"Especially after talking with Xiaoman about all that today."
"I suddenly started wondering... my little sister, who I’ve spoiled and doted on her whole life—why am I suddenly pushing her, forcing her into this filthy, materialistic world?"
"And I’m the one harshly scolding her, telling her she has to learn these so-called ’money-making skills’?"
Sometimes, a breakdown happens in just an instant.
And other times, the things we can’t figure out will truly keep us up all night.
This was exactly how Lin Feng felt now. He knew this wasn’t a bad thing for his sister.
And by all societal standards, what he was doing was one hundred percent correct.
He was making her learn how to manage a team, how to create value.
And even how to make more money.
But that sliver of idealism and pride in his heart, along with the values instilled in him since childhood, suddenly made Lin Feng wonder if he was truly pushing his sister into the fire.
That filthy stench of money we were taught to despise our whole lives... The very principles we instilled in ourselves, that society instills in all children: "Money doesn’t define a person. Wealth is just a worldly symbol."
And yet, the moment we become adults, we turn our backs on it completely!
Everything—absolutely everything—is completely different from the adult world we imagined as children.
We knew it would be hard, tiring, and exhausting...
But we never imagined that our hearts, our very spirits, would be corrupted as well.
And those so-called naive childhood dreams? After we grow up, they’re reduced to nothing more than idle gossip, a punchline. Even proudly declaring you wanted to be a scientist as a kid has now become a memory you’d rather not revisit.
What sensible person buries their head in research anymore?
Earning a little over five thousand a month as a research assistant for your advisor, destined for a lifetime of poverty.
Your papers might get published, and your personal value might be increasing, but fewer and fewer companies are willing to pay for it.
You spend your whole life toiling away, only to end up with nothing.
You might become the best in your field, but you’ll never be seen as "successful" in the eyes of others.
And so, the image of the scientist—once so brilliant and venerable, dazzling as the stars—has slowly been reduced to a trivial mess.
We still cherish the memory of, and deeply respect, those who dedicated their entire lives to their country or to a single research project.
But it’s just like those heroes who spend their whole lives helping others.
We respect them, revere them, maybe even adore them. But we don’t emulate them.
"That’s just part of being human. As we get older, we lose the right—or rather, the privilege—of staying naive. We can no longer just recklessly do whatever we feel like doing."
Comparatively speaking, Su Ruoxi had matured a little faster than Lin Xiaoman, and even Lin Feng.
After all, she’d had a stricter upbringing, and her parents had always drilled into her just how cruel the adult world was, and how important it was to improve her skills, talents, and knowledge.
The tragic part, then, was that Su Ruoxi never had a chance to be naive.
You could even say her family and her background made it impossible for her to ever have a naive phase in her life.
"We all have to shoulder some responsibility, you know."
"That world you described sounds lovely—where we can dream of being scientists and reject worldly things—but let me ask you a question."
Su Ruoxi turned, her eyes fixed on Lin Feng.
"Tell me, when you evaluate a person, should their wealth be a factor?"
"Or even an *important* factor?"
The question jolted Lin Feng.
He thought he understood why Su Ruoxi was asking.
But his rational mind, and his long-standing rejection of materialism, forced him to cling stubbornly to his so-called noble ideals, even though he knew what Su Ruoxi was getting at.
"I don’t think you should use something so materialistic. It should be removed entirely from how we evaluate a person."
"After all, throughout history, when we evaluate any great person, we never mention how rich their family was, let alone their income or their assets."
"Besides, that kind of evaluation, reeking of the stench of money, would shatter a person’s image."
"Whether we’re judging them, or they’re presenting themselves to us, they must never mention any superiority in worldly matters—especially when it comes to money. Otherwise, they’re just a base, vulgar person, someone unworthy of our respect."
Lin Feng’s tone grew more severe with each word.
His attitude made it perfectly clear to Su Ruoxi that he despised people who were blinded by greed, and he despised people who treated wealth as the sole measure of their self-worth.
But when Su Ruoxi heard this, a small smile played on her lips.
There was a hint of ridicule in her smile, but it was mostly one of resigned affection for her naive boyfriend.
"So, you’re saying that ’money is just a worldly possession,’ and we shouldn’t use it as an important factor to evaluate or measure a person, right?"
Su Ruoxi immediately grasped the core of Lin Feng’s point.
"That’s a good way to put it—’a worldly possession.’ Why should we insist on making it part of who a person is?"
"It’s an external thing—you can’t take it with you when you die. It only stays with you for a part of your life."
"Besides, do you really think rich people are necessarily happy?"
"Are those world-class tycoons really that much happier than an old street vendor who sets up his cart before dawn every day?"
Lin Feng thought Su Ruoxi had put it perfectly.
’It’s true.’
’Rich people aren’t necessarily happy or joyful.’
’Just look at me. I don’t feel particularly happy right now. In fact, in some ways, I feel more exhausted now than ever before.’
’At least if I were just a normal college student...’
’...I could be hanging out with a few dorm friends every day, just eating, drinking, and having fun.’
’I could even grab a beer in the summer, sit on the athletic field, and watch the pretty girls in their short skirts.’
’I could even be completely carefree, using money I’d scrimped and saved to go to a bar and hit on pretty girls.’
’It’s not like I couldn’t do those things now, but I have far too many responsibilities, too many people I need to take care of.’
’It was for all these reasons that he couldn’t be as carefree as others his age, couldn’t just happily squander his youth.’
Thinking about it, Lin Feng felt his own life was actually a little pathetic.

Comments

Loading...