Chapter 0023: The Decision

What exists is reasonable. Many people understand this as meaning that whatever exists is reasonable.

But in reality, Zhao Fusheng knew this was a misinterpretation.

The one who said this was Hegel, a German philosopher, and the actual meaning of this phrase is that whatever is rational is real, and whatever is real is rational.

Hegel believed that the origin of the universe is the Absolute Spirit. It inherently possesses everything, then externalizes nature, human society, spiritual science, and finally returns to itself at a higher level. Therefore, whatever is on this trajectory of development is rational, meaning it is bound to appear and is real. The reverse also holds true. This is the original meaning of 'what exists is reasonable.'

Zhao Fusheng agreed with this view, so he quickly accepted reality.

Humans are advanced animals. Whether great or evil, in the final analysis, the basic instinct of humans is survival. Profound thoughts do not mean one does not need to eat; the body is the capital of revolution. So although Zhao Fusheng knew many philosophical ideas, he still had to eat.

Having heard many truths, one still cannot live a good life.

This is the life that most people must go through: from birth, schooling, work, to marriage, having children, aging, and even death.

Zhao Fusheng could roughly guess what Fan Baobao was thinking, but the problem now was that what she thought didn't matter; what mattered most was not making the elders sad.

So, what Zhao Fusheng could do was honestly play the ostrich.

Early the next morning, Zhao Fusheng naturally had to return to school. After eating the loving breakfast his mother made, as soon as he stepped out of the building, he saw Fan Baobao standing there.

"You're going back too?"

With an awkward smile, Zhao Fusheng asked Fan Baobao.

"Yeah, let's go together. I have a few words to say to you." Fan Baobao nodded gently, her expression very serious.

In the early morning neighborhood, a few elderly people were exercising. In the distance, the sound of 'Now begin the eighth set of broadcast exercises...' could be heard. Zhao Fusheng and Fan Baobao walked side by side. The sunlight occasionally fell on their faces through the dappled shade of the trees, bringing some warmth.

"Thank you for this time." Fan Baobao's first words made Zhao Fusheng pause. It seemed that she had thought about it for a long time before saying it.

You see, given Fan Baobao's temperament, even if she felt grateful to him, she wouldn't say it so directly.

Some people are like that: hard-mouthed but soft-hearted, a knife mouth but a tofu heart.

"I know, given my family's situation now, probably no one is willing to help us except you." Fan Baobao continued, apparently having thought about it for a long time. "My mother is not in good health, Beibei is still young, and my father has borrowed from all the relatives he could."

As Fan Baobao spoke, her eyes reddened, and she looked like she was about to cry.

After all, she was still just a nineteen-year-old girl, at an age when she should be enjoying her parents' love, yet she had to worry about her family's future.

"It's okay, everything will get better."

At this moment, besides comforting her like this, Zhao Fusheng had no other choice.

"I understand what Uncle and Auntie are thinking. They are good people." Fan Baobao stopped walking and looked at Zhao Fusheng. "Now my mother also considers you the only candidate for son-in-law. So, you and I can only maintain the current relationship."

"The current relationship?" Zhao Fusheng was taken aback, and a sudden ominous premonition arose in his mind.

"Yes, from now on, you are my boyfriend, my fiancé." Fan Baobao seemed to have made up her mind, saying to Zhao Fusheng with finality.

If she had still harbored illusions before, now she had to admit that if she didn't get together with Zhao Fusheng, not to mention whether her family could escape their current predicament, she wouldn't even be able to get past her mother and Zhao's parents.

"No, we could actually think of another way." Zhao Fusheng hesitated for a moment, then said to Fan Baobao.

In his view, the root of everything was the lack of money.

Money isn't everything, but without money you can't do anything. Zhao Fusheng understood this truth better than anyone.

Fan Baobao shook her head, looked at Zhao Fusheng, "Give me some time. If within five years from now I still can't become famous and make money, then I'll obediently marry you."

Pfft!

Zhao Fusheng nearly choked to death, staring at Fan Baobao in shock. He felt he was really going crazy.

Fan Baobao shot Zhao Fusheng a glare: "Look at you. Would it be such a grievance for you if I married you?"

Shaking his head, Zhao Fusheng first nodded, then shook his head. He was truly a bit confused now.

Before he could come to his senses, Fan Baobao said fiercely, "I'm telling you, from now on, you're not allowed to have a girlfriend at school, and you're not allowed to come to my school and call yourself my boyfriend, got it?"

Zhao Fusheng was startled and subconsciously nodded, then asked back, "What about you?"

"Me?" Fan Baobao's face flushed slightly. She gritted her teeth and said, "Don't worry, I won't have a boyfriend. A star can't have a boyfriend."

Zhao Fusheng opened his mouth to speak, but they had already reached the bus stop. Fan Baobao hurriedly got on the bus, but it seemed she was fleeing out of shyness.

"Ridiculous," he muttered, shaking his head helplessly. Zhao Fusheng also got on the bus heading to school.

In fact, he could understand Fan Baobao's meaning. Under the current circumstances, Li Yuan and her two daughters were living under the Zhao family's roof, and during Li Yuan's treatment, they had no source of income. Zhao's parents were so devoted not only because the two families were close, but more importantly, they regarded Fan Baobao as their daughter-in-law, as family.

But if this daughter-in-law became just the neighbor's daughter, the relationship would naturally become more distant.

To put it bluntly, without the relationship between Zhao Fusheng and Fan Baobao as boyfriend and girlfriend, Zhao's parents would at most sympathize with Li Yuan and occasionally help the three of them, but they would never go to such lengths.

Zhao Fusheng had witnessed this in his previous life.

Even if Fan Baobao said that in the future, when she became successful, she would repay the Zhao family a hundred or a thousand times over, to Zhao's parents, that was all too intangible.

There were too many pitiful people in this world. Even with compassion, one couldn't help everyone.

For now, the only solution was for him and Fan Baobao to pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend. Once this difficult period passed and Fan Baobao became a huge star, the two could break up on the pretext of incompatible personalities.

As for what would happen by then, Zhao Fusheng didn't know, and neither did Fan Baobao.

The greatest charm of life is precisely its unpredictability.

After all, the future is unknowable.

But fortunately, Zhao Fusheng had overcome the barriers of time and space and managed to get here.

There were so many things he could do that Zhao Fusheng wasn't worried about the future at all. All he needed was to wait, wait for the right moment, and make the right decision at that time.