He fiercely criticized the Manchu scholar clique and the twelve emperors of the Qing Dynasty.

The atmosphere inside the suite became unusually focused after the striking contrast in lifestyles we had just witnessed.

The red light on the camera flashed rhythmically in the silence. Lin Jing made a mark on the interview outline with her pen in hand, looked up, and her eyes revealed undisguised approval.

"That's true." Lin Jing took a deep breath and spoke sincerely. "The living conditions we have now were something we couldn't even imagine when we were kids, just ten or twenty years ago. This change happens in our daily lives and is so profound that we even take it for granted."

Zhao Shuyao continued Lin Jing's words, leaning slightly forward and looking directly at Lin Jing instead of at the camera. This posture conveyed sincerity and equality during the conversation.

"So, this brings us back to my point," Zhao Shuyao said calmly. "How enormous is this change in the foundation of life? Just close your eyes and think back, and the answer lies in each person's own memory."

At this point, Zhao Shuyao paused for a second, his brain quickly assessing the appropriate level of his next statement before choosing the most direct approach.

"I really don't understand why so many people still have doubts when faced with such a report card laid out on the table." Zhao Shuyao leaned back on the sofa, spreading his hands. "What I don't understand is, do these people typing on their keyboards online really think they're smarter than those in think tanks who do macroeconomic control?"

Lin Jing did not interrupt him; she knew that Zhao Shuyao was expounding his core cognitive system.

"Or are they confident that by simply changing to a theory they advocate, they can better take care of the food and clothing needs of over a billion people?" Zhao Shuyao shook his head with a smile. "Anyway, I don't believe in such empty promises, and I'm unwilling to believe them."

He suppressed his smile and concluded with utmost seriousness: "Because I am extremely satisfied with our current life, truly satisfied."

After hearing this, Lin Jing leaned back in her chair and nodded with a sigh: "Yes, looking back, what more could we ask for?"

As a journalist, Lin Jing's professional ethics require her not to let her interviewees remain in their comfort zone of "satisfaction." She needs conflict and needs to explore the more acute social pain points of the present.

Lin Jing turned a page of the outline and sat up straight again: "Your sense of satisfaction is very strong, but I've noticed that you're very active online. You've probably seen that many young people your age are complaining about the pressure online."

Lin Jing posed the question: "For example, the persistently high housing prices and the gradually increasing cost of living make many young people feel suffocated. What are your thoughts on this widespread social sentiment?"

Upon hearing the words "housing prices" and "cost of living," Zhao Shuyao picked up the glass water glass on the coffee table. The warmth of the glass traveled through his palm. He didn't answer immediately, but his thoughts quickly drifted back to the scene of his phone call with his mother yesterday evening.

He thought to himself: "Finally, they've hit this societal pain point. If I just follow the grand narrative of the economic cycle, it will not only be dry but also seem like they're out of touch with reality. I need to deconstruct it with the most authentic examples."

Zhao Shuyao put down his water glass: "Actually, I can understand this kind of pressure very well."

His voice softened, carrying a hint of everyday life: "Just yesterday, my mother called me. On the phone, she very seriously planned out things for me: dating, getting married, and buying a house."

Lin Jing's expression changed; this was an excellent micro-level entry point.

"My parents work on construction sites in other cities all year round. My mother told me on the phone that they have saved up some money over the past few years by living frugally, and they can use it to make a down payment for me." Zhao Shuyao looked at Lin Jing calmly. "Of course, this amount of money may not be enough in big cities like Fengtian or Nanjing."

"But in our hometown in northern Jiangsu, it would definitely be enough for a down payment on a house. She has even made plans for the future, saying that after we buy a house, the three of us will pay the mortgage together."

Lin Jing nodded slightly: "This is actually a true reflection of many ordinary families. Parents give everything they have just so that their children can have a foothold in the city."

"Yes." Zhao Shuyao smiled, but there was no helplessness in his smile, only an extremely clear-headed understanding. "However, I refused."

Lin Jing was clearly stunned: "You refused? Why? If you have family support, the pressure of starting out will be much less."

"Because I don't think it's necessary." Zhao Shuyao didn't use any embellishments. "I've always believed that buying a house should be viewed very rationally."

"Unless you absolutely have to buy it, such as needing a place to live immediately before getting married, there's really no need to drain your family's resilience for over a decade just for a concrete shell."

He pointed to himself: "Take myself as an example, I prefer to invest my energy and money in things that can enhance my own value. However, compared to the pressure of buying a house in a big city, I actually can't understand another phenomenon."

Zhao Shuyao steered the conversation to a larger, more silent group: "Let me talk about people from my own village. I really don't understand why so many young people from rural areas who go out to work insist on buying a house in their hometown county seat."

Lin Jing paused slightly in her grip on the pen.

"Think about it," Zhao Shuyao gestured a square in the air with his hands, "They work in factories or construction sites in the south year-round, 365 days a year. They can't even stay in that house they bought in the county town for seven days."

"Even when we go back to our hometown for holidays, we usually stay in the old house in the village. The house in the county town is usually empty."

Looking at the camera, Zhao Shuyao asked the most direct question: "If you can't afford to live there, why bother borrowing money or even taking out a loan to buy it?"

Lin Jing pondered for a moment: "For the sake of face? Or for the sake of the child's future schooling?"

"That's just the surface," Zhao Shuyao said, getting straight to the point. "The deeper reason is that everyone went to the city to buy things, so they felt that if they didn't buy anything, they would be an oddball and would be looked down upon by the people around them."

"This pressure is not based on their real needs, but is a shackle that has been forcibly put around their necks by the outside world."

Lin Jing quickly jotted down "non-needs pressure" on the outline, then looked up and asked, "What about the increased cost of living you mentioned earlier? Many people complain that their monthly salary isn't enough, and they feel they're struggling to make ends meet. Is that also an external constraint?"

Upon hearing this question, a barely perceptible glint of sharpness flashed in Zhao Shuyao's eyes as he quickly reviewed the timeline of smartphone adoption in his mind.

This is not just about answering questions, but also about rescuing the young people watching the show online from a cognitive level.

"Regarding the issue of rising living costs," Zhao Shuyao slowed his speech to ensure each word was clearly conveyed, "I can also feel the normal fluctuations in prices, but what I want to say is that when people look at stress, they must analyze it dialectically."

Lin Jing was puzzled: "How do you make a dialectical point? A bowl of noodles going from ten to fifteen dollars is a real increase in cost. What does that have to do with dialectics?"

Zhao Shuyao shook his head: "Reporter Lin, that's really not the case. I'll give you the simplest way to verify this: go to our rural area, find those elderly people sitting at the village entrance basking in the sun, and ask them if they are under a lot of pressure in life and if their lives are hard."

Zhao Shuyao spread his hands: "They will never complain to you about the pressure of life. They will just smile and tell you that the policies are good now, there are subsidies for farming, pensions when they are old, and the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme for medical treatment. They have food and drink every day and have never lived such a comfortable life in their lives."

Lin Jing reacted quickly and immediately pointed out the difference: "This is different. The older generation has a relatively closed lifestyle. They have lower material desires, do not pursue brands, and do not pursue high-end entertainment. Naturally, they have less pressure."

"Absolutely right!" Zhao Shuyao snapped his fingers, leaned forward, and stared intently at Lin Jing. "Reporter Lin, you just uttered the most crucial four words—'lower desires'."

Withdraw your hands and place them crosswise on your knees.

"Actually, everyone can calm down and think carefully about when this pervasive societal sentiment, which makes all young people feel like they don't have enough money and are under so much pressure that they can't breathe, actually began to erupt."

The suite was so quiet that even the sound of the air conditioner could be clearly heard. Zhao Shuyao didn't let the suspense linger for too long.

"It started a few years ago, after smartphones and mobile internet became widely available," Zhao Shuyao gave a definitive answer.

Lin Jing frowned slightly, seemingly digesting this conclusion that crossed such a vast line of disciplines.

"The development of mobile internet and the emergence of various social platforms and short video apps have indeed greatly enriched and facilitated our lives." Zhao Shuyao analyzed the social phenomenon, "but at the same time, it has also broken down the information barriers that originally existed between different social classes."

He looked at the camera, his tone becoming serious: "Before smartphones, we lived in a relatively narrow physical space. If you were in a village, everyone was farming; if you were in a factory, everyone was earning a fixed salary. You couldn't see how luxurious other people's lives were. Your reference points were your neighbors and colleagues."

"But things are different now." Zhao Shuyao pointed his index finger in mid-air and said, "As long as you turn on your phone screen, big data algorithms will accurately push those so-called 'good life' images to your eyes."

"You earn a monthly salary of three or four thousand yuan, but every day you watch others drive luxury cars worth millions, live in river-view apartments, carry designer bags that you can't afford with several months' salary, and eat at upscale restaurants where one meal costs half a month's worth of your food expenses."

Zhao Shuyao's voice echoed in the suite, carrying a penetrating power that seemed to pierce through the clouds.

"If a young person doesn't develop a strong sense of self and the ability to discern," Zhao Shuyao said, emphasizing each word, "they will develop a serious misconception under this constant bombardment of information."

"He would feel that the kind of life shown on his phone is the norm, while the nine-to-five, meticulously planned life he is living now is a failure and extremely miserable."

Lin Jing gasped. As a seasoned media professional, she keenly sensed the chilling social truth behind Zhao Shuyao's words.

Zhao Shuyao didn't stop, and continued to deliver the final blow: "Once this illusion is formed, their desires will be magnified infinitely. They will try to reach things that are not within their consumption level at all, eat at high-end restaurants for the so-called sense of ritual, and overdraft their credit cards to buy luxury goods for the sake of face."