I am not Ximen Qing.

“When Yu and Ji were born, they passed by their own homes three times without entering, and Confucius praised them. Yan Hui lived in a chaotic world, residing in a humble alley, eating only a single meal and drinking only a gourd of water. Others would find it unbearable, but Yan Hui did not change his joy, and Confucius praised him.”

Mencius said, “Yu and Ji spoke of the same path.”

Yang Yulei lived a simple life, subsisting on a meager meal and a humble dwelling in a poor alley. It was truly difficult; he couldn't resist the temptations. Everyone was buying houses; for the dream of owning a home, ugliness was tolerable. Xi Shi, if she hadn't used her beauty to seduce King Fuchai, wouldn't have become famous. Although she wasn't the ideal woman, she was merely a little overweight. The key was that she was a crucial part of his house-buying plan; a woman's ugliness naturally possesses a different kind of talent.

Yang Yulei's initial dream was to attend the Beijing Film Academy. He had loved art, literature, drama, and film since childhood. However, his parents, in a compromise, suggested he lacked the talent of Marlon Brando; to become an actor or director, he needed not only academic excellence but also a natural acting ability. Yang Yulei was a rational person; getting into a law university was also a good option. Since different companies wouldn't allow him to become an actor or director, he decided to become the CEO of a film and television company. He thought of Song Yu, who was skilled in copywriting. This would save a lot of money and be perfectly suited to a company operating behind the scenes—everything would be seamless.

Regarding his future prospects, he read many biographies, including Lou Gerstner's *The Elephant Can Dance*, Jack Welch's business books, and the works of Zhang Chaoyang, a pioneer of China's new generation of entrepreneurs. He also noted that Alibaba's Taobao and JD.com are gradually gaining influence online. Online stores need perfect products and have many advantages over brick-and-mortar stores, facing customers from all over China and the world. The internet is disrupting many industries with disruptive innovation. While Bezos's Amazon has influenced a large number of Chinese entrepreneurs, it can't compare to American geniuses like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, whose entrepreneurial journeys were already at a ceiling from the start.

Learning from Balzac's entrepreneurial spirit is quite risky; if he were alive today, he would definitely be a billionaire. Let alone France, the Chinese probably read far more of Balzac's works than the French. It's quite a strange phenomenon; *The Human Comedy* only has about a hundred volumes in total. It's truly a great undertaking to have read all of his works completely. Perhaps there are people in China who can do that, but they are few and far between. How many people in China can understand Einstein's theory of relativity? Let me name at least ten. This analogy is used to illustrate that, despite constantly mentioning Balzac, Hugo, Lu Xun, and Lao She, they are all the same. And don't even mention Shakespeare, or even the Sorrows of Godfrey de Wit—it's truly moving.

The green space seemed to represent the thoughts of women today, and suddenly inspiration struck. I decided to put my graduation thesis on hold; I was originally planning to pursue postgraduate studies, but further research would turn me into a philosopher. I'll start with what's around me: a real-life Journey to the West, a real-life Water Margin, a real-life Jin Ping Mei, a real-life Dream of the Red Chamber, and maybe even read about Liu Rushi, the wife of Chen Yinque. These are all more practical than writing realistic novels.

The reinterpretation of classic works, with the changes in human nature from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties to the present day, are negligible. Song Yu called to tell him that the company had already paid a 30% down payment, approximately 300,000 yuan. Once the bank loan was approved and the move-in procedures were completed, plus the messy renovations, it would take about two months to move from the New Chang'an Building in Wangfujing to the Tianchuang Building in the Asian Games Village. They would also set up an engineering department. Song Yu's father, a former manager of a construction and decoration company, was now one of China's first professional stock investors. Influenced by his father, Song Yu also opened a stock trading account, just to earn some pocket money and make renting a car easier.

Yang Yulei joked that after the project was finished, he wouldn't buy a house and would instead have Song Yu buy him a minivan. Song Yu replied that they had already agreed that he should buy the house first, but warned him to think carefully before making the purchase, as the monthly mortgage payment of 8,000 yuan would be substantial. However, the house was large, over 140 square meters, and surrounded by excellent commercial facilities, including bathhouses, massage parlors, saunas, bars, and numerous KTVs and entertainment venues downstairs.

Yang Yulei admires the "Liangfu Yin" poem, feigning elegance. If he had been born in Langya instead of Langfang, his ambitions would have been far greater. Now, he too must humble himself and work diligently for the Dragon Mother. It's almost impossible for modern people to carry a load of food along a single path without wavering in their hearts and find joy in it. This is because our relatives and friends have evolved to be far more inhumane than those of Zhang Yi and Su Qin in the Warring States period. The reason humans have become like beasts is the bottomless pit of unfathomable desire; this, too, can be seen as another form of redemption.

Friends jokingly say he has the spirit of the Wei and Jin dynasties, valuing the essence of nature rather than the superficial appearance that masks reality. Even Song Yu (a famous Chinese poet) admires his unique aesthetic sense and is more than willing to support Yang Yulei's down payment plan for a house. He particularly loves Wanshou Temple, especially taking a boat from Zizhuyuan Park to it, not to the Summer Palace. He says the Summer Palace is inferior to the Old Summer Palace, which is a bit too profound. As for Wanshou Temple, it's all in the books. As for the Temple of Earth, it's all in the books.

But love wasn't as simple as he imagined. The ugly woman was more clingy than the beautiful woman, afraid that he, this handsome guy, would slip away from her. After finally winning him over, she regarded him as a part of herself.

"Love needs freshness, so love needs distance, and we need distance."

"Yu Lei, I can't live without you for even a day. I can't sleep, eat, or work properly without you."

"Alright, get some rest. You have to work tomorrow, don't you? You're a proper office worker, so do your job properly. You're different from me. Be good and listen to me."

"Yu Lei, I'm pregnant. Are you happy? So..."

"Wait a minute, she got pregnant on the first try? That's terrifying."

“What are you afraid of, Yu Lei? I’m not afraid at all. You don’t need to buy the house. In eight or nine months, you’ll be a father.”

"Where are you now that you're a dad?"

"Yu Lei, haven't you recognized it yet? It's at the entrance of the residential area."

Yang Yulei opened the window. Indeed, her figure was quite unconventional. This was also why Yang Yulei was so impressed; he was a gentleman from the Book of Songs. He took a deep drag of his cigarette to calm himself. This was terrifying. She hadn't even settled down yet, and she was about to become a father. This wouldn't do. He had to make her abort, no matter what. She had just started working at such a good company. Their relationship hadn't even begun to develop, and it was already so obvious. What was this? This was too horrible. He'd have to postpone his work until dawn.

The novels *Jin Ping Mei* and *Dream of the Red Chamber* depict the cruelty towards new life. You Erjie's child was aborted by Physician Hu, Li Ping'er's lover Guan Ge was terrified by Pan Jinlian's femme fatale, and many beautiful women were unable to conceive. In contrast, modern people can get pregnant easily and have abortions at hospitals—and abortion can solve the problem.