Chapter 531: Chapter 531

Han Lei had been wanting to find an opportunity to have a proper private conversation with Pu Sangzhi.

But he just couldn’t find the right moment...

At the store, they were either too busy, so busy that he found no time to speak with Pu Sangzhi.

Or it was too quiet, and during those times, Pu Sangzhi was always sticking close to Ye Qingcao, leaving Han Lei with no chance to talk to her.

Seeing that she would be leaving after work today...

Han Lei had thought that he would not find the opportunity to talk to her.

Unexpectedly, in the last hour before closing, he finally caught such an opportunity.

Once he saw Pu Sangzhi enter the storeroom, he took the chance while Ye Qingcao wasn’t looking and quietly followed her in.

At that moment, Pu Sangzhi was earnestly holding a notebook, checking each item against the storeroom’s inventory.

She was so engrossed in her work that she didn’t even realize someone had come up behind her...

Han Lei stood behind her for a full minute, not daring to move or speak, perhaps because he didn’t know how to start the conversation?

So in the end, it was Pu Sangzhi who turned around and was surprised to find him there!

At the same time, Pu Sangzhi stumbled backward, shocked, stepped on a shoe box, lost her balance, and was about to fall!

Just then, Han Lei acted quickly, his arms encircling her waist, preventing her from falling...

But once they recovered, the proximity of their bodies and the nature of their actions were too intimate...

Pu Sangzhi quickly got up and moved aside, tidying up her disordered clothes, and asked, "When did you come in? Why didn’t you make any sound?"

She also wanted to ask, why did he stand behind her without saying anything? Was he trying to scare her? Was it a prank?

Han Lei looked at her with a somewhat solemn expression, his palm slightly clenched into a fist at his side, his chest filled with nervousness and a bit of timidness...

Seeing that he remained silent, Pu Sangzhi vaguely guessed what he might do next?

She became tense as a result, and quickly changed the topic, "Did you come to pick something up? I could give you a task instead, I’m going out."

With that, she hastily handed the notebook she was using to tally the storeroom inventory to Han Lei, who subconsciously accepted it.

Pu Sangzhi hurried past him, thinking the atmosphere wasn’t right and she should quickly leave.

However, before she had taken more than a few steps, Han Lei suddenly grabbed her elbow...

By then, Han Lei had already closed the door to the storeroom.

Pu Sangzhi felt the atmosphere become even more awkward...

She didn’t dare to turn around, didn’t dare face Han Lei.

As expected, the next moment Han Lei said something that made her extremely uncomfortable, "Sangzhi, I like you."

With her back to him, Pu Sangzhi stiffened, and just then, the nearby air seemed to freeze, leaving an awkward and oppressive feeling.

Pu Sangzhi had gotten along fairly well with Han Lei up to now, treating him as a little brother or a colleague, never thinking of him in that way.

Though, she could actually vaguely sense that Han Lei might harbor such thoughts towards her.

"I’m saying, I like you."

Seeing that she didn’t respond for a long time, Han Lei repeated himself.

After speaking, he took two steps forward and softly pulled a box out of his pocket, offering it to her, "This is for you. I’ve been preparing this for several days and never had the chance to give it to you. Take it now..."

Pu Sangzhi glanced at the box, her lovely brows frowning slightly, and took a deep breath, "I can’t take your stuff."

"You don’t have to see it as a confession gift."

Han Lei said, "It’s a thank you gift. I didn’t know how to thank you for how you helped me that day. I’m not good with words, but seeing how you stood up for me really touched me. No one has ever stood up for me like that before; you’re the first."

"That was just ordinary courage."

Pu Sangzhi turned around, taking two steps back, her brows knotted in a frown, "Please don’t develop any feelings for me because of that incident. It was a trivial matter; I would do the same for anyone. And don’t be so quick to talk about liking someone in the future, it’s too hasty."

"It’s not because of those incidents that I said I liked you..."

Han Lei, with his brows drawn together in nervousness, was eager to clarify his feelings as she seemed to have misunderstood, "I’ve actually liked you for a long time. Shortly after I met you, I thought about you every night. Every day after work when I lay in bed, I would start thinking about you, and it would go on for a long time..."

Pu Sangzhi retreated several steps in fright at his words, hardly daring to believe that she would hear Han Lei say such things.

"I’m really not good at expressing myself, so even though I thought about you every day this month, I’ve never said anything. You stood up for me that day, and it gave me the courage. I was so happy that night that I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. I was looking forward to seeing you the next day..."

As he spoke, Han Lei suddenly stopped for a moment.

Pu Sangzhi’s mind was filled with all the possible rejections she could muster, but before she could voice them, Han Lei continued, "Anyway, I like you, and I want to pursue you. Although I know, it seems like you like that Huo Feng..."

Pu Sangzhi finally found an opportunity to interject, "I do like Huo Feng, so you better give up that idea right now."

Han Lei responded to her decisively, "I can see that Huo Feng treats you well, and you also like him. But I really can’t stop..." This update ıs available on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝔫𝔢𝔱

Pu Sangzhi couldn’t stand it any longer, "You really can’t say anymore. If you say one more word, I will delete your WeChat and never contact you again. We won’t even be able to be friends."

Pu Sangzhi was never one to engage in ambiguity with men.

Huo Feng was the only exception in her life...

And he was the only partner she had ever acknowledged in her life...

So, it could be said that aside from Huo Feng, all other suitors didn’t have a right to exist in Sangzhi’s world.

If Han Lei truly insisted on pestering her, then he would be someone who shouldn’t exist in her world.

Han Lei was seemingly frightened by Pu Sangzhi’s words, his hand hovering in the air with the gift, uncertain whether to offer or retract, "Then I won’t say more, just take this gift. This is a thank-you for standing up for me that day..."

Pu Sangzhi shook her head in refusal, "You don’t have to give me any thanks, I don’t need anything. And you shouldn’t dwell on that incident anymore; I’ve said it, if it wasn’t you, it would have been someone else, and I would have stood up for her."

Han Lei stubbornly insisted, "But you did stand up for me. You can dislike me, you can reject my pursuit, but you must accept the gift."

Pu Sangzhi still refused, "If you have nothing else, then you can stay here and check the inventory; I’m leaving."

With that, Sangzhi hastily turned around and hurried away...

"This isn’t just for you. Ye Qingcao has one, too, and she accepted it!" Han Lei called after her.

But Pu Sangzhi ignored his words and fled from the storeroom as if escaping.

Watching her panic-stricken retreat, Han Lei’s heart sank to the bottom...

Was it that he had the Courage to confess, only to be met with the harsh reality of a resounding slap?

However, such an outcome was within Han Lei’s expectations.

Because Han Lei knew Pu Sangzhi liked Huo Feng, and Huo Feng liked Pu Sangzhi too; there was emotion between them.

It was just that, they only had a foundation of feelings and had not truly established any relationship yet.

Just on this point alone, Han Lei still held onto a glimmer of hope, still indulging in the fantasy that his feelings might be reciprocated...

Of course, for now, that was all he could do.

After leaving the storeroom, Pu Sangzhi took a deep breath and hurriedly adjusted her emotions.

Only when she was certain her mood had stabilized did she return to Ye Qingcao’s side.

By then, she checked the time on her phone.

It was already 9:30...

Pu Sangzhi told herself that if she could just get through another half an hour, she would be able to leave this place.

Fortunately, Han Lei had waited until the last day to say those words to her.

Otherwise, if they were still colleagues tomorrow, how awkward it would be to meet...

After giving it some thought, Sangzhi sidestepped Qingcao and sent one more WeChat message to Han Lei: "About what you said tonight, I didn’t hear any of it; pretend it wasn’t said. Don’t tell anyone about it and don’t let anyone find out. I hope you can give up this idea quickly. That way, we can still be friends. Otherwise, I will delete your WeChat and from then on, we’ll be strangers."

The message received by Han Lei was something he truly hadn’t expected...

His first ever confession in his life had not only been rejected, but he had also been warned.

He stayed alone in the storeroom for nearly 20 minutes before sending her a single word in reply: "Okay."