Liang Xiaohan, who were Zhang Danlin's classmates, waiting with her, he rolled down the window and said, "You must be Danlin's classmates, thanks so much. It's good Danlin has friends like you."

With a sweet voice, Liang Xiaohan said, "Not at all, Uncle. Having Danlin as a friend is the luck of my lifetime."

With a silent smile, the atmosphere suddenly became closer. Seeing Hao Jian and Liang Xiaohan still standing by the roadside waiting for a cab, Zhang Danlin's father asked, "Where do you two live? Why don't I give you a lift? It's inconvenient to catch a cab at this hour."

Having already experienced enough awkwardness, Hao Jian didn't want to ride in the same car with Zhang Danlin again, especially with her dad there. If her dad found out that night he and her daughter were alone at his house, he might actually kill him.

He shook his head and said, "Forget it, uncle, it's too much trouble. You'd better just send Danlin back. We'll take a cab home."

Seeing Hao Jian politely refuse, Zhang Danlin's father didn't say much more and said, "Alright then, I'll take Danlin back first. Be careful on the road and message Danlin when you get home."

"Mhm, okay, uncle." said Xiaohai.

Immediately, Zhang Danlin's father started the car and drove off. After a while, his car disappeared into the Night Color, leaving only Hao Jian and Xiaohai behind.

Hao Jian looked at Xiaohai with meaningful eyes.

Xiaohai rolled her eyes back at Hao Jian and said, "What are you looking at?"

Hao Jian chuckled and asked, "Just now you deliberately pretended to buy water and left me with Zhang Danlin here alone. What's your intention?"

Xiaohai's face turned unpleasant upon hearing Hao Jian speak like that, and she immediately punched Hao Jian directly, angrily saying, "Hao Jian, I was just giving you two space to talk because you might not feel comfortable with me around. I stepped away deliberately so you two could talk better. And you took my good intentions as nothing, fine, I won't do it next time."

Hao Jian was a bit surprised that Xiaohai could be so kind. He remembered how she used to act like a private investigator whenever he got close to Zhang Danlin. He looked at Xiaohai incredulously and said, "No way, you used to be afraid of me being alone with her, not even a few more words were allowed. How come you're speaking like this now?"

Xiaohai rolled her eyes at Hao Jian and said, "It's not okay to be good to you, not okay to be bad to you, then what am I supposed to do?!"

Hao Jian was stunned and didn't know how to respond. Xiaohai continued, "Before is before, I used to think even though you didn't have the guts but had evil intentions. But this time is different. I feel that you genuinely care for my cousin, and you probably wouldn't do anything to hurt her, so I let it slide. Since you two have things to talk about, then just let you talk."

Listening, Hao Jian didn't speak, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, appearing both to agree and disagree with Xiaohai's words. Xiaohai finished her sentence, punched Hao Jian's chest again, and questioned, "Hey, you're wrong here. You're making it sound like I'm some narrow-minded woman. I'm telling you if that's how you think, I'll be upset. Today I even helped Zhang Danlin arrange things to ease the awkwardness between you two, and didn't say any bad things about you in front of my cousin. If you think like that, then you're judging a noble heart with petty intentions, treating me like something else."

After speaking, Xiaohai glared at Hao Jian angrily. Looking and considering, Hao Jian quickly comforted her, saying, "Sorry, sorry, it's my fault. I judged a noble heart with petty intentions. It was my mistake, forgive me, okay? Just consider me a petty person."

Hearing Hao Jian say this, Xiaohai's expression became slightly better but still pretended to be angry and said, "Alright, men are just like this. Don't expect me to help you next time, hmph."

Hao Jian helplessly shook his head and said, "Hey, I'm sorry."

Xiaohai's mouth was still pouting. He hailed a car by the roadside, and the two took it home. Once home, Xiaohai took off her jacket, leaving only her underwear on, almost causing Hao Jian to react. This girl really doesn't treat him as an outsider, not guarding herself at all, not afraid he might suddenly act like a beast? He shook his head in resignation and hurriedly shifted his attention.

After drinking so much and getting covered in cake, a shower was a must. Xiaohai rushed to shower ahead of Hao Jian. Though she hadn't drunk, she smelled of alcohol, so Hao Jian took the chance to cook some Sobriety Soup for her to drink later.

After Xiaohai finished showering, she was a bit surprised to see a bowl of Sobriety Soup on the table but still picked it up and drank. After that, she went to sleep alone in her bedroom.

When Hao Jian finished showering and after taking care of everything, he looked at the time; it was already past two in the morning. He needed to attend class tomorrow, and sleeping at the desk was nowhere near as comfortable as sleeping in bed, so he didn't continue doing anything else and quickly closed his eyes to sleep.

That day passed just like that. In his dreams, it was as if he relived that entire day in his mind, from class in the day to Zhang Danlin's birthday at night, playing games, singing, drinking, eating cake, and everything that happened afterward, replaying truthfully in his mind once again.

When he opened his eyes, it was already daylight.