CHAPTER 182: 98. THAT SINFUL YET NOBLE MAN SLOWLY WALKED OUT OF THE MIST_4

"No, that’s not right." Mark interrupted her, "You can’t hide it from me, you came here for someone."

Shi Nian was startled, her thoughts automatically jumping to Tang Yanqing.

If it weren’t for Tang Yanqing, she wouldn’t have come here, wouldn’t have gotten involved in this series of cases.

No... she immediately denied herself. Or maybe she came here for Nisha.

However, Mark didn’t wait for Shi Nian to respond and continued, "You don’t have to hide it from me; you’re here for Zhou Guanghan!"

Shi Nian felt a heavy shock in her heart.

Who told him? Only Sean knows about this, right?

So, that means he heard it from Sean.

But Sean was brutally killed just last night...

Does that mean the one who killed Sean last night could very well be the Mark standing before her?

Shi Nian was so surprised that she took several steps back, retreating all the way to the roadside.

Mark’s gaze became even more intense; he stepped forward, following her step by step, forcing Shi Nian into a corner with nowhere to retreat.

"Your reaction has already answered me. Tell me, are you Zhou Guanghan’s lover in China? Are you the girl he likes?"

"After coming to Kangchuan University, he has always dated Asian girls, all with bashful smiles and clear eyes... because they all resemble you, right?"

Listening to this, Shi Nian gradually calmed down. She no longer panicked or wanted to flee, but instead followed his lead:

"That’s right, it’s me. I’m his lover in China, I’m the type he likes. I came to Kangchuan University to find him, to be with him. Mark, tell me, how did you know all of this?"

"I believe he didn’t tell you, because we’re both from China, and we don’t like to share our personal lives with outsiders. So I guess, you deduced all of this, right?"

"Because you have a natural talent for behavior analysis, and your relationship with Zhou Guanghan is quite close, you closely observed the details of Zhou Guanghan’s life and from there deduced my existence—only you didn’t know my exact identity, but you were sure a girl like me existed. I’m far away in China, where Zhou Guanghan’s heart is entwined..."

Shi Nian took a deep breath and said word by word: "...I became the obstacle between you and Zhou Guanghan."

The gleam in Mark’s eyes began to coalesce, growing more intense as Shi Nian spoke. But when she reached the last sentence, the light suddenly froze.

"You, what did you say?"

Shi Nian quickly took a step back, offering a soothing smile.

Enough, she had already gathered the answer she wanted from his unguarded expression; there was no need to push him further, otherwise it would put her in a dangerous position.

Shi Nian shook her head. The long street breeze blew, messing up her long hair. The slightly curled ends tangled on her eyelashes, making her chuckle.

He had once passionately described the moment he first saw her; at that time, she looked just like this in his eyes. So replaying it like this might soften his heart once again.

She brushed her hair aside, looked at him with a smile: "I meant that because of my existence, a small secret came between your friendship with him. He wouldn’t mention me casually, and as his friend, you were very curious about what I was like..."

"Oh." Only then did Mark relax, his pupils shimmering with a wave of blue: "That’s right, I’ve always been curious about you."

Saying this, he stepped forward once more, slowly reaching out to help Shi Nian push aside the still naughty strands of hair.

He lowered his gaze to her, his expression deep: "I used to think, since he and I were so alike, the girl he likes should also match my aesthetic. Indeed, the first moment I saw you, I knew I had fallen for you."

.

Mark was a handsome young man, every gesture carried a certain elegance. Frankly, being confessed to by such a boy could certainly satisfy a girl’s vanity.

But at this moment, Shi Nian only felt fear.

The fear was like an invisible hand, piercing her flesh and gripping her heart tightly!

No, it’s all wrong—Mark said he liked her, not because he actually liked her, but because he thought Zhou Guanghan liked her!

Because Zhou Guanghan liked her, he had to like her too.

Because he believed he and Zhou Guanghan shared the same aesthetic, and now that Zhou Guanghan is no longer around, he felt he needed to replace Zhou Guanghan in liking her!

It was just like those rows of chairs in the behavior analysis classroom. Since Zhou Guanghan was gone, his seat was vacant, and she inadvertently stepped into that position, thus drawing his gaze towards her.

So gentle, so... surprising.

－

[Has everything become so obvious now? See you tomorrow. Everyone’s analyses in the comments are really impressive, applause~]

Thanks to Vian for the red packet + vote, and the vote from the travel merchant.