Chapter 37: I Like You Just the Way You Are Now

Zhuo Hui cast a glance toward the production team. In truth, she had plenty of ways to seize control of the situation, but she chose not to break the atmosphere; it was the reason she was there, and she was being paid for this very performance.

She knew clearly that she was not there to solve problems, but to expose them.

It was evident that Chen Linye’s answer had left Pan Yun dissatisfied; otherwise, she would not have lost her composure so completely.

Feeling that it was enough, Zhuo Hui asked the final question for this couple: "Who among you do you feel is more dependent on the other?"

Chen Linye pointed to himself cautiously. Pan Yun was stunned for a moment, then leaned back into her chair, slowly relaxing as tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, though the meaning of those tears remained ambiguous.

Zhuo Hui summarized, "You both need to take this seriously. It’s not that you have no problems; in fact, you are truly only one step away. From my perspective, your core issue is not a lack of understanding of each other, but a lack of understanding of yourselves. It is good that you haven't chosen divorce, but you cannot define the outcome before doing the work. Otherwise, you will never resolve your issues. You must first dissect yourselves, then provide each other with an instruction manual for living together. Marriage cannot be sustained by how much you love one another alone."

With that, Zhuo Hui slid her chair to the far right, seating herself opposite Xu Shujian and Song Yue.

She smiled and asked directly, "What about you two? Assuming your life satisfaction is one hundred points, how would you divide it?"

Xu Shujian and Song Yue exchanged glances, both seemingly waiting for the other to speak first.

In truth, Xu Shujian had not been fully immersed in the conflict between Pan Yun and Chen Linye. Pan Yun’s reactions were too exaggerated; Xu Shujian had even noticed Zhang Qidong frowning in thought.

This nearly made him laugh out loud. Clearly, from this moment on, Pan Yun and Chen Linye were truly letting their conflicts erupt, with an intensity that hinted at surpassing that of Yu Hui and Huang Lingling from the first session.

Seeing that Song Yue remained silent, Xu Shujian looked at Zhuo Hui and replied, "If I were to apply this question to myself, I would divide it into two stages. Before coming here, it would have been fifty percent for my career, forty percent for my marriage, and ten percent for family and friends."

"Could you elaborate on those stages?" Zhuo Hui asked.

Xu Shujian nodded. He felt this was an opportunity. After glancing at Song Yue, he continued, "You can probably understand the fifty percent for my career. Before the age of twenty-two, I was very satisfied with myself, so I gave it fifty points. I gave my marriage forty points, not because I was dissatisfied with the marriage itself, but because I felt I had put in a great deal of effort without reaching the state I expected. I also didn’t seem to have any particularly good friends. As for family, my mother passed away a long time ago, and my father lives much more freely than I do. Whenever I call him, he complains that I’m nagging. If I say too much, he snaps at me, telling me that since I can’t even manage my own life, I shouldn't be worrying about his."

"And the other stage?" Zhuo Hui prompted.

"Since coming here—or rather, since deciding to come here—my concept of 'self' now occupies ninety percent of those hundred points, with the remaining ten percent still going to family."

Zhuo Hui glanced at Song Yue and nodded, saying, "So, you have completely excluded the concept of marriage now?"

Xu Shujian nodded. "Yes."

Zhuo Hui smiled and said softly, "I see. That explains why you have chosen 'divorce' on every card. However, there is something you might not know. On yesterday’s card, Xiao Song chose 'not to divorce.' She also wrote a very long passage. I remember it roughly; let me read it to you."

"'Qionghai is beautiful, or perhaps at this moment, any scenery I see feels beautiful. It seems I have missed a lot of scenery. Old Xu said that after finally jumping out of a cage, why dive back into another? That sentence, to me, applies just as much to myself. It’s just that his cage was constructed by me, and my cage was built by my own hands. I wanted to push him out of my cage, yet unknowingly, he was also pulling me out of mine. I have truly felt my own changes. Sister Xiaoxian said I was hesitant; it would be more accurate to say I have gained a few more expectations. I seem to have been trying to confirm one thing: that separating from Old Xu would not be a regret. Now it seems, the regret has already been formed, but it is certainly not the result of divorce. Rather, the regret lies in the fact that his changes happened right under my nose, yet I failed to see them. He had actually become the person I was hoping for long ago.'"

After finishing the passage, Zhuo Hui did not look at Xu Shujian or Song Yue first, but turned to the group. "I am particularly curious: is Shujian’s change that significant? Do you share this difference in perception? Or perhaps you hadn't interacted with him before? In your eyes, what kind of person is the Shujian sitting here right now?"

Once the question was posed, everyone except Zhang Qidong reacted—some raised their hands, while others stated directly that the change was immense.

Zhuo Hui looked at Lin Xiaoxian, who had been quiet. "Xiaoxian, what do you think?"

Lin Xiaoxian looked at Xu Shujian and smiled. "I’ve never met him in person, but I’ve known of him for a long time. My most recent impression came from seeing their old stage performances on TikTok. I even tried to film a video imitating him, but I couldn't capture the essence, so I never posted it. My previous perception of him was that he was a positive, professional idol, the kind who was bold and decisive. But after arriving here, I discovered he is an incredibly sensitive person, and one who expresses himself very little. This sensitivity isn't about his emotions, but about his perception and awareness of the states of others."

Yu Hui chimed in enthusiastically, "Exactly! Master Zhuo, you don’t know—he only spent two days interacting with Lingling and me, and he was able to write a beautiful song from our perspective that hit our conflicts right on the head."

Huang Lingling nodded as well. "Yes, and he is a very kind person. We had a segment called 'Zero-Point Moments,' where we used photos to recreate conflicts from our daily lives. I was very uncomfortable during that segment, so I confided in Sister Yue and Xu Shujian. He said he would help me, and that very night, he produced that song."

Lin Xiaoxian added, "He has also been helping Qidong and me identify our own conflicts."

Chen Linye nodded in firm agreement. "I was also quite uncomfortable during that 'Zero-Point Moments' segment. I felt I couldn't express myself clearly, but it seems Shujian was the only one present who noticed. He offered me many cues that I only realized in hindsight. I used to think he was the kind of person who was thick-skinned and self-absorbed. After getting to know him, I found the contrast quite striking."

Zhuo Hui had not expected much from their answers, but the flood of feedback was so significant that she looked at Xu Shujian with newfound surprise.

She had encountered him before; she had a memory for those at the top of their respective fields. After meeting him at the Spring Festival Gala, she had followed his career until he got married and retired from the industry, at which point she stopped paying attention.

The Xu Shujian of that time was lively and full of energy.

Today, however, his first response had been a display of reserve so profound it felt almost shy, accompanied by a polite, "You flatter me."

Zhuo Hui had sensed the contrast earlier.

Deeply aware of the weight behind these changes, she empathized with him through a moment of reflection and said softly, "I can feel it too. I have truly met him before, but Shujian, I still want to tell you what I said earlier: everything is the best arrangement. I like the person you are now."