Chapter 52: You Don’t Need to Become Someone Else; Handling Things Is Success

Chapter 52: You Don't Have to Be Someone Else; Just Handle It and That's Success

Xu Moxing had never been to Xinjiang, nor had he ever eaten hand-grabbed rice (pilaf).

Su Lichen, on the other hand, had traveled there with his parents and tasted the authentic version.

"How is it? Do you think it's about half as similar? It's okay, tell me the truth."

"The rice is different, but given the circumstances, it's already very close. Objectively speaking, about sixty percent similar; emotionally, I can give it eighty percent."

"Haha, okay, thanks for the emotional points."

"It's already delicious. Not all hand-grabbed rice shops in Xinjiang are good either; there are bad ones too."

Su Lichen meant to comfort Xu Moxing, but Xu Moxing gave him a glare.

"What do you mean? You should compare with the good ones, not the bad ones!"

Xu Moxing suddenly thought of Xiao Ke. "Speaking of comparing with bad examples, I remembered something. My lunch buddy Xiao Ke told me today that her friend's boyfriend was flirting with someone else, so her friend also found a guy to flirt with to spite him. And Xiao Ke actually agreed with her friend's approach."

"..."

Su Lichen continued tidying up the dishes without stopping, then chimed in, "There are many people like that. When the other person is immoral, they become immoral too, competing to see who's worse. They're a perfect match."

"Exactly, I agree. When you meet a bad person, shouldn't you just stay away from them? She said she wanted to spite him, but how can you spite someone who has no morals? They should just be stuck with each other and not ruin any other decent people."

Xu Moxing followed Su Lichen into the kitchen, still chattering away, bursting with the urge to share.

"After I vented to you today, during afternoon tea, that Zhao guy came to annoy me again, so I fought back. I was such a coward—I was shaking with nervousness, my heart racing, and I had to fight to keep my voice steady."

Su Lichen raised an eyebrow and looked at Xu Moxing.

It was completely unexpected. He never thought Xu Moxing would fight back.

Xu Moxing was still blaming himself. "I'm too timid and weak. Unlike you, you're always confident and composed even when arguing."

Su Lichen took off his gloves and hugged Xu Moxing.

"Fighting back is all that matters. Crying while fighting back is still fighting back. Shaking while fighting back is still fighting back. Heart racing while fighting back is still fighting back. It's better than being bullied and not daring to retaliate, silently exhausting yourself mentally, doubting yourself, and belittling yourself."

Su Lichen kissed his forehead.

"The fact that you took this step on your own is already great in my eyes. As long as you handle the matter, it doesn't matter how you do it—as long as it's not illegal or morally questionable, don't doubt yourself.

Everyone has a different personality and a different way of handling things. Being confident and composed isn't the only right way. You don't have to be someone else; as long as you handle the matter, that's success.

Having a gentler personality has its advantages. Sometimes being nervous and gentle can be a weapon."

"You always feel you're not good enough, but you forget that you're already better than before. You did it."

Xu Moxing stayed in his arms, silent, listening to Su Lichen's words, feeling incredibly warm.

"Really?"

"Really."

Xu Moxing smiled, lifted his head, and leaned in for a deep kiss.

After a while, Su Lichen put his gloves back on and continued with the dishes.

"And you?" Xu Moxing asked. "Is there anything you want to tell me today?"

Su Lichen paused. "At work, I'm considering resigning."

Xu Moxing was stunned. "Why?"

Su Lichen explained what had been going on—they had recovered the payment from the client, but the client that Zhou Ping had snatched away defaulted on the payment.

The boss didn't say a word, but his attitude had already changed.

Zhou Ping always going against him was a small thing, and so was the boss's attitude change, but when it came to money, Su Lichen couldn't let it slide.

"But I haven't made up my mind yet. It's not to the point where I have to quit."

Xu Moxing listened, saying nothing.

"What do you think?" Su Lichen asked.

Xu Moxing thought about it for a second, then said very seriously, "I support whatever decision you make, no matter what. Even if you're out of work for a bit, I have a job and can support you for a while."

Su Lichen looked at the serious Xu Moxing.

Xu Moxing looked him in the eye and said, "If you're fed up, just leave. Don't worry about making less money."

Su Lichen didn't speak. He put the dishes in the dishwasher, took off his gloves, reached out, and pulled Xu Moxing close.

"I know. How could I bear to let you support me, you little miser? Men are all liars."

"..."

Xu Moxing immediately reached out and pinched Su Lichen's waist. "So I said 'for a while.' I didn't make a big promise to support you forever."

He clearly didn't use much force, but Su Lichen yelled as if Xu Moxing was trying to kill him.

"Ouch! Murdering your husband!"

The two playfully wrestled.

With Xu Moxing acting goofy, Su Lichen's mood completely lifted.

Emotional support matters a lot.

Some things can be overcome alone, but if you have an important friend, family member, or lover beside you to comfort and support you, then many things don't seem so bad.

But if that person not only fails to comfort you but instead kicks you when you're down and belittles you, that path becomes even harder than facing things alone.

Su Lichen's heart clenched. So when he had "kicked him when he was down," was Xu Moxing in that much pain?

Because Xu Moxing cared about him so much, Su Lichen knew.

Xu Moxing almost considered him his closest person, so the words that seemed so trivial cut Xu Moxing so deeply.

The deepest wounds often come from those closest to us, which is why many people are unwilling to open up anymore.

Because the hurt from those close not only brings pain but also something more lasting—the breakdown of trust.

Since you don't want to get hurt, it's better not to open up at all. Shutting yourself off prevents harm, but it also means losing the opportunity for meaningful connections.

Tonight, the two comforted each other. With emotions running high, it was just the right time to do something they enjoyed.

Su Lichen felt guilty and treated Xu Moxing especially well.

The last round, because he was too forceful, Xu Moxing was pushed so hard his head hit the headboard with a "bang".

"Does it hurt?"

Su Lichen quickly cradled Xu Moxing's head, and also grabbed a stuffed toy they had knocked out of place and placed it on top of Xu Moxing's head as a cushion, but he didn't stop.

"It doesn't hurt..."

Xu Moxing turned his head and kissed Su Lichen's neck.

...

Exhausted, Xu Moxing fell asleep.

No matter how Su Lichen cleaned him off, he didn't stir.