If we swapped lives, I'd be the CEO and you'd take care of the kids.

Chapter 117 Love Yourself

"You control the family finances, but I do all the housework! You're the capable one, but I'm the one who doesn't work! You're the one who earns the money, but I'm the one who asks for it!"

"Zhu Tingyue, do you want me to be a stay-at-home husband?"

His argument truly surprised Zhu Tingyue, who had never felt there was anything wrong with it.

"Isn't this a good thing? Most families in our country have this division of labor! I'm just turning it around! What's wrong with that?"

Faced with such a direct and serious question, Shen Yanqiu was slightly taken aback and momentarily at a loss for words.

He opened his mouth, wanting to answer, but found himself unable to find the right words to deal with the question.

Zhu Tingyue's eyes were so pure and firm that he felt any answer would be pale and powerless.

His lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but seemed hesitant.

Time passed by, and the atmosphere around them grew heavy.

He remained silent, his brows furrowed, his eyes fixed on the ground, lost in deep thought.

Finally, after a very long time, so long that one almost thought he had forgotten to speak, he slowly raised his head and, in a voice so low it was almost inaudible, as if afraid of being overheard, softly retorted, "No, that's not right!"

The sound was so faint that it would have been difficult to hear if the surroundings hadn't been so quiet.

“Yes!” Zhu Tingyue’s voice was much louder than his. “I say yes, and that’s it! Otherwise, I’ll find someone else to be a stay-at-home husband, since you don’t want to anyway!”

"No!" Shen Yanqiu would not allow such a thing to happen.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Zhu Tingyue threw the question at him.

Shen Yanzhen glared at her fiercely, then quickly turned her head away, refusing to look at her again.

His movements appeared somewhat stiff and resolute, as if he wanted to express his extreme dissatisfaction.

Zhu Tingyue, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but laugh silently when she saw this scene.

Her beautiful eyes curved slightly, like two crescent moons, gleaming with a sly light.

She knew very well that Shen Yanqiu was unwilling, but she wanted to see what kind of solution Shen Yanqiu could come up with in the face of this situation.

"I...I can, but...but you have to promise to love me for the rest of your life and never despise me!" This was the answer he gave after thinking it over.

The smile that had been on Zhu Tingyue's lips suddenly vanished without a trace, as if blown away by a cold wind.

Her strikingly handsome face was now tinged with a faint look of helplessness, as if she had a thousand words to say but didn't know where to begin.

This sense of helplessness was like a thin veil, gently enveloping her, making her appear somewhat lonely and desolate.

"Shen Yanqiu, this one thing I love about you will never change as long as you love me!"

"You don't have to force yourself for me, or I'll be unhappy!"

Shen Yanqiu disagreed with her statement: "But you are Zhu Tingyue! You are my Zhu Tingyue!"

Zhu Tingyue shook her head: "I am myself first, and so are you! No one can make you compromise yourself, no one is worth it!"

Shen Yanqiu said firmly, "No, Zhu Tingyue is worthy, you will always be worthy!"

"Shen Yanqiu, you don't need to do this! I love Shen Yanqiu, but I love more than just Shen Yanqiu!"

"What I love about Shen Yanqiu is the pride in his bones, not just his physical beauty! What I love about Shen Yanqiu is his clear-headedness and self-control, his fresh and elegant demeanor, not just Shen Yanqiu himself!"

Her words were like a thunderclap piercing the sky, deafening and resounding! The voice seemed to have infinite penetrating power, striking directly into the depths of Shen Yanqiu's heart.

He stood there quietly, listening to these powerful words, and for a moment he was at a loss, his heart filled with confusion and bewilderment.

These words were like a key, unlocking a door he had never stepped into before. The world behind the door was mysterious and unfamiliar, filling him with both curiosity and fear.

He tried hard to understand the profound meaning behind it, but his thoughts were tangled up like a mess of hemp, and he couldn't make sense of them at all.

"But I am Shen Yanqiu!"

"You are Shen Yanqiu, but you are more than just Shen Yanqiu! You are simply yourself! You can be Shen Yanqiu, or you can be Zhou Qinghui! A name is just a symbol; the inner self beneath the name is who you are!"

"So, you were just praising me? That I was sober and composed? Fresh and handsome?"

Zhu Tingyue suddenly laughed: "Otherwise what?"

Shen Yanqiu lowered her head with a reproachful smile: "I'm not that good!"

Zhu Tingyue said seriously, "Whether you are good or not doesn't need other people's opinions. You just need to be yourself! Don't change yourself because of others!"

"But you're not just anyone!"

"Shen Yanqiu!" Zhu Tingyue's voice rose, "Remember this, you are yourself, and everyone else is someone else! Me too, and the child too!"

Her voice softened, and her tone became gentler: "So, please don't wrong yourself for our sake, okay?"

"I'm not wronged! I'm very happy! Yueyue, you love me, and our child will love me too. I'm very happy!" Shen Yanqiu didn't feel that she should feel wronged.

"Sigh! Shen Yanqiu, don't play dumb! You must love yourself first before others will love you!"

"If I don't love myself, will you not love me either?"

Shen Yanqiu's large, watery eyes sparkled with anticipation, but at the same time, her heart was filled with trepidation and unease.

He longed to hear Zhu Tingyue give him the answer that would fill him with joy, yet he was also afraid to hear words from her that would break his heart and disappoint him.

This conflicting feeling caused his gaze to occasionally drift towards Zhu Tingyue, trying to catch even the slightest change in her expression;

However, whenever his eyes were about to meet Zhu Tingyue's, he would quickly look away like a startled deer, as if afraid that she would see through his flustered and helpless state of mind.

"Yes!" Zhu Tingyue answered decisively, "I will!"

Shen Yanqiu stood there quietly. When he heard the answer, his body trembled slightly, as if he had been struck by an invisible force.

He felt as if his mind had been suddenly emptied, leaving it completely blank.

At this moment, his mind, which should have been filled with all sorts of thoughts and ideas, was filled with only this simple yet powerful sentence that struck his heart like a hammer blow—Zhu Tingyue wouldn't love him! She would never love him!

These words were like a curse, constantly echoing and swirling in his mind, making it impossible for him to think about anything else.