She understood he was doing it for her own good, that no one in this world cared for her more than Cheng Hao.
Precisely because he cared for her so much, Su Miaomiao hated to see him tired.
Ever since she understood the difference between men and women, he had always treated her like a fragile young girl. Even though she wanted to protect him and take care of him, he never allowed it, acting so righteously, as if he were taking care of everything for her.
Between two equally strong-willed individuals, one had to yield.
So, when Cheng Hao was domineering, Su Miaomiao sometimes put up with it, even when it annoyed her. And when Su Miaomiao felt stifled by his control, she tended to get moody. During those times, Cheng Hao always indulged her.
They were just ordinary people, with the normal temperaments and flaws of normal people, but they had their own unique way of getting along.
That was enough.
Hearing her words, Cheng Hao knew she wasn't truly angry, so he chuckled softly, "No, you have every right to be angry. It's my fault. I lied to you, and I admit that."
Su Miaomiao nodded in agreement, "Next time, you have to tell me directly. I'm not that easily angered."
Cheng Hao promised he would. He adored her obedient demeanor and finally hugged her tightly, sighing, "You're so good." His heart was overflowing with joy.
Su Miaomiao hummed, "Am I not good? Haven't I listened to you in countless things since I was little? My secret stash is with you too. Tell me, weren't you plotting against me from the start?"
Cheng Hao readily agreed this time, "Yes." From childhood, he had never intended to share her with anyone else. When he was young, he didn't want other children to share her with him, and when he grew up, he wouldn't allow other boys to get close to her.
In short, she could only be his.
This was the first time Su Miaomiao had seen him so straightforward, and she became more emboldened. She nimbly wrapped her arms around his neck, blinked her eyes, and asked joyfully, "Then, do you only want to be good to me? Are you the one who loves me the most in the whole world? Then... do you love me?"
As she spoke the last words, she became more timid, but she still asked.
Stubbornly demanding an answer.
He owed her a confession.
Cheng Hao looked down at Su Miaomiao. He had watched her beautiful face grow from childhood to adulthood, and her every change had not escaped his notice. He knew that for as long as he could remember, the two of them had been inseparable, more clingy than twin siblings.
Before the age of five, they slept together, either at Grandpa Su and Grandma Su's or Grandpa Cheng and Grandma Cheng's, always keeping each other company.
It wasn't until their parents brought them to the city and into a new, luxurious house that they were no longer allowed to sleep together, even though they lived across the hall.
At most, they were allowed to nap together, and it was then that they slowly began to understand the difference between men and women.
When they were first separated, the two children cried and threw tantrums. Their parents couldn't do anything with them. The more they cried, the more panic-stricken their parents became, even calling their grandparents to blame them for their poor parenting, questioning how they had raised the children this way.
Both sets of grandparents came from farming backgrounds and had no such taboos. In summer, farm children often ran around naked at five or six years old. If the two little ones were happy to sleep together, their grandparents wished for their good relationship and would never stop them.
Besides, if they fell for each other later and got married, wouldn't that be even better?
However, as their parents' experiences in the city grew over the years, they naturally felt that children should learn about gender differences and independent thinking from a young age, and that the elders' education was not advisable.
They even regretted sending the children to the countryside, saying it had made both children too wild.
These words infuriated the grandparents, who cursed them for saying such things now when they had left the children with them in the countryside years ago.
The poor children had lost their mother when they were just a month old. They cried incessantly for the first two or three days and couldn't sleep peacefully. Their parents, however, had heartlessly packed up and left, leaving the grandparents to watch the children cry, feeling as if their hearts were being gouged out. By chance, when the two sets of grandparents were holding the babies and worrying, they suddenly discovered that the babies stopped crying when they were put together. Having finally found a solution, they could comfort each other. So, what was wrong with raising them together? It would be good for them to grow up together and have a companion.
The two sets of grandparents fiercely retorted to their parents. The parents, unable to blame the grandparents, decided to take care of the children themselves and firmly correct their behavior.
The consequence of over-managing was that the two mischievous little ones, Cheng Hao and Su Miaomiao, embarked on their first runaway from home. They packed their kindergarten backpacks, brought money and snacks, and set off with an air of defiance against their parents.
Cheng Hao's height grew slowly. Before he started primary school, Su Miaomiao was always slightly taller than him. The two children almost took turns carrying each other, supporting and holding hands. They painstakingly tried to find their way back to their grandparents. They finally asked for directions and reached the bus station.
Ultimately, they were detained and the police were called due to issues with buying train tickets. Their almost frantic parents found them, and after a beating, when their grandparents in the city found out, they beat their sons again before it was over.
The two children, trembling after witnessing the entire ordeal, finally cried and agreed not to sleep together anymore, not wanting their grandparents to be scolded again or to cause constant bickering.
The chaotic childhood finally came to an end. Cheng Hao was even more worried that their parents would eventually forbid him from playing with Su Miaomiao, so he became increasingly well-behaved and sensible, and his grades were always top-notch.
To ensure they wouldn't be separated, he pulled Su Miaomiao along to study, correcting her bad habits. However, Su Miaomiao was too free-spirited and remained wild throughout her childhood. If Cheng Hao hadn't kept an eye on her, she might have done even wilder things.
Their parents could manage them in the early stages. As their businesses grew, they had less time. Seeing that the two children could supervise each other and grow together, they felt they had corrected their behavior and安心して focused on developing their careers through business trips.
Cheng Hao and Su Miaomiao's relationship remained very good, and it did not fade with age or differing gender interests. Instead, they cherished each other even more in the unfamiliar city.
It's not that they never argued, but they always made up.
Cheng Hao's angriest moment was probably when Su Miaomiao, with her bold courage, went wild swimming with others in the third grade and hid it from him. When he received gossip from a classmate, he threw his advanced math textbook aside and rushed to catch her.
He spanked her when he caught her. That time, he almost completely cut off contact with her.
It would save him from the daily anxiety of worrying that if she ever lost her life due to her recklessness, he wouldn't be able to go on living. After that incident, Su Miaomiao became timid. From then on, she remembered to tell him everything she did. If he didn't allow it, she wouldn't dare to go.
Someone who had caused him so much worry from childhood to adulthood—there probably wasn't a second person like her in the world, was there? How could Cheng Hao not love her? It was a love ingrained in his very bones.
Su Miaomiao saw Cheng Hao staring intently at her, their eyes meeting. Suddenly, her eyes felt sore, and she held back her tears.
Seeing this, Cheng Hao leaned down and kissed her eyes. Before her tears could fall, he stole them away. How could he bear to see her cry? He hugged her tightly and said, "I love you, Su Miaomiao, I love you. You can hear it as many times as you want. I love you..."
If he thought about what he was thinking in the last moment before he lost consciousness after his transmigration, he thought his biggest regret was not telling her "I love you." He was afraid he wouldn't have the chance.