I became financially independent right after entering college.

Chapter 131 Unfair Fate
Tan Xuan's dormitory is not very big, with an overall area of ​​about half that of Bai Chou's dormitory. It has a private bathroom and a bunk bed with a desk underneath.

Overall, the decor is quite cozy, and most importantly, it's clean and tidy with no clutter on the bed.

"Are you quite disappointed?" Tan Xuan casually asked Bai Chou, who was looking around.

"What's disappointing?" Bai Chou was slightly taken aback.

"The room was very clean and tidy, unlike in many novels where there are unwashed underwear on the bed and table, and I feel incredibly shy as soon as I walk in..."

Tan Xuan rummaged through drawers and cabinets looking for new shirts and stockings, while joking with Bai Chou in a lighthearted tone.

"Heh." Bai Chou sneered.

"What are you laughing at?" This time it was Tan Xuan's turn to be puzzled.

"Sister Xuan, you don't think I'm some kind of naive puppy who's never been to meat, and that I'll go into heat at the sight of any underwear, do you?"

My buddy has actually eaten meat.

"You and your girlfriend have only known each other for a month, haven't you?" Tan Xuan was very surprised. She didn't expect Bai Chou and Jin Xiaozhou to progress so quickly. Moreover, Jin Xiaozhou didn't seem like the kind of girl who would do anything casually.

“Times have changed.” Bai Chou shrugged. These days, if a boy doesn’t see positive feedback, who would want to waste time playing pretend dating games with you?

“I think it’s not just because of the times, but more because you are an exception…” Tan Xuan seriously discussed with Bai Chou why Bai Chou was able to reach home base so quickly.

Ultimately, it's because Bai Chou is handsome and rich that he has absolute control in the dating market and can quickly advance a relationship from the very beginning.

The progress in the mid-to-late stages may slow down significantly or even stop. If Bai Chou is rational enough at this time, she will end the relationship in time and replace the person with a new one to advance the progress bar.

This, in turn, forces the woman to be less likely to be overly reserved and drag out the relationship in the later stages of dating Bai Chou.

"In short, you are just an exception. I still think that most relationships in this era are slower and more gradual."

Tan Xuan made her conclusion, but then suddenly realized something was wrong and looked at Bai Chou in surprise: "If you think about it this carefully, you're very likely a scumbag, otherwise how could you have succeeded so quickly..."

"We just love each other too much," Bai Chou vowed to defend his reputation to the death.

A mistress doesn't want the mask of being a mistress, and similarly, Bai Chou doesn't want the label of a scumbag. He can do it, but he absolutely cannot admit it.

"maybe."

Tan Xuan promptly stopped the conversation; if it had continued, it wouldn't have been a topic that a counselor and a student should have been discussing.

After a pause, Tan Xuan finally found a new shirt in the closet and said, "I need to change now, shouldn't you..."

"I'll wait for you at the door." Without saying another word, Bai Chou turned and went out, closing the door behind him for Tan Xuan.

At this moment, Tan Xuan was clearly in a state of extreme anxiety. Any flirtatious talk or probing would be irrational and very likely to backfire.

"Oh!"

In the small dormitory, Tan Xuan stared at the closed door, lost in thought. Judging from their conversation on the way, Bai Chou clearly had feelings for her.

It's not about having a strong desire to pursue her or win her over; it's more about a "whatever" attitude, a "whatever" approach.

But now Bai Chou has gone out again after a while, and he hasn't continued to pull her or try to get closer to her. It seems that he really just accompanied her back to her dormitory.

Forget it, if you can't figure it out, don't think about it. Tan Xuan shook her head, took off the white shirt that her mother-in-law had torn apart, changed into a new set of clothes, and touched up her makeup and fixed her hair in front of the vanity mirror...

Bai Chou stood outside the door, casually scrolling through his phone, not dwelling on the image of Tan Xuan changing clothes; he wasn't that lustful yet.

He has two girlfriends now, Kim Hyo-joo and Lee Seol, who are no less attractive than Tan Xuan. It's not that he can't live without Tan Xuan or that he has to win her over.

A few minutes later, Tan Xuan, having quietly changed her clothes, pushed open the door and walked out of the dormitory.

Bai Chou glanced at Tan Xuan. Her pure white shirt was clean and tidy, and the flesh-colored stockings that had been accidentally snagged during the tug-of-war had been replaced with a new pair. Her slightly messy hair had also been tidied up.

Apart from her slightly red eyes, there seemed to be no difference from usual.

"What are you looking at me doing?"

"I didn't expect you to change your clothes and come out so quickly. I thought you would hide in your room... to vent your feelings for a while."

"I'm not that fragile."

Tan Xuan rolled her eyes at Bai Chou, clenched her fists as if to appear strong, then her eyes quickly dimmed, and she sighed, "Or rather, what's the use of me being depressed, collapsing, or crying my eyes out?"
Playing the victim? Who could I possibly be fooling? Who in this world would pity me? I'd probably just be laughed at.

This world is especially cruel to most people; it seems that only a very small number of people can be favored by fate, and Tan Xuan does not consider herself one of them.

She had also cried her heart out, and after witnessing the cruelty of society, she had broken down, feeling sorry for herself, blaming God for his injustice, and confiding in trusted seniors.

Why isn't my dad Li Ka-shing? Why am I the one being sexually harassed by my boss?

In the end, all he got was another beating from society.

Tan Xuan didn't want to cry anymore. What was the use of crying? The world wouldn't give you any more pity just because you were pitiful enough and shed enough tears.

All she could do was swallow her pride and keep going so that others wouldn't laugh at her, until the day she could no longer hold on.

"I think you seem a bit pessimistic." Bai Chou didn't pity Tan Xuan.

"Am I pessimistic? Someone like you, who has grown up in a sweet environment and has never experienced any difficulties, would never understand how hard it is for me, or how cruel the world has been to me."

If you've had a similar experience, you'll be able to empathize with me and understand why I'm so pessimistic. Unfortunately, you haven't.

So you wouldn't understand.

Tan Xuan shook her head, not believing that Bai Chou, as someone favored by the world, would understand her pain.

An ordinary family background, more than ten years of hard study that turned out to be in vain, no matter how hard I try, I'm still stuck on the sidewalk with no way to get a better life, I swallow my pride and work hard but still can't see any hope of getting ahead...

These are things that Bai Chou would never understand.

"While it's true that you can't understand something without experiencing it yourself, you're right. I haven't had similar experiences, so I'm not qualified to empathize with you."

Bai Chou didn't insist on proving he understood Tan Xuan, but instead changed his approach: "I just feel that you're actually one of those favored by the world. At least, the world treats most people more cruelly than it treats you." "Hehehe..."

Tan Xuan laughed, a laugh born of anger: "No, haven't I suffered enough? My family background is ordinary, my education is average, I can't find a good job, my bosses covet me, and I'm inexplicably beaten and smeared."

Am I really the one favored by the world?

"But you're beautiful enough."

Tan Xuan's eyes widened: "Being pretty means being favored by fate?"

"Is not it?"

"I never expected you to be such a shallow person. I'd rather not have this face." Tan Xuan chuckled coldly, once again refreshing her understanding of Bai Chou. She had always thought Bai Chou was the kind of person who was very artistic and romantic.

I didn't expect it to be so superficial.

"But that's just how it is."

Bai Chou tilted her head slightly and said calmly, "An excellent appearance is an innate advantage. It naturally shortens the distance between people and gives you more hidden advantages in interpersonal communication."

You say the world has been cruel to you, but you've never considered that your beautiful face and great figure are something countless people dream of but can never have.

"So, if I weren't pretty enough, or if I didn't have such a good figure, you wouldn't have helped me just now?"

"I'll probably still help, after all, you're my advisor. But if you weren't so pretty, you probably wouldn't have needed to ask that question," Bai Chou replied after a moment's thought.

Tan Xuan sneered and continued, "If I weren't pretty enough, would you still be telling me all this?"

"Absolutely not." Bai Chou shook her head decisively.

Who are you hooking up with?

The relationship between counselors and students isn't really that close. If you're not pretty enough, they'll lend a hand; who the hell has the time or inclination to have a heart-to-heart talk with you?
"Heh, so you were just lustful at first sight." Tan Xuan chuckled coldly.

Bai Chou sighed softly: "I don't understand why you always try to think about problems using deconstructionism. Does that mean your beauty doesn't belong to you?"
Appearance, physique, wealth, ability, social status... are all part of the whole. Why do you insist on separating one part from the whole? Perhaps you are obsessed with proving the importance of one aspect.

I would never... never mind, anyway, I think you're being a bit too hard on yourself.

Baek Chou never considers whether Kim Hyo-joo and Lee Seol like him because he is rich or handsome, nor does he consider whether he could win Kim Hyo-joo's heart if he were poor and unattractive.

Because the answer will inevitably be extremely pessimistic and disappointing.

No money, not handsome, and not particularly good-natured, yet you want to play with high-end features? Give me a break, bro. That only happens in novels and visual novels.

Therefore, Bai Chou never considers these issues. The reality is that he is rich and handsome, and that's enough.

At the same time, Bai Chou also believed that Jin Xiaozhou would never consider whether he liked her because of her soul and personality, or because of her appearance and figure.

Neither Baek Choo nor Kim Hyo-joo would worry unnecessarily.

They all know that they are indeed the ones favored by the world, at least compared to the vast majority of people, and they will not wallow in self-pity, nor will they insist on competing with themselves by separating their advantages and strengths to examine themselves separately.

Tan Xuan thought his carefree optimism stemmed from his literary and artistic background, good family background, idealism, and romanticism, but in reality, Bai Chou's carefree optimism was simply due to his realism.

Tan Xuan was slightly moved and felt that what Bai Chou said made sense, but it was unlikely that she could change her mind in a short time.

If a round of chemotherapy changes my mind, what about my previous self-pity, my previous self-pity, and my previous complaints about the injustice of fate?

Wouldn't that make me look stupid? I would never admit to something like that!
Moreover, this topic is a bit too advanced for counselors and students.

“We seem to have gone a little too deep into the conversation,” Tan Xuan abruptly interrupted, refusing to admit that Bai Chou’s words were not without merit.

It was clear that Tan Xuan seemed determined to go down a dead end, and Bai Chou was helpless. Sometimes it's like this: people are already vaguely aware of their mistakes, or at least realize that they are not absolutely right.

But in order to prove that they are not wrong, they will still be biased and stubbornly stick to one path, getting stuck on a dead end.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore." Bai Chou promptly ended the conversation.

"So, why were you outside the office building just now? I remember it was during class time, right?"

"Didn't you contact me before to say that your application for a startup office had been approved? So I took leave to come see you, intending to have you show me the office that the school approved for me."

I just parked the car and was about to call you when I saw you being torn apart by that old woman.

"That's really a coincidence."

Eager to escape the awkward atmosphere, Tan Xuan roused herself and led Bai Chou toward the office building: "I happen to have some time now. The key is in my office drawer. Come on, I'll take you to get it."

The two walked back towards the office building.

Neither of them said anything more along the way, and Tan Xuan maintained an attitude and expression as if nothing had happened. No matter how bitter life was, they still had to keep going.

"Wow, I never expected Tan Xuan to be this kind of person, actually seducing a married man to be his mistress..."

"Who says otherwise? She told me before that the outside world was too dark, so she went back to school to be a counselor. I never expected it to be such a dark place..."

"I don't think Tan Xuanzhen is that kind of person. She seems quite upright." The voice sounded familiar; it seemed to be the slightly chubby female counselor with glasses.

"Her uprightness? How could she be upright? You all saw what happened downstairs just now. Let me tell you, she's the kind of person who's best at playing the victim and has the deepest mind."

As you just saw, that woman accused Tan Xuan of being a mistress and seducing her boss, and she hit and verbally abused her, as if she wanted to tear her apart on the spot. Tan Xuan didn't fight back at all, she just explained.

Why didn't she fight back? It's because she felt guilty. If she didn't feel guilty, why wouldn't she fight back?

And that student in their major who owns two sports cars and a big villa, as soon as he arrived at Tan Xuan's place, he immediately put on a pitiful act. Who wouldn't feel sorry for him when he saw his delicate and beautiful appearance?

In my opinion, she simply failed to seduce her boss at the company and got beaten up by the boss's wife, which made her realize her mistake and return to school as a counselor. Her goal was to seduce the young rich kids in the school.

Look, didn't she seduce that rich guy in their major? I heard he even has a girlfriend, he's shameless..."

(End of this chapter)