“You are very beautiful. Men have always been moved first by beauty. Plus, your gentle temperament seems to have been born to be carefully protected by men. Every man who sees you would be inspired to protect you. I can say your beauty is enough to satisfy a man’s various wild fantasies. Beautiful and naturally pitiful, gentle and helpless, seeing men as everything… Men’s base nature, when you think about it, is truly unacceptable, yet they still dream beautifully. This is the same as women always expecting their husbands to be typical Prince Charming – both are unacceptable self-inflation. Actually, ordinary people like us have no right to demand others’ perfection to accommodate our own deficiencies.
Good for nothing, good for nothing Xiao Susu! ”Boss, have you been in high spirits lately?” Carrying a stack of documents to be reviewed, Shi Zhongcheng came in with a sly smile, deliberately trying to amuse the company’s big boss. Tang Hua looked up from a table of business reports, slightly curling his lips: “I think you want to go on vacation to Africa.” ”Hehe! It’s Saturday, let’s relax a bit. As soon as I entered the office, I heard that the big boss brought a beautiful woman into the company today. After taking four days off, he met a stunning beauty and willingly came back to work. How wonderful! I wonder who this beauty is.” He looked left and right, but couldn’t spot the beautiful woman anywhere. Tang Hua pointed to the door of his private rest room: ”She’s sleeping inside.” Recently, she had been insisting on staying up late with him. There was no need to ask more about the identity of this beauty. Shi Zhongcheng put away his playful expression: ”Have you really decided? I thought things would be different after so many years.” ”Matters of the heart are not something one can control.” ”Yes, otherwise, how could you be so infatuated now, completely destroying your steady image? Who would believe that Tang Hua could be like this? Just seeing a beautiful woman turns you into a puddle.” ”A man will inevitably encounter such a woman in his lifetime, without reason, without logic.” He stood up to look for a cigarette, but stopped because Susu hated the smell of smoke, and instead poured two cups of coffee to drink with his friend. Shi Zhongcheng said sincerely: ”As long as you’re happy. I hope this time you don’t end up heartbroken.” ”Not this time, at least we’re getting along well now.” There was a hint of a bitter smile in his tone. As his longtime friend, Shi Zhongcheng sensed something unusual and asked uncertainly: ”Boss, don’t tell me you’re in a Platonic relationship? Have you gone mad?” He really couldn’t understand this friend’s view on love. Could he be preparing to become a monk? ”No, not because of Susu.” He found it amusing himself. “It’s Xiao Qian. He has a strong possessive attitude towards his mother, believing that we can’t cross the line while in a divorce state. Moreover, he knows about ‘Aunt Jiang’ and ‘Aunt Zhou’ who are favored by his grandmother, and he won’t allow me to ‘bully’ his mother.” ”Oh my! Is this kid a moral guardian or does he have an excessive Oedipus complex? I know my sister-in-law is beautiful, but I didn’t expect her to be so captivating that even her son is mesmerized. Don’t children usually want their parents to be intimate and provide a warm home? What are kids thinking these days? Or is it because of your unique parenting?” After speaking, Shi Zhongcheng thought about it and found it quite possible. With influence from above and genetics, what more could be said? Sigh! Tang Hua shook his head: ”Living separately doesn’t mean the child doesn’t feel warmth. Besides, Xue Qian has never needed adult supervision. Instead, since he was young, he would actively take care of others. The elderly grandmother and his fragile, easily startled mother are all on his care list. He matured too early, which has its pros and cons, but since it’s his nature, we might as well see it as a virtue.” At least his son would definitely be capable of taking responsibility in the future. A child who doesn’t feel lacking would hardly care about how his parents interact, and might even prefer his father not compete for his mother’s attention. ”Forget about your son, the key is whether your sister-in-law is willing to accept you?” This was the most important thing. ”Probably. She no longer avoids me.” Shi Zhongcheng offered heartfelt advice: ”Boss, don’t think her actions are just out of gratitude or treating you like family. If she doesn’t understand love, then teach her! One day, gratitude will turn into love.” Tang Hua nodded, lightly and firmly: ”I can’t control that much anymore.” ”Your passion is still strong, boss.” Whistling, Shi Zhongcheng admitted defeat. Even when pursuing a girlfriend he planned to spend his life with, he had never been this devoted, and this devotion had lasted over seven years. If he wanted to compare, he might as well have committed suicide eight hundred years ago! The sound of an opening door made both men turn around. Xiao Susu didn’t expect to see anyone other than Tang Hua and was stunned, frozen at the doorway. Her face, freshly awakened, was rosy and at a loss. Her hair, previously neatly braided, was now loose, and her pure, delicate demeanor made everyone present lose their train of thought. How could a twenty-seven-year-old woman still possess such a clean and pure aura? It was unbelievable. Shi Zhongcheng had never appreciated fragile women, and Xiao Susu was certainly not his type, but he couldn’t deny that at first glance, any man would be breathless before this stunning beauty. Regardless of appreciation, human nature responds to beauty, and a beautiful woman is hard to resist. Admirable from a distance, but best kept at arm’s length. Tang Hua approached her: ”Awake? Want some water?” ”Oh, okay.” She lowered her head, her innate shyness around the opposite sex resurfacing. ”He’s Zhongcheng, our best man. You’ve forgotten? He really cares for Xue Qian. When I’m not in the country, he often spends time with our son. Shouldn’t you thank him?” He guided her to face Shi Zhongcheng. Xiao Susu unconsciously leaned into Tang Hua’s embrace, the sense of support bringing back her vanished courage. ”Hello… thank you for taking care of Xue Qian. I know you… because Xue Qian often says Uncle Shi is very good to him.” Facing Shi Zhongcheng’s intimidating large physique, it was no small feat that she managed to complete her sentence. ”It’s my honor to be remembered by my sister-in-law.” Shi Zhongcheng understood her timidity and kept a distance of three steps away. ”It’s almost noon. We’re going to pick up Xue Qian to play at the children’s park later. Do you want to come?” Tang Hua asked. ”No, but I can join you for a meal.” He spoke with an air of condescension, curious to see how Xue Qian would express his possessiveness towards his mother. ”I can see you have ulterior motives.” There was no need to guess what this guy was thinking. ”Boss, you see right through me.” Shi Zhongcheng laughed without a hint of remorse.
Tang was chatting when the secretary suddenly called on the internal line: ”Mr. Tang, Miss Zhou Yunxi is outside requesting to see you. Should I let her in?” Oh oh… Shi Zhongcheng’s expression was between a smile and not, finding the situation increasingly interesting! He subtly observed Xiao Susu, noticing her eyes filled with panic and bewilderment, her body gradually stiffening in Tang Hua’s embrace. Tang Hua remained unmoved, focusing on his wife’s reaction, carefully savoring her emotional changes, a subtle smile playing at the corner of his mouth. Not bad, it seems Tang Hua’s romantic path will be smoother this time. [Poetic verse omitted for brevity]
