Chapter 69

The essence of marriage is mutual compromise and accommodation.

This is the ideal state, or put another way, a mutual pursuit.

But in marriage, one side usually bears the burden; over time, even the deepest love becomes tiring and exhausting.

Therefore, from his first encounters with the two women, Shen Siyuan leaned toward Jiang Tao.

He was seeking marriage, not merely a passionate romance.

Marriage is not poetry and distant horizons—it’s firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea.

Two women, two different styles—based on their initial interactions.

Ruan Hongzhuang is dominant, highly opinionated, and clearly not someone who easily compromises; to live with such a person, you must compromise and accommodate her, or conflict is inevitable.

But over time, he didn’t think he could endure it—and why should he sacrifice himself from the very beginning?

He had only just met Ruan Hongzhuang; they weren’t madly in love.

Jiang Tao’s personality was the exact opposite: gentle and kind, raised in an environment of constant protection, growing up surrounded by love, everything arranged for her, so she had little will of her own.

Marrying such a woman means that as long as you give her enough love, she will almost always obey you, because she’s accustomed to having her life planned for her; she won’t argue with you, so conflict naturally diminishes, eliminating many unnecessary troubles in daily life.

Even with many flaws, she remains someone worthy of love.

Moreover, through Shen Siyuan’s observation, Jiang Tao wasn’t some ethereal fairy—she was genuinely considerate of others’ feelings.

Because she grew up in love, she also knew how to love others well.

Of course, if such a woman meets a scoundrel, she’ll be deeply wounded—unless she changes herself or has her family to support her, she’ll suffer terribly.

But Shen Siyuan considered himself no scoundrel; if they truly could be together, he would give her happiness.

That’s why Shen Siyuan took the initiative, testing her attitude.

But he received no reply from Jiang Tao—instead, he got a WeChat message from Ruan Hongzhuang.

“Did you get home?”

Why did this message feel so familiar?

Wasn’t this the exact message he’d just sent to Jiang Tao? Even the punctuation was identical.

Did she copy and paste it and send it right back?

Shen Siyuan didn’t reply immediately; he stroked his chin and thought.

He naturally understood what Ruan Hongzhuang meant.

Honestly, a beautiful woman actively pursuing him—he wasn’t a saint, and he was single; it was hard not to be moved.

This made Shen Siyuan, who had intended to pursue Jiang Tao, feel uncertain.

As Shen Siyuan hesitated whether to reply,

Ruan Hongzhuang sent another message: “Do you like peaches?”

Shen Siyuan thought for a moment, then replied first.

“I just got home and only just saw your message.”

He added: “We just met today; I can’t say I like you yet, but Miss Jiang is truly kind, so I’d like to get to know her first.”

Shen Siyuan expressed his thoughts honestly, not hiding his true feelings just because the other woman was beautiful.

Yet his reply was nearly identical to Jiang Tao’s—both wanted to take things slowly and see.

Shen Siyuan saw his message sent and heard no further response; he was about to put his phone down when it chimed again.

He picked it up—it was another message from Ruan Hongzhuang.

“What do you think of me?”

Seeing this, Shen Siyuan’s face turned blank—sister, are you really this direct?

But after thinking it over, carefully weighing his words, he sent back: “You’re a good person.”

This time, Ruan Hongzhuang replied quickly.

“Then shall we try dating?”

“This…”

Shen Siyuan was genuinely startled.

After thinking, he replied: “Isn’t this too fast?”

“I’m not asking you to become my boyfriend right away. You think I’m a good person, and I think you’re appealing—so let’s try dating first.”

Before Shen Siyuan could reply, she sent another message immediately.

“Do you think I’m too frivolous?”

Then another followed, as if she’d already prepared them all, waiting to send them one by one.

“I’m afraid if you start dating Tao, I won’t have a chance to steal you away.”

“...”

Shen Siyuan sent six dots—he didn’t know what to say.

After sending the six dots, he saw her status remained “typing”; curious what she’d say next, he waited patiently.

“My directness stems from my personality. There’s a unique aura about you that draws me in—you’re an extraordinary person, and I fear missing you will lead to regret…”

“I never choose to regret now, even if I might regret later—so I might as well be upfront with you…”

“Of course, my behavior might annoy you, but I can tell you have strong feelings for Tao; if you two truly start dating, I’ll have no chance left—I could never steal someone else’s boyfriend…”

“If not for that, I might have chosen to slowly get to know you…”

“I asked you what you thought of me—you said I’m a good person, which means you have feelings for me too. If so, why not let me be the one to try first?”

“Also, I have a question: I believe my appearance and abilities are no worse than Tao’s—why choose her?”

Reading Ruan Hongzhuang’s messages one by one, Shen Siyuan finally understood her thoughts.

As for her final question, the answer was simple: “Precisely because you’re too good, I feel we’re not suited for each other.”

He added: “Besides, I think being with a girl like Miss Jiang would be easier and more comfortable.”

Shen Siyuan didn’t directly mention her overly dominant personality—but with Ruan Hongzhuang’s intelligence, she’d understand.

“We haven’t even dated yet—how do you know we’re incompatible?”

“Alright, that’s my mistake—I was too hasty. But it’s just a personal judgment; I fear ending up with no result and both of us deeply hurt.”

“Is that bad?”

“?”

Shen Siyuan stared in confusion—how was that good?

“Being deeply hurt proves you care. Would you feel pain for a stranger? The deeper the emotion, the deeper the wound—no matter the outcome, it becomes one of life’s most beautiful memories…”

Shen Siyuan suddenly found her words deeply reasonable.

A complete life is never only about beauty—those unforgettable loves and regrets, the love unattainable, are the true Changtai of life.

Shen Siyuan was convinced by her, and admired her boldness in love and hate.

Of course, the main reason was still her beauty—that mattered greatly.

So he said: “Then let’s try?”

Ruan Hongzhuang sent a smiling face, then added: “Let me properly introduce myself—I’m Ruan Hongzhuang, twenty-eight, modestly successful in my career, never dated before, hoping for our future…”

So formal? Shen Siyuan thought.

He followed her format and introduced himself.

“I’m Shen Siyuan, twenty-six, accomplished nothing, no house, no car, had one past relationship…”

Shen Siyuan remained blunt—if Ruan Hongzhuang withdrew because of this, there was nothing left to discuss.