“What’s going on between you and Lu Sui?” Liu Lewei asked Wu Mangmang, restraining her temper.

Wu Mangmang covered the phone and looked at her roommates, then rolled over and got out of bed to go to the balcony. “We broke up.”

“Why did you break up?” Liu Lewei asked with a questioning tone.

“Just not suitable for each other,” Wu Mangmang answered casually.

This nearly angered Boss Wu and Ms. Liu to death on the other end of the line.

“I think you’ve been spoiled and are throwing tantrums now, aren’t you? Now you’ve shot yourself in the foot – does it hurt?” Boss Wu’s voice came through the phone.

So they had it on speaker.

“Who do you think you are? Is there anyone else in this world who would indulge your bad behavior like your mother and I do? Now you go apologize to Lu Sui immediately,” Boss Wu commanded in the tone of a family patriarch.

“Apologizing won’t help, and besides, I have nothing to apologize for. I broke up with him completely – it’s absolutely impossible now,” Wu Mangmang said.

“You don’t understand anything. Are you brain-dead? You’re arguing with me now, but you’ll have plenty to cry about later,” Boss Wu said, so angry he was spitting.

“Isn’t it all about money? I wasn’t counting on finding a rich man anyway. I just wanted…” Wu Mangmang’s consciousness was still at the stage of being satisfied with love alone.

Boss Wu and Ms. Liu clearly understood Wu Mangmang’s implication.

“You’ve grown up, gotten too big for your britches, haven’t you? Don’t want to find a rich man? That’s because you have your old man behind you making money for you. Since you’re so capable, from now on you can rely on yourself. Don’t come begging to your mother and me,” Wu Song said, throwing his phone onto the table with a “snap” and cursing “idiot.”

Three days later, Wu Mangmang received another call from Ms. Liu, telling her to come back and transfer ownership of the luxury house on Qiming Road.

That was originally compensation from Boss Wu and Ms. Liu to Wu Mangmang when they had just reconciled, promised as a dowry and put under her name. But now Boss Wu wanted to take it back.

Before Wu Mangmang could speak, she heard Wu Song say, “Wu Mangmang, if you have any backbone at all, come back and transfer the house. Don’t you look down on money? Then go be noble on your own, and don’t let your dad’s vulgar money smell contaminate you.”

Wu Mangmang held the phone without speaking. A child doesn’t despise their mother’s ugliness – she had never despised her father’s money obsession. Otherwise, she couldn’t have had such a comfortable life. But in heated arguments, harsh words inevitably come out.

But Boss Wu wouldn’t listen to Wu Mangmang’s explanations at all and hung up viciously.

Wu Mangmang had to book plane tickets, but then realized her financial support would definitely be completely cut off. She still had some money to pay tuition, but she’d have to economize in other areas.

As for the money from selling the car, back then she had been dumped by Lu Sui, so using it felt justified. But now that her noble streak was acting up, using that money would feel somewhat cheap.

But returning the money to Lu Sui might anger him even more. One can’t be too absolute in dealing with people and situations.

Wu Mangmang sighed and instead booked train tickets, discovering that high-speed rail was actually quite comfortable and the journey wasn’t long.

The transfer procedures went smoothly – Boss Wu had already arranged the process.

“Pack up your things quickly. I’ve already found a buyer for the house,” Wu Song said.

Wu Mangmang said “Oh” and spent several consecutive days immersed in packing.

At A University, she shared a dorm room with three other girls, and space was very limited, so Wu Mangmang simply rented a storage unit and packed everything there.

She stayed at Banshan these days, and Boss Wu didn’t give her a single pleasant look.

In the evening, Wu Song came home drunk, and Liu Lewei helped him to bed, bringing him honey water to drink. “You’re being too harsh with Mangmang. She must be feeling bad inside too.”

“Stop spoiling her – she’s been spoiled rotten. She simply hasn’t grown up. She thinks we’re too materialistic; I think she’s too naive. This time I must teach her a hard lesson,” Wu Song said.

“Did you really sell her apartment?” Liu Lewei massaged Wu Song’s temples.

“Not yet, I’m just scaring her. The house is still there for her. We’ll see when she gets married. If she still doesn’t wise up, I’ll give the house to Dandan,” Wu Song said.

“I want Mangmang to continue seeing Dr. Wu,” Liu Lewei said, her brow slightly furrowed, somewhat worried about Wu Mangmang.

Anger aside, Wu Mangmang had been too calm after breaking up with Lu Sui this time, giving Liu Lewei a bad feeling.

“Go ahead, go ahead,” Wu Song said, probably also remembering the past. He waved his hand impatiently. “She never has a peaceful day. She was so adorable as a child and never caused worry.”

When Wu Mangmang heard that Boss Wu was still willing to continue paying for her psychological counseling, she was happy to comply.

This was the difference between having blood relations and not having them.

No matter how fierce Boss Wu and Ms. Liu were with her, no matter how tense things got, Wu Mangmang felt no psychological burden at all spending their money.

But with Lu Sui, there were all kinds of considerations.

When Wu Yong saw Wu Mangmang, he smiled. “You look better than I expected.”

Wu Yong already knew about Wu Mangmang’s breakup with Lu Sui from Liu Lewei. After all, she was a mother – no matter how angry, she still worried about Wu Mangmang, so she had called Wu Yong first, afraid Wu Mangmang would hide things herself, which wouldn’t be good for Wu Yong’s treatment.

Wu Mangmang scratched the hair behind her ear with her index finger. “Ms. Liu told you everything?”

Wu Yong nodded. “How do you feel now?”

With Wu Yong, Wu Mangmang didn’t need to hide anything at all. She spread her hands. “I don’t feel much, much better than I expected. Mainly I’m quite busy now. My advisor has a lot of work, and I just got in and already have to choose a thesis topic. All the research is making me dizzy.”

“Didn’t you say before that you just wanted to be lazy?” Wu Yong asked.

This was indeed true before. Otherwise, Wu Mangmang would have taken the graduate entrance exam long ago instead of waiting until now, basically making her the oldest sister in their dorm.

Time waits for no one.

“I now think being busy is quite good too,” Wu Mangmang said, looking down at her fingers. “From now on I have to support myself, so of course I need to work harder.”

“This breakup really had no impact on you at all?” Wu Yong noticed that Wu Mangmang didn’t want to talk about this relationship. She had barely mentioned it in her previous visits, so he could only ask directly.

Wu Mangmang lifted her eyelids to glance at Wu Yong and smiled. “Of course it did, but you know me – I’ve mastered the ultimate skill.”

Hearing this, Wu Yong stopped the pen he was using to take notes. He was actually somewhat confused.

Wu Yong had taken over Wu Mangmang’s case when she was around twenty.

Before that, Wu Mangmang had seen other psychologists.

Wu Yong only gradually learned later that Wu Mangmang had spent two months in a psychiatric hospital when she was eighteen, just after graduating high school. She recovered quickly and was discharged, then started seeing psychologists from age nineteen.

When facing Wu Mangmang, Wu Yong had a feeling that human psychology was particularly miraculous – their creativity simply exceeded imagination.

The eighteen-year-old Wu Mangmang hadn’t been crazy, just in excessive pain, so she self-harmed. Repeatedly obstructed, this led to violent rage and hurting others.

But once in the hospital, it wasn’t easy to get out unless Wu Mangmang’s mental state could recover enough to pass all the hospital’s tests.

Wu Yong could basically imagine all of Wu Mangmang’s experiences in the hospital, but no one could have predicted she would heal herself in that way.

It was very intense self-suggestion.

Wu Mangmang strongly rejected the psychiatric hospital, so she kept repeatedly suggesting to herself that the relationship she had experienced was just a play, that she was a very dedicated actor, but now the movie had ended, so she shouldn’t continue to be addicted and unable to extricate herself – this wasn’t what a qualified actor would do.

In the end, this little girl actually succeeded.

After two months, she completely recovered her youthful vitality, showing no abnormalities whatsoever.

But after discharge, Wu Mangmang’s minor problems gradually emerged – she couldn’t control her habit of acting.

Of course, as long as she didn’t self-harm or hurt others, there was no need to be hospitalized again.

So she switched to seeing psychologists.

“You performed intense self-suggestion on yourself again this time, didn’t you?” Wu Yong asked Wu Mangmang.

This was also where his confusion lay. He knew this kind of suggestion was treating the symptoms but not the root cause, but he had no better way to free Wu Mangmang’s spirit.

And wasn’t Wu Mangmang’s self-suggestion also a form of self-healing?

Wu Yong was no longer sure what was right or wrong.

But Wu Mangmang was surprising and amazing enough that for her unique case, he had even given up many opportunities to study abroad.

Wu Mangmang was naturally intelligent, so she knew what was good for her and what wasn’t, which enabled her to create this method of escaping reality with her strong mental power.

This kind of intense self-suggestion was something very few people could achieve on their own.

To put it more seriously, Wu Mangmang was actually hypnotizing herself, transforming reality into a play or a dream.

Wu Mangmang tilted her head and thought for a moment. “I think this method works quite well. I feel very calm and relaxed now.”

“Life is like a play, Dr. Wu. Have you ever thought that we think we exist in reality, but actually we’re just someone’s dream – some god or person’s dream?”

“Mangmang…”

Before Wu Yong could finish speaking, Wu Mangmang interrupted him.

“But even if it’s not like that, it doesn’t matter. Life is short – we just need to live happily,” Wu Mangmang said.

After leaving Wu Yong’s office this time, Wu Mangmang didn’t return to the city for a long time.

At A University, graduate courses were mainly concentrated in the first year, packed full, and in spare time she had to help her advisor with research projects. Wu Mangmang was busy and enjoying it.

Actually, this studying could be busy or not – some people chose to just get by, while Wu Mangmang did it particularly seriously.

Though graduate students didn’t get free tuition now, scholarships had increased significantly, with monthly living subsidies, and wealthy advisors would give students additional allowances.

Professor Cheng had countless projects and plenty of side work, always generous, though he still felt embarrassed when giving Wu Mangmang money.

“I know you don’t care about this little money, but I give it to every student, so I have to treat you equally,” Professor Cheng said.

Wu Mangmang said, “Professor Cheng, I actually really need the money. I’m already this old and shouldn’t use my family’s money anymore, and I’ve broken up with my boyfriend.”

When visiting Professor Cheng, Lu Sui had accompanied Wu Mangmang, so Professor Cheng knew her boyfriend was quite something and that her family circumstances were very good.

Hearing Wu Mangmang say this now, Professor Cheng didn’t express much, just nodded slightly.

“Professor Cheng, if you have any projects that need help in the future, could you find me? I’ll definitely work very hard,” Wu Mangmang boldly recommended herself.

Professor Cheng looked into Wu Mangmang’s eyes and smiled. “Good, it’s rare to have someone voluntarily willing to work hard.”

Wu Mangmang had learned a lot from her uncle and was now particularly serious and hardworking, naturally earning Professor Cheng’s favor. She kept herself busy and lived very fulfillingly.

“Mangmang, want to go mountain climbing this weekend?” Zeng Ruling asked Wu Mangmang, who was brushing her teeth.

“Sure,” Wu Mangmang never refused these extracurricular activities.

A University was nestled in mountains and beside water with excellent feng shui, which was why it became one of the nation’s most famous institutions.

Since arriving at A University, Wu Mangmang went mountain climbing almost every week because too many people invited her, and she was particularly fond of mountain climbing.

Though quite a few people were going climbing this time, it was actually organized by Zeng Ruling’s cousin.

This cousin was also one of Wu Mangmang’s pursuers, with decent family circumstances – his father was a bureau director in the city.

Though Guo Xuefeng was a year younger than Wu Mangmang, sister-brother relationships were most popular now. Besides, Wu Mangmang always wore her hair in a ponytail with jeans and T-shirts, looking no different from undergraduate students at the school based on appearance alone.

She was just prettier than them all. Shortly after entering school, she was already rivaling the campus beauty, but unfortunately lost out on being slightly older – she couldn’t compete with youthful undergraduate girls after all.

Wu Mangmang hadn’t enjoyed Guo Xuefeng’s pursuit methods for a long time.

Daily flower deliveries, and he would definitely save seats for Wu Mangmang before every class, accompanying her to lectures.

Guo Xuefeng was already in his third year of graduate school, so he had relatively more time.

He studied automation control, a very popular major. He had already been recruited by a major company during his second year – high salary was just around the corner.

Besides these, Guo Xuefeng would definitely treat all the girls in Wu Mangmang’s dorm to big meals every week, because he couldn’t get Wu Mangmang out alone. This led to all the dorm girls favoring him, with some secretly calling him brother-in-law.

Among her many pursuers, Wu Mangmang also favored Guo Xuefeng. If nothing unexpected happened, she was already prepared to accept him, otherwise she wouldn’t have agreed to go mountain climbing.

But on Friday, Wu Mangmang was suddenly summoned home by Ms. Liu, who began arranging blind dates for her again after a six-month hiatus.

Unable to resist Ms. Liu, Wu Mangmang could only say, “Could you introduce me to someone from A City? I might develop there permanently in the future – I’m planning to get a PhD and stay at the university.”

Ms. Liu was so angry at Wu Mangmang’s words that her chest hurt. “Don’t you consider that your old father and mother are still here?”

Wu Mangmang laughed, “What old father and mother? When you and I go out together, people say you’re my sister. Besides, transportation is so convenient now – as long as you need me, I’ll appear before you in minutes.”

“Tomorrow dress up properly and go meet him,” Liu Lewei said.

Wu Mangmang said, “Actually, someone at our school is pursuing me.”

Liu Lewei raised an eyebrow and, after finding out about Guo Xuefeng’s family circumstances, disdainfully pursed her lips. “Officials face big risks nowadays. You can’t tell a person’s capabilities while studying – wait until he’s worked a few years. But are you sure you can wait at your advanced age?”

Women’s age was just that strange.

Before twenty-five, you always feel incredibly young. After twenty-five, it’s as if you aged overnight and became an old woman.

“Then give me some pocket money to do facials and stay young?” Wu Mangmang brought her face close to Ms. Liu’s.

Liu Lewei pushed Wu Mangmang’s face away. “Don’t even think about it. Suffer the consequences of your own actions.”

The next day, Wu Mangmang was still dragged by Ms. Liu to the blind date venue. This gentleman had just returned from abroad, so he didn’t know about Wu Mangmang and Lu Sui’s situation.

Du Yuntao worked in gaming, earning 200,000+ monthly. Though Ms. Liu wouldn’t necessarily be impressed by this small amount, it could barely support a family.

Because he worked in gaming, Du Yuntao’s aesthetic standards had long been raised by the beautiful goddesses in games. He had never found a suitable girl, but suddenly seeing Wu Mangmang today, he felt that the beauties he’d seen before weren’t really beauties at all.

Wu Mangmang had deep insights into gaming, and the two chatted enthusiastically. After afternoon tea, they naturally wanted to have dinner together.

Du Yuntao knew a particularly delicious rib restaurant and invited Wu Mangmang to join him.

Wu Mangmang kept pulling Du Yuntao along, asking about gaming, then listing a long string of her own needs, hoping Du Yuntao would consider them all when designing games in the future.

“Ah, when will our technology advance to having holographic games?” Wu Mangmang asked wistfully. Then she wouldn’t have to live in reality.

Du Yuntao felt Wu Mangmang’s thinking was particularly expansive and very beneficial, keeping a smile on his face the whole time.

Wu Mangmang and Du Yuntao were walking into the restaurant, talking and laughing, when she looked up and saw Lu Sui coming out of the restaurant toward them.

Their gazes met. Lu Sui acted as if he didn’t see her, while Wu Mangmang quickly looked away.

They passed each other by, truly becoming strangers.