Fortunate to Have You This Lifetime

“And after you pursue me?” she asked.

The boy, brimming with ruffian charm, said, “Date, of course.”

She furrowed her brows and continued, “And what comes after dating?”

The boy’s companions, not far behind him, burst into laughter, each with a cigarette hanging from their mouth, egging him on unseriously, “Get married! Have kids!”

“But why should I marry you?” she was genuinely puzzled, “Marriage is a product of socio-economic and capital interests, formed by adults to stabilize long-term relationships into a community of shared benefits. What benefits can you bring me?”

The boy was stunned and looked somewhat flustered.

She went on to question him, “Can you give me a sense of emotional belonging? Can you satisfy my material needs? Can you resonate with me spiritually?”

A marriage without expectations is an act of perfunctory towards one’s life. How can you so casually decide that I should become your life partner? You don’t understand me at all! You’re just attracted to me because I’m pretty, you think my grades are good, and I can satisfy your vanity, inadvertently boosting your social value. You’re looking to benefit from me, but what can I gain from you?”

The boy was dumbfounded by her words.

She then asked his age.

“Sixteen,” the boy answered.

She glanced at the rose he held in his hand and gently picked up the delicate card attached to the bouquet that enthusiastically read “I love you” in English.

“You’ve told me countless times that you love me, but do you even know what love is? Love is responsibility, it’s commitment, it’s an energy that brings happiness to people.”

The boy, regaining his composure, hurriedly said, “As long as you’re with me, I will make you happy!”

With a furrowed brow and in silence, she looked at the boy and coldly rejected him, “Sorry, your sweet nothings are too abstract for me to be moved.

In my view, your family is ordinary, your academic performance is mediocre, making it difficult for you to find a decent job in the future. And even if you do, someone who can’t take their studies seriously will likely treat their career with equal negligence. This means your earning potential is very limited. If I were with you, I’d likely have to shoulder most of the future household expenses. And when it comes to raising children, you wouldn’t be able to offer any support in their upbringing. Besides, your impulsive pursuit of any pretty girl makes me seriously doubt your fidelity in marriage.”

Having summed up, you’re financially mediocre, lacking in intelligence, and unlikely to be faithful in marriage. How could you possibly make me happy?”

The boy’s face turned red with embarrassment, his hand clutching the rose tightened in annoyance.

Of course, he was annoyed. Anyone subjected to such a detailed critique would be infuriated!

Her words were too harsh and merciless. It was simply unnecessary to thrash someone like that just for pursuing her.

But for some reason, she had no intention of letting the boy off the hook and seriously said, “You’re angry, aren’t you? Why? Because I’ve trampled on your masculine pride, or because I’ve burst the bubble of your blissful ignorance?

This goes to show I’m not a good person. You only see a pretty face, unaware of how selfish and sharp-tongued the woman behind it really is. It’s a waste of time for you to chase after me. Your parents paid for you to come here to study, hoping that you would be diligent in your studies, not ridiculously standing at the school entrance being verbally abused by a female student.”

She slipped the card with “I love you” back into the bouquet, let out a light sigh, and said, “Actually, you don’t love me.”

Then she turned and walked away.

The boy watched her leaving, didn’t chase after her, and dejectedly placed the bouquet of roses down before returning to his friends with his head hanging low.

In that group of unruly students, someone’s gaze lingered on her as she left.

Her last words carried a tone of wistfulness, even a touch of sadness.

As if she had always been waiting, waiting for someone in this world to truly love her.