Going home for Chinese New Year, I squeezed onto a bus with three energetic young women.

Bai Li pondered that if he smoothed things over for now, the other party's anger would subside and they would give up.

He typed back: "Sorry, sorry, I was just too busy today, I only had some free time now."

After posting this, I immediately added:

[It was just a joke during the day. I knew you must have friends.]

I thought the other party would say a few more harsh words to retaliate.

Unexpectedly, after a few seconds of silence in the chat box, two lines of text appeared, filled with biting self-mockery.

Xie Lingmo: [You're right.]

Xie Lingmo: [I'm just a pathetic wretch with no true friends.]

Yunshi. Inside a luxury mansion on the hillside.

By the moonlight streaming in through the window, you could see Xie Lingmo curled up on the sofa.

Her short pink hair was messily plastered to her cheeks, and her loose T-shirt revealed two slender, fair legs.

However, the beautiful scene that should have been beautiful was shattered.

Her gaze was vacant as she stared at the white medicine bottle on the coffee table, the cap of which had just been screwed on.

"I took my medicine today, but I still can't feel happy..."

His dry, lifeless voice echoed in the empty room.

She buried her face in her knees, hugged herself tightly, and tried to draw out even a little bit of warmth from being alive.

After being diagnosed with severe depression, this bone-deep sense of powerlessness accompanied her every day.

The phone next to me lit up.

Xie Lingmo slowly reached out and picked up her phone.

Electric Bull: [Are you unhappy?]

These seven words jumped into my retina.

Xie Lingmo's eyes widened, and her nose involuntarily stung with tears.

The warmth that welled up in my eyes blurred the words on the screen.

"Are you unhappy...?" she murmured, repeating the question over and over.

Having lived this long, I searched through my memories for a long time.

"It's been so long since anyone said that to me..."

The people surrounding me.

There were CEOs who wanted to get construction projects from her father.

There are socialites who are desperate to break into the circles of the wealthy.

They only cared about what brand of clothes Miss Xie wore and what watch she wore today.

Who cares whether the soul beneath this body is happy or not?

Xie Lingmo sniffed and tapped her fingers on the screen at a rapid pace, as if she were venting her emotions.

Xie Lingmo: [Perhaps.]

Xie Lingmo: [Everyone around me came with an ulterior motive.]

Xie Lingmo: [Even those spirited young women I recruited... they're all incredibly respectful to me on the surface, calling me "Sister Mo" sweeter than anyone else.]

Xie Lingmo: [But after I take the money, who knows what they'll say about me behind my back, saying I'm arrogant.]

After finally venting all the bitterness that had been bottled up inside.

A glimmer of hope gathered in her otherwise lifeless eyes.

"What will you say that will affect my emotions?" she murmured to herself.

Ping County. Master bedroom of Villa No. 1.

Bai Li looked at the long text Xie Lingmo sent and casually opened her Moments.

The homepage is full of heavy motorcycles and mountains of expensive plush toys.

The girl in the photo is very pretty, with short pink hair and delicate, three-dimensional features, making her quite eye-catching.

However, those few selfies, though well-composed, revealed an overwhelming sense of loneliness and defensiveness.

Bai Li sat up straight. Dealing with this kind of rich girl who desperately craves love and armors herself with a prickly exterior, reasoning is less effective than offering practical advice.

Bai Li: [I looked through your Moments, you're a very pretty girl.]

Bai Li: [Let me give you an example, using this as a starting point.]

Bai Li: [At first, I actually looked down on these young, spirited girls around me.]

Bai Li: [I think they're always making a fuss, dyeing their hair all sorts of colors and messing around, and they even try to get me a decent meal by begging.]

Bai Li: [But after spending time with them, I saw their shining qualities.]

Bai Li: [Their hearts are warm, and they know how to repay kindness. If you treat them well, they'd give their lives to repay you. They're a hundred times better than those self-righteous people outside.]

Bai Li: [So, we're truly together now.]

After laying the groundwork, Bai Li got down to business.

Bai Li: [To gain genuine affection, you can't rely on one-sided charity, but on disassembly. Break the person down into two parts.]

Bai Li: [One part is the person themselves, and the other part is the added value.]

Bai Li: [According to what you just said, what others value about you is entirely your added value—your money, your family background and social status. They completely ignore you as a person 'individual'.]

Bai Li: [You've sealed your heart shut, so no one can get in. Naturally, they'll only take the benefits they can see. You should try to express yourself and let others understand the real Xie Lingmo.]

Inside a luxury mansion on the hillside.

Xie Lingmo bit her lower lip tightly.

The worldview I've built up since childhood was struck head-on by these insightful remarks.

The wealthy circle is full of deceit and treachery. Her father only taught her how to guard against others, but no one ever analyzed the difference between "original self" and "added value" for her.

But her spoiled princess temperament and stubbornness made her unwilling to admit defeat easily.

Xie Lingmo typed a rebuttal: 【I think you're wrong!】

Xie Lingmo: [I just want results. Right now, I really want a true friend, and that's all I want!]

Bai Li replied instantly.

Bai Li: [Without genuine interaction, you can't earn genuine affection in return. Even if you bring them a mountain of gold, they'll only recognize your money. You can't buy people.]

Hit hard on her sore spot, Xie Lingmo's eyes reddened even more.

She started nitpicking, trying to deflect the blame.

Xie Lingmo: [And what about you?]

Xie Lingmo: [You're dating so many people at the same time, what kind of sincerity is that? It's unlikely you'll get anywhere with this. What's the point of all this?]

Faced with this sharp questioning.

Bai Li chuckled softly, tapping the screen with her fingers in a frank response.

Bai Li: [I like them, and they like me too. That's what matters.]

Xie Lingmo stared at these words, her chest heaving more violently.

Xie Lingmo: [In my world, the result comes first! My father taught me from a young age that the process isn't important, as long as you get the result!]

The intense clash of class consciousness sparked a fierce exchange even through the screen.

The warmth that grows wildly at the bottom is clashing with the rule of prioritizing interests at the top.

Bai Li saw through her weakness and began to close the net.

Bai Li: [I'm 100% certain that things will work out between me and them. And regardless of whether this relationship is accepted by society, I will stick with it to the end.]

Bai Li: [More importantly, I enjoy this two-way journey; I find joy in it.]

Xie Lingmo stubbornly insisted on her own opinion.

Xie Lingmo: [If you insist on this, I have nothing to say. But I still insist that the result is the only criterion. Without a good result, no matter how good the process is, it's all in vain.]

Bai Li: [Kua Fu was not praised by later generations because he caught up with the sun.]

This message was sent successfully.

Bai Li leaned against the pillow, waiting quietly.

At the top of the chat interface, the "The other party is typing" indicator lights up.

It flashed for seven or eight seconds, then went out.

It then lit up again, and then went out again.

After four or five attempts, the other party still couldn't utter a single word.

Bai Li yawned and casually pulled the blanket over himself.

The time is right; the rest is up to her to process.

Bai Li: [Alright, you can ponder this problem at your own pace. It's getting late, time for bed.]

Put down your phone, close your eyes and drift off to sleep.

Yunshi. Hillside luxury residences.

Xie Lingmo sat blankly on the sofa, holding her hot phone in both hands.

The screen's glow shone on her bloodless face.

"Kua Fu wasn't praised for catching up with the sun..."

She kept pondering that sentence.

From childhood, her father instilled in her a results-oriented mindset, which made her accustomed to measuring everything by self-interest.

Anything that doesn't yield results is worthless and not worth investing any effort in.

But Bai Li forcefully tore open a new world for herself.

We shouldn't just focus on the vague and uncertain outcome; the joys and sorrows of the process, and the real moments of mutual support, are the proof that we are alive.

I've become so uninterested in everything because I've been corrupted by that logic of exchanging benefits.

That's why he forced himself into this inhuman, ghostly state.

Vibrant colors returned to Xie Lingmo's eyes.

My heart was pounding in my chest, strong and clear.

"Bai Li..."

She gripped her phone tightly with both hands, a blush creeping onto her cheeks as she finally found an outlet for her long-suppressed emotions.

"You're a really interesting person."

"I definitely want to play with you!"