Warm medicine emits fragrance

"Yes, I know that most people in this world don't have a choice. Everyone can only be pushed along by fate. What kind of people they meet, what kind of things they experience, and what kind of life they live are all beyond their control."

"Money, power, status, background—each of these can crush an ordinary person like me, forcing me to live a life of subservience and humility, conforming to the rules."

"But we just didn't have a choice, it doesn't mean we didn't want to. If we had a choice, who wouldn't want to be superior?"

"You stand in a high position, giving me things that are easily within your grasp, and then expect me to be grateful? Don't you think that's ridiculous?"

Li Chenbi frowned. He felt that he didn't understand Fan Liuer, what she was angry about, or what she was complaining about.

"Since you want to be someone important, then you should stay with me. What are you running away from?"

"I don't see you as an object. I'm nice to you because I like you. So, if I like you, I naturally want you to like me too. Is that wrong?"

Fan Liuer looked at him, at the sweat beading on his forehead from the heat, at his pale face as he suppressed the pain, and suddenly couldn't utter a word she wanted to say.

Most of the anger had subsided, leaving only helplessness.

Was Li Chenbi wrong? Actually, she knew very well that he wasn't wrong either.

He was a spoiled rich kid who had everything from birth, a powerful figure who treated human life like dirt. How could he possibly understand what she wanted to say?

Is she complaining about Li Chenbi?

No, she was just complaining about the injustice of the world.

She lowered her eyes and looked at the money box she was holding in her arms; all of this was earned through her own hard work.

But only she saw it as a transaction; in the eyes of others, she was the one who benefited from the relationship.

"I just...feel it's really unfair."

"Have you forgotten that it was just a transaction at the beginning? You fed me well and dressed me well, just to keep me here. And I chose to obey you in order to eat well, dress well, and get more money from you."

"If you don't develop feelings for me, then our relationship will forever remain just a transaction."

"Because you've developed feelings, you can't allow it to be just a transaction."

She looked up at Li Chenbi, "But what if it were the other way around? If I were the one who fell in love first, and I asked you to end this deal, to fall in love with me too, how would you feel?"

"You'll just think I'm crazy."

Li Chenbi looked at Fan Liuer, whose face no longer held the anger and resentment from before, only helplessness.

Like a bird trapped in a net, knowing it cannot escape, it resigns itself to its fate with helplessness.

He disliked Fan Liuer's expression, which made him feel sullen.

"But we are mutually attracted, and you have fallen for me too," he said.

Fan Liuer nodded. "I admit, I've fallen for you, but I'm always afraid when I'm with you."

"I told you, I won't hurt you. Yes, I used to like threatening you, but I was just saying it. When have I ever actually laid a hand on you?" Sadness appeared in Li Chenbi's eyes.

"I treat you like a precious gem, afraid of dropping you, so why are you still afraid of me?"

"What do I have to do for you to believe me?"

Fan Liuer looked at him, her voice weary, "Because I'm not the same kind of person."

She turned to face the courtyard gate, pointed at the servants busy in the courtyard, and said, "I am the same kind of person as them."

"Like those two soldiers just now, you can injure them as you please, and even if you kill them, you won't be punished at all."

"You can beat or scold the servants in this house as you please, or sell them off as you please. You can decide their life or death with just a word."

She turned around, pointed to herself, and said, "Me too."

Li Chenbi stared intently at her. "You're not."

"It's not like that now, because you like me now, so in your heart I'm different from them."

"But you must admit that's only in your mind right now. In reality, I'm just like him. I have nothing to rely on except your favor."

"Once your favor is gone, I'll have nothing left."

"What I fear is not your hitting or scolding me, but that I've given you my heart, and if one day you no longer like me, if you grow tired of me, what will I do then?"

When Li Chenbi met Fan Liuer's gaze, it seemed as if he was only now truly getting to know her.

Her clarity of mind, her rationality, and her ruthlessness.

If he didn't like Fan Liuer, her words would definitely earn him his respect.

While rational and clear-headed people may be selfish in matters of the heart, selfish people often live the best lives.

But he liked Fan Liuer, and every word Fan Liuer said told him that her feelings for him were pitifully small.

So few that they weren't even good enough to be her choice.

She would choose to be with him for any reason, whether it was for personal gain, due to circumstances, out of necessity, or for any other reason.

But it's not because I like him.

It felt like a stone was weighing on his chest, making him feel heavy and uncomfortable.

"You think it's unfair, but how have you ever been fair to me when you think like that?"

"I told you I could give you everything I have, that's your confidence. Even if I really do change my mind in the future, as you said, you won't be left with nothing."

"But you always feel that I will take everything back from you."

"You dismiss my sincerity based on your own judgment, creating a chasm between us. Is that fair to me?"

"Then what should we do?" Fan Liuer said softly. "I also wish I wasn't so rational sometimes, but it's not something I can control."

Li Chenbi remained silent, and the two were silent for a moment.

Fan Liuer spoke again: "Li Chenbi..."

"Stop talking," Li Chenbi interrupted her. "I can't let you go. I'll find a way to dispel your concerns and get you to open your heart to me."

Fan Liuer paused for a moment before asking, "Will you dispel my concerns and make me willingly go with you, or will you use coercion, enticement, and deception to make me go with you?"

Her question made Li Chenbi's face turn even worse. "I won't make the same mistake twice."

"This is the third time," Fan Liuer reminded him. "Pretending to have amnesia was the first time, lying to me that the person came for revenge was the second time, and this is the third time."

Li Chenbi: "..."

The voice was deep and somber. "Things shouldn't happen more than three times."

Fan Liuer thought for a moment, then looked at him seriously and said, "You said it yourself. You know I'm a coward. If you insist on not letting me go, I'll most likely have no choice but to give in to you."

"But if you want me to truly open my heart to you, you are giving me a choice."

"I may not choose the outcome you want."

Li Chenbi looked at her, his eyes deep and dark, filled with her reflection.

He said, "How about we make a bet?"