Zhao Yuqi’s seat was empty, and Gao Qinghe felt much more at peace.
She just had to endure Lin Xi spouting platitudes from the stage, which irritated her.
“Would you get jealous if your partner got too close to someone of the opposite sex?”
The host tossed out yet another question.
When would this talk ever end?
Hadn’t it been an hour already?
Gao Qinghe pulled out her phone to check the time.
Good grief—only thirty minutes had passed, and she already felt like every second was an eternity.
“I wouldn’t,” Lin Xi said with a faint smile.
She gently placed her hand on Xiang Bei’s knee, then withdrew it.
“I’ve always believed that entering a relationship means being loyal to your partner. I don’t get jealous, and I don’t actively suspect them unless evidence is right in front of me.”
“Is that because you trust the other person’s character?” the host pressed, her tone genuinely curious.
“Not just that. I’ve always thought jealousy is a waste of time. Two people being together is a mutual choice; the relationship itself is a commitment. When I make that commitment, I choose to trust my partner. It’s precisely because I’m sure about this person that I make that choice.”
She glanced naturally at Xiang Bei, then smiled at the audience below.
Her eyes were animated by long false lashes, and her smile was elegant and confident.
“…I’m touched.”
Xiang Bei nodded slightly at the host’s cue, turned sideways, and gently stroked Lin Xi’s hair.
He pulled back his hand and faced the audience.
“As for me, I wouldn’t get jealous either, but for a different reason.”
He paused.
“I have great faith in who Lin Xi is. Isn’t it only natural to trust the person I love?”
He withdrew his hand, studied Lin Xi for a moment, smiled again, and turned back to the audience.
“But sometimes, I really wish Lin Xi would be a little more jealous and rely on me more. There are times I wish she’d wear something I gave her, to stake a claim, but she always thinks I’m too possessive.”
Another wave of friendly laughter came from the audience.
Gao Qinghe just felt annoyed.
The refreshing satisfaction of having just shut down Zhao Yuqi was slowly fading, replaced by the same suffocating feeling she’d had before coming here.
Lin Xi was now standing on stage, chatting and laughing, flirting with Xiang Bei.
This was the exact opposite of what she’d wanted to see.
Gao Qinghe gulped down half a glass of champagne she’d just grabbed, trying to force down whatever was stuck in her chest.
“Speaking of reliance,” the host began again, “there’s a lot of online chatter these days saying women should be independent and relying on men is bad. What do you two think about that?”
Lin Xi naturally picked up the microphone and spoke first:
“I think reliance goes both ways. Couples relying on each other—that isn’t a problem in itself. It’s more like mutual help, a kind of distribution of labor where each does what they’re capable of. But being completely financially dependent on the other person—that’s dangerous. It’s more like a state where you can’t live without them. If that tilts the power balance so one side has all the say while the other goes along with everything, that’s the truly frightening part. I think everyone should be wary of that and try to prevent it.”
“I completely agree with what Lin Xi said.”
Xiang Bei also picked up his microphone, his eyes full of affection and laughter, like a total fool in love.
“I really admire Lin Xi’s independence. To be honest, I’m trying to learn to be a feminist myself, and Lin Xi’s insights have taught me a lot.”
He paused deliberately, watching the audience’s uncertain looks and the murmur of whispers, giving them time to digest and accept.
“But at the same time, as Lin Xi’s partner, as someone who’s fallen in love, I can’t deny that I want the person I love to rely on me more and more. Financial independence is important, but if I’m better off than my partner, I think using that to solve problems or buying them gifts—that’s just an expression of my feelings. It makes me happiest when she gladly accepts.”
“Gifts are one thing, of course. For me, mutual reliance shows up more in daily interactions.”
Lin Xi spoke up again with a smile.
“For example, dividing up household chores, spending time cooking a meal from scratch—these everyday experiences between a couple move me more than gifts.”
“That goes without saying. But if I love someone, I would never let them wear themselves out with household chores.”
Xiang Bei nodded.
“After all, only by being freed from housework can a person focus on what they truly want to do. I’m willing to take her to all sorts of places to check in and travel, and I’m willing to study together with her. That time is just as precious.”
“All right. The two of you really do seem deeply in love. I’m sure the audience has felt it by now.”
The host took over the conversation.
“Then finally, let’s wrap up with the question everyone’s most curious about. What was the turning point that made you fall for each other?”
Lin Xi nodded slightly and picked up the microphone.
“Xiang Bei is actually a person with a very strong sense of agency.”
She paused, looking at Xiang Bei, and uttered the cliché Gao Qinghe was sick of hearing.
“He knows very well what he wants, and he will definitely strive to get it. That really inspired me in finding what I wanted to do. When I saw that side of him, I felt a strong desire to get to know him better. That might have been the turning point.”
She paused and added somewhat abruptly, “Xiang Bei never does anything that isn’t useful to him—including this talk today.”
“…Sometimes, making Lin Xi happy is the thing I want most. Having a girlfriend who understands me and is willing to get to know me—I’m truly happy.”
Xiang Bei put his arm around Lin Xi’s shoulder.
“Lin Xi is different from most girls. She sees through my exterior and has her own principles. That fascinates me. What she’s done on the path of feminism has also benefited me greatly as I learn.”
The talk ended.
The audience erupted in thunderous applause; many even stood up to clap.
The lights in the venue brightened, and Gao Qinghe felt everything was so dazzling it made her dizzy.
She just wanted to get out quickly.
As she stood up, she finally got a clear look at the large posters flanking the stage.
They featured Lin Xi’s professional headshot:
“A Talk with Lin Xi: Can Heterosexual Feminist Women Find Happiness in Love?”
The irritation spread from her chest to every limb.
Gao Qinghe felt even her fingertips were screaming the word “annoyed.”
Fuck.
She’d gone through all that trouble—softening up the security guard and listening to Zhao Yuqi belittle herself—just to hear this kind of lovey-dovey talk laced with feminism?
She must have had nothing better to do!
On stage, Xiang Bei and Lin Xi were beaming, poised and perfect.
Maybe it was her imagination, but Lin Xi seemed to deliberately put a little distance between herself and Xiang Bei.