Chapter 918
IF113
In the gentle night breeze, Li Zhuangsheng felt as if his heart had skipped a beat.
He was both surprised and delighted, yet also doubtful whether he had misheard. Hu Mengdie liked him? If Hu Mengdie liked him, then her deliberate attempts to get close to him these past few days would make sense. But did Hu Mengdie really like him? And why would she like him...?
Am I dreaming?! So the world of anime is real after all? High school boys are bound to meet that beautiful girl who falls from the sky?
"You...you like me?"
Li Zhuangsheng couldn't help but show his front teeth, his emotions reaching their peak... and this was the moment Hu Mengdie had been waiting for.
"Haha, I was just kidding," Hu Mengdie said slowly. "You don't actually think I like you, do you?"
Her mind was filled with Li Zhuangsheng's resolute actions that night, so now she wanted to retaliate with a small act of revenge. She would love to see the changes in Li Zhuangsheng's expression, from hope to disappointment, or even embarrassment... that would be quite a spectacle.
Li Zhuangsheng's expression froze. He felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, but his face was burning hot as if it were in a furnace.
In that instant, he wished he could disappear from the world completely. He was utterly ashamed, a wave of intense shame washing over him.
How embarrassing, how shameful! You actually believed Hu Mengdie liked you? You actually took her joke seriously and were even smug about it? How could you be so despicable?
Li Zhuangsheng was filled with shame and indignation, as if Hu Mengdie was laughing at him loudly, as if the whole world was laughing at him loudly. He felt dizzy and almost fell over.
"Ah, ah... I know, I know you were joking, I'm sorry, I, I didn't mean to..."
He forced a glance at Hu Mengdie and offered a nonsensical apology.
Hu Mengdie had just felt a surge of vengeful pleasure, thinking, "Now you know the pain of being dumped by your sweetheart!" But as their eyes met briefly, her heart skipped a beat, and she shuddered.
The look in Li Zhuangsheng's eyes at that moment reminded her of the resolute determination he displayed that snowy night. His only question, uttered with a mixture of shame and resentment, was a hostile one:
I think this is unfair. Right?
"No, that's not it, I..." Hu Mengdie subconsciously tried to stop him, but Li Zhuangsheng was already preparing to leave.
"I... I remembered I had something to do, so... I'll go back to class now..."
"No, don't go!"
Hu Mengdie grabbed Li Zhuangsheng, instinctively wanting to make amends... but when the words came out, she didn't know how to come up with a reasonable explanation in this situation.
Li Zhuangsheng was held by the hand by Hu Mengdie, unable to move forward or backward, so he had no choice but to sit back down, but he kept his face turned away and did not look at her.
"Um, it's nothing. I know you were joking, and I didn't mean anything by it... It's just that I really have to go back to class. Our class monitor is super fierce, have you heard of Lin the Old Demon...?"
Hu Mengdie stared intently at Li Zhuangsheng, biting her lip. She thought, "At this moment, the only thing I can do is kiss him." A kiss at this moment would be more powerful than any explanation or confession.
But after the kiss, it was all over. There was no romance or sweetness; it was just her trying to make amends for her mistake, and that's how they got together.
She wanted to be with Li Zhuangsheng, but not in this way. She hoped for a more romantic beginning, not this abrupt, inexplicable ending, like a third-rate author hastily providing a rushed, poorly written conclusion.
Having been reborn, she was not content with just this.
"I'm sorry, I was just joking with you." Hu Mengdie took a deep breath, carefully chose her words, and apologized honestly. "Actually, I don't have a boy I like right now. I just said that because I don't want to keep getting confessed to." "Oh, oh, oh..."
"I haven't spoken to almost any other guys lately, except for you!"
"oh oh!"
"I just noticed you seemed a little unwell and wanted to cheer you up. I didn't mean anything bad, please forgive me!"
Li Zhuangsheng simply nodded. He didn't blame Hu Mengdie; he felt it was all his own fault.
Hu Mengdie is too kind-hearted. She must have sensed her embarrassment, which is why she apologized and comforted herself.
But what does this have to do with Hu Mengdie? They were just joking. If you were honest and upright, with a clear conscience, and had no unrealistic fantasies about Hu Mengdie, how could you have made such a fool of yourself?
You were lustful, you're despicable and you deserve it!
"If you want to go down, go for a walk. It's a bit cold up here," Hu Mengdie said.
Li Zhuangsheng silently climbed down the steps, with Hu Mengdie following behind.
Li Zhuangsheng would look back at Hu Mengdie every time he went down a step. The steps were very high, and even he had to hold onto the wooden plank of the step above when he came down. It would probably be even more difficult for a girl.
But Hu Mengdie's movements were surprisingly agile. Actually, this wasn't surprising, given her background in dance.
Li Zhuangsheng had descended all the steps, while Hu Mengdie still had two more to go. Standing on the steps, looking down at Li Zhuangsheng, she felt a sudden urge to make amends, and her body began to sway.
"Oh no, I'm going to fall!" Hu Mengdie exclaimed.
Li Zhuangsheng, unaware of the trap, hurriedly tried to step forward, but Hu Mengdie, in her haste, went down another step and fell towards Li Zhuangsheng.
Li Zhuangsheng reached out to help him up, but Hu Mengdie pushed him down, and before he could even scream, he fell onto the grass. He felt like he couldn't breathe.
"Hey, are you alright?"
Hu Mengdie let Li Zhuangsheng enjoy himself for a while before releasing him with concern.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Li Zhuangsheng said, his face flushed, shaking his head repeatedly.
I thought to myself... Will she be angry with me? Will she think I did it on purpose? Will she think I'm taking advantage of her?
I really didn't mean to!
Li Zhuangsheng felt guilty and panicked, wanting to feign a headache to get away with it. But just moments before he fell, Hu Mengdie had caught his head with both hands; wouldn't feigning a headache be untenable now?
Then I'll pretend my back hurts...
Li Zhuangsheng made up his mind, but just as a hint of pain appeared on his face, before the performance even officially began, Hu Mengdie's hand touched him:
Are you really okay? Does anything hurt? Should we go to the hospital?
Li Zhuangsheng's lips twitched, and he immediately felt guilty: She cares about you so much, and you still want to pretend to be sick to fool her?
"No, no!" Li Zhuangsheng immediately denied, too embarrassed to pretend to be in pain anymore. "I'm really fine, I didn't fall hard. Is your arm okay?"
"I'm so glad you're alright!" Hu Mengdie said with a laugh, shaking her head. "That was really dangerous just now, thank goodness you caught me!" (End of Chapter)