Don't underestimate the poor and elderly; I was thrilled to refuse the class beauty's adva

The atmosphere in the beer hall's private room had just eased up.

Zongwen wiped the tears off his face.

He managed to keep his emotions in check and no longer broke down or lost control.

He looked listless and lacked his usual energy.

Zhang Yifan leaned back in his chair, looking at him like this.

All that's left in my heart is helplessness.

It's truly not easy to shoulder a family crisis alone.

But in order to avoid burdening others, they recklessly resort to breaking off friendships.

This is pure nonsense!

He was just about to speak, to criticize Zongwen's love-struck self-indulgence.

The beer house door was pushed open from the outside.

The commotion was small, but it instantly broke the tranquility of the room.

The few customers at the few remaining tables, watching the clearly angry young woman, secretly thought to themselves:

Is this a case of catching a mistress in the act? Why are you so angry!

Tang Xiaonuan and Shen Zhiyi arrived one after the other in front of Zhang Yifan and Shen Zhiyi.

As soon as she entered the room, Tang Xiaonuan's gaze locked onto Zong Wen.

The next second, she stopped in her tracks.

He was originally holding back a lot of anger, but suddenly half of it stopped.

She had imagined many possible scenarios for Zongwen.

Arrogant, perfunctory, indifferent, and unwilling to admit mistakes.

I never expected him to turn out like this.

His eyes were red-rimmed and wet.

Her face still bore the haggardness and dishevelment of having cried.

He was completely devoid of his usual carefree and cheerful demeanor.

They look especially pitiful.

Tang Xiaonuan felt a sudden tightness in her heart.

The anger that had been building up for several days was almost completely extinguished.

But her proud and aloof nature wouldn't allow her to give up so easily.

She kept a straight face, forcing herself to appear angry.

His tone was harsh, carrying a strong sense of accusation.

"Zongwen, explain yourself clearly!"

Why did you suddenly break off our friendship for no reason?

I need a reasonable explanation for this today!

The few remaining tables of guests stopped chatting and listened intently to the lively scene unfolding here.

Zhang Yifan immediately shut up, completely transforming into a bystander.

They acted as if it were none of their business, waiting to watch the show unfold.

He even pulled out a chair next to him, gesturing for Shen Zhiyi to sit down and watch the show.

Shen Zhiyi remained silent and simply sat down.

With a faint smile in his eyes, he quietly observed the standoff.

All eyes in the room were focused on Zong Wen.

Zong Wenren was completely dumbfounded.

My mind was already foggy after crying.

Suddenly, Tang Xiaonuan blocked his way at the door and confronted him.

I was instantly at a loss, my whole body stiffened.

His eyes darted away, avoiding Tang Xiaonuan's gaze.

I felt extremely awkward.

"I……"

He had barely uttered a single word when he choked up and couldn't continue.

Tang Xiaonuan became even angrier when she saw him stammering.

"What do you mean, 'you'?"

Since you can't say it, then I'll say it for you!

Are you using Li Xuyang as an excuse to deliberately distance yourself from me?

Upon hearing this, Zong Wen immediately looked up.

His face was full of panic, and he hurriedly waved his hands to explain.

"No! I didn't mean to distance myself from you!"

"I have my reasons!"

Tang Xiaonuan stared at him, pressing closer step by step.

"What's the reason? Tell me!"

Now that things have come to this, there's no escaping it.

Zong Wen took a deep breath and, steeling himself, told the whole story.

His voice was still hoarse, with a hint of self-pity and tragic grandeur.

Something happened at my home.

My dad has been diagnosed with a serious illness and needs to have surgery immediately.

You know perfectly well what kind of financial situation my family is in.

This surgery completely emptied our savings.

The subsequent treatment costs and follow-up examination fees are a bottomless pit.

At this point, he looked down at his palm.

His tone was full of helplessness and inferiority.

"I'll be under a lot of pressure in the future, and I'll definitely be living a very frugal life."

"You grew up in good living conditions and were spoiled."

I don't want to be a burden to you, and I don't want you to suffer with me.

As for Li Xuyang…”

Zong Wen pursed his lips and continued speaking.

"He comes from a wealthy family, is handsome, and is pursuing you."

It will definitely be easier for you to follow him than with me.

Better a short, sharp pain than a long, drawn-out one; I might as well just cut ties with you.

I thought...this would be better for you.

After saying all that, Zong Wen even felt a little wronged.

He felt he had made the right choice.

Sacrifice yourself to benefit the other.

A truly heartfelt dedication, with a clear conscience.

There was a two-second silence in the private room.

The next second, Tang Xiaonuan was so angry that she laughed.

A smile appeared on her lips, but her eyes instantly reddened.

I felt both angry and amused, and also incredibly wronged.

She stared at Zongwen, who was beaming with self-satisfaction, her voice trembling slightly.

"So? You think that doing all this, from beginning to end, was for my own good?"

Zong Wen nodded vigorously, his expression utterly sincere.

"Yes, I don't want to hold you back."

At this point, Tang Xiaonuan completely broke down.

The emotions that had been building up for days finally erupted.

"Who needs your 'good intentions'?! Zongwen, are you out of your mind?!"

Her voice rose, tinged with obvious sobs.

"Li Xuyang pursued me, and I clearly rejected him from beginning to end!"

I don't like him at all, so what right do you have to make decisions for me without my consent?

Why do you assume I'm afraid of hardship and fatigue?

Am I, Tang Xiaonuan, the kind of person who can only share happiness but not hardship?

A barrage of rhetorical questions left Zong Wen's head buzzing.

He froze on the spot, completely bewildered.

He had never seriously considered these questions.

He just filled in all the plot details in his mind.

He was so self-absorbed in his own feelings that he pushed away the person he liked.

Tang Xiaonuan continued outputting her message, her eyes red.

"If something's happened in your family and you're under a lot of pressure, you can tell me!"

It's only 100,000 yuan, can't I come up with that?

You'd rather humbly ask Brother Fan for money and bear all the pressure alone.

They'd rather break off our friendship for no reason and cruelly distance themselves from me.

None of them are willing to turn around and tell me a single truth!

What am I to you?

Outsiders?!

The last question, though not loud, was incredibly powerful.

Zong Wen was completely dumbfounded.

He stared blankly at Tang Xiaonuan, whose eyes were red and whose face was full of grievance.

The self-righteous sense of tragic grandeur I felt shattered instantly, leaving not a trace.

It turns out that what I thought was deep affection and selflessness was a complete joke from beginning to end.

He thought he was protecting the other person.

In reality, it's just using the most hurtful methods.

They deeply hurt the person who cared about them the most.

A wave of immense guilt washed over me instantly.

Zong Wen's throat tightened, and his eyes reddened again.

"I...I was confused at the time, I didn't think that much."

Tang Xiaonuan stared at him, each word clear and distinct.

"You're not that you haven't thought about it, you've just never believed me."

You think I'm spoiled, afraid of being poor, and afraid of hardship.

You think I'll definitely abandon you, right?

Zong Wen opened his mouth, but was speechless.

He couldn't refute it.

At the moment his mentality collapsed, he was indeed extremely self-conscious.

Subconsciously feeling unworthy, I subconsciously chose to push him away.

Seeing his speechless expression.

Tang Xiaonuan felt both angry and pained.

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she stubbornly held them back.

"I'm never angry because your family is poor or you're in debt."

What makes me angry is that you keep everything from me.

You've never considered me someone you could stand shoulder to shoulder with.

All they do is foolishly indulge in self-pity and make reckless decisions.

The private room fell completely silent.

Zhang Yifan, who was just watching the drama unfold, finally sighed.

He turned his head and glanced at Shen Zhiyi beside him.

The two exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with helplessness.

They're just two absolute idiots.

One person, suffering from low self-esteem, overthinks things and forces themselves to let go.

One was filled with resentment and secretly suffered internal strife.

Both sides are deeply in love, both sides are self-indulgent, and both sides suffer injustice.

They managed to turn a perfectly good relationship into a complete mess.

After a long while, Zong Wen finally lowered his proud head.

His voice was hoarse, filled with guilt and remorse.

"I'm sorry, Xiaonuan, I was so stupid."

"It was my own cleverness that hurt you."

Tang Xiaonuan looked at him, dejected and full of regret.

The anger in my heart vanished completely in an instant.

All that's left is helplessness and a soft heart.

But she remained stubborn and turned her head away.

His tone was muffled, with a hint of haughty awkwardness.

"Is a simple 'sorry' all it takes?"

Did I get angry and upset for nothing these past few days?

Zong Wen immediately looked up, his eyes filled with a mixture of panic and sincerity.

"It's not finished, it's definitely not finished."

From now on, no matter what happens, I will never hide it from you again.

I will never make decisions on my own again, and I will never distance myself from you carelessly again.

Looking at his flustered and apologetic manner.

Tang Xiaonuan's nose stung with tears, and she could no longer hold back.

But he still wouldn't admit it.

Let's remember your apology for now.

I will observe their performance further.

Zhang Yifan, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but speak up.

A lyric inexplicably popped into my head.

If this isn't love...