"Tsk~" He Teng smirked, showing contempt for He Zhilan’s naive thoughts.
"Today is the 10th, Ding Jinshi and Ding Long are getting married. Last night, Ding Jinshi came to the school to look for me. We spent some time together. Then, over dinner, all I saw was her drinking and smoking, and oh, crying. It was heartbreaking to see her like that. When Gu En and Lan Song plotted against me, without Ding Jinshi’s help, I don’t know what miserable state I might have been in. Although I haven’t met Ding Jinshi many times, she has protected me on numerous occasions. She’s such a good person, yet she’s not happy." He Zhilan sighed, "I have a feeling that Lan Li still loves Ding Jinshi. But why does Lan Li remain silent and indifferent? Can you guys, too, be such cowards at times?"
"Their matters are not your business, everyone must walk their own path." He Teng had heard about Ding Long and Ding Jinshi’s wedding. Recently, Ding Long has been thriving in the capital. Despite the challenges his company is facing, he still held a grand wedding ceremony.
He Zhilan knew of course that she couldn’t interfere in other people’s affairs. But she couldn’t forget how many times Ding Jinshi had helped her. The image of Ding Jinshi last night—crying, laughing, smoking, and drinking—all at once was ingrained in her mind, which made her feel sorry for Ding Jinshi.
"Think about it, being poor is not too bad!" He Zhilan suddenly looked up at He Teng and laughed, "Look, I’m your betrothed since childhood. Even if you don’t like me, you still have to marry me. I’m pretty lucky! It would be too pathetic to be born into a family like the Ding Family."
"I don’t dislike you." He Teng instinctively responded, feeling a sense of frustration when He Zhilan said he had to marry her even if he didn’t like her.
Truth be told, He Teng had never disliked the idea of marrying He Zhilan.
He knew about his little wife at home since he left at sixteen and knew that they would get married eventually. So, when He Zhilan came of age, He Teng went along with his father’s plans and married her. From start to finish, he never showed any displeasure. Even though He Zhilan was somewhat clueless, He Teng was used to her presence. He liked his life to follow set rules and arrangements.
He Zhilan was stunned. She didn’t intend to imply that He Teng didn’t like her, she simply made a casual comparison between He Teng and Lan Li, herself and Ding Jinshi, that’s why she made that remark.
However, seeing how serious He Teng was, He Zhilan, feeling playful, ran towards him with a full-hearted smile, wrapped her arms around He Teng and asked, "If you don’t dislike me, does that mean you like me? Brother, do you like me?"
He Teng flushed, not knowing why he had agreed with her just now. He stiffly removed He Zhilan’s arms from around his body and sternly chastised her, "Sit properly! Water is about to spill from your hand. This is a school, not your home where you can do as you please."
"Oh~" He Zhilan pouted and obediently sat down, muttering under her breath, "Boring!" He Teng was always , he could dampen the mood at any moment by lecturing her.
If He Zhilan was expecting He Teng, who was like an old pedant, to suddenly change, it would probably be as difficult as waiting for an iron tree to blossom. In one word, hard.