She was reluctant to leave school, bid goodbye to He Teng, and also bid farewell to her good friends such as Jiang Biyun.
He Teng remained noncommittal and his actions did not pause until the medicine he gave He Zhilan took effect and she gradually fell asleep, only then did he stop.
Even when He Zhilan fell asleep, her brows were still slightly furrowed. He Teng lifted his hand, gently rubbed her brows, and when he withdrew his hand her eyebrows had already smoothed out.
He Teng sighed, "He Zhilan, I’ve told you before, if you’re going to pretend, then continue pretending. If you’ve genuinely become well-behaved, then never change back to the original He Zhilan. Why don’t you listen? Why do you have to go and make yourself ?"
The deeply asleep He Zhilan could not respond to He Teng, but what he had in his mind were two contrasting versions of He Zhilan.
One was the unruly and unreasonable He Zhilan, and the other was the obedient and sweet He Zhilan he met in the military, who would act like a spoiled child in his arms.
The difference between the two was almost like night and day.
That time in the military, He Teng never really got drunk. His alcohol tolerance was always superior and that evening was not different, he was merely pretending to be drunk. He knew, given the capabilities of those people, if he didn’t pretend to be drunk, they would certainly not let him go easily.
However, He Teng never anticipated that by pretending to be drunk, he would overhear the conversation between Lan Li and He Zhilan. The warning Lan Li gave to He Zhilan, He Teng would rather believe there was a misunderstanding between Lan Li and He Zhilan, rather than Lan Li having seen through He Zhilan from the very start.
Yet, last night, much to his hesitance to accept, He Zhilan’s actions confirmed Lan Li’s words. Indeed, she was struggling to fit into a world not belonging to her, stepping higher and higher.
He Teng even started wondering, was marrying him a blessing or a curse for He Zhilan? What could he even offer her?
Money? He had none. The He Family was so poor; they had to borrow money just to get by.
Status? He had none of that either.
By marrying him, He Zhilan was destined to suffer along with him and the He Family. All he could offer He Zhilan was fidelity towards her and their marriage. But was this what He Zhilan really needed?
He Zhilan was exceptional. Exceptional people should aspire and advance. As the saying goes ’water flows downwards’, ’people march upwards’. Getting married to He Zhilan, was he abruptly hindering her future?
If he let her go, would He Zhilan be able to soar high like an eagle, flying out of his world?
Lan Li, since leaving last night, appeared before He Teng only at this moment. As Ding Jinshi guessed, he did not find any evidence at Night Beauty. Lan Song and others insisted they were taking He Zhilan back and claimed that Ding Jinshi and Chen Shan were fabricating stories. Regarding He Zhilan getting drunk, Lan Song merely mentioned he saw He Zhilan drinking with friends, not expecting her to get drunk after just a few cups.
Lan Li did not know whether to trust Ding Jinshi’s words or the evidence he couldn’t find — believe Gu En?
"She just fell asleep." On seeing Lan Li standing at the door, He Teng whispered, then got up and walked out. He did not plan to talk to Lan Li in the ward. He Zhilan was feeling unwell and had just fallen asleep; he was worried that the voices would wake her.
Both men moved to a quiet corner. Lan Li glanced at He Teng’s crutch and began, "About last night’s incident, I want to apologize for Gu En. She shouldn’t have taken He Zhilan drinking."
He Teng shook his head, "If she wants to apologize, she should do it herself to He Zhilan. She came by just now, but not to apologize. She said something to make He Zhilan leave the capital. I don’t know why Gu En is against He Zhilan. I also don’t have any evidence to prove what Gu En wanted to do last night or what she did. However, Lan Li, since Gu En is your sister, please pass some words to her."