Since ancient times, there's been a saying: A beautiful woman brings disaster.
But Shi Hai had never seen that as a valid argument. Blaming the downfall of a kingdom on women seemed absurd to him.
Is being more attractive than others really a crime? Isn't it worse that men can't control their own desires? If beautiful women were to be blamed, then maybe their only fault was not being able to protect themselves better.
In ancient times, no one dared criticize the emperor, so they shifted the blame to the women around him.
The common man is not guilty, but treasuring jade will invite disaster. A beautiful face is also a kind of natural talent, envied by others and used as a point of attack.
Take Jian Sichun's heterochromatic eyes, for example. Shi Hai thought they were beautiful, fashionable even—a unique charm. And surely most guys would agree with him.
But some women might not feel the same. The thought, She's prettier than me, could be enough to spark hostility.
For many women, looks aren't just a tool for attracting men; they're also a form of currency that dictates status.
While there are sayings like a good heart is better than a pretty face, the majority of men still succumb to superficial attractions.
Looks are visible at first glance, but a good heart takes time to discover.
People are afraid to invest time only to get nothing in return—or worse, be hurt in the process. After being hurt enough, they stop trying to understand others and retreat into their own world.
In today's fast-paced world, where patience is scarce, beauty is more desirable than inner qualities—and more valuable too. Where there's demand, there's a market, and the price keeps going up.
This is why women who are confident in their appearance place themselves on a pedestal. They know they are in demand and valuable—and the men fawning over them prove it.
Such women often see most of these men as backups, while they position themselves as trophies for wealthier men.
This transactional view of relationships is becoming more common, and even women without natural beauty can now buy a face that fits society's standards. These are the "cosmetic surgery faces" of today, which will evolve into the "influencer faces" of future livestreaming trends.
Humans, at the core, are visual creatures. Only a minority can resist being swayed by appearances.
Shi Hai once thought that he could remain unmoved by even the most beautiful women. After all, youth and beauty are temporary—a limited-time offer.
But perhaps that was just a narrow-minded thought born from his lack of experience.
In the past week, he'd met more beautiful women than in the past twenty years combined.
The most beautiful woman he had seen before all this... was probably his own mother.
Wait, no... Shi Hai corrected himself. He should also count Zhu Lingjie, even though she had been quite the "country bumpkin" during their school days.
The point is, corruption happens slowly, bit by bit. People unknowingly become the very thing they once despised.
In just a week, Shi Hai had already developed feelings for some of these women. What would he be like in nine years? He couldn't say for sure.
Maybe he really would become a player with messy relationships...
So, he decided to be more careful going forward. For example, letting Jian Sichun sit on his lap—things like that would need to be firmly rejected.
After setting up mental boundaries again, Shi Hai continued questioning Shi Meng.
"You said you don't know the exact details of the accident, but you're sure it's related to women. Did someone tell you that?"
Shi Meng's distaste for Jian Sichun and Zhu Lingjie was clear, even though she claimed not to have met them.
This must mean someone planted those ideas in her.
"Yeah, someone told me."
"Can you tell me who?"
Shi Meng smiled bitterly.
"It's not that I don't want to tell you, but I don't know either. The person who told me used a hidden number. I tried calling back, but it was always a dead line."
"They covered their tracks well, then," Shi Hai remarked.
"Did this person only tell you that women were the cause of my accident?"
"Yeah, she said your misfortune was tied to being involved with women who are bad luck. She also told me something very important."
"What was that?"
Shi Meng turned to look directly into Shi Hai's eyes, speaking words that sent chills down his spine:
"She said she'd give me a chance to be reborn."
"What?!"
The offer of a second chance at life was the most shocking thing Shi Hai had heard recently.
This meant that rebirth wasn't some random anomaly—it was something that could be engineered.
The implications were staggering. Who had the power to offer rebirth? What was their motive? What connection did they have to his future self? Why were they telling Shi Meng all this?
And most importantly—why did they let Shi Meng return to the past?
The questions piled up, but Shi Hai knew Shi Meng probably wouldn't have all the answers. So he decided to focus on what he could confirm.
"Did this person specifically mention Jian Sichun or Zhu Lingjie?"
"No, she didn't mention anyone by name."
"Then why did you believe her? It sounds like a pretty flimsy claim."
"At first, I didn't believe her either. But she knew things... things that only you and I could possibly know. That's what made me start doubting myself."
That made sense. If a stranger revealed your deepest secrets, it would certainly make you stop and listen.
"But I've thought about it too. What if this person was a stalker obsessed with you? Maybe she's the one who caused your accident but blamed other women to cover her tracks."
Shi Meng wasn't gullible. She had her doubts. After all, she knew her brother was an upstanding guy, not someone who'd get involved in scandalous relationships.
"After all, you've never been great with women. You've always been single, and you're still a vir—"
"Hmm?" Shi Hai interrupted.
Shi Meng quickly corrected herself. "I mean, you've always respected women and maintained your... purity."
"Just say it, I'm still a virgin," Shi Hai sighed.
Shi Meng awkwardly looked away but kept going. "So yeah, her saying you got into an accident because of some woman—it's just hard for me to believe."
The unspoken message was clear: That's not something that happens to virgins.
"Alright..."
Shi Hai had to admit, her logic was solid.
It seemed that in nine years, he hadn't turned into a womanizer after all.
But thinking about it now, that realization was a bit depressing.
So, by the time he was thirty, he was still a virgin…
How tragic was that?
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