"Ah, I see." Gong Yi Tianhe sighed softly, staring at the empty plate in his hands: "It's a matter of habit-"
"A matter of habit?" Liz Cheska raised an eyebrow. "Could it be that Gong Yitian and Young Master are trying to explain the difference in our evaluations as simply a difference in taste or eating habits? But—Young Master Gong Yi and I grew up together, and I have no idea that our tastes could be so different."
"But—this is possible." Vivina said quietly—
"Come to think of it, in cooking competitions, aren't there judges who prefer strong-flavored food and choose caramel pudding made with a slightly burnt caramel sauce? Even though we grew up with Gong Yitian and the young master, he hasn't said anything negative about any food so far. Besides being slow, he might also be under duress."
"The forced part?"
"Well, knowledge and such—it's instilled in me, including the delicious food, and the standards of being a human being—because it's instilled in me, I don't actually experience it myself. So when I truly find a way of life that suits me better, when I find a taste that truly suits me, I feel an extraordinary excitement..."
Vivina glanced at Ouyang Huanshi sideways. Ouyang Huanshi only met her gaze at the beginning - when his eyes were really fixed on her face, she turned her head away without hesitation.
That's right, Ouyang Huanshi completely disagreed with the way of life that had been instilled into her brain so far - she could even be said to be in a state of denial. However, she knew that if she denied it outright, she might lose her soul's place to stay, the comments around her, and -
besides--
Unable to bear these consequences, she could only pretend to be an existence that was inconsistent with her nature, even though this oppressive feeling made it difficult for her to breathe, and only at the beginning did she have the heart to think about resisting this foreign feeling -
After that, she learned to do different things in different situations. As long as she did things in a way that would please others in places where her disguised way of life was recognized, then occasionally revealing her true nature in some dark corners would be tolerated.
Chu Shangli knew that there was always an inferior side in Ouyang Huanshi's nature.
She also knew that Gong Yi Tianhe had always been bound by rules - that lack of freedom had become a prerequisite for him to gain freedom.
Unlike Ouyang Huanshi's entanglement and contradictions, Gongyi Tianhe has always been able to achieve a balance between the two - even if that balance is very delicate, he can also deal with the mental wear and tear and the pain that constantly erodes his soul -
He regarded the pain as a part of himself, so he didn't need to adjust his state deliberately.
Gong Yi Tianhe might not be unaware of the fact that Ouyang Huanshi actually had a malicious side—no, in fact, he definitely knew—
Unlike Ouyang Huanshi, who knew that it was wrong to do so but still pursued the thrill of breaking the rules, Gongyi Tianhe had the ability to brainwash himself.
Chu Shangli couldn't help but think that perhaps this was the fragile alliance of the empire, deliberately implanting this consciousness into the minds of their descendants. Even though Gongyi Shuiqing was an upright person, as the future husband of the offspring of the marriage between the Ouyang and Zishu families, when the Ouyang and Zishu families showed uncontrollable abnormalities in their daughters, they also implanted their own values into Gongyi Tianhe.
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