I was knocked unconscious during the college entrance exam, but when I woke up, I was a literary lea

Everyone saw this.

I couldn't help but feel sorry for Liang Shanbo.

Yes.

In that era.

Powerful families held absolute power.

In their minds, the wealthy and the poor are never on the same level.

in fact.

Not only then, but isn't it the same now?

……

Everyone continued reading the diary.

"Liang Shanbo was filled with despair, yet there was nothing he could do, so he became depressed and fell ill."

Before his death, Liang Shanbo instructed his parents: "After I die, please bury me at the crossroads leading to the Ma family." He then died with resentment in his heart, at the young age of just over twenty.

"When Zhu Yingtai heard this, she was heartbroken, but she did not resist. She only made a condition with her father—on the day of her wedding, the sedan chair must pass by Liang Shanbo's grave, and she wanted to pay her respects in person."

……

Seeing this.

Everyone present, including those watching the live stream, was stunned.

Liang Shanbo is dead.

He died silently and without a trace.

He failed to resist.

He became a crushed victim of that era.

……

Netizens sighed.

[Did Liang Shanbo really die like that? My god, Jiang Yedao shows absolutely no mercy!]

[Holy crap, the sweeter it was before, the more agonizing it is now! Liang Shanbo is dead? No resistance? No struggle? Just like that... dead?!]

[I'm stunned. Is Jiang Ye really that ruthless? She even stabbed her own male lead?]

[Waaaaah, after reading the beginning, I thought this was a sweet romance novel, but I never expected the ending to be such a cruel twist!]

[Thinking back to how sweet the interactions between Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai were at the beginning, I really can't accept that Liang Shanbo is dead now.]

【Seriously, you guys really read this novel as a romance novel? Seriously?】

Yes, Jiang Ye is simply using the tragedy of an era to protest against injustice.

……

the other side.

Beijing.

Liu family.

When Liu Zhengguo saw Liang Shanbo's ending, his heart felt as if it had been struck!

He saw his own reflection in this Liang Shanbo.

Not bad.

Isn't Liu Zhengguo just like that "dead" Liang Shanbo?

However, Liang Shanbo's death was only a physical death.

The spirit of Liang Shanbo remains; he has not yielded and still dares to challenge injustice.

But what about Ryu Jung-guk?

He really is "dead".

He was killed by the pressure from his parents, and he was assimilated by the times.

The young Yoo Jung-guk who was willing to give up everything for love and freedom back then has been completely killed by the Yoo Jung-guk of today in his memories.

How tragic... and how lamentable.

……

Let's go back to Jiangzhou.

Everyone stared at the novel in silence, the atmosphere somewhat somber.

They continued watching.

The following section is very short.

Everyone knew that the story had come to an end.

On her wedding day, Zhu Yingtai wore a bright red wedding dress and the bridal sedan chair arrived at Liang Shanbo's tomb.

She stepped off the bridal sedan chair, rushed to the tombstone, and wept bitterly.

Suddenly, dark clouds gathered, thunder roared, and a bolt of lightning cleaved the tomb open, creating a crack.

Without hesitation, Zhu Yingtai leaped into the tomb. Immediately, the tomb entrance closed, the clouds parted, the sun shone down, and a pair of butterflies fluttered out of the tomb, inseparable, and flew away into the distance.

"People say that it was the butterfly that was the soul of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai transformed into, and nothing could ever separate them again."

……

This is the end.

I've finally finished reading this short story.

After reading this story, the audience was somber, and the millions of viewers in the live stream remained silent, with some even shedding tears.

Jiang Ye's story is ultimately a tragedy.

It was a tragedy from beginning to end.

The very first sentence of Jiang Ye's story almost foreshadows its ending.

Eastern Jin Dynasty.

This was the period when powerful clans and aristocratic families flourished to their fullest potential.

It was also a period when class distinctions were most strictly enforced.

……

Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai were nothing more than grains of sand in that era.

They cannot change the people around them.

However, they did not allow themselves to be manipulated by others.

Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai did not live their lives according to the script given to them by their parents and family.

Liang Shanbo died in depression, never bowing to the gentry until his death.

Despite being a woman, Zhu Yingtai still dared to challenge authority!

In her final act of defiance, she jumped into Liang Shanbo's tomb—a silent protest!

An indictment of feudal etiquette!

They never bowed their heads until their deaths.

They gave everything for freedom and for love.

……

Some people say that these two are too stupid.

What is love anyway?

What is freedom anyway?

If it were me, I'd rather cry in a BMW, or be locked up in a luxury mansion with no freedom.

Is this even harder than going to work?

Isn't this just making a fuss over nothing?

……

indeed.

This kind of life, devoid of freedom and love, characterized by control and discipline, is certainly not as arduous as manual labor or pulling a cart.

but.

Nowadays, you can deliver food, drive for Didi, or do manual labor on construction sites.

These are rights that our predecessors fought for.

Otherwise, the vast majority of people in this society would have no right to choose their own career!

Your father was a butcher, and you, your son, your grandson, and your descendants will all be butchers for life!

You are a blacksmith, and your ancestors have always been blacksmiths!

You are a slave, and your children will be slaves for life.

It is precisely because of the predecessors who constantly resisted, struggled, and broke down class barriers, constantly fighting for the freedom and rights of ordinary people!

That's why we are now able to choose all sorts of different lives.

We may not understand them.

But don't slander them.

……

but.

Society will become rigid again.

Just like in Jiang Ye's novel.

"Those who crossed the river first monopolized high-ranking positions and ostracized those who crossed later. The aristocratic families had to win each other over, so marriages were based on matching social status: rich families with rich families, and poor families with poor families."

Today, the phrase "those who crossed the river first" refers to the first batch of people who "got rich first".

I once said that...

The rich should help the poor get rich.

But what is the truth?

Those who get rich first quickly amass wealth and then curry favor with each other, which is why marriages emphasize matching social status—the rich marry the rich, and the poor marry the poor!

For the rich

Money is not their wealth.

The poor are the ones.

Therefore, it is impossible for these wealthy classes to allow ordinary families to marry into their families.

……

Seeing this.

Everyone present remained silent.

Netizens were also pondering this silently.

The group combined Jiang Ye's experiences at the Liu family with the descriptions in this book.

Everyone quickly understood Jiang Ye's intention.

Does Jiang Ye really want to write a romance novel?

of course not.

Jiang Ye used this novel to satirize the current state of society by referencing the extreme aristocratic mentality of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

Liu Zhengguo's so-called "marrying someone of equal social standing".

Isn't this just like what Jiang Ye wrote in his novel: "Those who crossed the river first monopolized the high-ranking positions and ostracized those who crossed the river later"?

The Liu family was among the first to "cross the river".

They crossed the river, not to ferry more people across.

Instead... it forces more people to remain permanently on the other side of the river.

……

At this moment.

People no longer regard "The Butterfly Lovers" as an ordinary love story.

This novel offers a precise and insightful satire of contemporary issues!

One netizen's comment even garnered a million likes in the live stream!

When I was little, my family would have meals together, and the elders would all rush to pay. One uncle said, "I'll pay half first, and you can pay the rest." In the end, he paid for everything. From that moment on, I understood a principle: the person who pays first won't let the others pay.

……

This comment appeared.

The entire live stream chat exploded!!

[Holy crap?! Is this something I can just say?]

[My goodness, Jiang Ye's novels are so insightful!!]

This book... has a high artistic merit.

How tall?

[About one floor high.]

……

Now let's talk about the other side.

Jiangzhou Bridge.

An ambulance with Seoul license plates was parked on the bridge, and the people inside looked anxious.

"How long will this traffic jam last?"

"I'm still waiting to go back to Seoul."

……