"You don't like me because of my label, so why do you like me?" Bie Yunzong seemed to have his worldview shattered.
What his wife said at this moment largely overturned his self-perception over the past seven years, as well as... his initial understanding of this relationship.
His wife didn't like him because he's rich, handsome, or younger than him. But if it wasn't for those reasons, what was it about him that she liked him?
"Don't tell me 'you only like me,' that's a really old-fashioned line and hard to convince yourself."
“We were complete strangers at the beginning, so I must have some qualities that would attract you, right? If I don’t have any unique characteristics that most people don’t have, then what’s the difference between me and an ‘ordinary person’ that you don’t like?”
Bie Yunzong's words were a bit difficult to understand, but Su Yanxi understood them perfectly.
What caused Bie Yunzong's anxiety tonight was, on the surface, the problem of his identity overlapping with others, but in reality, it was that Bie Yunzong had guessed the blank spot in his mind: he didn't know why Su Yanxi liked him.
Su Yanxi couldn't help but reflect on herself again, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt that it was indeed her fault.
In front of the straightforward Bie Yunzong, his way of expressing his emotions was indeed too subtle and too reserved. To this day, Bie Yunzong still doesn't understand what his wife loves about him. He has many disadvantages in this relationship, but what are his advantages?
Bie Yunzong loved Su Yanxi steadfastly and told her very frankly, "I like you because you're excellent, beautiful, and everything about you is wonderful." He firmly held Su Yanxi's hand and walked with her on the long road of love for a very long time, but he never cared about or asked her what Su Yanxi liked about him.
Chapter 123
Su Yanxi never even told Bie Yunzong what he liked about Bie Yunzong.
Su Yanxi decided to take this opportunity to tell her nemesis husband exactly what she liked about him.
"Honey, have you ever been to a pet market?" Su Yanxi suddenly changed the subject and asked, "Have you ever tried picking out a puppy at a pet market?"
Don't allow it: ?
"What...does this have to do with choosing a puppy?"
“If you’ve ever been to a pet market, you’ll probably understand how I feel.” A sweet smile spread across Su Yanxi’s face. “Those big, noisy pet markets have countless kittens and puppies lined up, waiting for buyers to choose. And most buyers will buy the pet that catches their eye at first glance.”
Bie Yunzong seemed to understand but not quite: "So you also fell in love with me at first sight?"
"I like you simply because we clicked, nothing more."
You are the first puppy in the pet market to look at me with longing eyes, and the first puppy to rush into my arms.
"With your boundless enthusiasm, you stole all my affection and admiration. In the process, you didn't even need to compare attributes; you effortlessly defeated everything."
Most people assume that the owner chooses the dog, but only those who have actually raised canines know that the dog chooses the owner.
With unwavering courage, they stake their entire lives on loyalty and love, choosing their favorite master.
"Perhaps it really is as you said, it was destiny, it was love at first sight. From the very first moment I saw you, I sensed that you might be my life partner."
"It's just that my decision came a little late compared to my intuition."
That happened after the second monthly review.
Back then, Su Yanxi's indifferent remark about being a "long-term meal ticket" was enough to make his roommates burst into laughter, and they all teased Su Yanxi as a "bad man who plays with the feelings of younger men."
Su Yanxi readily accepted this teasing nickname, and felt the same way about it.
He thought he was indeed awful, utterly awful, rotten to the core. But if he was really that awful, he shouldn't feel heartache or sadness, yet the terrible thing was: he was sad.
He felt that Bie Yunzong's feelings for him were not worth it.
His feelings for Bie Yunzong were complicated. On one hand, he liked Bie Yunzong. On that chilly autumn evening, Bie Yunzong draped his coat over his shoulders without saying a word; the domineering gentleness and the slight warmth of the coat made Su Yanxi infatuated and obsessed.
He loved it so much, he really loved it. He felt a sense of security he had never felt before when he was with Bie Yunzong.
On the other hand, Bie Yunzong was a womanizer and a philanderer. He had heard that there were countless beauties around Bie Yunzong, and that Bie Yunzong loved to collect beauties of different styles into albums. The proud and arrogant Su Yanxi did not want to become one of the "stamps" in the album, but she could not refuse the tenderness and affection that Bie Yunzong gave her.
Therefore, Su Yanxi chose a self-deceptive method, which was to appropriately degenerate and become the kind of person who could be measured by money.
That is, being kept by a sugar daddy/sugar baby.
He was conflicted and torn. After making such a move, he himself felt that his conflict was ridiculous. On one hand, he was aloof and unapproachable, and on the other hand, he was depraved and clung to powerful figures. He wanted to become a vassal that a rich young master could buy with money, but he also held fast to his principles and was unwilling to do even the slightest overly intimate thing with Bie Yunzong.
Holding hands, putting arms around each other's waists, and putting arms around each other's shoulders are the most "outrageous" interactions he and Young Master Bie have ever tried.
Surprisingly, Bie Yunzong had no objections whatsoever. As the sugar daddy who was "keeping" Su Yanxi, Bie Yunzong showed absolutely no disapproval of Su Yanxi's hypocritical behavior!
Not only did he have no objections, but Bie Yunzong would also carefully cooperate with Su Yanxi's reserve, asking softly when he wanted to interact with him.
"Yanxi, may I hold your hand?"
After only a couple of bites of the candlelight dinner, Bie Yunzong couldn't wait to put down his knife and fork.
"Now that your teachers and classmates aren't around, can I openly hold your hand on the table?"
Su Yanxi ate her black truffle pasta absentmindedly. After listening to Bie Yunzong's question, she hesitated for a moment before extending her free left hand.
"Can."
"That's great!" Bie Yunzong quickly grabbed Su Yanxi's hand, as happy as a child who had eaten candy. "I wanted to hold your hand in the car, and I've been holding back until now!"
"Oh, your hands are so small. I can easily wrap my hand around them when they're clenched into a fist. They're just a bit rough and yellowish. You should do more hand care."
Thinking of the calluses on her palms, Su Yanxi withdrew her hand in shame and whispered with her head down.
"I'm sorry, I... I'll be careful."
In Su Yanxi's view, since he was to be a kept man, taking good care of himself and making his sugar daddy happy was naturally one of his responsibilities. Therefore, after his sugar daddy pointed out his faults, Su Yanxi immediately apologized.
It was his fault for not fulfilling his responsibilities and not providing the client with the best dating experience.
"Did I...did I say something wrong?" Bie Yunzong's reaction was even more exaggerated than Su Yanxi's. He moved his hand, which should have been holding Su Yanxi's fist but was now free, and apologized to Su Yanxi in a flustered manner, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said your hands weren't pretty. They're pretty, although they're a bit yellowed and rough, but the shape of your hands is beautiful!"
"I...I'll bring you some extra hand cream so you can use it more often!"
Su Yanxi looked at the sugar daddy across the table with a puzzled expression and asked, "Why are you apologizing to me?"
Why should Bie Yunzong, the sugar daddy, apologize to the man he was keeping?
"Because I want you to be happier." Bie Yunzong said bluntly, "You look so preoccupied today, is it because of the monthly evaluation? Don't worry so much, relax a bit, and your grades will definitely improve!"
Chapter 124
"I dare say you'll be number one again this month!"
Bie Yunzong confidently gave Su Yanxi a thumbs up, then waved for the waiter, muttering, "Eating something sweet can lift your spirits," while ordering Su Yanxi a low-sugar matcha mille-feuille.
Su Yanxi watched as Bie Yunzong carefully examined the menu and cursed inwardly: Idiot.
He originally intended to use his sugar daddy as an ATM, using "pure" monetary transactions to mask his feelings for Bie Yunzong. He learned to become bad, to become a heartless, greedy, and vulgar man, but...
It seems the sugar daddy has really fallen for him.
This feeling of unequal giving made Su Yanxi feel like she was a bad person.
He really is a bad man.
That night, Su Yanxi spent the night with Bie Yunzong at the InterContinental Hotel.
The luxurious presidential suite had more than one bedroom, but Bie Yunzong always gave him the largest and most comfortable master bedroom, sleeping in the second bedroom himself. This proactive behavior of choosing the second best often made Su Yanxi wonder whether Bie Yunzong was supporting him or he was supporting Bie Yunzong.
Gazing at the bustling city night view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, Su Yanxi began to brainwash herself again.
He's not a good person, he's not a good person, he's not a good person...
I can't like him, I can't like him, I can't like him...
If he didn't periodically brainwash himself, Su Yanxi feared that he would eventually fall into Bie Yunzong's trap of tenderness. He was afraid of becoming one of the many in Bie Yunzong's collection, and even more afraid that all the meticulous care Bie Yunzong showed him was nothing more than a trick to get him and then destroy him.
He was very scared.
Looking at the bustling traffic below, Su Yanxi had a bold idea.
"I'm done showering, you should go take a shower too." Bie Yunzong's voice suddenly rang out, interrupting Su Yanxi's thoughts. "Would you like to have a little wine before bed tonight? I stole my older brother's treasured wine. If you want to drink, we can enjoy the night view and taste the wine together before bed."
"No."
Su Yanxi turned around, nervously swallowed, and awkwardly changed the subject.
"Tonight... I can't stay at the hotel with you. I just remembered that I have an assignment that I haven't finished, and I have to go back to the dorm now to finish it with my roommates."
"Now?" Bie Yunzong's smile froze on his face.
A bad feeling immediately welled up in Su Yanxi's heart. He was afraid that this young master would get angry, but in order to carry out his "test" to the end, he still boldly answered: "Yes, now."
"Is it important?"
"It will affect your final exam score."
“But it’s very late now.” Bie Yunzong glanced at the time. “It’s already 10:30. We won’t get back to school until at least 11. Will we really have time to do our homework?”
"Yes." Su Yanxi nodded without blushing or skipping a beat. "Because it's very important. My roommate just informed me."
Bie Yunzong remained silent for two or three seconds.
Su Yanxi observed his solemn expression and thought she would be scolded and then refused her request to return to school.
No matter how much you plead with him, he did accompany his sugar daddy on a date and spent the night with him. His sugar daddy treated him to expensive restaurants and booked a luxury suite at a five-star hotel. After he had enjoyed himself to the fullest, he suddenly turned his back and said he was leaving. This kind of behavior—eating the rice and then cursing the cook—is truly shameless.
“Okay. I’ll change my clothes in a bit, then I’ll call the driver,” Bie Yunzong said calmly.
Su Yanxi asked in surprise, "You...you want me to go back to school?"
"Otherwise what?" Bie Yunzong shrugged. "You have homework to do, and homework is related to your final exam. If I don't let you go back, wouldn't that indirectly affect your grades?"
I've heard from your teachers that you have excellent grades. You're sure you can get first place, and I don't want to affect you.
"But what about the room?" Su Yanxi looked around the luxurious suite in front of her. "Are you staying alone?"
"Am I crazy?" Bie Yunzong asked, bewildered. "After I take you back to school, of course I'll go home. It's so boring to live alone in such a big room, isn't it?"
"I think I'd better go home. At least I'll have servants there."
“Isn’t that a bad idea…” Su Yanxi regretted the expensive accommodation costs. Thinking that staying here for one night would cost several thousand or even tens of thousands, he regretted using the excuse of returning to school to test Bie Yunzong. “It’s too wasteful.”
He's changed his mind and said he's not going back. Is it too late?
“It’s not a waste, you’ve been sitting here enjoying the night view for so long,” Bie Yunzong said cheerfully. “Just consider it as me giving you a beautiful view all night long—thinking about it that way makes it all worthwhile!”
"Wait for me, I'm going to change. The driver should be here in about ten minutes, you should get ready too!"
Su Yanxi nodded and agreed.
Looking back at the night view below, his feelings became quite complicated.
Reason has always been on one side, and emotion on the other, the scales swaying back and forth. But this time, it seems the weight on the emotional side has become heavier.