Chapter 189: A Choice Akin to Touching the Inverse Scale

He Tian’s previous business discussion with Cao Xiaomin was entirely intended to help her calm down.

He Tian knew very well that the moment Cao Xiaomin saw him, her emotions must have been extremely complex. Such intricate feelings were probably baffling even to Cao Xiaomin herself.

Therefore, under that state of mind, any discussion with her would not yield a satisfactory result.

He Tian chose to first adopt a strictly professional attitude, asking Cao Xiaomin about the projects she excelled in and cared about the most. He even spent a considerable amount of time guiding her to focus entirely on this aspect, casting all other chaotic thoughts aside.

Then, with a sudden transition, he shed the persona of President He, transformed into someone else, and showed genuine care for Cao Xiaomin.

Hearing He Tian’s words of concern, Cao Xiaomin was visibly stunned.

Taking advantage of this brief pause, He Tian already pulled her firmly into his arms with an overbearing strength.

"You... let go of me!" Cao Xiaomin struggled with all her might.

"Xiaomin, I know you still resent me! But I, He Tian, have said it before: I will never, ever allow you to vanish from my life. That is completely impossible! I swear it..." He Tian refused to let her break free. How could Cao Xiaomin truly escape his grasp?

He Tian did not use soft whispers, nor did he attempt to deceive her with comforting lies; instead, he administered a strong remedy.

He needed to let Cao Xiaomin know precisely what kind of person he truly was.

Once this concept was established, choosing whether or not to stay by He Tian's side would boil down to a single question: could she tolerate his romantic promiscuity? All other factors would become secondary.

"He Tian, you think things are so wonderful, don't you? You won't let me leave, yet you're still thinking about other women. Do you think this is fair to me?" Realizing that struggling was futile, and knowing she couldn't shout and alert the entire company, Cao Xiaomin could only express her dissatisfaction in a soft yet cold tone.

"I know, this is terribly unfair to you! But Xiaomin, what I feel for you, and what you feel for me, is real. You can at least admit that, right?" He Tian said in a deep voice. "In the past, I was emotionally dense... but it was with you that I finally unlocked my heart. I admit, I shouldn't have developed feelings for other women. But I simply cannot control myself! Saying this might make me sound shameless... yet this is the truest voice in my heart!"

"Hahaha, He Tian, your truest side is just playing the field with countless women!" Cao Xiaomin said with a cold laugh, her face bearing a clear look of mockery.

"Xiaomin, I can swear to you that until this very day, I have never expressed any romantic sentiment to any woman other than you! Isn't that enough to prove my innocence?" He Tian said solemnly.

Alright, He Tian admitted that when it came to persuading a woman to accept a man's promiscuity, he truly, genuinely lacked experience, to the point of being utterly clumsy with words.

Yet this was who He Tian was, and he would not change. Once Cao Xiaomin learned the truth of his situation, He Tian disdained to lie.

Even if it was what a woman wanted to hear, He Tian could never bring himself to do it.

"He Tian, let me go... and let me think things through!" Cao Xiaomin calmed down, looked at him, and said.

"Take all the time you need to think. I know I’ve brought you a lot of pain. But will you promise me one thing? Stop working yourself to the bone like this! It breaks my heart," He Tian said softly. "If you don't promise me, I'm going to keep holding you just like this."

"I can promise you. But He Tian, can I ask you a question? Don't worry, I won't make you choose between women again," Cao Xiaomin said, looking at him with complex emotions in her eyes.

"Of course! Go ahead and ask," He Tian released her and replied earnestly.

***

"You said that you needed to take me... to advance your martial arts power. I don't understand those things, but I do know that you cannot break your celibacy right now, am I right? So, if I give you a choice right now... take me right now, will you do it or not?" Cao Xiaomin stared intently at He Tian, her voice deep. "If you take me right now, I will never interfere or care about whatever you do with other women, as long as you keep loving me!"

Cao Xiaomin had presented a choice between his internal strength future and possessing her.

He Tian stared back at her without a trace of hesitation on his face!

"Xiaomin, you know what? I don't know who my parents are. Before I could even form memories, people were already preparing me for Qi cultivation! Ever since I could remember, my life has been bound up with cultivation. Every single day, it is my very existence. My background and my responsibilities both demand that my strength must continually grow. I don't need to tell you the reasons for all this, and you don't need to know! Such a choice means either I live, or I die. I'm sorry, but I choose to live!" He Tian spoke with abnormal calmness. At that very moment, his inner world experienced not a single ripple of emotional fluctuation.

Asking He Tian to give up his progress in internal strength... was equivalent to demanding his life. Therefore, no matter who stood before him, and no matter what options were presented, He Tian would never hesitate to choose his internal energy!

He Tian's calmness delivered a tremendous shock to Cao Xiaomin!

Her eyes turned slightly red. Fighting hard to hold back her tears, she gave a slight nod, and then slowly walked out of He Tian's office!

Watching her figure disappear, He Tian drew a long, deep breath.

Cao Xiaomin's ultimatum made him feel deeply, deeply saddened... This was the first time He Tian had ever experienced the sensation of being forced to abandon what mattered most to him.

He Tian did not resent Cao Xiaomin... but he distinctly realized that because of this issue, in just a single fraction of a second, the distance between them had stretched vastly, vastly apart.

Everyone has an untouchable boundary, and He Tian's internal strength was that absolute scale of reverse wrath. Whether intentional or accidental, Cao Xiaomin had now touched that forbidden zone.

He Tian had not expected that all days of contemplation would fail to yield even the slightest answer for Cao Xiaomin!

He Tian gave a self-deprecating smile.

Was being handsome of any use?

Good looks could never serve as a reason to make a woman accept that you had other women in your life as well.

He Tian lost all mood for anything else... He opened his computer, transferred one billion US dollars into the company's account, made a brief phone call to inform Wang Xinrou, and left the company.

Standing by her office window, Cao Xiaomin watched as He Tian walked down the building...

Even now, the image of He Tian's absolute calmness when making that choice still echoed in her mind.

There was no anger, no internal struggle, no hesitation... At that moment, she hadn't sensed even the slightest emotional fluctuation from him. This was completely different from what she had imagined!

By all logic, having received the answer she least wanted, she should have been heartbroken, chilled to the bone by his ruthlessness, or driven to completely banish him from her heart.

Yet somehow, none of those emotions existed at all!

Cao Xiaomin was terrified to her core!

She felt as though, simply because of that single question, the distance between her and He Tian had been violently widened.

This was no longer a trivial argument about a man having multiple women; it was the fundamental issue of a man and a woman laying their souls bare to each other!

And usually, such a confrontation signaled the permanent drifting apart of a man and a woman!

"I was just testing you... Why did you have to react like that! You walked away for so many days, and instead of properly coaxing me, you delivered this overbearing declaration... Who could possibly endure that? He Tian, why didn't you just coax me a little? Don't you know girls need to be pampered? Come back... Come back and I'll forgive you, I'll completely forgive you!" Cao Xiaomin muttered to herself. Regrettably, these words could never reach He Tian's ears.

He Tian had originally intended to wander around aimlessly.

However, receiving a call from Young Master Hai prompted him to drive straight to the Binhai Villa District.

"Brother Hai, thank you so much! Otherwise, I would have run into quite a bit of trouble over in Japan!" He Tian said with a smile upon meeting him.

"Brother He, you're being far too formal! Why are you being so polite with me... Since you made that call to your older brother, I naturally had to fulfill your request as instructed," Young Master Hai replied with a hearty laugh.

"Brother, I really can't thank you enough!" He Tian waved his hand dismissively and smiled. "It seems I'll have to be a bit more careful when traveling abroad in the future! Who would have thought that holding a genuine passport still comes with so many restrictions?"

"Hahaha, well said! At first, I was quite puzzled too. Although the dark forces in Japan are powerful and arrogant, they aren't arrogant enough to provoke someone like you, Brother! It was only later I found out that your identity was that of a 'law-abiding citizen'!" Young Master Hai chuckled.

"Brother, I really am a pure, law-abiding citizen!" He Tian immediately defended his reputation.

"Hahaha, indeed you are! Indeed you are!" Young Master Hai roared with laughter.

"Brother, your words lack a bit of sincerity! No, I must fine you a few drinks... How about treating me to some good wine to make up for it?" He Tian's mood was still slightly dampened by Cao Xiaomin, and he suddenly felt the urge to drink.

"Why ever not? I'll have dishes prepared right away!" Young Master Hai agreed readily.

Glasses clinked as He Tian and Young Master Hai drank to their hearts' content, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

"Brother, I asked you over this time to let you know that the end of the year is approaching, and the racing competition will begin very soon! You need to get yourself prepared for this! Don't go running off blindly and miss the schedule," Young Master Hai genuinely worried that He Tian might suddenly vanish for another stretch of time.

Just like this recent trip—had He Tian not called him, he wouldn't even have known that He Tian had slipped off to Japan.

If such a stunt were pulled right when the racing tournament was about to commence, it would spell absolute disaster.

Expect all those arrogant young masters to wait around for He Tian? Don't make him laugh—even Young Master Hai couldn't pull that off.

Therefore, it was imperative for Young Master Hai to issue a timely reminder.

At the same time, it once again demonstrated the immense importance he attached to this racing event.

"About a month and a half, right? Brother, rest assured... I absolutely won't let it be delayed!" He Tian said, patting his chest with confidence.