If one can offer flowers to Buddha, then one can certainly offer them to Taoism as well.
Adhering to the principle of not wasting a single penny, Chen Zhe presented Xie Yuhan with the bouquet of roses that Tang Zihao had carefully selected.
Xie Yuhan was quite surprised to see the flowers in her hands.
Why did you decide to send me flowers? Is it some special holiday today?
Seeing Xie Yuhan's happy expression, Chen Zhe felt too embarrassed to admit that he had taken Tang Zihao's money for free.
"Actually, it wasn't a sudden thought. I was going to send you some anyway, but the flowers I saw before weren't blooming brightly enough, and I was afraid they wouldn't be good enough for you. Today, I happened to pass by a flower shop and saw some beautiful flowers, so I thought of you."
Chen Zhe's words were quite ambiguous. Xie Yuhan bit her lip, lowered her head slightly, and blushed a little. Chen Zhe had never said anything like this before. Suddenly hearing this, she felt a tingling sensation in her heart and didn't know how to respond for a moment.
Old Master Xie walked by with his hands behind his back, coughed, spat out a mouthful of phlegm, and then casually picked a rose petal.
"Flowers are the 'beep beep' organs of plants. Why give these things as gifts? Only a playboy would dabble in such things."
Grandpa Xie's words completely ruined the atmosphere. Chen Zhe felt a little embarrassed after hearing them, and Xie Yuhan stomped her feet in anger. All the romantic fantasies she had just had were destroyed by her grandfather's words.
"Grandpa!! How could you say that? It's so vulgar!"
"So what? It may be a bit vulgar, but I'm stating the facts. What good intentions could a man have if he plucks the flower's genitals and gives them to a woman?"
"Grandpa! Chen Zhe came all this way just to give me a gift, how could you do this?"
Grandpa's attitude towards Chen Zhe was always bad, and Xie Yuhan felt indignant on Chen Zhe's behalf.
"Oh, really? You bought it especially for her?"
Old Master Xie turned to look at Chen Zhe, who felt a little guilty, but still managed to calm himself down. "Of course."
"cut!"
Master Xie casually pulled a card from the flowers and read it aloud before the two could react: "Dedicated to the beautiful, mature, and intellectual Sister Yuanyuan~ A person who admires you very much (Hao)."
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhe felt so embarrassed he wanted to disappear into the ground. How could he have missed that? Xie Yuhan, on the other hand, was stunned. A feeling of grievance welled up inside her, and she looked at Chen Zhe with a slight pout.
"This bouquet of flowers wasn't for her, and you didn't even buy it, am I right?"
Xie Yuhan's eyes were slightly moist. She put the flowers back into Chen Zhe's hand. "I suddenly remembered that I have something to do. I'll go take care of it now."
She turned around and ran away, looking aggrieved.
"Xiaoyu!! Let me explain..."
Holding the bouquet of flowers, Chen Zhe wanted to step forward and beg Xie Yuhan for forgiveness. He was now filled with regret for his carelessness.
Master Xie reached out and stopped him, speaking calmly.
"You can leave now."
"Master, please let me explain. It's not like that. I didn't mean it. That Yuanyuan is actually..."
"Alright!"
Master Xie interrupted him, his brows furrowing and his eyes sharp as he looked at him. "In the future, you shouldn't come over unless you have something to do. Xiaoyu needs to focus on her cultivation and doesn't have time to see people like you."
"Master, I really didn't mean it. I can explain this. I didn't mean to humiliate Xiaoyu. It's all a misunderstanding."
"Hehe, misunderstanding? I don't think so. Did you bring these flowers over?"
"I brought it over, and it's something I genuinely wanted to give away..."
"As long as you took it, that's fine. You did it. No matter how many reasons you have, you still hurt Xiaoyu. You gave Xiaoyu flowers meant for another woman. What kind of person do you take Xiaoyu for?"
"Master, I was wrong about this. You can hit me or scold me, I'll accept it. But can you give me a chance to explain to Xiaoyu in person?"
"There's no need. You say you were wrong in this matter, but you don't even know where you went wrong. Can you explain it clearly?"
"I...I was wrong to lie to Xiaoyu..."
"No, you're wrong because you don't think about the consequences of your actions, or even think that the consequences are unimportant to you. In other words, Xiaoyu is not important to you at all. You're lying to someone you don't love at all, which is an extremely shameless thing."
"Taoist Master!! What gives you the right to deny me like this?"
Chen Zhe was a little angry when Xie Laodao bluntly asserted that he did not love Xie Yuhan. He felt that he was not that kind of person. If he did not love Xie Yuhan, then why did he risk his life to save her in the first place?
"Heh? You think I'm wrong?"
"yes!"
"Then tell me, where did I go wrong?"
"My feelings for Xiaoyu are genuine, and heaven and earth can attest to that."
"Stop talking nonsense. I've lived for almost 100 years, and I've heard this kind of bullshit far too many times. I'm very familiar with it. I've said this kind of thing to countless girls when I was young. You can't fool me."
"Master, how can I make you believe me?"
"It's simple for me to believe you: give up everything you have now, be penniless, and come see me. I will absolutely not stop you then. Can you do that?"
"I……"
Upon hearing Xie Laodao's words, Chen Zhe was speechless.
Old Master Xie chuckled dismissively. “Young man, stop talking about love all the time. If you truly love someone, show it with concrete actions. Anyone can talk the talk, but what matters is what they do.”
Chen Zhe clenched his fists tightly. He had worked so hard to climb to where he was today, and he had finally gained wealth that he could never have imagined in his life. Why should he give it all up?
"Master, why are you making things so difficult for me? Does my willingness to give up my current status and wealth have anything to do with whether or not I love Xiaoyu?"
"There is no contradiction."
"Wouldn't that solve the problem?"
"But I disagree."
Master Xie's words were a bit difficult for people.
"Master, why?"
"You want to know why?"
"Yes! I want to know why! Why do you insist on stopping me from being with Xiaoyu? I like Xiaoyu, and Xiaoyu likes me too. I'm confident I can make her happy. Why can't we be together?"
“Then I’ll tell you why. It’s because your fates are different. You’re not on the same path. If you are the sun, then Xiaoyu is the moon. When the sun rises, everything on earth turns towards it and wants to absorb its sunlight. But what about the moon? The moon exists because the sun exists. If Xiaoyu is with you, she will become your appendage. When the sky is cloudless, she is bright and clear; when the sky is covered with dark clouds, she is dim and lifeless. I don’t want my granddaughter to become the kind of person who can only live by relying on others to give her sunlight.”
Chen Zhe couldn't understand Xie Laodao's words about the sun and the moon at all, and he was eager to explain to Xie Yuhan.
"Master, I beg you, please let me see Xiaoyu. I need to explain this to her."
Master Xie shook his head; "It seems you didn't listen to anything I said. What a waste of my breath."
"If you won't let me see her, I'll stand here and wait! I won't leave until I see her."
"casual!"
Old Master Xie snorted, then turned and closed the door with a flick of his sleeve.
Seeing the door close, Chen Zhe took a deep breath. He had only one thought in his mind: he had to explain his mistake to Xie Yuhan and ask for her forgiveness.
...
Did you hear our conversation just now?
Old Master Xie turned his head and looked at Xie Yuhan, who was standing in the corner with red eyes, with some heartache.
She nodded, but her usual bright and sparkling eyes were gone; now they were empty.
Seeing his granddaughter like this, Old Master Xie sighed heavily.
"If you want to go out and see him, I won't stop you."
Xie Yuhan looked up at her grandfather, wanting to speak, but then she remembered that Chen Zhe had lied to her. She trusted him so much, yet he could lie so easily. It really hurt her heart.
She finally shook her head.
Seeing his granddaughter shake her head, Xie Laodao breathed a sigh of relief. He stepped forward and patted Xie Yuhan's head.
"Xiaoyu, do you know why Grandpa has been trying to stop you?"
"I have no idea."
Xie Yuhan murmured.
“I’ve said it before, that guy is destined for romance and is destined for greatness. You can’t touch or love a man like that, because you’ll suffer a lot if you fall in love with him. There will be many, many people who love him in his life, and he won’t put his whole heart and soul into you. Actually, I believe that guy loves you. If he didn’t love you, he wouldn’t have risked his life to save you from the fire. I’m grateful to him for that, but I can’t ruin your life because of gratitude. I can help him in other ways, but it’s you that Grandpa can’t bear to do.”
Xie Yuhan understood her grandfather's words, but she didn't feel relieved. Instead, she felt increasingly uncomfortable, and her knees bent uncontrollably from the grievance. She squatted in the corner and began to sob silently.
On the other side of the wall.
Chen Zhe remained standing there, the sunlight shining from the top of his head to the soles of his feet and then disappearing, yet he remained motionless.
He had to personally apologize to Xie Yuhan and ask for her forgiveness.
Seeing Chen Zhe working so hard through the crack in the door, Xie Yuhan felt a pang of sympathy.
But she simply didn't have the courage to open that door. Her grandfather's words kept echoing in her mind. Could she really accept Chen Zhe, who had such an incredible romantic life?
She didn't know.
When she saw Chen Zhe being intimate with other women, she felt terrible. It was as if a small knife was digging into her heart, and it hurt so much.
Time passed quietly.
The moon rose, and dew dampened Chen Zhe's shoulders. He had been standing there all day, and his legs were numb. His phone rang many times, but he didn't answer it. He was determined to clear up this misunderstanding before he could leave the mountain.
He's also a very stubborn person.
Xie Yuhan also didn't go back to the house. She just sat behind the door, neither eating nor sleeping, silently keeping Chen Zhe company.
Standing in the living room, Mr. Xie looked at everything before him and sighed heavily again.
"Xiaoyu, why did you have to meet this kind of person? Alas, it's truly karma. When I was young, I wronged so many people, and now it's all coming back to haunt you. I'm so sorry..."
...
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