"And given her previously shallow and short-sighted nature, she would have never made it out of our city. At best, she would have just been stuck going in circles within a few miles."

"She wouldn’t have valued education like you do. I probably would have ended up in a vocational high school and graduated at eighteen or nineteen. And after that, it would have been one blind date after another..."

As Liuu Min spoke, she counted on her fingers. "In that case, you could count the number of wealthy families within a few miles on one hand."

Tan You watched Liuu Min work backward through the logic. "Your deductions are all correct. Your life really was on that track. Do you want to know who you ended up marrying?"

Liuu Min was indeed curious. "Who was it?"

"Zhou Wen, the eldest son of the Zhou family." Tan You uttered the name softly, satisfied to see Liuu Min’s expression shift repeatedly.

"If I remember correctly, their family is in the funeral business—they drive hearses and sell urns. And isn’t Zhou Jin a monk or something?" Liuu Min’s face twisted. ’So I ended up with someone like that?’

Tan You nodded. "Yes. In Zhang Wangying’s memories, you were also pushed into a corner by Liuu Yuming. Because you didn’t have a strong educational background or many skills of your own, Liuu Yuming tried every possible way to find a wealthy family for you to marry into."

"You were married to Zhou Wen for five years and had a son and a daughter. To outsiders, it looked glamorous, but you were actually miserable in the Zhou family. Zhou Wen forbade you from working and wouldn’t give you any money, keeping you confined at home to raise the children."

"Later, perhaps as a belated act of rebellion or maybe because you found true love, you divorced Zhou Wen. You didn’t take the children, leaving them both with the Zhou family. But Liuu Yuming couldn’t accept your divorce and did everything she could to make you remarry him."

"In the end, to force your hand, she drank Diquat, a potent herbicide. Her intention was just to scare you, but she ended up killing herself. And in your attempt to save her, you fell deep into debt."

In just a few sentences, Tan You had laid out Liuu Min’s entire life. Liuu Min propped her chin on her hands. "I can’t even imagine it. How did I end up with a rogue monk? A phony monk who drinks, eats meat, and is completely impure... I actually ended up with him?"

"And even had children with him? No matter how rich his family was, no respectable family would marry their daughter off to someone like that."

Tan You said, "Liuu Yuming was desperate by then. She just wanted to find someone rich so she could lie back and leech off her child."

Liuu Min finally broke. "But... but she couldn’t just do that! How is that any different from selling her own daughter?"

"Isn’t it exactly that, selling her daughter?" Tan You sneered. "And what about Zhang Wangying? She was on Liuu Yuming’s side. After all, from Zhang Wangying’s perspective, your life was supposed to be comfortable and happy."

Seeing Liuu Min’s stern expression, Tan You chuckled lightly. "So angry? Zhang Wangying was ultimately looking out for Liuu Yuming. But haven’t I been looking out for you?"

"Zhang Wangying wanted Liuu Yuming to have a good life, and isn’t she doing quite well now? Compared to the thought I put into Liuu Yuming, you could say I’ve poured my heart and soul into you, right? I’ve been personally involved in every moment of your development, guiding you carefully."

Liuu Min gradually calmed down. "I know. You’ve invested so much effort in me. I understand everything now—why you spent so much more time with me as I grew up, and why you’re the only one who has been completely on my side."

Tan You replied, "Liuu Yuming is Zhang Wangying’s daughter, after all. It’s not wrong for her to plan for Liuu Yuming’s sake; everyone has their biases. Besides, Zhang Wangying herself wasn’t very worldly. In her mind, your life with the Zhou family was actually pretty good, so she couldn’t understand why you would want to divorce Zhou Wen."

"After all, many people from the older generation feel that if a man can earn money and doesn’t mess around, he’s already a decent husband. It’s a limitation of her mindset. She couldn’t see the wider world, so she naturally sided with Liuu Yuming."

"The reason I’ve stayed by your side is that I wanted Zhang Wangying to know that depending on a man isn’t the only path for a woman. Even if her own abilities are mediocre, and even if she might not earn much money in the future, having a mindset of self-reliance and independence is what’s most important."

Liuu Min’s eyes reddened. "I understand what you mean. I’ll never cling to or depend on anyone else. Just as you said, self-reliance and independence. Actually, looking back, it’s clear that if I had been able to stand on my own two feet, how could she have ever forced me into that situation?"

"Wanting to resist but lacking the ability to be independent, while also not having the courage to see the rebellion through—that’s the most tragic part."

Tan You said, "Let’s not talk about the past anymore. Just think of it as a story you heard. In any case, after I appeared, your lives changed dramatically. You won’t have any more dealings with the Zhou family."

"You’ve grown up so well. In two days, you’ll be heading to university for further studies. Your future is bright, and there’s a much wider world waiting for you to conquer."

When it came to giving pep talks, Tan You was a pro. It wasn’t like she hadn’t done this sort of thing before when she was a leader. Now, just a few short sentences made Liuu Min laugh through her tears. At the end of the day, no matter how mature Liuu Min was, she was still just a fourteen-year-old girl.

Before an old fox like Tan You, who had weathered countless storms, Liuu Min was still just a naive child.

Liuu Min was able to look on the bright side. "I won’t think about this anymore. Like you said, I’m a complete stranger to the Zhou family, so there’s no need to give them any thought."

She smiled as she spoke. "I’ll just treat it as a story I heard. My real life is now."

Tan You smiled too. "That’s the right way to think about it. As for your mom, it’s up to you whether you tell her or not."

"Then I won’t," Liuu Min said with a smile. "It’s just a story. Even if it’s something my grandma saw with her own eyes, I never experienced it myself, so I can only feel a little emotional about it."

"Don’t be fooled by how simple my mom seems; she can actually keep things to herself. But there’s no need to let her know about all this heavy, ugly stuff. It wasn’t easy for her to raise me on her own. Isn’t that what family is for, sharing each other’s burdens?"

Tan You tapped Liuu Min on the forehead. "You’re quite soft-hearted."

"I learned from my Teacher," Liuu Min said, pursing her lips into a particularly sweet smile. "Teacher, you seem very cold a lot of the time, but I know you’re genuinely good to me. Anyone you care about is truly fortunate."

Tan You asked, "Me, soft-hearted?"

Liuu Min said reasonably, "Of course. Teacher, you’re the most soft-hearted person in the world."

Tan You shook her head. "Perhaps it’s because you were so young when I met you, and you were also very well-behaved and obedient. I don’t actually like children because they’re too rowdy, but you were just too good at reading the room."

Liuu Min also recalled the past. "That’s why I feel so fortunate and so honored that you appeared in my life. If it weren’t for you, I might have been hung up on what you called my past life."

The stats for the last half-month haven’t been great, and Shi Yun is feeling a bit discouraged. Lately, I’ve been wondering if I’m falling behind the times, or if my readers are going to abandon me.

Shi Yun is a very headstrong writer who doesn’t like to follow trends and just wants to write the stories she likes. So I’m asking you all to please add this to your collections, thank you!