I Don't Want To Be Hated By Everyone. - Chapter 17.2

emotion in the depths of those eyes, though he could not comprehend what it was, he vaguely felt it originated from himself.

A gentle breeze swept past, and Cheng Shuoning caught the scent of flowers, along with the faint scent of body wash from the youth. It smelled very pleasant, causing the heart that had been hovering unstably in his chest to settle securely.

A tightly wound string in his mind snapped. Under the youth’s increasingly gentle gaze, he blurted out as if possessed by a ghost, “Xu Wangzhi, do you like me?”

All the chaos and confusion were thoroughly shattered by this single sentence.

Realizing what an absurd question he had involuntarily uttered, Cheng Shuoning’s face flushed crimson instantly. He stood up, speaking haltingly, “I am sorry, I did not mean it that way. I just spoke casually, no, I do not know what came over me to suddenly ask that. I am sorry, let us go back to cut the cake.”

His brain was so mechanical it turned completely blank. Cheng Shuoning turned around with a stiff spine, only to have his wrist caught securely.

The youth’s voice rose with the wind, magnetic and deep: “What if I say I like you?”

Cheng Shuoning’s heart skipped a beat.

“Will you believe it?” he pressed further, his tone sounding entirely unlike a joke.

The burning heat from the palm transmitted from his arm right to his heart, causing Cheng Shuoning’s long eyelashes to tremble slightly as a wave of panic enveloped him completely.

He could feel his entire body heating up as though being roasted by fire. Most importantly, he dared not face Xu Wangzhi, nor did he dare to consider whether his inquiry was genuine or merely intended to offer him a way out, let alone attempt to guess.

Time flowed exceptionally slowly, appearing virtually stationary. Cheng Shuoning could hear his own increasingly rapid breathing.

His throat felt parched and intensely thirsty. Knowing he was in a state of excessive tension and that things could not continue this way, he drew back his hand and offered a polite ninety-degree bow of apology to Xu Wangzhi.

“I am sorry, I do not know why I asked such an absurd question. I apologize to you.”

After speaking, he quickly entered the villa, his fleeing figure resembling a rabbit that had caused trouble.

Xu Wangzhi lowered his eyes to look silently at his hand, as though he could still feel the warmth of the youth’s wrist.

Cheng Shuoning’s wrist was very slender, so slender that it could break if he used too much force, fragile to the point of requiring his utmost caution.

The elegant and agreeable man stepped out from the villa, stopping before him as he offered a smiling warning: “Anyone else is fine, but do not harbor thoughts that shouldn’t exist toward Ningning.”

“What if I insist on doing so?” Xu Wangzhi lifted his head to lock eyes with the man, the depths of his eyes containing a dense, unerasable darkness.

“I am merely informing you,” Zhou Xundu said with a slight smile, his gaze gentle. “I am not here to seek your opinion.”

Inside the villa, the commotion grew even more lively. Cheng Shuoning, wearing a golden paper crown, was surrounded by the crowd as they sang the birthday song. Under the illumination of the lights, that flawless face appeared increasingly dazzling and striking.

Zhou Xundu turned around to enter the villa, engaging in no further conversation with Xu Wangzhi.

Cheng Shuoning looked at the candles before him, crossing his hands tightly as he closed his eyes to make his wish: I hope all the people who dislike me will stop expending effort to disguise themselves and be a bit more honest.

He opened his eyes, blowing out the candles amidst the excited cheers of the crowd. He picked up the long knife to slowly slice the cake, distributing it to everyone before picking up two additional portions, one for Xu Wangzhi and one for Zhou Xundu.

Meanwhile, Li Shengfei remained upstairs from beginning to end, failing to come down.

Zhou Xundu took a gift out of his pocket and handed it to Cheng Shuoning. “Happy coming-of-age, Ningning. I hope you are happy every day. The blessings and gift are a bit late, do not mind.”

Cheng Shuoning accepted and opened it. Inside was a necklace formed by the merging of the letters Z and N.

Zhou Xundu intended to help him put it on, but Cheng Shuoning moved away to avoid him.

The man paused, a soft light flickering in his eyes. “Do you not trust me, Ningning? Rest assured, I will永遠 won’t be like them, so can you please stop constantly refusing me?”

The exceedingly gentle request was impossible to reject.

Cheng Shuoning turned his head to look into his eyes. Upon hearing that inner voice declaring “I will never harm you,” he chose to believe: “Okay.”

However, he still put the necklace on himself without troubling Zhou Xundu.

Inadvertently crossing paths with Xu Wangzhi’s deep, dark gaze, Cheng Shuoning looked away in embarrassment, not daring to lock eyes with him for fear of sinking into it once more and uttering further nonsense.

The party was very late by the time it concluded. Cheng Shuoning fell asleep on the sofa in a daze, only vaguely remembering that Zhou Xundu seemed to want to carry him back to his room. At that time, he had directly turned around and curled up on the sofa, refusing to be carried, leaving Zhou Xundu somewhat helpless, capable only of draping a blanket over him before departing.

The villa fell completely silent. His consciousness gradually cleared, and he felt someone sitting beside him, their gaze intensely scorching: “I am sorry, Ningning, for making you unhappy.”

“The things that happened today were truly not my intention. Since you do not like Cheng Meng, I will stay far away from him in the future. I only spoke those words out of consideration for the fact that you and he are brothers. I did indeed commit a wrong, and I hope you can forgive me, Ningning.”

The youth lying on the sofa breathed steadily, his long eyelashes resting quietly to cast a shadow over his eyelids. The bright lights painted a layer of warm glow over his fair, delicate face, making him look obedient and serene.

Looking at him, a wave of softness and joy rose in Li Shengfei’s heart. He could not help but reach out his hand intending to stroke his face, yet before he could make contact, he stopped.

Cheng Shuoning had already opened his eyes, looking straight at him. “We have known each other for eleven years. Have you thoroughly disliked me since we were young?”

Those dark eyes were pristine without a single trace of impurity, resembling a clear mountain spring that sent a tremor through one’s heart.

Li Shengfei pressed his lips together and said seriously, “No, I like you very much, Ningning. If I intend to choose someone to be together with in the future, it must be you. So I won’t dislike you.”

“You do not dislike me? Then you intended to keep me as a backup option, playing around and acting wild until you’ve had enough, and then being together with me. Was that your plan?” Cheng Shuoning sat up, setting the blanket aside as he inquired in a flat voice.

Seeing him state those words so calmly, Li Shengfei knew that no matter how he defended himself right now, it would be entirely useless. He chose not to defend himself, merely offering a bitter smile. “I know that no matter what I say right now, you won’t believe me. I am sorry.”

He stood up, his expression dejected as he prepared to depart. “It is very late, rest well. There is class tomorrow. No matter what you think of me, in my heart, you are always the most important one.”

Cheng Shuoning watched him leave without uttering a single sound. Seeing him pause slightly upon reaching the door, he could not help but curl his lips into a faint smile.

Failing to receive any request to stay, Li Shengfei could not help but grind his teeth.

Cheng Shuoning had the softest heart. Previously, if he accidentally hurt him or had a minor conflict, as long as he admitted his mistake promptly and coaxed him, he would always receive forgiveness. Yet this time, he said absolutely nothing.

The arrow had left the bow string, rendering it impossible to turn back. He could only depart in discontent.

Not half a minute after he left, Cheng Meng walked downstairs with disheveled hair. His gaze swept over Cheng Shuoning with extreme coldness, and he turned off the lights directly, all his suppressed fury erupting at this moment: “This face of yours truly makes me feel disgusted if I look at it for a single second more.”

Only the fragmented light shining in from outside the villa remained in the surroundings.

Amidst the darkness, Cheng Shuoning let out a light laugh, his tone completely unbothered: “If you find it disgusting, you shouldn’t turn off the lights. The thing you should turn off is your eyes.”

“Previously you gave me the cold shoulder, what is it now? Are you throwing a furious tantrum because they dislike you now?” Cheng Meng crossed his arms, speaking in a highly arrogant manner.

“Previously I ignored you because I felt you were beyond saving.” Cheng Shuoning stood up and turned the lights back on, his detached countenance exposed beneath the illumination. “Now I am paying attention to you because I feel you are not only beyond saving, but also highly pitiful.”

“You say I am pitiful?” As though he had heard a massive joke, Cheng Meng released his arms and clutched his forehead instead, laughing mockingly. “You are surrounded by a bunch of people who seemingly treat you well and like you, yet actually find you disgusting and detestable, you are the one who is most pitiful, right? Do you still believe you are the treasure they pamper in the palms of their hands? Wake up, Cheng Shuoning.”

“Right now they surround you, and the one who has become disgusting is you,” Cheng Shuoning said flatly. “Do you not feel that you resemble a garbage recycling center, specifically collecting the kind of trash that nobody else wants?”

“Say that one more time?” The glass on the table was picked up and smashed violently, shattering all over the floor. Cheng Meng glared at Cheng Shuoning with a grim gaze, thoroughly enraged by his words.

In contrast to his furious tantrum, Cheng Shuoning was exceptionally calm. His gaze pierced through the dimness to land on Cheng Meng, and though it was as still as water, it was impossible to ignore.

He asked slowly: “Why did you find someone to run me over previously?”

The sudden sentence caused Cheng Meng’s heart to skip a beat. Recalling the past event, he spoke with a trace of dismissive unconcern: “Although I do not know how you found out, isn’t it glaringly obvious? I wanted you dead. Didn’t you know this a long time ago?”