"Huo Jian Sheng raised an eyebrow and said, 'Do you think I'm joking?'
All along, they had been in a relationship that was more than friends but less than lovers. They had feelings for each other, but neither of them had confessed.
Now, Huo Jian Sheng finally broke the ice, leaving Li Man with a surreal feeling.
She couldn't understand why someone as outstanding as Huo Jian Sheng would be interested in her. He had so much going for him and was still unmarried. He could easily find a young and beautiful girl. There was no need for him to pursue a divorced woman like her.
'I've been married,' Li Man emphasized.
'I know,' he replied.
'I have a child,' Li Man stressed again.
Huo Jian Sheng frowned, puzzled, and asked, 'What does that have to do with me liking you?'
Li Man countered, 'Why does it not matter?'
'Why should it matter?'
'It matters a lot. Others will look at you with judgmental eyes.'
Huo Jian Sheng sneered and said, 'I only know that I like you and want to be with you. As for what others think, why should I care?'
Li Man pouted in dissatisfaction. 'You're so selfish!'
Huo Jian Sheng shrugged. 'Is it wrong to be selfish?'
Li Man felt that she couldn't argue with Huo Jian Sheng and muttered, 'No.'
'Then why are you unhappy? Don't you like me?' Huo Jian Sheng asked persistently.
Li Man pondered the question seriously and asked herself inwardly, 'Do I like Huo Jian Sheng?'
In the past, she had treated Huo Jian Sheng as a friend and never dared to entertain any improper thoughts about him, so she had never considered this question.
Whenever she faced difficulties, Huo Jian Sheng was always by her side. It was not true that she had never been moved by him.
Li Man admitted, 'I like you.'
A smile played at the corner of Huo Jian Sheng's lips. 'Then that settles it.'
'Why do you like me?' Li Man asked, lacking confidence.
'I just do. There's no reason,' he replied.
This answer didn't satisfy Li Man. 'You can't even explain why you like me. It's not genuine.'
'If I can explain why I like you, then it wouldn't be called liking. I don't know why I like you, but when I'm with you, I feel relaxed. Being with you gives me a sense of being needed. Being with you puts me in a good mood. It's a feeling that can't be explained.'
Huo Jian Sheng's explanation still didn't satisfy Li Man. 'I'm not pretty, why do you like me?'
Huo Jian Sheng carefully observed Li Man and noticed that she had gained some weight. Although her complexion was somewhat pale, she wasn't ugly at all. 'You're not ugly.'
Li Man rolled her eyes. 'Am I just not ugly?'
Huo Jian Sheng quickly added, 'You're very beautiful!'
Li Man glared at him and said angrily, 'You're not sincere at all.'
Huo Jian Sheng sighed, 'How am I not sincere?'
'You don't talk like this!' Li Man exclaimed in exasperation."
"Then what should I say?" Huo Jian Sheng blinked his innocent eyes, feeling that women were truly troublesome.
"You're just trying to brush me off!"
Huo Jian Sheng quickly responded, "I'm really not brushing you off. I genuinely think you're beautiful."
"Where am I beautiful?"
Huo Jian Sheng replied, "You're beautiful everywhere."
Li Man's face instantly turned red as she glared at him. "Rogue!"
Huo Jian Sheng looked puzzled. These days, confessing to a girl made him a rogue? It had been a while since he had been in a relationship, and he genuinely didn't know how to approach love nowadays.
