"You're actually quite self-critical—I never could have guessed that. I thought you were more assertive..."

“Is there any contradiction between a strong personality and a love of self-criticism? It’s better to say that precisely because I have such a deep hostility towards this world, even my internal friction is much greater than that of others—” Ying Meng played with her ponytail while doing stretching exercises: “That grandfather is really a very good person. He even remembered my birthday and used his living expenses to buy me two pieces of candy—well, although they were the kind that cost ten imperial coins a bag, but I’m not picky—not to mention that I hadn’t started exercising and controlling my intake at the time. Even if I had, it wouldn’t be a big deal to indulge in a meal and consume a little more sugar occasionally…”

"You're really good at making excuses for yourself, aren't you? That's not what you said when I was preparing your 'thick egg burger' just now."

"That's different - I think even people with strong spirits would find it difficult to resist the temptation of the delicious food you just cooked, Miss Chu Shangli - but probably no one can resist the temptation of fruit candy... Even children nowadays, few people like to eat such sweet fruit candy. They might ask for something more advanced. Anyway, when I went to the orphanage and kindergarten to volunteer, those children liked puff pastry pies more than fruit candy. They put the candies in their pockets, but the puff pastry pies were snatched up - the kindergarten was a little different, many people kept the puff pastry pies for their families to enjoy... In fact, there is no need for that. In the end, no one gets to eat the most delicious moment. It's simply a waste..."

"You're really shady." Chu Shangli complained, "Sharing it with family is an irreplaceable delicacy."

"Well, it's just a deliberate fabrication of false illusions. A family can enjoy sharing food at any time, but freshly baked pie isn't always available—giving up something more precious for something cheap, I don't think this kind of relationship dominated by family affection is truly beautiful at all—"

“…”

"Anyway, someone like Miss Chu Shangli, who is both love-brained and naive, definitely won't understand. But it doesn't matter. I will gradually fill your head with all kinds of information that you previously couldn't accept. I know very well that as long as you fill it with enough information, your heart will gradually fall apart and disintegrate, and then be reconstructed. The brain is not subject to human control or constraints. As long as certain conditions are met, it will upgrade..."

Ying Meng lay flat on the soft cushion, with her hands on her chest——

Chu Shangli also followed suit——

"OK, now that the stretching exercises are all done, I can finally tell you why I didn't train you with all my strength—"

"Is it really because of jealousy..."

"Look, even the most naive and innocent aren't completely devoid of dark thoughts. Instead, they often keep their dark thoughts to those they don't know well. Well, that's actually a valid approach. This way, they eliminate those who are detrimental to them, allowing them to maintain their integrity and survive... But there's no need to preserve your current integrity."

She slowly sat up, and Chu Shangli also sat up -

"Hey, hey, hey, lie down, lie down—you don't need to learn this move." Ying Meng hugged her knees: "Because you are good material, and because you are good material, you are easily over-consumed..."