C is a minefield of complexity, though, why are you so desperate to pretend it isn't? The reality is that much of the language complexity of things like C++ or Rust is because the problem space is actually complex. C's language just doesn't help you with the inherent complexity. In fact it actively encourages bugs as a result. That's not a simple language, it's a bad one. It was fine for the constraints of the time, but it's not anymore.

C is easily the least defensible language choice of the commonly used languages. There's so many just obscenely better options it's not even funny. See also why even "intentionally C-like" languages like Zig are growing increasing complexity https://github.com/ziglang/zig/issues/7769 Or why things like D's betterC adds all the same "objectionable" stuff C++ does - RAII, operator overloading, etc...