chapter 9 she is a fire

It was not like Mateo had never been young.
He knew very well that a man full of youthful vigor would still have strong sexual desires for a woman even if they weren't in love.
Although Aaron inherited Mateo's way of abstaining from sex and kept himself calm and rational even when surrounded by women, there was no way that Aaron could always refrain from giving in to his beastly urges.
Mateo wanted to test Aaron's determination to withhold himself from sex.
And Siran was the best choice for Mateo to carry out this test.
Mateo hummed a tune happily, watching Aaron walk into the bedroom.
Ah!
If Aaron didn't lose his virginity today, then Mateo would wait until tomorrow.
If, by tomorrow, Aaron was still a virgin, Mateo would wait for another week.
If another week wasn't enough, Mateo would wait a month.
He wanted to see how long Aaron could hold out.
Aaron was not used to sleeping on the floor. Add that to the fact that his physiological needs were unmet; he didn't fall asleep during the first half of the night.
He rejected the women around him, and as these women had no chance of being so close to him, the overpowering sexual desires he felt weren't this obvious.
And even if he felt the desires, Aaron could restrain himself.
But tonight, although Siran slept on the bed and he slept on the floor, the bedroom was small and narrow, and there was almost no room to walk around. Moreover, Siran was only three feet away from him.
The whole room was filled with the faint scent of Siran's body bath.
Aaron suppressed his desires by thinking about the company's matter. He even memorized the periodic table of chemical elements several times.
But Siran's slender and fair waist popped into his mind from time to time.
Oh my god!
This had nothing to do with Siran's beauty. He was not attracted to her.
It was just a man's most typical and primitive desire.
Unable to fall asleep, Aaron sat up, leaned against the wall, and sent Eddie Qin a WeChat message: [Send Europe's acquisition plan to me.]
Eddie was Aaron's most capable assistant and shareholder partner. He was used to Aaron's messed-up work schedule that had no care of whether it was day or night, so he would generally reply to Aaron's late-night messages within one minute:
[Third master, are you working in the middle of the night again? I just reported this European acquisition plan to you during the day, so is there a need to send it over in the middle of the night?"
Aaron's words were concise and direct: [Send it to me.]
After receiving the document, Aaron immersed himself in work, quickly putting the primal desires behind him.
No woman could disrupt his state of mind!
Soon, he was so focused that he forgot that he was in a simple and crude rental house and also forgot about Siran, who was next to him.
The midsummer night was quiet and charming.
Suddenly, a soft sobbing broke the silence.
Using his phone's flashlight, Aaron found Siran crying in her sleep.
She was sobbing so hard that her shoulders were trembling.
"Are you okay?" Aaron looked at Siran.
Siran was still dreaming.
She dreamed about the year her parents divorced.
Her dad didn't want her, and neither did her mom.
Siran hugged her mom's legs and cried, begging her mom to bring her along.
Her mom said cruelly, "How do I enter another marriage if I have a burden like you?"
Siran was pushed away by her mom.
That year, she was only four years old.
At the age where she could barely remember things, many memories were vague and blurry.
Only the scene of being abandoned by her parents was like a thorn in her heart, hurting and torturing her.
"Siran, are you okay?" Seeing that she was still sobbing, Aaron patted her shoulder gently.
Siran awakened then.
It seemed like she had just gone through the painful events in her dream just now.
But Aaron's voice reminded her that she was dreaming again.
"Sorry." Siran wiped her tears. "Did I interrupt your sleep?"
"Do you have something on your mind?" Aaron furrowed his brows.
People who woke up crying in their dreams were people with a load on their minds.
Siran calmed herself down, not wanting others to see such a cowardly side of her.
She pretended to be okay. "I'm fine. I just had a nightmare. I'm really sorry for disturbing your sleep."
Aaron was still a little worried. "Are you sure?"
"Yes." Siran feigned calmness. "You can go back to sleep now."
Aaron replied, "I need to go through something. You go to sleep first."
Siran voiced, "You didn't sleep at all?"
Aaron lied, "Didn't you say that I have to behave like a bankrupt man if I've gone bankrupt? I just found a new job and I need to familiarize myself with the tasks."
Who would have expected Aaron to stay awake because of a man's basic physiological needs that Aaron did not release or relieve in the 32 years of his life?
The more restrained and suppressed he was, the stronger the sexual desire became.
Aaron suddenly found himself in the same room as Siran.
And he didn't dislike her.
Hence, he couldn't fall asleep.
"Oh." Siran didn't convince Aaron otherwise. "Don't overwork yourself."
"Okay."
In the morning, Mateo prepared a sumptuous breakfast.
Noticing the exhausted and haggard look on Aaron's face that indicated his poor sleep quality on the night before, Mateo handed a soymilk to Aaron and asked deliberately,
"Aaron, how did you sleep last night?"
Aaron and Mateo exchanged glances.
Mateo had a meaningful smile on his face.
Meanwhile, Aaron frowned. "It was okay. Maybe I could have sleep better if you weren't here."
"Uncle Shang has only been here for a day." Siran pushed Aaron's arm gently. "Please let him stay here for a few more days."
Suddenly realizing that she had again referred to Mateo by the wrong name, she quickly changed her words. "Dad, I'm sorry. I haven't gotten used to calling you Dad yet."
Mateo smiled and said, "It's okay. It's okay. You'll get used to it after a few times."
Siran added, "Dad, the new house I bought will be handed over in a few days. After the renovation is completed, you can move in with us. Don't farm in the rural area anymore as you have a poor back."
"Alas!" Mateo sighed, "How can I, an old man, live with youngsters like you guys? I will be an eyesore to the two of you."
"Dad, I mean it."
She had never experienced familial affection since she was a child.
Mateo went through a life-and-death situation with Siran, supporting each other during the journey, and he even treated Siran like a family during that trip to Tibet.
So, Siran had long regarded Mateo as her family.
She was not just being courteous when she asked Mateo to move in with them but was sincere in extending the invitation to Mateo.
But Siran knew that many elderly people from rural areas were afraid of causing trouble to their children, so she found another reason.
"Dad, besides that, you can help me keep an eye on the renovation process at the new house because Aaron and I are not free."
"It's an unfurnished and unmodified house?"
"Yes."
"Okay. I know carpentry, and I can help out.
"Really?!" Siran was surprised. "Dad, you know carpentry too?Carpentry is difficult, right? Dad, you are an amazing man!"
Aaron quietly ate his breakfast, silently thinking, "There are more things about him that will amaze you."
The more Siran and Mateo chatted, the more topics they covered. Ultimately, they decided on matters related to the new house renovation over breakfast.
Aaron, who was eating breakfast next to them, couldn't join their conversation.
He was like an outsider.
Siran glanced at him casually and felt that the way Aaron ate breakfast was so elegant, poise like he had stepped out of the affluent family shown in a television series.
She and Mateo talked while they ate. How she swallowed a boiled egg in two or three mouthfuls was in sharp contrast to the elegance displayed by Aaron.
But still, Siran kept her eating pace.
Accustomed to doing everything quickly, she drank the soy milk in a few gulps, stood up, picked up her bag, took 2,000 yuan in cash and put it on the table.
"Dad, there is a small shop selling vegetables and meat downstairs. You can buy vegetables and cook lunch for yourself. I'm going to work now."
"Siran, you don't need to give me money. I have money."
"It's okay. Just take it."
After Siran left, Mateo picked up the stack of cash and counted it. "2,000 yuan. This is the first time someone has treated me in respectful and sincere manner."
Aaron knew how burdensome Mateo felt, receiving that money from Siran.
It was the same as what Aaron felt yesterday when he received a transfer of 2,000 yuan from Siran, asking him to use it in case he met any emergency.
But Aaron didn't want to admit his feelings. "Are you short of money?"
"No," Mateo explained, "You should know that for people of our status, the people around you are either after your money and power, or they are after the benefits that comes with your social status. You have to be bankrupt for real to know which one of them treats you sincerely. You should already be thankful if they don't step on you while you're down on your luck. But where can you find someone like Siran who doesn't care whether you are bankrupt, and will use her savings to support you?"
Aaron could not refute Mateo's words.
Mateo spoke earnestly. "Do you think I force you to get married because I desperately wanted a grandchild?"
"..." Aaron continued, listening to Mateo's words.
Mateo added, "Any one of those women from affluent and wealthy families will be more suitable for you than Siran, but they may not treat you sincerely."
"..."
"I want you to have someone beside you who shares your weal and woe, so that you can experience the warmth of this world."
"..."
"And this person has to be Siran."