Ye Qian sighed. "Nanxing, I'll say it again. I hope to be your friend."
I smiled. "Sister Ye Qian, fate is a very mysterious thing. Our connection is not harmonious since the first time we met. I can't really explain why."
Ye Qian smiled wryly. "You and Mai Qi weren't best of friends when you first met either, but you're such close friends now. Why can't it happen with us?"
I looked at the teapot on the table. "That's true. Mai Qi and I were at each other's throats when we first met, but now we're so close. Why do you think that is?"
I looked at her with a smile.
She avoided my gaze.
I sighed.
"Sister Ye Qian, you know better than anyone I am the collateral damage in this incident. However, Jing Ning still wanted to seize this incident to drag me down with him. He even threatened the lives of my two friends.
"You know I don't respond well to threats. If Jing Ning weren't so combative, or if you had stood up to clear my name, I would have at least reciprocated with a few kind words of my own. But since Jing Ning decided it should be a dog-eat-dog world, then I'll have to save myself first. Sister Ye Qian, you wouldn't blame me, right?"
Ye Qian also sighed. "Nanxing, do you know what a slippery slope is? I think I am on one now. I will hesitate before making any moves because I am afraid. I am afraid of losing what I have."
I smiled, "Sister Ye Qian, you are not afraid of losing. You are afraid of having your effort wasted, and you wouldn't have enough return."
Ye Qian was at a loss for words. She averted her gaze.
"Nanxing, I have no choice. My experience forced me to weigh these things constantly. Otherwise, I wouldn't have survived until today." Ye Qian's tone was filled with helplessness.
I poured the leftover tea away and prepared another pot. "Human nature starts with kindness, but that is the hardest thing to preserve. Furthermore, it is true that one should fear those who have nothing to lose. Sister Ye Qian, if we were to return to our first meeting, we would have made the same choices, so there is no need for regret. I respect your choices. There is no right or wrong either."
Ye Qian's expression was downcast. "Nanxing, I just want to be your friend."
I smiled. "The greedier your heart, the more you'll lose. Look at Mai Qi. She gained me as a friend, but she lost so many of her friends, she even lost her family. So why would you want to be my friend?"
Ye Qian sighed, "Nanxing, is it only because we're on different sides?"
I thought for a moment. "It's more like we see things differently."
Ye Qian finished her tea. She stood up and looked at me. "Nanxing, I'm not wrong."
I looked up and smiled at her.
Ye Qian left.
I looked at her seat and didn't move for a long time.
Ye Qian said that she wasn't wrong.
Then who was wrong?
Was it Nanyang? Was it Lu Yan?
Based on Ye Qian's theory, everyone had to make the choices that would enable their biggest chance at survival. Who wouldn't do their best to survive?
But the difference was... Whether you'd hurt the innocent in this process.
If a person's survival was based on bringing down another person's right to survive, then how was the former different from an animal?
Ye Qian said she did nothing wrong. Then it would mean Nanyang didn't do anything wrong either. She used her own life to fight with Jing Ning and Ye Qian.
Lu Yan wasn't wrong either.. She was just taking back what belonged to her.