From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

The third hour of the trending topic.

The entire internet is in an uproar, and public opinion has been forcibly split into two completely opposing sides.

Scrolling through social media, one side is a large number of netizens who are shocked by our life-or-death journey through the no-man's-land and are enthusiastically praising our experience.

Comments praising and paying tribute flooded in.

On the other hand, another group of people completely ignored these things, focusing on the differences in family background, social status, and class to criticize the relationship between me and Su Qing as utterly worthless.

No one is willing to calm down and look at it carefully, and no one cares about the road ahead.

Countless eyes across the screen were fixed on two glaring words: Unworthy.

I stood by the window, gazing at the slowly flowing river in the distance, my heart filled with mixed emotions.

The river breeze blew in through the half-open window, but it couldn't dispel the stone weighing on my heart.

I lit a cigarette and forced myself to calm down.

I gritted my teeth and endured all those life-or-death situations and tangible dangers in the no-man's-land.

Are we going to be defeated by these casual, irresponsible online mockery?

But what I can't truly let go of has never been the dirty water splashed on me.

I feel sorry for Su Qing.

She did nothing wrong from beginning to end. She simply bravely fell in love with someone who, in the eyes of the world, was not a good match for her. Yet, she was dragged out by thousands of complete strangers who pointed fingers at her and used her relationship as gossip.

In contrast, Su Qing herself remained unusually calm, showing no sign of panic, as if the overwhelming online abuse had nothing to do with her.

If it were any other girl, being thrust into the eye of such a storm of public opinion, she would probably have burst into tears long ago.

But Su Qing has an indomitable spirit in her bones.

She even noticed my low spirits, and came over to gently pat my arm, offering words of comfort:

"It's okay. Most people online are just following the trend and joining in the fun. The hype comes and goes quickly, and nobody will remember it after a while."

But the more she pretended to be nonchalant and indifferent, the more painful it felt like being pricked by needles.

Beneath this calm surface, she must be bearing pressure alone.

Just then, the phone screen on the coffee table suddenly lit up and started vibrating.

Su Qing bent down to pick up her phone, and I glanced at the screen instinctively.

The caller ID note was simple, just one word: Mom.

Actually, I had expected this all along. With such a big fuss online, the Su family would find out sooner or later that Su Qing and I had gone public with our relationship.

I never expected this phone call to come so quickly and so unexpectedly.

Su Qing didn't dodge or avoid the question. She turned her head to look at me, her brows slightly furrowed, and asked:

"It's my mom calling, should I answer or not?"

I know very well that I don't want this phone call to shatter the relationship we've worked so hard to build and the stable life we've achieved.

But what we have to face can't be avoided. If we choose to refuse and run away now, it will only make us look guilty and in the wrong, and it will only cause more trouble later.

I took a deep breath, suppressing the complex emotions surging within me, and nodded emphatically to her, signaling her to answer the call.

Su Qing hesitated for two seconds, then swiped her finger across the screen to answer the call and directly turned on speakerphone.

The voice of Su's mother came through the receiver; she sounded very calm, without any sign of agitation.

"Su Qing, where are you now?"

This single question, beneath its calm exterior, carries an invisible sense of pressure, making one's nerves unconsciously tense.

Su Qing glanced at me discreetly, trying to keep her tone even: "I'm working, what's wrong?"

"What kind of work do you do now?" Su's mother continued to ask, her tone still calm.

"Self-media," Su Qing paused before answering.

"That definition is too broad. Be more specific," Su's mother pressed, but her tone remained quite calm.

Su Qing let out a soft breath, her tone tinged with suppressed emotion: "For the past three whole months, you haven't asked about a single thing about my work. Why are you suddenly calling to inquire about my career today?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Su's mother's deep voice slowly came through: "I've seen the videos online, and I've seen all the trending topics."

There was no hysterical cursing, no harsh accusations.

But it is precisely this excessive calmness that makes people feel even more tense and heavy-hearted.

Su Qing took a deep breath and said, "Mom..."

She had barely started speaking when her mother interrupted her.

When did you two get together?

Su Qing immediately sneered, her long-suppressed anger erupting: "You've always been like this, from childhood to adulthood. Can't you even listen to what I have to say? You're a highly educated graduate from Tsinghua University, don't you even have this basic respect?"

This is the usual way Su Qing communicates with her family, and I can completely understand it.

Faced with such relentless questioning that doesn't give anyone a chance to speak, it's difficult for anyone to have a calm and peaceful conversation.

"Okay, go ahead," Su's mother said, maintaining her composure.

This is the rationality honed by one's background and experience.

When ordinary families encounter this kind of situation, they will most likely receive a barrage of angry words and criticism when they call.

But Su's mother was different; she always controlled her emotions and rarely showed her joy or anger.

Su Qing turned to look at me standing to the side before continuing, "We've been together for a long time, but we only decided to go public a couple of days ago."

After a two-second silence on the other end of the line, Su's mother's calm voice rang out again: "Your father still doesn't know. I want to ask you, what exactly made you choose to be with him?"

Su Qing immediately retorted, "Then I'd like to ask you, what were your reasons for choosing to marry my father? You are a top student who graduated from Tsinghua University, while my father only had a high school diploma at the time."

This rhetorical question silenced the person on the other end of the phone for a long time.

After a long pause, Su's mother spoke again: "Your father naturally has his own shining qualities. You've seen them all over the years. Although he didn't have much formal education, his hard work and ambition cannot be measured by a piece of paper."

This statement reveals that Su's mother genuinely approves of Su's father.

Otherwise, she, a graduate of a prestigious university with a degree in chemistry, would not have married Mr. Su, who was working in a pharmaceutical factory and came from an ordinary family, without hesitation.

Su Qing did not back down at all, and replied calmly and confidently, "That makes sense then. Lin Ye is equally outstanding. He is daring, hardworking, and has always been striving to climb the ladder."

She paused briefly, then continued to argue her point: "You've seen the videos circulating online. The Qiangtang no-man's-land isn't a place where just anyone can survive and cross over..."

"But he did it, and he brought the whole team out safely. Can you still say he couldn't do it?"

"I didn't say he was incompetent."

Su's mother paused for a moment, then raised her voice slightly before continuing:

"The key point I'm going to make now is what solid, real-world foundation exists between you and him. That's the core issue."