Chapter 23: You’re Not as Bad as You Think
Su Moyu looked at him suspiciously, then raised her index finger and waved it as if making a point.
“That’s not it,” she said. “Maybe you’re just in a good mood right now and more patient, so you feel like it’s enough as long as I’m happy.”
“A healthy and lasting relationship depends on both people putting in effort, not just one person giving everything.”
“So if you sacrifice yourself just to like someone, in the end you might get nothing.”
“A healthy relationship should help both people slowly fix their flaws and become better while being together.”
As she spoke, Su Moyu suddenly realized something serious.
That’s right… she was treating their relationship like a romantic one.
This was all from those relationship psychology things she read when she argued with Zhou Ya before.
Ah, but it’s fine. With Bai Shuchuan’s dense personality, he probably doesn’t understand this kind of stuff anyway.
“You’re right…” Bai Shuchuan let out a soft breath. In his relationship with Chen Xue, it seemed like he really got nothing in the end.
Instead, it even made him start to doubt himself…
Both of his parents were teachers, so Bai Shuchuan had always had good grades since he was young.
But while other kids were happily playing, he would sit alone in the study room.
His parents controlled who he could be friends with. If someone’s grades weren’t good enough, he wasn’t allowed to play with them. Every day there was endless studying and classes…
Only when Su Moyu’s small figure appeared downstairs could he forget about homework, books, and English words.
This boy named Su Moyu looked very pretty, almost like a girl.
He would take him to play with other kids, could even go buy fruit alone at the shop, and was very good at games like marbles and cards. He could even win back what Bai Shuchuan had lost.
Only when Su Moyu was around did Bai Shuchuan feel like he could truly fit in with the other kids.
“Actually, in middle school, a lot of girls liked you,” Su Moyu said. “They all talked to me and asked about you. But you only cared about studying back then, and your parents were very strict, so none of them dared to say it.”
Bai Shuchuan looked completely confused.
“They liked me?” he asked in surprise.
“Yes,” Su Moyu replied helplessly. “Too bad you were just like a block of wood back then.”
Bai Shuchuan pressed his lips together and looked at the road ahead. There were couples walking together, holding hands, smiling happily.
“I… am I actually kind of bad?” Bai Shuchuan lowered his eyes. “It feels like I don’t know how to care about others. I’m not interesting at all, and sometimes I even say things that offend people.”
Su Moyu frowned, a bit surprised to hear him say that.
“Hey,” she said softly, “don’t blame yourself too much. Your parents were so strict with you before, your feelings and thoughts were probably ignored.”
“From that point of view, it makes sense that you turned out like this.” She smiled, her tone becoming a little playful. “I know you. Even if you sometimes speak very directly, you still care about people.”
“So don’t doubt yourself. You’re really not as bad as you think.”
Seeing him deep in thought, Su Moyu continued,
“Those two sentences you said earlier to make me happy, let’s count that as progress. You should read more books or novels, I’ve told you many times already.” As she spoke, she stood on her toes again and lightly patted his head.
Bai Shuchuan felt the touch on top of his head. He turned his head and saw Su Moyu standing on her tiptoes. Her eyes were bright and deep, reflecting a warm light under the sunset.
His heart felt warm.
His gaze couldn’t help but fall on Su Moyu’s lips, and his throat felt a little dry.
In his sight was her soft and beautiful face, her small figure so close that he could easily pull her into his arms…
But does being this close mean he already has her?
Bai Shuchuan was never an impulsive person. He couldn’t even be sure what the thoughts rising in his heart really meant.
“That’s because I’m not good at dealing with girls…”
Su Moyu showed a look of disdain. “Then why are you treating me like a girl? Just because I look like this now?”
“I… can’t really explain it,” Bai Shuchuan said awkwardly.
“Maybe there are some changes, but I’m still me. That will never change.” Su Moyu stretched lazily. “Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. You’re even overthinking when you’re with me.”
“Thank you.”
Bai Shuchuan’s thoughts were a bit messy. He seemed to have a lot to say, but he was never good with words, so he could only express his thanks.
“Hehe, then remember to treat me to KFC.”
“Okay,” Bai Shuchuan replied.
…………………
They had dinner at a small restaurant in the resort.
Only then did Su Moyu realize she had been too naive. Their hotel looked less crowded probably because it was more expensive…
The line in the restaurant was very long, so she asked the owner to pack the food to go.
Even so, they still waited for a very long time. All the seats in the restaurant were full.
After becoming a girl, her strength and stamina had become much worse. Su Moyu felt that even at a buffet, she would feel full after just a few bites of meat.
So she leaned against Bai Shuchuan. The pleasant smell from him filled her senses.
Bai Shuchuan actually smelled really nice.
Thinking this, Su Moyu looked up at him. Bai Shuchuan was looking down at his phone, then his gaze fell on her face.
“What’s wrong?”
Su Moyu shook her head, a few strands of hair still on her face.
“Nothing, just leaning on you for a bit. I’m tired from standing.”
Bai Shuchuan didn’t move, but the softness of her body and her faint hair fragrance made his thoughts a bit messy again.
“It actually feels pretty nice to have someone to lean on,” Su Moyu said.
“Looks like you really dragged me here to be your tool,” Bai Shuchuan joked helplessly.
“You should feel lucky to be my tool,” Su Moyu snorted and said without hesitation.
After getting the food, she took Bai Shuchuan back to the hotel.
As soon as Su Moyu put the food on the table, her phone rang. She picked it up and saw it was Bai Shuchuan’s father calling.
“Hello, Uncle. Is there anything I can help you with?” Su Moyu asked softly.
Bai’s father laughed heartily. “Didn’t you already accept the ‘welcome to the family’ gift yesterday? Why are you still being so polite?”
Su Moyu secretly glanced at Bai Shuchuan sitting nearby. When he noticed her look, he turned to look at her too.
For some reason, Su Moyu felt a bit embarrassed, and her cheeks quickly turned red.
“I didn’t think of it just now… Dad.”