Chapter Nine

As it turned out, Bai Xueshui persevered, and the young girl succeeded.

There is a lesson here: never utter the word "defeat." What is success? It is the state of truly never speaking of defeat.

Was Leng Tiantian’s story then complete? Was there anything left to be desired? Was she truly satisfied? No. She felt there was something she still needed to do. She felt she had to make it clear to him that she could not stop here. She could not abandon her ideals, for she was meant to fly. She knew she could not stop here, because this was the only way.

Good things are always difficult to achieve, though what is difficult is not necessarily good. How should one understand this? If you wish to love, you must give without expectation; this is the law.

The young girl loved him dearly. "Liu Shidong, I love you so much; please, do not let me down. I truly love you. Why are you like this?"

"Because I cannot explain it."

"What is there that you cannot explain? Just say it."

"This is what I think of you..."

"I understand."

The young girl went to a mysterious place, the "Widow’s Village," and there she began a life of self-study. Self-study examinations are a true test of one's perseverance. She was incredibly tenacious, as if nothing could sway her. Her willpower was exceptionally strong; she had a dream: to wear a doctoral cap.

Chapter Nine

The young girl had finally found her rhythm—a feeling of deep satisfaction. How to describe it? It was simply grand. Every day she pushed forward with all her might. In truth, only she knew how much she suffered. Looking at her tattered clothes and disheveled appearance, she wondered if she should take a bath. No, she wanted to study a little longer. She would read until dawn, read until dusk, and read until dawn again—that was who she was. She was prepared for death, for that was how she felt.

In truth, the self-study exams were grueling. She swore a solemn oath that she would obtain a bachelor’s degree; that was her path. She studied in her own way: every page, every word, she read with intense concentration, terrified of missing anything. "I will study this line, this word, with total focus until the very last moment of my life." She made her vow: "Though I may not be particularly talented, I will work hard. This is my nature, my pursuit, and my everything. Why? Because 'everything' is simply persistence. It is simple."

"What am I saying? What am I saying? Why do I not understand this? I will die."

"I have finished the exams! I love it. Keep going."

"Why do I love learning so much? Because that is just who I am."

"Even though I passed, and the results were decent, I must continue to study. I cannot stop, I will not stop, I shall never stop, because I will never cease."

Finally, the young girl graduated from junior college. Clutching her brand-new diploma, she said, "It is so beautiful. This is my lifeline." She ran to a restaurant and ordered a feast—scrambled eggs with tomatoes, mixed noodles—she loved eating like this. She had finally improved her life; it had not been easy.

"Is it real? Is it really true? I can hardly believe it."

Since her graduation, the young girl had been incredibly happy. Her entire demeanor changed—she became magnanimous, free-spirited, and truly celebratory.

However, an event occurred that changed everything. How to put it? It was her own doing. Why on earth did she bother with a website? That thing was tricky; ordinary people aren't good at handling it. Only a zealot could succeed, and she was, if nothing else, stubborn. She refused to admit defeat, and why? Because of her stubbornness. But she truly wasn't succeeding; no one was visiting the site.

"What should I do? It should work. I feel it can work."

She sought out Liu Shidong and asked him to join her, but she was rejected. He no longer loved her and had found someone new. The young girl did not understand, for she was still young.

They talked for a long time.

"What are you thinking, living like this? This is not a good path."

"Is it because I refuse to admit defeat?"

"Who is forcing you? Look at yourself, are you not just making things difficult for yourself?"

"I don't want to explain. Why should I explain?"

"Let me ask you one thing: do you understand e-commerce?"

"No!"

"If you don't understand it, then keep your mouth shut and don't touch it."

The young girl felt she was capable—truly. She could not stop for a single moment, because everyone was saying something different, mostly that she was incapable. "I won't accept that," she thought. I came to persuade her to turn back.

"Can my appearance change reality? You cannot continue this. It was not easy for you to save that money."

"That is none of your business."

"It is not that. Look at yourself, can this really work?"

"I am not wrong. That is all."

After everyone's attempts to dissuade her failed, she spoke: "I am not wrong; therefore, I am right."

Applause suddenly erupted. It turned out the first to clap was Liu Shidong. "We agree! Look, you must work hard and keep going!"

"We are proud of you. What a difficult website to manage—you are essentially risking your life. Look at how well you have done; we are all impressed."

"I am sorry, I am sorry. Thank you for your concern."

"Although I am a small person, I dare to fight and struggle. I dare to risk my life. Do not underestimate me."

The young girl was steadfast, for she believed in herself. In truth, that was enough—that was confidence. To many, the young girl was just an ordinary person with nothing extraordinary about her. But in reality, that was not the case.

Her website finally made a breakthrough. How did she do it? It was difficult to understand, because she had succeeded. In the past, she worked for others; now, she was the boss. In truth, she was very happy. As for Liu Shidong, she had already let him go, because of Hao.

Hao was an MBA graduate, highly skilled in management. Just as the young girl needed him, she hired him with an annual salary of 200,000. He felt it was a good opportunity and played his trump card. What was his trump card? It was his total devotion—and the young girl’s total devotion to him.

This was success!

The story, however, needed to continue. How would it proceed? I will write it well, for the story has just begun. The young girl was very clever; she could hardly believe in herself. I still admire her. A person, alone and without support, could hold up such a massive enterprise. It was quite grand, at least that is what I think.

I asked her about it, and she said it was nothing.

"Then, whom do you love?"

"Myself."

"Not Liu Shidong?"

"When I was at my most difficult... never mind."

Hao was a talented man, known as the "young marshal of management." He was handsome and knew how to handle affairs. Taking this matter alone was enough to please Leng Tiantian. But, of course, he had his own ideas, which were nothing more than money. He infiltrated the deep layers of management to obtain trade secrets. This Miss Leng could not be broken—there was a whole billion at stake. "No, it must all belong to me. I am certain of it."

Leng Tiantian continued to expand, preparing to make things even better. However, she still lacked life experience and worldly wisdom, and she trusted Hao too much.

After she got drunk, Hao tricked her into revealing the safe's password and then took action. The result was smooth; no one investigated, and he walked away with a billion. Such an event was too sudden. The young girl collapsed. She did not know what to do; she was furious to the point of death.

So, she decided to jump into the river. "Yes, I still have family, but I have given up. Please do not think of me in the future; I am a failure. Especially you, my dear sister, you must live well."

She stared at the lake, lost in thought. "I am leaving, my dear family. If you think I am clinging to anything... haha. I am truly... hey!"

But suddenly, she had a flash of inspiration. She turned and walked away without looking back. "You want me to die, don't you? Fine."

And so, her revenge began. She brewed everything, for her power far exceeded everything else. She could control all wealth, let alone a mere billion. She simply made a phone call, and everything was overturned. She was formidable—truly formidable.

Her story was one of immense strength, the kind that never ceased. She decided to keep learning forever. Let us watch her learn forever. The story is just like this; there is nothing strange about it. She was truly great and she achieved it, or so she lived.

"How is this problem solved? I truly do not know."

"Hmm, prick yourself. That is your fate."

Finally, she understood. After countless winters and summers, she finally smiled. She had even forgotten how to smile. Let us pay tribute to this great person, for she successfully obtained her bachelor's degree. Leng Tiantian’s story is clear: hard work leads to success.

Now, a troublesome situation has arisen. Many men have come to propose, saying that because of her degree, they will marry no one else. She was unprepared and fell into a web of conspiracy.

Hao loved her dearly and often sought her counsel. Liu Shidong also praised her enterprise, noting that her water sales led the world, especially abroad, where the young girl could speak fluent English. She had great prestige; it was no empty claim. Her English sounded good, and her teachers praised her as a hardworking student.

What is a conspiracy? It is a matter that cannot be any larger. The factory’s efficiency was unexpectedly high; it was truly a massive success. Everything was in order, and production was in a state of urgent progress. This was an effort that could uproot mountains and cover the world.

Faced with so many suitors, the young girl was dazzled. She wanted to know who could truly be worthy of her. "My standards are high."

"No problem, no need to say more."

"Then I am truly... oh, my dears, you are all my dear ones."

Liu Shidong attacked first, vowing to die to prove his sincerity. Hao pressed her relentlessly, and the others did the same.

"We are willing to die. If you do not want us, we will all go to our deaths."

"Fine, fine, fine. I want all of you."

"We are willing to die. If you do not want us, we will all go to our deaths."

"Can you only pick one?"

"Oh! My dears, my dears."

And so, a tug-of-war, a protracted war, a war of flight, had begun.