love and sacrifice
If a man humbles himself before you, it’s because he truly loves you.
They met on campus, same school, different departments. Being with him, she felt a natural sense of superiority—she grew up in the city, the only child in her family, accustomed to being taken care of. She loved being pampered by him, often throwing tantrums. Every time, regardless of who was at fault, he would always be the one to apologize in the end.
After graduation, she became a designer at an advertising company, earning a decent income. He got a job as an ordinary salesman at a company, working long hours with an unsatisfactory salary.
His family was from the countryside, and his parents made a living by farming. Supporting a university student was no easy task. They rented an apartment together, and almost all the furnishings were bought with her money, which gave her even more confidence in front of him.
Having never done housework and refusing to learn, she wouldn’t cook, so he became the chef at home. She didn’t want to wash dishes or clothes, fearing the detergent would damage her skin, so those chores also fell to him. Every day, he sweated in the kitchen while she hugged a teddy bear, sitting on the sofa, eating sunflower seeds and watching TV.
In her view, if a man couldn’t support the family financially, it was only right for him to do more housework. He didn’t mind and made sure she was comfortable every day.
She liked to be the one on top in everything, feeling proud of her higher salary. In front of his friends, she would often, intentionally or unintentionally, mention her income, basking in the glory. Because of this, she felt justified in bossing him around. In her eyes, a man who earned less than a woman didn’t deserve to act like a man.
Sometimes, seeing him so submissive, she even despised him a bit. She thought a man who always obeyed a woman wouldn’t achieve much. These thoughts made her feel a strange sense of disappointment.
There were many excellent men at her company, some of whom would flirt with her or give her direct admiring glances. Comparing these suave men with her humble, even somewhat pathetic, boyfriend made her frustration grow. She often wondered if her love was a mistake.
In July, he told her that the provincial TV station had a program called “Wealth Forum” and he was invited to participate with two other industry colleagues. She didn’t want him to go, fearing he would embarrass himself in front of relatives and friends, but she didn’t know how to stop him. Seeing his eagerness, she reluctantly agreed but repeatedly told him to speak less and listen more.
She didn’t understand why the TV station invited him since she never cared about his affairs. In her mind, a man with a mediocre salary should remain anonymous, not get a chance to be on TV.
The program was live, and she watched him on TV, nervously sweating for him, afraid he might say something inappropriate. However, he seemed like a different person, speaking confidently and calmly in front of the camera, just like a seasoned expert. He became the center of attention, answering tricky questions with references and witty remarks, causing laughter from the audience and the host. Seeing the attractive female host gaze at him with admiration, she felt a pang of jealousy she had never experienced in their seven years together.
After the program, she sent him a message, the first time she ever took the initiative to say she loved him.
Lying in bed, her heart couldn’t calm down. She suddenly remembered the host introducing him as the company’s deputy general manager. How could a deputy general manager’s monthly salary be only 4,000 yuan? Was he hiding money for his parents in the countryside or did he have a new lover outside? After all, they were only living together.
Unable to sleep, she got up and searched every corner of the house. Sure enough, she found a passbook in one of the books on the shelf. Opening it, she saw her eyes fill with tears. The passbook had her name on it, and from the second year they met, he had been saving money every month, sometimes several times her salary.
When he came home, she asked, and he confessed: he wanted to save enough for a down payment on a house so he could marry her.
In the days that followed, he continued to treat her with the same care and devotion. But she no longer accepted it without feeling grateful. She learned to say thank you and to give love in return while accepting his. In her blog, she wrote: “Another name for love is humility. Every woman in a relationship will understand someday: if a man humbles himself before you, it’s because he truly loves you.”
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
