Chapter 103 Chapter 103: Tearing off one's face and climbing the ladder is not a derogatory act...

Hearing this, He Shengnian knew she was still angry, and his expression suddenly became somewhat helpless, "Don't be angry with me."

Xu Qinghu remained calm, "Boss He, don't you like to hear the truth?"

"You could have explained it to me last night," He Shengnian said straight to the point. "Tell me the true story of your relationship with Wu Xuan, and I wouldn't have doubted you."

Although he reflected on his behavior, Xu Qinghu was undoubtedly a factor in it.

After calming down, he still felt guilty towards Xu Qinghu, but he also had doubts.

If she had not met Wu Xuan on the rooftop several times and he had not happened to run into her, he would not have gotten so emotional and started to deal with the matter coldly when he found out about the revelations.

He does have problems, but does Xu Qinghu have no problems?

They clearly had a mutual understanding, but she was hiding something from him. What he couldn't accept was not only the online opinions, but also her dishonesty.

"Why should I tell you?" Xu Qinghu chuckled. "I've already broken up with him. There's nothing innocent between us."

"You weren't like this before," He Shengnian said slowly, his gaze fixed on her face. "Even when you went out with other people, you would tell me your true feelings afterwards."

Perhaps because of the obvious contrast, he found it difficult to accept Xu Qinghu's change in attitude.

In other words, he didn't like the feeling that things were beyond his control.

Hearing this, Xu Qinghu's smile deepened. "Mr. He, are you holding me accountable by saying this?"

She tilted her head and stared at He Shengnian, as if she didn't expect that he wanted to talk to her to hold her accountable.

"Do you think I have to tell you everything, and that if I don't tell you the truth, I'm just pissing you off?"

Although her tone was calm, the coldness in her words made He Shengnian's heart sink.

His tone suddenly became serious. "I came to you today to clear up the misunderstanding. I don't want to have any arguments with you."

"We've already made it clear what we need to say. Wu Xuan is my ex-boyfriend, and I'm just vain. What else do you want to explain, Mr. He?"

She stared at He Shengnian mockingly, "Do you think you'll be satisfied and cut ties with me without hesitation only if I tell you that I'm a fickle bitch because I've rekindled my old feelings for Wu Xuan?"

"He Shengnian, when did you become so indecisive?" She sneered, "Aren't you President He? Aren't you very decisive? Why, you're not going to say now that you actually have feelings for me, are you?"

Xu Qinghu sneered and said, "You just came over when I finally turned over. Do you think I still need you?"

"You're the one who abandoned me when I needed your help the most. Now you can still look on indifferently at me. What about in the future? Will you be even more harsh on me because of other things?"

Xu Qinghu's cold words made He Shengnian's face change. He said in a deep voice, "My anger yesterday was indeed related to the online public opinion. The solid evidence, coupled with your interactions with Wu Xuan, made it difficult for me to control my emotions."

He patiently explained: "I know I have hurt you, and I can apologize to you for that."

He looked into Xu Qinghu's eyes and said, "I won't make the same mistake again. At the same time, I hope we can clarify all the issues and return to the way we were before."

What he meant was that he still had feelings for Xu Qinghu and was willing to try to win her back, hoping that she would give him a chance.

Xu Qinghu smiled when he heard this, "Should I thank you for giving me a chance?"

He Shengnian frowned, "You're emotionally unstable right now. I hope you can calm down before communicating with me."

Xu Qinghu asked in return, "What if that revelation is true?"

She looked into He Shengnian's eyes and said, "If Wu Xuan hadn't come out to clarify and I just wanted to break up with my ex-boyfriend, would you think it was all my fault?"

He Shengnian's eyes suddenly changed. He didn't expect her to ask such a question.

"Your hypothesis has no feasibility at all," he said, not avoiding Xu Qinghu's gaze, but also not directly answering the question. "The matter has been properly resolved. There's no need to dwell on it any further."

"Properly resolve it?" Xu Qinghu repeated his words and laughed again. "He Shengnian, do you think I'm a fool?"

"The solution you mentioned is based on the fact that Wu Xuan is my ex-boyfriend. If he wasn't my ex-boyfriend, if he didn't have a family background comparable to yours, if he didn't specifically come to the dating show to look for me, and if he didn't use the official account to respond to our relationship, would you still feel sorry for me? Do you still think I'm not someone you can look down on?"

Her eyes were cold and penetrating, as if she had already seen through his true face.

"You won't."

She whispered, "You'll be done with me immediately."

He Shengnian's pupils contracted for a moment, but he did not answer.

He could not deny that he had extremely complicated reasons for coming to see Xu Qinghu. His strong affection was mixed with guilt and pity, and was even shrouded in a fog of suspicion.

Xu Qinghu was the type of person he had never met in his almost thirty years of life. She was like an unpredictable wind, seemingly warm and passionate, but also mixed with the bleakness of autumn and the harshness of winter.

Such a person, like the snow on a distant mountain, made him rarely want to approach her and unveil her last veil.

This feeling was something he had never experienced before.

"Even if I really broke up with my ex-boyfriend because of our future, so what?" Xu Qinghu sneered, "Do I deserve to die? Do I deserve to be judged by everyone?"

As the night deepened, the smile in her eyes completely disappeared, revealing her cold true face, "Do you think I deserve to be kicked when I'm down?"

"You said these things have been properly resolved because you haven't really done anything for me. Of course you think these things are in the past because you weren't the one being criticized and hurt. That's why you can calmly say we should give each other a chance."

"But to me, suspicion is suspicion. It won't be diminished in the slightest by your status. Abandonment is abandonment. That is the most genuine reaction you make when facing a crisis."

"Admit it, He Shengnian. You're not as bright as you appear. You're a very realistic man. Love and a partner are nothing but dispensable things to you."

At some point, Xu Qinghu's tone had calmed down, as if he was talking about something very ordinary.

This kind of calmness made He Shengnian feel like there was something stuck in his throat.

He finally realized that Xu Qinghu was not an ordinary girl. She was very clear-headed. If he wanted to make her calm down, he had to completely resolve the problems between them.

Whether it was a crisis of trust or disrespect towards her, he needed to respond positively.

Otherwise, that would be the end of it between them.

"I was wrong," he said after a long silence, "I was too arbitrary and didn't believe you."

He Shengnian looked into Xu Qinghu's eyes, like a superior standing in the clouds, finally seeing the flower in the dust. "I shouldn't have doubted you when public opinion exploded and before confirming the truth, nor should I have been indifferent to you during our date."

His attitude was sincere, but also mixed with a lot of discomfort. He was not used to the feeling of bowing to others.

"I will stand by you from now on, respect and trust you, and will not let something like this affect our relationship, nor will I let you down again."

He Shengnian finished speaking with great difficulty, then looked at Xu Qinghu and said, "Can you trust me again?"

This was probably the most humble moment in his life, even the corners of his mouth were pursed.

If Xu Qinghu was truly in love, she would have been deeply moved. However, her eyes remained cold from beginning to end. She waited quietly for him to finish before asking again: "If what was in the video was true, would you still say these words?"

He Shengnian's eyes changed slightly.

"You won't," Xu Qinghu said, "You can only accept the way you imagine me to be, and you will never accept that I am an imperfect person."

There was a hint of melancholy on her face. "Thank you for telling me this. It made me feel less terrible. But there's no need for us to continue."

"I am a person with many shortcomings. Even now, I still feel that even if that video is true, why can't I give up something for my future? Are all people in this world bright? Those who desperately want to change their fate, can only move forward step by step?"

"The world isn't black and white," she lowered her eyelashes. "You should know this better than I do, but you can't tolerate my imperfections and unkindness. What you need is a decent enough partner. Even if he can't help you in your career, he must make you feel extremely satisfied in other situations."

"Otherwise, her existence would be meaningless."

Xu Qinghu raised his head and whispered, "But I am a person. I am Xu Qinghu. I have the life I want. I am not a flower looked down upon in the dust, nor a pendant for He Shengnian, nor a sacrifice to fulfill the wishes of others."

"I have my own dreams, the path I want to take, and the things I want to strive for."

"And you probably don't care what I'm thinking," Xu Qinghu said, "You only care about your own feelings."

"You might apologize to me today for the reversal of events, but is that your true intention? You know very well in your heart that your affection for me is only a small part of your affection because of Wu Xuan and public opinion."

"If it weren't for Wu Xuan, you might not even have such an apology. Instead, you would be thankful that you saw through my true face and were not affected by public opinion."

"Perhaps you would say that all you care about is the truth, and Wu Xuan's existence is secondary, but does Wu Xuan really have no effect?"

Xu Qinghu: "Didn't he make you realize clearly that I don't have to choose you, and I even have better options?"

"You've never thought about truly understanding me," Xu Qinghu shook his head. "You don't empathize with what I'm thinking. There are many factors that influence you, but the real reason you came to me was never me."

When Xu Qinghu finished speaking, his eyes were completely still. Like a lake without ripples, after a strong wind has passed, only a solemn and desolate atmosphere remains.

He Shengnian stood there, not expecting to hear such words. It was like a blow to the head, and it took him a long time to recover.

He wanted to deny what Xu Qinghu said, that he came to her because of his affection for her, but all this was based on his distrust.

Even if he told the world the truth, he couldn't ignore Wu Xuan's existence.

His clarification was the beginning of him facing Xu Qinghu.

Whether it was the desire to win between men or the strong sense of crisis that Wu Xuan brought to him, these were the reasons why he urgently wanted to find Xu Qinghu to explain.

He Shengnian opened his mouth, "I..."

Looking at the slightly red corners of Xu Qinghu's eyes, he felt like something was quietly growing in his heart.

He used to think that she was beautiful and sensible, and that she could bring him a lot of joy while he was busy.

But does he really know what she is thinking? Or is he willing to do anything for her?

He might be willing to do so. After all, he decided to contact her after a long period of consideration. However, such efforts must not affect the overall situation so that he can meet her expectations.

Otherwise, he would subconsciously think about whether the two of them are suitable for each other.

"Let's stop here," Xu Qinghu looked at the starry sky above his head, "It's too late, I should go back and rest."

She waved to He Shengnian and said, "Thank you for telling me this. I have no regrets about cutting ties with you now."

After saying that, she turned and walked towards the stairs.

"Xu Qinghu," He Shengnian called her subconsciously, "I didn't come to see you because of Wu Xuan."

Xu Qinghu heard the hidden meaning in his words, stopped and replied: "It's a good thing for me to confirm that you liked me too. At least I'm not performing a one-man show."

Listening to her voice with a hint of laughter, He Shengnian had a premonition that if they let her leave like this, they would never have another chance.

He could no longer suppress the emotions churning in his heart, and said in a hoarse voice: "I'm angry because I minded you and Wu Xuan being alone together on the rooftop and not telling me your true feelings about him."

"I'm angry because I'm worried that you're just taking advantage of my feelings and not really wanting to be with me forever."

"If you only see me as a ladder to climb, how much sincerity do you have towards me? How can you convince me to stand by your side?"

Perhaps because he was too emotional, he no longer hid his true thoughts deep in his heart.

"You've revealed so many flaws, I can't remain indifferent. Xu Qinghu, you gave me the motivation to doubt you."

The night breeze on the rooftop was chilly, and the two finally tore off each other's masks and revealed their true thoughts.

She was resentful towards him, so wasn't he also dissatisfied?

Xu Qinghu was silent for a long time after hearing this. Only after He Shengnian finished expressing all his grudges and dissatisfactions with her did she whisper, "Are you still worried that you'll become my ladder to success?"

She seemed amused by what he said, or perhaps she felt it was not worth it for herself, "He Shengnian, is it a shame for you to be my ladder to success?"

"Or do you feel that the person you're with can only be molded into the way you like them, but can't walk forward with you side by side?"

"You still haven't figured it out. Climbing the ladder has never been a derogatory term."