I'll give my daughter one more second.

"I think I understand the situation. I'm guessing you wanted to leave quietly by yourself because you felt out of place with everyone?"

Wu Ma's eyes gleamed with wisdom, as if she had already seen through everything.

"No, that's not how it is..."

"As someone who's been there, I have to say something. It's best to change your arrogant personality. If I had been arrogant back then, I would never have been able to beat those bitches around my child's father," Wu's mother said earnestly.

What exactly did Wu Shen's mother go through when she was young? Eriri thought to herself.

"Wu Shen's father, was he very popular back then?" Eriri asked curiously.

"The man I've set my sights on will definitely be very popular. If I had to make a comparison, he'd probably be just as popular as my son is now," Aunt Wu said cheerfully.

This metaphor is so vivid; it immediately makes it clear just how popular Mr. Wu is.

"It's just that the child's father has always been engrossed in studying and research, ignoring everything around him. It's actually quite strange; from what I've observed, he's definitely not the blockhead type," Wu's mother murmured to herself.

"Haha, that is indeed quite strange... Well, I have something to do, I'll be going now..."

Eriri was afraid that if she continued talking to Aunt Wu, she would miss the best opportunity to escape, so she said goodbye and turned to leave.

"Do I really have to leave without saying goodbye? Actually, I don't want to feel out of place and naturally integrate into the group. I have a great idea."

Eriri, who was about to turn the doorknob, heard these words and her twin tails swayed slightly before she turned around.

"really?"

“Of course. The reason you can’t fit in is actually quite simple. It’s because everyone in the group is my daughter-in-law, and people who aren’t my daughters-in-law naturally can’t join the conversation. So as long as you become a daughter-in-law, I guarantee you’ll be able to fit in instantly.” Aunt Wu said, giving a thumbs up.

Eriri was speechless for a moment.

"Oh, right, these are some computer parts I concocted. Just sneak them into your son's drink, and I guarantee they'll set him ablaze with desire! I don't tell just anyone this!" Aunt Wu whispered in Yingli's ear.

"How can anyone treat their own son like this?!" Eriri stared in disbelief as she looked at the small bottle that Aunt Wu had shoved into her hand.

"Um... I don't actually like Wu Shen. Rather, I came here to help my friend get rid of Wu Shen..." Eriri scratched her head and confessed.

"It's okay, it's okay. If things go according to plan, people who do this are just digging their own graves, and they'll definitely end up like their best friend."

What you said makes so much sense, I'm speechless. Eriri covered her face and rubbed her forehead.

"How could that be? I hate that guy more than I can bear to look at him." Eriri pouted.

Saying she disliked him was just talk. Knowing the whole story, honestly, she couldn't even muster the feeling of dislike anymore.

She has no right to criticize others who are striving for their future daughters.

The psychological phenomenon caused by the stark contrast between disliking someone and suddenly realizing that you don't actually dislike them is quite fascinating.

A sudden shift from negative to zero or slightly positive sensory experiences can create a misconception similar to the suspension bridge phenomenon.

Jumping from 0 to 60 favorability points makes it easier to gain favor, and jumping from -50 to 10 favorability points also makes it easier to gain favor.

If things continued like this, Eriri felt she might actually fall for Wu Shen because of some kind of "flag" incident. However, seeing so many daughters and their partners brought her back to reality from her confused illusions.

“I don’t think you hate my son,” Aunt Wu said with a smile.

In her view, when someone starts to care about another person in a positive way, she is not far from being captured.

"Is that so?" Eriri turned her head away guiltily.

There's a saying that's popular these days: the opposite of liking isn't disliking, but rather indifference and apathy.

“Ah…that’s a pretty popular way of saying things.” Eriri nodded.

"Things you don't care about, in other words, you don't understand them either, right? It's precisely because you don't understand them that you can't give them a negative or positive evaluation. For example, if I told you now that there is a creature in this world called 'Qiongqi,' could you say whether you hate it or like it?"

"Well, it seems impossible to make a judgment. At most, the name just feels a bit strange."

"If I were to tell you now that Qiongqi is a vicious beast that, upon seeing people fighting, will devour the righteous party, and upon hearing of someone's loyalty and honesty, will bite off that person's nose, and upon hearing of someone's wickedness, will hunt and kill wild animals as offerings, would you like or dislike it now?"

"Ugh." Eriri didn't hesitate this time.

“See? Only by having some understanding, even if it’s just hearsay, can you have the information to judge whether you like or dislike something. How could the opposite of liking something be indifference or not caring? If we follow the original logic, then the opposite of disliking something would also be indifference.” Aunt Wu sighed deeply.

"The opposite of deep love is inevitably hatred, and the opposite of liking is definitely dislike. In other words, if you don't dislike something, then you must like it!"

While Wu Ma was giving a serious analysis in the first half of her sentence, she started using her daughter-in-law's deceptive tactics in the second half.

All this nonsense was just a ploy to lure a new daughter-in-law.

Hmm...that makes some sense? Eriri looked completely bewildered.

"Mrs. Wu Shen, I'll study these philosophical questions when I get back. I'd better go now." Eriri felt confused and her thoughts were all jumbled up. She decided to go back and sort out her thoughts first.

Seeing that Eriri was determined to leave, Aunt Wu did not continue to obstruct her.

But just as she opened the door a crack, a familiar voice from the little girl suddenly came from behind her: "Is Eriri-neechan really leaving? I bet you, Eriri-neechan, you'll definitely regret it in the future if you give up this opportunity."

"Why are you so sure?" Eriri turned around in annoyance, just in time to see a green-haired loli floating in front of her.

The one who stopped Eriri from leaving was Sanae's daughter, Mirin.

"Because I come from the future." Wei Ling confidently shook her little body.

"Surprisingly convincing..." Eriri opened her mouth but found she couldn't refute anything, so she could only helplessly complain.

"Then why did you stop me? I remember you're the future daughter of Dongfeng Valley, right?" Eriri asked suspiciously.

"To be honest, it was actually my future sister Eriri who asked me to do this."

Why would my future self do this?

"Hey, still don't get it? Of course it's because future Eriri regrets what she's doing now. That's why she wants to take this opportunity to make amends."

"I don't think I'll regret what happened today in the future... Besides, even if I wanted to make amends, it's too late now, isn't it? I don't have a daughter, and I don't have any memories of the future. I'm neither a winner nor a loser in life," Eriri said hesitantly.

"No, there's something I didn't mention. It was originally intended as a last-ditch backup energy source for self-sacrifice in an emergency. But Mom was one step ahead and already secured my birth, so that plan was no longer needed..."

Just then, Yun Ying suddenly jumped out from the gap in the ceiling, came to Eriri's side, and said with a slight apology.

"Backup energy?" Eriri asked, a few question marks appearing above her head.

I remember Wu Shen explaining before that the future memories of the "loser dogs" seemed to be the energy Yun Ying used to carry out her self-annihilation plan. The reason that dream just now occurred was to retrieve everyone's future memories.

"Eri-neechan is actually a loser too. To be precise, she's not really a loser, because Eriri-neechan withdrew from the competition on her own initiative."

"If I don't give up, there's still hope for victory?" Eriri's eyes lit up.

"No." Yun Ying shook her head decisively.

"...Does it have to be this realistic?" Eriri looked miserable and slumped to the ground.

"Speaking of which, if I'm a loser, who is the winner in life for me?"

According to what I just heard from Wu Shen, there are potential rivalries between Yukari and Sanae, Yukino and Yui, Utaha and Yumiko, and Haruno and Hirazuka-sensei.

If I consider myself a loser, then I must have an opposing side.

"..." Yun Ying remained silent, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Please don't tell me that I'm the kind of person who gets rejected even though I have no rivals." Eriri suddenly thought of a terrible possibility.

"That's not the case. In the possibilities I've observed, Eriri-neechan corresponds to Mashiro-neechan."

"Eri-nee returns to Japan during the exhibition to visit her friend Mashiro. She discovers that Mashiro is being cared for by her father. To prevent Mashiro from being deceived by bad people, Eriri-nee begins to investigate her father. The general process is not much different from what happens in this world."

"And then I betrayed them just like Nanami!?" Eriri looked incredulous.

"Yes." Yun Ying nodded cutely.

"This doesn't make sense! What happened next?"

"It's a bit cumbersome to describe it in words; it's better to experience it for yourself." Yun Ying said, pulling a ball of golden light from under her purple dress.

"This is Eriri-neechan's future memory as a 'loser' (a woman who loses her boyfriend). If you use it, you can understand everything that happened. If you don't use it, it's okay to leave like this. Whether you want this memory or not is up to you, Eriri-neechan."

Yun Ying took small, quick steps to Eriri, picked up the ball of golden light, and held it high above her head.

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[This chapter has 3000 words; the remaining 1000 words will be added today, lol]

Chapter 1031 I'll Conquer Myself

"This...this is my future memory? I never thought there would actually be something so surreal."

Eriri took a few steps back and bent down to look at the ball of light in Yunying's hand.

It has no substance, no weight, it is just a simple ball of light gathered together, and through the surface of the light, Eriri can vaguely see many images of her own reflection reflected inside.

"Eri-neechan, please make a decision quickly, my little belly can't resist the temptation for long."

Yun Ying blushed and looked up at the ball of light she was holding, a hint of childlike sweetness oozing from the corner of her mouth.

"A memory from the future?" Eriri stared blankly at the ball of light in Yunying's hand, a look of bewilderment on her face.

She subconsciously looked at Wei Ling and Aunt Wu.

"Don't look at me. I only came here at the request of future Eriri-neechan. I've said everything I need to say. The decision is yours, Eriri-neechan."

"Ahem, although I've said so much before, in the end it still depends on your own choice. Another point is that the reason you feel out of place is mainly because you're not familiar with everyone, right?" Aunt Wu analyzed seriously.

"Ah...it seems that's true." Eriri said, embarrassed.

Of all these people, besides Mashiro, the only one she had relatively close contact with was Wu Shen, and she always spoke to him with an air of dislike. She had very little contact with anyone else. It would be a miracle if she could even fit into the group.

And can that really be called a circle? It feels like a battlefield where everyone occupies their own territory and argues amongst themselves. Rather than a circle, it's more like a Three Kingdoms-like struggle for supremacy.

Why did I even want to get involved in this chaotic situation? Did I lose my mind? Eriri started to berate herself.

Now, I no longer misunderstand Wu Shen as I did before. After hearing the whole story, I even admire him a little. But to say that I harbor romantic feelings for him is still far from enough.

Was it because she didn't understand him well enough that she judged Wu Shen with prejudice before? Eriri analyzed to herself.

If I could see the memories of the future, would I be able to understand Wu Shen better?

No, no, no, why do I have to know about Wu Shen? Eriri shook her head violently, her golden twin tails swaying back and forth.

"I have a question. Does using future memories necessarily mean I'll turn into Wu Shen's shape?"

"Daddy's shape?" Yun Ying tilted her head cutely, blinked her eyes, and couldn't understand what Eriri was talking about.