“I haven’t told you this, but I actually go by another name…”
However, upon hearing the name he spoke of, Pei Ge did not have much of a reaction.
It was as though this was her first time hearing his name.
Gu Zhengrong seemed not to have expected this lack of response from her as he was a little taken aback.
“Then? Don’t think that you can let her down just because you have another name!”
She coldly snorted, glaring at him with hostility.
“…You don’t remember it.”
Faced with her cold regard, the man suffered a deep blow.
“Remember what? I am speaking about important matters to you here!”
She frowned, not liking the attitude he was displaying.
She was clearly speaking about important matters to him, yet he was still bringing up inconsequential topics.
“You truly don’t remember me anymore?”
A long pause later, the man found his voice again. He did not give up and asked that question anew.
“What are you trying to say?”
Annoyed, the woman glared coldly, not bothering to maintain cordiality with him.
“So that’s it… It turns out that I am being too full of myself…”
He chuckled self-deprecatingly. He had never expected it to end like this after speaking the name he had not used for a long time.
Pei Ge did not know why, but when she saw his smile, she felt a little stifled.
“Let me put it another way.”
He took a deep breath and looked straight at her.
“Over a decade ago, my studies were sponsored by your family. Perhaps, without you, there wouldn’t be me now.”
His eyes shone after saying that.
It was clear that he was still slightly looking forward to her reaction.
Her reaction was bound to disappoint him, though.
Surprise fleeted across the woman’s eyes, but that was it.
“Yes, and then? Don’t tell me that, just because of that, you like me instead of my best friend?”
She looked at him calmly.
It was as though what he had just told her was inconsequential. Of course, that was truly the case.
“…”
That statement alone crushed his heart.
He had imagined the different scenarios his confession would affect her, but he had not once expected her to have such a… lack of reaction.
In that instant, his breathing grew labored.
Pei Ge knew that she was spot on when she noted his expression.
For once, she did not know what to say, either.
She felt even more heartache and pain for her best friend. To actually fall in love with such a man, how did she manage all these years?
“I wasn’t alone in funding your studies back then. Xiaoyu contributed, too. In fact, when you said that you wouldn’t be you now without me back then, it’s actually untrue.
“Back then, we merely sponsored you for the first few years and then my family lost our wealth. We never could continue sponsoring you afterward. The one you should be thanking for what you have right now is your girlfriend, instead.”
