Chapter 345: Two men love her, how painful it is, both men...
Chao Risheng was extremely helpless. He came from a scholarly family and had been a fairly respectable person since childhood. The most outrageous thing he had done in his life was probably this clumsy self-torture spree.
His lie was exposed and he was in a state of embarrassment, but he didn't want to be looked down upon by Yao Taotao.
He calmly removed the gauze from his head, maintaining his last bit of dignity. He was a little bewildered: "Since you two know each other so well, why did you separate in the first place?"
"Because he despises me for not being able to have children." Now that things have come to this, Yao Taotao doesn't plan to hide anything. After all, a man who has received a good education since childhood is willing to lie and act in order to maintain a relationship with her. Even if such behavior is clumsy and ridiculous, she doesn't want to be condescending and accuse him of anything.
Being pursued is a blessing, not a kind of arrogance that is taken for granted.
She explained in detail what happened between her and Cao Guangyi. Although it was not much different from what Chao Risheng had learned, he still filled in a lot of details.
For example, it was actually Cao Guangyi who was unable to have children, and Yao Taotao, because she had seen classmates die in childbirth before, had a traumatic experience with childbirth. So, in order to seek benefits and avoid harm, she might very likely go back to Cao Guangyi.
For example, although she has no children, she has been raising the son of her evil sister Yao Jingjing, and she will continue to raise him.
For example, she really doesn't like others giving her orders. She is a self-centered person, and Chao Risheng himself is also a favored child who is coaxed by everyone. When two strong people meet, one of them must give in. Otherwise, even if they really get married and have children, they will eventually become a couple of resentful people, or even end up in divorce, and never contact each other again.
"Instead of this, why don't we just be friends, okay?" This was Yao Taotao's most sincere suggestion. She really couldn't lower her self-esteem and personality and let others direct and control her life.
Chao Risheng fell into a long silence. After a long while, he finally asked, "I will be mindful of my words and actions and will no longer give you orders. So, could you please give me another month? Let's get to know each other again and give you and me a new possibility, okay?"
"Why?" Yao Taotao really didn't understand. Although she never belittled herself and felt that she could have better choices now, she had to admit that Chao Risheng's conditions were better than hers.
She had no idea why he was so deeply in love with her.
Chao Risheng smiled bitterly and said, "Why so many whys? Perhaps it was because you righteously rejected Xiao Shouyi, and that unyielding soul deeply attracted me. I admit that Cao Guangyi is your comfort zone, and I may never bow down to him like that in my entire life, but you should know that for two people to accompany each other for a lifetime, only the resonance of the soul can truly last, and the surrender of one party to the other can only be a short-lived happiness. It is certainly very refreshing and very satisfying, but you will soon get bored. He will not bring you any freshness, nor will he resonate with you in any way. In the future, if you encounter difficulties in your career, he will not be able to provide you with any help."
Yao Taotao disagrees. She retorts, "You have to look at the problem from a developmental perspective. He's working hard, and he'll grow."
Chao Risheng didn't intend to deny it outright, but he had a premise: "Unless he can truly transform from an ugly duckling into a swan, get admitted to university, and then spend years letting the ink of knowledge fill and paint his pale inner world. Maybe when that day comes, he'll be a very fine meticulous painting, maybe a freehand painting with flying dragons and phoenixes and extraordinary personality, or maybe he'll remain pale and powerless, nothing at all. But that's all uncertain. As for me, I'm certain now and in the future. I'm a finished product. The only flaw is probably that I need to change my attitude and put your wishes first in everything. Believe me, I'm willing to try, as long as you agree. If you don't believe me, you can talk to Cao Guangyi about his articles on popular life and see if he resonates with you. He won't, but I definitely can."
As he spoke, he took out a magazine and expressed his views and opinions on several of the articles.
Yao Taotao listened quietly throughout the whole process without expressing any opinion.
Chao Risheng finished speaking and handed the magazine to her with a smile. "I originally wanted to say, 'Go ahead and give it a try,' but that would sound like giving you orders, right? So I changed my mind. It's up to you whether you want to try with him or not. It's also up to you whether you want to try with me or not. But please believe me, choosing me will definitely be worth it."
Yao Taotao looked at the man in silence. After a long moment, she asked, "If I follow him..."
"That has nothing to do with me, just don't let me know. After all, we are just ordinary friends now." How could Chao Risheng really not care, but he had to be magnanimous and show his superiority, otherwise how could he completely surpass Cao Guangyi?
Since she hasn't confirmed her relationship with him, he has no right to ask about her private life.
This is a matter of basic education.
Yao Taotao was a little confused. She really didn't expect that he would show such an attitude.
She originally thought that after she exposed him, he would be furious, perhaps speak ill of her, or continue to discredit Cao Guangyi.
But he didn't. When he found that this approach was not working, he simply changed his method. It was good because at least he was really trying to respect her wishes.
She stood up and said, "Okay, since we've come to this point, please don't go looking for him anymore. What happened between you and me has nothing to do with him. He's studying very hard right now, and I don't want you to hurt his self-esteem or affect his mood."
"I promise, I won't do that again." Chao Risheng immediately admitted his mistake. "You're right, I was a bit arrogant. I'm going to write a diary now to reflect on myself."
"I'm leaving." Yao Taotao didn't want to interfere with whether he wrote his diary or not. She was just a little caught in a dilemma because of his response.
It seems that this man is really smart. He knows that pestering her will only make her give up completely.
It's understandable that he is so insightful. As an author who can write best-selling novels, he has a very good grasp of people's hearts. Maybe they just have too little contact with each other, which led him to make a wrong judgment, and she also misjudged his reaction.
She opened the door, but before she could go out, she heard a chuckle behind her: "Comrade Yao Taotao, can you wait a moment? I suddenly remembered something."
"You say." Yao Taotao turned around and waited quietly.
Chao Risheng stood up, grabbed the chair, walked step by step to her, and sat down, so that he would not be too tall and make her feel oppressed by being looked down upon.
He looked up at Yao Taotao and said, "I asked you to go on a date with me yesterday, but you haven't agreed yet. I want to ask, have you thought about it?"
Yao Taotao was trying to get away with it: "Didn't I come to see you now?"
"I'm not a three-year-old child. Can you change the answer?" Chao Risheng spread his legs, supported his hands on the edge of the chair, smiled with his face up, and put on a very humble attitude.
Yao Taotao leaned over to look at his smiling eyes and bloodstained forehead, and suddenly became curious: "How did you get that injury on your head?"
"I fell off my bike when I was leaving his house." Chao Risheng laughed self-deprecatingly. "This is the only time in my life that I went to someone's house to provoke someone, and I fell as soon as I left. Do you think this is retribution? Don't worry, I really won't do it again. A mature relationship between a man and a woman is far more exciting than one-sided obedience. Come with me and try it, okay? I'm not giving orders, I'm serious. I hope you'll consider going on a date."
"I..." Yao Taotao was indeed caught. For her, respect was the best bait. Her mind was a little confused.
His eyes met, and he subconsciously looked away.
Chao Risheng originally planned to force a kiss on her, but he was afraid that she would think he disrespected her, so he had to hold back.
When Yao Taotao figured it out, she turned around and saw his eyes full of expectation and desire.
Her mind buzzed and she completely froze. She didn't give any answer and just left.
Chao Risheng was alone in the office, smiling happily.
Haha, there’s hope!
*
Yao Zhizhi received another call from Yao Taotao.
I couldn't help but complain: "Oh, second sister, you are so miserable. Two men love you. What should I do? Why can't I hug them left and right? Oh."
"Stop making trouble, help me think about what to do." Yao Taotao has always been a person with her own opinions, but this time, she found that she couldn't make up her mind, which was really painful.
Yao Zhizhi couldn't help laughing: "What else can we do? Let's give it a try. Anyway, Cao Guangyi hasn't been admitted to university yet. Only when he actually gets admitted will he have the courage to pursue you again. In the meantime, why don't you give it a try with Chao Risheng and see another possibility in life."
"What's wrong with you? You were speaking up for Cao Guangyi yesterday."
"Am I helping him? Didn't I say that according to your wishes? Admit it, you were bewitched by Chao Risheng. This man does have some skills, he's quite good. I suspect you didn't have much contact before. In the future, you should spend more time with him. Don't always talk about business, and don't just meet at the publishing house."
"Okay, then if he asks me out next time, I'll agree."
"Actually, what he said makes a lot of sense. It's still unknown whether Cao Guangyi can catch up with you. Either you stop and wait for him, and you suffer the consequences, or you keep moving forward, and he never catches up with you, and he'll feel resentful, turning love into hate. So I think being with Chao Risheng is more optimistic than being with Cao Guangyi. As for the feeling you mentioned about not having a crush on him, maybe you'll feel it after a few more dates."
"Well, it's possible."
"But you also have to consider another possibility. To pursue you now, he's definitely putting your feelings first. Even if he's used to giving orders, he'll force himself to change his attitude. But once you're together, can he still maintain that attitude? A person's personality is difficult to fundamentally change. You have to consider the possibility that after you two enter a stable period in your relationship, he'll slowly let down his guard and return to his old ways."
"I have the same worry. You go ahead and do your thing. I'll think about it." Yao Taotao hung up the phone and when she returned to her residence, she found Chao Risheng leaning against a camphor tree on the side of the road reading a book.
In his hand was a copy of Jane Eyre, originally published in English. Seeing her return, he smiled and handed her two movie tickets: "Would you please do me the honor of showing me tonight, Comrade Yao Taotao?"
Yao Taotao took the movie ticket and nodded: "See you tonight, I'm going to cook."
"I'm a good cook. Do you want to try it?" Chao Risheng made this request for the second time.
Yao Taotao refused: "It's too fast, let's talk about it later."
Let’s talk about it later. At least she accepted the movie tickets, which is a good sign.
When Chao Risheng left, he showed a confident smile. As expected, as long as he remained infatuated, only a fool would choose Cao Guangyi.
In the afternoon when he was at work, he received a call from Yao Zhizhi.
He was quite surprised and said politely, "Last month's magazine profit share has been remitted to you. Is there any problem?"
"I don't want to beat around the bush. I'm here to discuss something," Yao Zhizhi said seriously. "I suspect you're simply trying to woo my second sister by making yourself more agreeable to her. But I believe, as an adult, it's unlikely you'll make any fundamental changes. In other words, your current behavior is simply an adjustment in your pursuit strategy. Later, you'll likely revert to your old ways and become too lazy to act anymore, which would be fatal to my second sister. I don't want to see that day, so I want you to give me a clear explanation. Do you truly realize the need to prioritize her wishes in everything, or are you just trying to trick her into submission once the novelty wears off?"
Chao Risheng frowned: "Why do you say that?"
"You've been with her for quite some time, yet you've always asked her to come to the publishing house to find you, and you've never even visited her at school. Subconsciously, you're still quite arrogant, unwilling to make too much effort or sacrifice for a woman. It was only when you realized she wasn't buying it that you urgently changed your strategy. Am I right?"
"I can't help it if you say that. I didn't mean it. I'm busy."
"How busy can you be? You don't even have time to go to school and take the initiative to meet her? Then how did you have time to give her movie tickets today?"
"What do you want to say?"
"I'm just reminding you that temporary novelty will only harm both you and others. Please be prepared to put her first and make concessions for her for the rest of your life before continuing to pursue her. Otherwise, I will advise her to stay away from you. She still listens to me, so please don't doubt it."
"Editor Yao, you seem to be meddling too much, but I can promise you that as long as I take action, it means I've thought it through. You also said that I'm an adult and I know what I want."
"If you want her so much, why haven't you taken the initiative to look for her in the past six months? Don't you think you're conflicted? Maybe you don't love her as much as you think, or maybe it's because you're arrogant. Anyway, no matter what the reason is, I advise you to be cautious."
"I understand." Chao Risheng couldn't argue with Yao Zhizhi, so he had to surrender.
Maybe she was right. He was too arrogant at heart, and it had always been women who pursued him. He thought that as long as he confessed his feelings to Yao Taotao, she would definitely come to him on her own initiative.
This is indeed the case. She comes to work every Saturday and Sunday, so we can meet.
Perhaps it was because of this that he misjudged the situation - she was here to work, not to date him.
He fell into a long silence until Editor Gao knocked on the door, and then he came to his senses: "Come in."
Editor-in-Chief Gao looked unhappy. She was pregnant with Xiao Shouyi's child.
She planned to take a leave and go find Li Yue. Whether the child should be aborted or kept, she needed Li Yue to give her an explanation.
How did Xiao Shouyi die? How would the pensions and savings of the two elders of the Xiao family be divided after his death?
It's all a mess and she has to figure it out.
Chao Risheng looked at the woman with disdain: "Xiao Shouyi's? He's dead and you still want to give birth? Are you crazy?"
"This is my business, none of your business!" Editor-in-Chief Gao was furious and urged, "You're my boss, not my father. Stop bossing me around. Just approve my leave."
Chao Risheng frowned, signed the document, and told her to get out.
He grabbed the keys irritably and went out.
Since he has a date tonight, he should prepare some gifts. Otherwise, wouldn’t he be just as Yao Zhizhi said - arrogant, condescending, and thinking that all women in the world will come to please him.
But Yao Taotao is not such a person.
When he stood in front of a windbreaker and couldn't tell Yao Taotao's size, he had to admit that Yao Zhizhi was right.
Who can tell him what size Yao Taotao wears?
Forget it, just buy a ladies' watch.
While watching the movie, he sat next to Yao Taotao and did not overstep the boundaries at all.
After watching the movie, the two of them pushed their bicycles side by side, which was a good opportunity for them to deepen their understanding of each other.
He asked Yao Taotao to walk on the inside, acting like a protector, but Yao Taotao didn't like it and walked outside anyway: "Actually, you don't have to see me off. It's getting late, you should go back."
"I want to give it to you. You're a lesbian, and it's not safe to walk at night." Chao Risheng smiled. "What do you think of this movie? Do you like it?"
"Not bad." Yao Taotao was sleepy. Thinking about rushing back to finish her homework and go to bed early, she got on her bike and said, "Let's ride back. I have something else to do."
Chao Risheng sighed and said, "Let's go." When they arrived at her residence, she unlocked the door and turned on the light. Seeing him standing at the door, unwilling to leave, she had no choice but to ask, "Anything else?"
"Won't you invite me in for a glass of water?" Chao Risheng stopped the car with a smile.
Yao Taotao shook her head, turned around, poured a glass of water and brought it out.
Chao Risheng was helpless. They were really on high alert, but he didn't eat people.
However, he also understood that if a single woman brought a man into her room, it was indeed no different from confirming a relationship.
Forget it, he is not in a hurry at this moment.
After drinking the water, he left.
After finishing her homework, Yao Taotao saw that it was almost ten o'clock, so she prepared to go to bed.
After the lights were turned off, there was a knock on the door. It was Cao Guangyi.
Even though she opened the door, he just stood outside and didn't come in. He just said, "I tried to persuade them about the two children, but they wouldn't listen. I was thinking about raising one of them, but I still have to review for the exam. If they really pass, I won't have time to take care of them. I can only come to ask you, what should I do if I can't persuade them?"
"Forget it, we have done our best." Yao Taotao can raise her sisters' children, but she is not so saintly as to raise Cao Guangyuan's daughter who was born to someone else.
She looked at Cao Guangyi, who was sweating profusely, and knew that he was in a hurry to get here and was riding very fast. It was windy outside at the moment, and he was afraid that he would catch a cold if he rode back to get some fresh air. So she turned and went into the house, took a towel and gave it to him: "Wipe it off."
After wiping his sweat, she poured him some water, but she had no intention of inviting him in.
Cao Guangyi didn't ask to come in. He respected her wishes very much. After drinking the water, he prepared to go back: "Then I'll leave. I made a spare key and left it with Li Xiaorui. If you need to find me and I'm not at home, you can go directly to her to get the key and go in."
"Okay." Yao Taotao didn't see him off. She closed the door and sighed silently.
Zhizhi is right, it’s so painful that two men love her.
She suddenly smiled and said, "Isn't this good? Take your time to choose. There's no rush."
*
Yao Zhizhi received a call from her eldest brother, saying that Ge Rui was released from prison and was going to Yicheng to find Yao Jingjing's eldest son.
However, there was no landline at Yao Taotao's residence, so she could only call Duan Cheng and ask him to find Yao Taotao and inform her.
When Duan Cheng came over with the child, Chao Risheng also came to the school to look for Yao Taotao.
Since he wants to change his strategy, he naturally needs to be more proactive to avoid Yao Zhizhi calling him to scold him again.
It was just the end of get out of class time. When he arrived on the road outside the teaching building, he saw Yao Taotao taking a boy from the arms of a handsome and gentle man, holding him affectionately in his arms, and kissing the child's little face, just like a mother and son.
Chao Risheng was dumbfounded. No way, didn’t Yao Taotao say she didn’t have children?
So who is this child? And who is that man?
Chao Risheng was lost in thought at that moment. When Yao Taotao came up to him with the child in her arms, he forced a smile and asked, "Is this you..."
Yao Taotao glanced at Duan Cheng who was about to speak, raised her hand to interrupt him, and turned around with a smile. She wanted to see what Chao Risheng was going to say.
Chao Risheng's mind raced as he searched Yao Taotao's social connections. He suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, "Is this Teacher Duan?"
Duan Cheng just smiled and said nothing.
Yao Taotao also laughed: "It seems that you are really smart. You cleared up the misunderstanding so quickly."
"What misunderstanding is there?" Chao Risheng smiled awkwardly.
Yao Taotao sneered: "Don't admit it? Did you just think this child is mine? Dare you think but not admit it?"
"Okay, okay, I was wrong." Chao Risheng felt a little embarrassed. He didn't say it out loud, so why expose it?
Yao Taotao insisted on making it clear: "You doubt, which means you don't trust me. Since you don't trust me——"
"It's my fault." Chao Risheng immediately straightened his attitude, "Please forgive me."
Yao Taotao hesitated for a moment, then gave up: "Let's go and talk over at Jingsi Lake."
Duan Cheng relayed Yao Zhizhi's call content, and Yao Taotao was a little surprised: "What do you mean, Ge Rui suspects the child is his?"
"Yes." Duan Cheng hadn't looked for the child in the past two years. The child lacked maternal love, so he felt quite emotional when he saw the child acting coquettishly in his second aunt's arms.
I couldn't help but take a few more glances.
Chao Risheng frowned. He didn't want to see other bachelors getting too close to Yao Taotao, so he subconsciously changed his position and stood between Duan Cheng and the child.
Duan Cheng was careless and didn't think much about it. After saying what he wanted to do, he took the child and left.
Yao Taotao looked at the child's reluctant eyes and felt a little soft-hearted. She chased after him and hugged him again. She sent him and his son to the school gate. She kissed the child again and said, "Auntie will come to see you when she has time. You must listen to your father."
The little brat was reluctant to leave his second aunt, so he gave her a big kiss before leaving with his father.
This instantly made Chao Risheng's sense of crisis soar to an unprecedented level.
As a university professor, with his children as a bridge, maybe he can get the upper hand by being close to the water?
He was unhappy, but he didn't want to make Yao Taotao angry, so he had to suppress his displeasure and asked, "Would you like to go to the library to read together later?"
"Okay." Yao Taotao had no class the next period, so the two went to the library together. When they met a classmate, he smiled and asked Yao Taotao who this was to her.
Yao Taotao just said they were friends, and Chao Risheng's dissatisfaction escalated again.
When school was over at noon, he sent Yao Taotao to the door of her residence. Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "I'm tired from walking. Can I come in and sit for a while?"
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