However, no one chose her, so she could only work hard on her own. Fortunately, she met Pei Hetong, who helped her pay her tuition. She thought she could have a family, but unexpectedly, she fell into another abyss.

"What are you thinking about?"

After Pei Zhiting finished the call, he walked over to sit next to her. Seeing that she was drawing on paper with a pen but never started writing, he asked.

"Nothing. I was just wondering why people get married and why they get divorced."

"Since you love, why not love forever? If you can't love forever, why love?"

"Because of the newness? Clothes are worse than new, and people are worse than old. New people are good for sleeping, and old people are good for memories. A partner is neither old nor new, but good for companionship. Is that what you mean?"

"Or maybe we're all just too self-centered. We have very low expectations for ourselves, but very high expectations for each other. We both want the other person to live according to our own plans, and if things don't go our way, we want to replace them."

"But why should we ask this of each other? Is it just because of love that can be withdrawn at any time?"

"Or is it because humans are social animals? Not getting married is wrong, getting married in every way is wrong, being in love is wrong, not being in love is wrong, having no money is wrong, being too rich is also wrong. So, what is right?"

Pei Zhiting looked at her without saying anything. Song Xijiao chuckled and lowered her head to look at the raw stone in her hand.

"Pei Zhiting, why don't you get married?"

“I haven’t found the right one.”

“What is appropriate?”

Pei Zhiting looked at her without saying anything.

"There are no two people in this world who are completely suitable for each other. If there are, one of them is probably compromising."

"Why compromise? It must be because of love."

“If you love someone, you’ll be willing to compromise for them.”

“People are greedy. After compromising for a long time, they want the other party to compromise for them as well.

"At this time, conflicts arose, and no one was willing to compromise."

"Will love disappear? No."

"Love only transfers, so people will start looking for the next compromise, and the cycle will repeat itself."

"Pei Zhiting, it's too tiring to repeat this over and over again. I don't want to do it."

"I think it would be fine if we just lived an ordinary life. No children, no children...!"

"They don't want to."

"On the one hand, they want an obedient puppet to decorate their facade, and on the other hand, they want a machine that can continue their family line."

"They thought I didn't know, but I knew it on our wedding night!"

"I thought...I thought they were willing to compromise for me."

"I didn't win, I lost, should I change?"

"Changing people is so tiring! I need to get to know his preferences again, adjust our personalities, and rebuild trust. It's too much trouble. I'm too lazy to change people or adjust them."

"I'm not willing to accept this. Why am I the one who's wrong? Why am I the one who has to compromise?"

"Song Xijiao, you..."

Pei Zhiting had never seen Song Xijiao so negative and pessimistic. This was not the Song Xijiao he knew. The Song Xijiao he knew was always full of energy and as dazzling as the sun, not like now, with a gloomy aura all around her.

"What's wrong with me? I might be sick, a very deep and serious illness."

"Ever since my parents' relationship broke down, I've been sick."

"They were willing to fight and be beaten, but they kicked me around like a ball. No one thought about my feelings. I waited at my grandfather's house until midnight, but they didn't come to pick me up. I knew I was sick."

Song Xijiao hugged her knees, buried her head in them, and her shoulders kept shaking.

“…”

This was the first time Pei Zhiting saw a woman crying in front of him.

He was too busy before, and the women he interacted with most were smart and capable women. It was impossible for her to show such a vulnerable side in front of him.

“…”

Song Xijiao didn't say anything. Pei Zhiting thought she didn't hear him, so he repeated it again.

“…”

"Pei Zhiting, I'm so tired."

Pei Zhiting leaned over, picked her up horizontally, and walked upstairs.

"Don't you want to start your own jewelry brand? I'll take you to meet some material suppliers, introduce you to some designers, and help you choose a store. After you choose a store, we'll register the brand and then design the jewelry. Once you're busy, you won't have time to think about these things."

"Pei Zhiting, why are you so nice to me?"

"Because every time I feel like giving up, you shine like a ray of light into my dark life."

He had been single for as many years as she had been with Pei He. Whenever he couldn't hold on any longer, he would look at her photos. Before he knew it, so many years had passed.

"Pei Zhiting, I..."

"Song Xijiao, let me love you, okay?"

That night, they did nothing but talk to each other until the early morning.

He talked a lot about the bitterness of fighting alone on Wall Street with no one to rely on.

She also talked about many sad things in her childhood when she was kicked around by her parents and no one wanted her.

The next day, Song Xijiao's biological clock rang on time. As soon as she moved, the person next to her woke up.

"Don't you want to sleep a little longer?"

"I'm not going to sleep anymore. Last night I... well... I was thirty years old and still so childish. I really made a fool of myself."

"No, it's cute."

"You're the first person to call me cute."

"Hmm? The first one?"

"Yes, the first one."

After they met with their partners and came out of the restaurant, it was already five o'clock in the afternoon. Pei Zhiting took Song Xijiao's hand and strolled slowly along the street.

"What do you want to eat?"

"I want to eat spicy hot pot."

"What is that?"

"It's a delicious thing. I ate it often when I was a child, but later, I ate it less." She took Pei Zhiting's arm and said, "I'll take you to experience the fireworks of the world."

"good."

The Malatang restaurant is located in an alley. It is very small with only four tables. The owners are a middle-aged couple who are very enthusiastic.

Song Xijiao ordered two bowls of spicy hot pot, one bowl with dried tofu, tofu and bean curd sheets, and one bowl with dried tofu, tofu and silken tofu.

They found a place to sit down. On their right sat a young couple, and on their left sat an old man and woman.

Pei Zhiting looked at the two bowls of spicy hot pot she brought and raised his eyebrows.

“They’re all soy products.”

“Life is like a piece of tofu, which is then beaten into various shapes, placed in various environments, cooked with various things, and then eaten.”