Hao Jian's heart tightened instantly upon hearing this; he hadn't expected Liang Xiaohan to connect these two incidents. He had completely forgotten about it—if she hadn't mentioned it, he wouldn't have even recalled it. Liang Xiaohan's words triggered his memory; it seemed the first time he met Gu Peng was when he was pursuing Zhang Danlin, unfortunately leaving a bad first impression, leading Gu Peng to see him as a rival. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Liang Xiaohan's comment gave him pause, making him realize she was veering toward a rather extreme interpretation.

Sure enough, before he could gather his thoughts, Liang Xiaohan added, "Isn't it all because of Zhang Danlin? Gu Peng was after her, and you wanted him, so you fought with Gu Peng over it?"

"Injustice!" Hao Jian lamented.

He never imagined Liang Xiaohan would interpret the situation that way, and she did it so convincingly, as if it were all true. If it were really like that, he could have accepted it, but the reason he clashed with Gu Peng—didn't she understand at all? Why did she think that way? It suddenly felt like a chill passed through him.

Raising his voice, he said, "Don't you know why I clashed with Gu Peng? That time Liu Jie blocked you to confess his feelings. If I hadn't shown up in time, you... otherwise, why would I have offended Gu Peng, why would I have a conflict with Gu Peng?"

Liang Xiaohan was about to retort, but hearing Hao Jian's explanation, she suddenly realized something, her eyes widening as she looked at Hao Jian.

Hao Jian continued, "If it weren't for that conflict and his constant provocations, I'd be seen as a weakling if I endured it all. Wouldn't that lead to endless troubles?"

Liang Xiaohan agreed with Hao Jian's reasoning, yet for a moment she was at a loss for how to respond. Seeing her deflated stance, Hao Jian continued, "And you, you imagined me to be such a person, fighting with him over someone else. Don't you know, if it weren't for you, I would have just left. Why am I staying here? Isn't it because of you!"

Liang Xiaohan's expression changed immediately; she had planned to question Hao Jian if he had any designs on Zhang Danlin. If he had such thoughts, she intended to teach him a lesson on behalf of her cousin, admonishing this playboy.

But after hearing Hao Jian's words, she realized his painstaking efforts and felt she had been judging him unfairly, wrongly perceiving his genuine intentions. She felt a bit guilty toward Hao Jian, recognizing he had been acting on her behalf all along, yet she resented him for it.

Suddenly, she felt she had said and done the wrong things, acted and spoken inappropriately.

With a look of grievance, Hao Jian gazed at her, while Liang Xiaohan, feeling guilty, lowered her head as if she were afraid to face her elders. Suddenly, she moved behind Hao Jian and extended her delicate hands to massage his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, I was just joking with you and said the wrong thing. Please forgive me, consider my cousin, if not me. After all, I'm still her cousin, and if I did something wrong, you should forgive me." Liang Xiaohan said as she massaged Hao Jian.

It must be said, Liang Xiaohan's massage skills were quite impressive. As soon as her hands touched his shoulders, Hao Jian felt a warmth in his heart. As her hands started moving over his shoulders, with varying pressure, the discomfort in his body seemed to gradually dissipate.

As her hands continued to knead his shoulders, he began to relax; the feeling was simply delightful, all the day's stress slowly dissipated, immersing him in a marvelous sensation. He couldn't help but close his eyes to savor this comfort.

"Comfortable!" Hao Jian said instinctively.

Seeing the displeasure vanish from Hao Jian's face, now replaced with an expression of enjoyment, Liang Xiaohan responded, "Great, as long as you're comfortable."

Hao Jian nodded, and she continued to massage him progressively, utilizing varied techniques to make him more comfortable, aiming for complete relaxation and enjoyment. Gradually, Hao Jian dozed off, and only when her hands grew tired did she wake him before heading to bed herself.

Watching her retreating figure, Hao Jian felt a wave of surprise. He never expected Liang Xiaohan to suddenly treat him so well, leaving him anxious. Was there a reason for such a change, or did she do something behind his back that could make her feel guilty? Otherwise, given Liang Xiaohan's nature, it seemed unlikely for her to be nice to him, offering a free half-hour massage. Despite enjoying it, he still felt slightly uneasy at heart.

Nevertheless, life had to go on, and soon it was the next day, resuming his usual routine. After waking up and getting ready in the morning, he headed to the classroom.

Entering the classroom, Hao Jian's eyes swept around, spotting He Qiqi already present. He approached her desk, handing her Li Weiwei's notebook, saying, "Here, this is for you."

He Qiqi was reading a book and, seeing Hao Jian appear suddenly with a thick, worn-out notebook, she froze for a moment. Once she heard Hao Jian say it was for her, she took it, flipped through, and her initially indifferent face broke into a smile.

"No way, I can't accept this," He Qiqi felt the notebook was too precious, and she was reluctant to accept it.

Hao Jian pushed the notebook back to her with a smile, "For me, it's just clutter, but in your hands, it's different. You can make good use of it, so for you, it's a treasure. Just take it."

While listening, He Qiqi still found it awkward to accept, so seeing her hesitation, Hao Jian feigned displeasure, "What, don't you want what I'm giving you?"

He Qiqi quickly shook her head and said, "No, that's not it."

Hao Jian smiled, "Well, if it's not that, then accept it."

Initially embarrassed, He Qiqi realized if she refused, Hao Jian might actually be upset, so she finally accepted it. Truthfully, she was delighted; having these notes could save her a lot of study time.

Once He Qiqi accepted the notebook, Hao Jian beamed and walked away.

Sitting down at his seat, Fatty observed him with a grin, and everyone carried on as if nothing happened. Come lunchtime, as they went to eat, Lin Dongyang approached Hao Jian with a puzzled expression, "Hao Bro, what are you planning for next Friday?"

Liang Xiaohan also asked curiously, "Yeah, are you planning to go alone?"

Hao Jian smiled, looking at the two of them, and cryptically said, "Don't worry, I have a plan. Just wait and see."

Seeing this response, Liang Xiaohan and Lin Dongyang seemed to want to ask something more but refrained, instead continuing their meal, chatting about inconsequential topics before returning to class.

Thus, the afternoon slipped by, as did the evening, and soon came the end of night study. Liang Xiaohan, who had something to say during class, disappeared after a brief message. Soon afterward, Zhang Danlin approached Hao Jian.

"Let's go, how about a midnight snack, then you can walk me home," Zhang Danlin smiled.

Seeing that he had nothing else scheduled, Hao Jian agreed, "Sure, let's go."

Zhang Danlin asked, "Same place as last time?"

Hao Jian replied, "Anywhere is fine."

Subsequently, they left the building and dormitory, eventually heading toward both Zhang Danlin's home and the supper place. Not long after, they arrived at their destination. Seated at a vacant table, Zhang Danlin skillfully ordered some food and asked Hao Jian for his preferences before adding his order.

Perhaps due to more patrons than on their last visit, the food took longer to arrive. Although Zhang Danlin noticed the busy owner, she refrained from urging. However, after a while, the delay frayed her patience, but with Hao Jian there, she kept her composure.

Noticing, Hao Jian decided to speak to the owner about speeding up their order. As he stood, he suddenly spotted a group he recognized.

Indeed, as he rose, he caught sight of the table beside them, occupied by the same thugs he had encountered on his previous visit. Pausing briefly at the sight of them, Hao Jian then walked over to the owner to request their order be hurried along.

Upon returning, he glanced casually toward the group's table, noticing a lingering discontent and melancholy cast over each of their faces.

After a brief glance, he retook his seat. Meanwhile, Zhang Danlin griped that were it not for the delicious food, she'd prefer not to return due to the wait time, and Hao Jian reassured her, suggesting patience as there was no rush to head home.

Hao Jian's words had their effect; Zhang Danlin, once visibly impatient, now beamed a wide smile, her dimples adorably visible.

However, Hao Jian's attention was still partly focused on the neighboring table. Listening to their conversation, his interest piqued.