...
The moon hung high in the sky, and the night breeze carried a slight chill.
Liu Erlong's emotions finally stabilized. Xuan Hao pulled a thin coat from the side and gently draped it over her slender shoulders.
Then he led her to the steps outside and sat down side by side.
Liu Erlong kept her head down, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her clothes, not daring to turn her head to look at him.
She never imagined that she, this usually strong-willed "she-tyrant," would have such a vulnerable side, let alone that one day she would be so unreserved as to lie in the arms of a "child" who was almost thirty years younger than her and cry her heart out.
But just now, she really couldn't control herself.
She didn't know how she completely relaxed her tense nerves, and her emotions just suddenly broke down.
That unprecedented sense of security made her believe from the bottom of her heart that as long as she fell, the person in front of her would definitely catch her and hold her tightly.
Liu Erlong bit her lip, a chill creeping down her spine. She found herself increasingly afraid of this bastard.
But at the same time, she finally realized how this bastard managed to hook up with so many outstanding girls so easily.
His womanizing and promiscuity are indeed infuriating, making people want to slap him to death; yet the sense of security he exudes, which can embrace everything, is like a warm vortex, making people unable to resist wanting to get closer.
Even under that overwhelming sense of security, you might unconsciously think: just bear with it and it will pass, it doesn't seem like a big deal.
Xuan Hao sat quietly to the side, not in a hurry to speak, but considerately giving Liu Erlong enough time to calm down.
He had already laid the groundwork and engaged in emotional maneuvering; the next step had to be taken by Liu Erlong herself.
Sure enough, not long after, Liu Erlong finally couldn't hold back and broke the silence of the night.
"You..." She took a deep breath, her voice still a little hoarse, "What do you really think of me?
Is it just a fleeting possessiveness, or... something else?"
Xuan Hao turned his head and looked at her eyes, which were still somewhat bloodshot. Instead of answering, he asked, "So what do you hope for? Or rather, what are you worried about?"
Liu Erlong opened his mouth, but it felt like his throat was stuffed with cotton, and he couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.
Seeing her conflicted expression, Xuan Hao sighed softly:
"Actually, I know what you're thinking, and I know what you're afraid of."
He leaned against the doorframe behind him and began to analyze in a calm tone:
"Young girls like excitement; they focus more on immediate pleasure.
As for the heavy and distant future, they are often unwilling to think about it."
"A mature woman like you, who has experienced the trials of time and the hardships of relationships, can't help but worry about tomorrow and is filled with all sorts of anxieties."
Xuan Hao pointed to the night sky outside, his eyes revealing a clear understanding of human nature:
"But in this world, most men's abilities are limited.
The 'scumbags' that people often criticize are often the kind of men who can only get you through the present and make you happy today.
As for where they will be tomorrow or what the future holds, they themselves don't know, because they simply don't have the ability to guarantee it."
"And what about those so-called 'good men'?
They usually lead routine and boring lives every day, unable to give you any excitement or the emotional value you want.
When you get angry and complain because of the mundane and boring life, they will come up with a set of excuses, saying that they are thinking about the future, about your future together."
Xuan Hao scoffed, "But what is it really like?
Their so-called 'future considerations' are nothing but an excuse to cover up their current incompetence, an empty promise that will never be fulfilled.
It is precisely because they have no certainty about that so-called shared future that their hearts are filled with anxiety, which is why they are bent over by life and make a mess of every single 'today'!"
"Erlong, think about it carefully." Xuanhao leaned closer, looking intently at her.
"If someone truly has the ability to guarantee a safe tomorrow, why would they be so stingy as to not let you enjoy yourself to the fullest today?"
"If he can't do it, there are only two reasons: either he's not capable enough, or he doesn't actually love you that much."
"And what about me?" Xuan Hao pointed to himself.
"I have the ability to give people confidence.
Everyone genuinely believes that I can guarantee a bright tomorrow, which is why they dare to play freely with me today without any worries."
"In the end, what are the truly pure scumbags and honest men in this world?
These labels are just excuses people use to cover up their incompetence. But how can most people be willing to admit their mediocrity and incompetence?
So they have to use various moral labels to find reasons and brainwash themselves: scumbags have their merits, and honest men have their duties."
"But I am strong enough. I can make everyone happy today, and I can also steadily lead everyone into the future. What a scumbag can do, I can do; what a scumbag can't do, and what honest people only like to talk about, I can still do."
"The result of doing this is that I have attracted the hostility of both types of people.
The more incompetent a person is, the more they fear me and the more they try to stand on the moral high ground to slander me."
"But does it matter what outsiders say about me?
Isn't it something I have to experience firsthand to know the answer?"
Xuan Hao reached out and gently tucked a stray lock of hair from Liu Erlong's temple behind her ear, his voice low and seductive:
"Like a person drinking water, only they know whether it is hot or cold."
"Like now, for the first time you've truly let down your guard and tried to get closer to me…" Xuan Hao looked into her eyes, "Erlong, ask yourself, do you still dislike me now?"
Meeting Xuan Hao's gaze, which seemed to see through everything, Liu Erlong opened her mouth, only to find herself completely speechless.
Her proud principles and principles were rendered utterly indefensible by the unconventional yet logically sound arguments of this young man.
Seeing that she was no longer resisting like a hedgehog covered in thorns, Xuan Hao withdrew his hand, his tone becoming frank and calm:
"Erlong, I know I am greedy, you could even say insatiable. But I am self-aware."
"The most crucial point is that my abilities match my greed."
"I am just a fickle and promiscuous person because I crave these things deep down.
To be honest, I am actually a person without great ambition.
I don't care about the grand ambitions and empires that everyone in the world is fighting for.
What I care about most is having people who love me by my side.
As for other things like great power, a position above thousands of people, and power that can topple kingdoms... they are all just tools to serve this 'greed'."
Do you know why greedy people are always repulsive and disgusting?
"Because their greed has long exceeded the limits of their own abilities.
They are all talk and no action; they have no skills themselves, yet they insist on reaching into other people's plates to snatch and scheme, which is naturally annoying."
"But I'm not." Xuan Hao spread his hands, his expression proud.
"I don't deny my womanizing ways, but I don't doubt my abilities either. I can reliably protect everyone I've messed with.
I don't think being a womanizer is a flaw, because that's just who I am.
In this world, only when one's virtue doesn't match their position and their ability doesn't match their ambition can those traits truly be called 'flaws'."
"It's like those wealthy young men who have a lot of money.
They just need to behave themselves. Even if they spend their time indulging in pleasure, people will at most laugh and say 'a playboy' when they have nothing to do with it. But what if it's the offspring of a poor family?
If they behave themselves, people will call them incompetent and unambitious; if they also start to indulge in pleasure, then everyone will point their fingers at them and say that this person is completely useless and beyond saving."
"When a poor person buys the same thing, they grit their teeth and buy it, and others laugh at them for 'pretending'; when a rich person buys a cheap item, others praise them for 'being low-key and frugal'."
Xuan Hao looked into Liu Erlong's eyes and said, "What is the root cause of this world-shaking difference? It's wealth and confidence."
"The same principle applies to this relationship. If others did that, it would be wishful thinking, shameless greed."
"But if I do this... Erlong, am I not worthy?"
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