If You Are a Dodder Flower Chapter 21 part1

While they ate, Xia Rou could clearly see both handsome men had red marks on their necks.

In just that short time while she was getting a perm…

Looking at her gaze darting between them, Cao An and He Chengzhe looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

She actually understood. Translated by The Novelst

Both had returned from overseas, so they were more open compared to others. In other countries, it was very normal to see a 15-16 year old high school student have this kind of experience.

They didn't think anything of it but found it funny.

After they finished their meal, Cao An sent Xia Rou back home.

"Tell them not to expect me back today, I'm not returning," he said.

Xia Rou nodded her head and went back inside on her own.

"It seems like she doesn't really like me," said He Chengzhe.

"Hm?"

"Everytime she sees me she goes quiet. She doesn't seem like she's willing to talk to me."

"Nah," Cao An reassured him, "She doesn't really like to speak anyway, she's very quiet in general. But her character is good."

Although she would quarrel with him at times, she was actually a very tactful child. Cao An liked her a lot. He felt that Xia Rou's existence made the ice-cold house much more comfortable.

He didn't think that Xia Rou disliked He Chengzhe. Before this, she even lectured him about his secretive actions to cover up the relationship was unfair to He Chengzhe; that was obviously her standing up for him.

He Chengzhe was only 23 or 24 years old, quite young and handsome. He wasn't the first man Cao An had ever dated, but he was the person that tempted him the most. Within the colorful mess of people in the crowd, Cao An could spot He Chengzhe instantly without fail.

The words Xia Rou had said annoyed him.

Why did he have to think so hard about it? He was still young. He would probably get tired of He Chengzhe soon, just like he had gotten tired of others before.

It wasn't worth the price for him to challenge his father's bottom line just for a relationship.

Life was short. Carpe Diem was the only principle to live by.

It was the weekend, but only Xia Rou remained to eat dinner. She found it especially lonely.

She complained inside that the adults of the house all had their own adult activities to attend.

In actuality, she didn't want to return to being an adult. On the contrary, she was looking forward to the start of her new high school life the next Monday.

She could still clearly remember those few years she spent studying, especially during her high school years, when her mind was still simple. During that period was when her relationship with Cao Yang was actually the closest.

When she had really begun to change was after she entered society. She started to think, and desire, and became hungry for more.

Without the protection of her ivory tower, all sorts of problems, choices, greed, and abandonment found her.

Thus, she became uglier and more grotesque day after day, her relationship with Cao Yang suffering and stiffening.

After dinner, she went for a light job, her heart easing after she had worked up a sweat.

When she ran back toward the road leading home, a black hummer stopped beside her.

The window rolled down to reveal Cao Yang, who shouted for her: "Xiao Rou, get in."

"Brother Cao Yang," said Xia Rou, getting in the car. "You're back so early today?"

"So early?" Cao Yang asked, looking at her from the side.

Xia Rou immediately let out a complaint: "Brother Cao An is going to stay out all night!"

Cao Yang found it amusing. "Do you know what he's doing?"

"Hmmph…" Xia Rou looked out the window. "Adult things, meh."

A little child, trying to act serious and mature like an adult. Cao Yang was dying trying to choke down the laughter in his heart.

In the span of time for that two-sentence conversation, the hummer had already reached the courtyard.

"You seem to understand it well?" Cao Yang said.

"I'm already fifteen," Xia Rou protested. Translated by The Novelst

"There's no need to rush," Cao Yang unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over to ruffle Xia Rou's hair. "You can take your time growing up."

As he turned off the car engine, he could see Xia Rou's surprise illuminated by the dim lights in the courtyard.

Then her somber eyes curved into a crescent shape as she broke out into a smile.

This was when she was prettiest, when she was smiling like this.

"Got it!" shouted Xia Rou.

She then jumped out of the car and ran away, just like that.

Cao Yang: "…"

It was so hard to see through this little girl's thoughts!

He was only making conversation, why was she so happy?

The corner of Cao Yang's mouth tilted upwards, a soft bang echoing as he shut the car door and headed to the main building.

Oh right, Cao An, that little rascal!

He would have to give him a beating when he returned!

It seemed he didn't know how to hold his tongue, how could he carelessly speak out to a little girl.

These matters of the adult world… Cao Yang didn't want them to touch Xia Rou so early.

This little girl was now under the protection of the Cao Family. He hoped she could slowly, leisurely plant her roots down first.

Then she could grow up slowly, and gradually bloom.

……

One thing Xia Rou was most worried about was that she wouldn't be able to keep up with her classmates after entering Nan Hua.

When school started, she realized that the situation was much better than she'd expected. The teachers in Nan Hua were very professional, breaking down the information and structuring lessons clearly so that it was especially easy to understand.

Xia Rou felt that this time she would be able to learn better than in the past.

Compared to last time when she was trying to force herself to a standard but couldn't quite live up to it, her high school life was much simpler now. Studying exerted her brain but didn't exhaust her heart.

Xia Rou thought that perhaps a simple-minded person with a limited IQ such as herself was suited to live this kind of simple life with no need to bother with anything so painstaking as in her past life.

The members of the Cao Family could feel that Xia Rou had become much livelier and smiled much more since school had started.

She had escaped the shadow of her mother's passing, starting a whole new life, which was something that they all liked to see.

By the end of September, Xia Rou had her first monthly placement test – there were forty people in her class and she placed twenty-third.

She was incredibly happy. Translated by The Novelst

Cao An was speechless: "Twenty-third? What are you so happy about? You should at least aim for the top five, or at least even the top ten!"

Proofread by: Hannah

Chapter end