Chapter 485 Disappoint Others?

Zhang Wei, "I was about to ask... could you explain how you ended up here, all gloomy, drinking and drowning your sorrows as if there were no tomorrow?"

"!"

Cai Wenxi's eyes flew open in surprise. "Did I look that bad?"

The thought flitted through her mind—was he exaggerating?

No way she looked that terrible!

However, as she gazed out at the downpour and visualized herself in the scene, doubt crept in.

Perhaps to an outsider, she might indeed have seemed so distressed.

Slap!

The realization struck her sharply, prompting her to smack her forehead with her hand before sighing deeply, "See... I didn't mean to come across like that," she clarified.

Zhang Wei nodded understandingly. "You certainly didn't, until you seemed like you were inviting me to console you. I mean, I'm quite adept at offering comfort... want a demo?" Despite maintaining a teasing face, he couldn't resist standing and inching closer to her.

"!"

Cai Wenxi's eyes widened in alarm as she quickly placed her hands on his head, firmly pushing him back into his seat.

"I would rather not receive any consolation!" she declared, her chuckle tinged with a bitter note, baffled by his obliviousness.

How had he even thought that approach would be effective?

Yet, in Zhang Wei's eyes, a sly smile was already playing, as he had long imagined her unwittingly falling into the carefully laid trap.

"Well, if no consolation is desired, then humor me, or I might just walk out," he added, shrugging helplessly as if resigned to his fate.

"..."

Meanwhile, Zhang Ming wielded the impending marriage as both a jest and a veiled threat during their interactions.

Despite Zhang Ming's efforts to be accommodating and even caring—evident in his checking up on her just a few hours earlier—Cai Wenxi's perception of him had been tainted negatively.

Once cast in such a light, all his actions were viewed through a lens of skepticism and distrust, rendering them ineffective in changing her initial judgment.

In contrast, if Cai Wenxi ever perceived someone favorably, that positive image was likely to persist, coloring all subsequent interactions with an enduring glow of approval.

Zhang Wei, who had only heard Cai Wenxi's side of the story, couldn't help but nod thoughtfully. "Then why don't you just refuse the marriage?"

Though the situation seemed ripped straight from a melodramatic soap opera, he believed the solution was straightforward.

"!"

Cai Wenxi's eyes flashed with surprise at his suggestion, and she furrowed her brow in concentration. "I can't! My father has already given his word. Do you think it's that easy to just break his promise?"

Zhang Wei shrugged, leaning back comfortably against the seat and placing his hand casually behind his head, "Well, it might be easier for you than you think—sometimes, you need to learn to disappoint others to be true to yourself."

Cai Wenxi's expression grew somber, and she muttered grimly, "They would disown me..."

Zhang Wei countered softly, "It's your choice, but if you're so terrified of disappointing your father, you might never truly live for yourself."

"..."

Cai Wenxi's face darkened further, shadows playing across her features. While his advice seemed sensible on the surface, she doubted its practicality.

Wouldn't rejecting the arranged marriage trigger the collapse of her family's carefully constructed social standing?

Would she bear the weight of that collapse?

Could she endure the guilt associated with such a drastic decision?

Deep down, Cai Wenxi already knew the answer.

She bit back her words, tempted to point out that it was easy for him to speak so freely—he didn't have parents to disappoint.

Her lips parted in hesitation, but the words stubbornly refused to surface.