If You Are a Dodder Flower Chapter 40 part1

"Also, about yesterday…"

Thinking that no one else could bring this matter up to Xia Rou, Cao Yang felt his scalp go numb, but all he could do was power through it.

"It's a very normal thing between adults… Don't let yourself be scarred just because of this, but don't learn from this, either." Cao Yang squeezed his brain in an effort to better express himself, "We're men, and you're different…"

Wait, don't tell her that big brother… was trying to give her the sex talk?

N-No way… Translated by The Novelst

Xia Rou palmed her face, saying, "Stop! Stop!"

"I understand…" she said, her face stiff.

"…Really understand?"

"Really understand."

Cao Yang let out a huge, deep breath of relief. He felt that a stone was lifted off his shoulders.

Only big brother would do this, huh…

He asked her if it was her first time experiencing a period…

He worried if she would be traumatized regarding adult matters…

Not only did he care if she had enough food, clothing, or a roof over her head – he really, really cared for her and worried about her.

He took her as a real little sister. He acted as a brother, a father, and even… took the responsibility of mothering her.

Xia Rou felt a sour feeling creep into her heart.

She lowered her head to conceal it.

After a while, she softly… spoke out the secret she hadn't ever revealed, hiding it deeply within her heart for several years: "I… I just… I don't like having other people touch my body…"

As she spoke, she felt Cao Yang's gaze sharpen.

"Who touched you?" His tone was cold. "Hu Xuan?"

Xia Rou was shocked. "No! Of course not!"

"I just… I just… don't like boys to get too close to me…" she said in a low voice. "I don't like bodily contact. Skin on skin… I just can't stand it. My heart rejects it…"

Cao Yang finally relaxed a little, frowning. "What's it called?"

Xia Rou lowered her head and replied, "I don't know…"

That day, she had heard Liang Ziheng embracing another woman and laughing through the door.

"Such a big thing has happened, you're not nervous at all?" the woman had asked.

"No worries, don't I still have Xia Rou?" Liang Ziheng's response was laughter.

It was probably that she was also a woman that she complained for Xia Rou. "That reminds me. Your fiancée is so pretty, and she could help you. But you treat her so badly, are you able to bear the weight on your conscience?"

Liang Ziheng tsked. "That woman's such a blockhead! You just don't know it. We've been engaged for so long, but we still haven't slept together! Damn! She definitely has issues."

The Liang Family used her connection with the Cao Family to obtain a municipal project. When issues arose, she shamelessly went to beg Cao Yang for help.

Because of this, Cao Yang had flown into a rage.

She had known that he wasn't angry because of the problems in the project. He was most angry that in this kind of situation, the Liang Family had pushed her out to defend themselves.

But she knew it well in her heart: she needed to resolve the matter for the Liang Family. If she wasn't able to, then it meant she didn't have any use to offer. That meant it would render her engagement to Liang Ziheng meaningless.

So she had no choice but to power through the shame. She once again brought her awkward predicament to Cao Yang.

That was the last time she saw Cao Yang in the past, but she left him with such a shameful image of her. Everytime she recalled the memory, she was so regretful that she couldn't even breathe.

In the end, Cao Yang had promised her. But his gaze on her had been so very dark. It had scared her.

She had left the Cao Family, and as she rushed to Liang Ziheng's apartment, wanting to tell him in person that Cao Yang had promised her, she had heard that. Before the door to her fiancé's bedroom, she heard him say to another woman that she had issues.

She had issues.

Did she really have issues?

She had been forcing herself to accept more skinship with Liang Ziheng. She knew that sooner or later they would be married, and ultimately she wouldn't be able to escape from that kind of stuff.

All she could do was try her best… and delay it after their marriage.

"Big brother," Xia Rou raised her head. "Do you think… I have issues?"

She sounded a little puzzled, a little desperate.

If he was to meet an adult woman who rejected bodily contact with men, Cao Yang would definitely think she had issues.

But his double standard was already vividly developed at this point.

This was his girl and she was only seventeen. She wasn't even an adult yet. How could a simple matter like this be a problem?

"Of course not!" Cao Yang lifted his brows. "In a girl who treasures herself a lot – this is normal."

"Is that so…" Hearing his reassurance, Xia Rou let down the huge rock on her heart. She couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief, her shoulders sagging.

Actually… she indeed did have issues. Cao Yang knew this clearly.

But… she was still young. She wasn't an adult yet. Waiting for just two more years, after she had dated a few boyfriends, wasn't bad. The problem just might resolve itself.

Cao Yang tapped out the ashes of his cigarette on the rim of the glass, looking at Xia Rou.

He suddenly stretched out his hand to touch her face: "Like this?"

Xia Rou was surprised. Before she could react, Cao Yang's hand had already moved to the back of her neck. He caressed her: "What about this?"

Xia Rou finally reacted.

She was a little embarrassed.

"I won't…" she said, softly. Translated by The Novelst

"You don't feel repulsed?" Cao Yang raised a brow.

"If it's you, I don't," she said, feeling the soft touch of his hand and the warmth that emanated from it on her neck. She had a feeling of yearning. "To me, you're not a man."

This was the first time Cao Yang had heard from a woman that he didn't count as a man.

He was so angry he wanted to laugh.

He took back his hand, taking a deep draw off his cigarette.

Cao Yang exhaled a long stream of smoke.

"Xia Rou ah, you need to understand," he turned his head to look at Xia Rou, feeling that this matter could not be tolerated. "No matter how you think of me, I am still a man."

"I know." Xia Rou's ears were slightly red.

Proofread by: Hannah

Chapter end