"When did I ever say I liked him?"

Tong Hua was furious, and in her anger, she slammed the table, "Besides, damn it, I'm the young lady of the Tong family, what's not to like?"

Ye Zhi shook her head, "To him, probably nothing is good."

Personality, ability, family background...

Indecisive, sentimental and gossip-loving, the ether eye that couldn't help looking around and always spotting something, and the dizzyingly complicated family ties.

"If he just sees you as a... uh, friend, you guys would definitely get along very well, and perhaps he could be a good friend. Even if he's reluctant, he wouldn't stand by idly if you were in trouble."

Ye Zhi said emphatically, "But if he senses even a slight chance of change in your relationship, he would definitely keep his distance from you."

Tong Hua was shocked, "Is it that outrageous?"

Ye Zhi sighed in resignation.

"...Not to mention your relationship with Ether."

She pointed at the naive young lady before her, "The Tong family itself is a big storm. Sometimes, just a breath might blow everything related away.

Do you think he'd jump into the ditch for no reason?

He wouldn't risk disrupting his own plans to get involved in something meaningless. Your wealth, power, and status mean nothing to him."

"..."

Tong Hua's expression subtly changed, not quite the defensiveness and annoyance she had anticipated, as if she remember something, her eyes brightened, leaned closer, and whispered:

"What if... it's someone from the An family?"

"That would be even worse!"

Ye Zhi rolled her eyes, "Unless he took the wrong medicine, he would definitely not respond, he might even avoid you!"

Paranoia, OCD, sensitivity in relationships...

All these issues are just symptoms.

At the core is an impulse for control.

Not over others, but over himself!

"You might think he has OCD or is a perfectionist in detail, but in reality, it all stems from a deep-seated desire to control his own life.

Only when living in a life he has chosen does he feel comfortable and at peace."

She picked up her coffee spoon and stated bluntly, "In other words, such a person won't allow anything or anyone to arbitrarily plan and affect his life, disrupting his plans, whether the change is good or bad."

If there is, then isolate and eliminate it.

If it's a malicious intrusion, it would trigger the most direct stress response...

Understanding, assessing, testing, and finally, ruthlessly eliminating!

"You'd better hope he's not interested in you, because if such a person were after power, he'd likely have started planning and preparing years ago, meeting you was just a part of his plan.

He'd meticulously and carefully control the whole scheme, ultimately using everything available to achieve his goals."

Ye Zhi narrowed her eyes, the smile fading, "Have you never considered that your excessive concern for him could also be part of this manipulation?"

"..."

Tong Hua's expression twitched.

Although she had led a privileged life without hardships under the stable management of her eldest uncle, that didn't mean she was naive to be easily manipulated.

The Chosen Ones of the Heart Core usually behaved like that, having seen too much disgusting stuff, never hesitating to suspect others from the darkest perspective. Just like the Ether, always obsessively believing in what they see and convinced that their perception is the whole and the truth.

The pot calling the kettle black, who isn't the same?

But as a friend, or at least what she considered a friend, she still attempted to argue, "Is it possible that he has no ulterior motives?"

"Then you're even more screwed,"

Ye Zhi's expression turned sympathetic—falling for him would get you nowhere, you might even end up being exploited for nothing.

Tong Hua nearly shrank into the sofa but upon hearing this, still stubbornly tried to retort, "Despite his many flaws, at the end of the day, he's a decent person, with principles and a bottom line.

It's not as terrible as you say, right?"

Ye Zhi fell silent for a long time.

"Perhaps, that's the worst part."

If he were some selfish villain, that would be better.

Using some evil scheme to control others, satisfying himself, would at least improve things in indulgence and gluttony.

But if it's really as Tong Hua said, that's truly the worst.

For both himself and others.

When things get bad, mediocrity accepts reality, enduring powerlessly.

Evil people would find a way to fit in, manipulate for benefits, indulging greed.

Good people would restrain themselves, resist temptations and evils.

But such a person wouldn't.

If his own principles and bottom lines don't allow him to submit and become wretched, then he would completely overturn everything, becoming enemies with everyone.

Unless reality itself or he disappears.

This is an engine of immense power, fueled by pain and resentment, constantly running.

Once he decides his direction and sets off, he would ruthlessly power through, smashing all obstacles in his way, grinding them into dust, burning them to ashes.

"Of course, all this is pure speculation."

Ye Zhi waved indifferently, "No matter how powerful a Heart Core, to make a diagnosis, one must see with their own eyes. There's always a layer in between, it's like looking at flowers in the fog, it's hard to discern true from false."

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