Starting with Proficiency Panel-Chapter 582: See the truth in 2 hours (occasionally a few times a month)

Li Qing raised an eyebrow: "I don't agree with what you said. Perhaps in rural areas there are many single men, but in first-tier and second-tier cities like Shu Capital, there are relatively fewer men than women. In fact, many women yearn for life in big cities, so the flow is mostly towards urban areas, where the proportion of women is higher than men.

Another objective fact is that men have the opportunity to get married before the age of forty, and it doesn't necessarily have to be with women of the same age, maybe eighteen or twenty-eight, so I think the severe gender imbalance is too one-sided."

Chen Chencheng nodded slightly: "I've thought about this issue too, but there are still a large number of single people in cities. According to current statistics, Huaxia has around four hundred million single people."

Li Qing shrugged: "Maybe today's marketing accounts are brainwashing women excessively, making them think that with beauty filters they look a certain way, and if no car, no house, and tens of thousands in bride price are given, they won't even bother, so they stay single."

Chen Chencheng's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, caught by Li Qing's keen observation, a slight smile appearing on his face: "It seems you really don't agree with what I said."

Chen Chencheng nonchalantly opened her notebook and continued to ask: "Let's change the topic. Do you internally hope to interact with women in everyday life?"

Li Qing frowned: "I don't think I need to answer that question."

Chen Chencheng was not angry and leisurely said: "As a psychologist, I charge over three thousand per hour. Are you sure you don't want to understand your mental state?"

This is totally a money-grabbing industry!

After a bit of internal grumbling, Li Qing hesitated a moment, his gloved left hand unconsciously twisting the coffee cup.

"Yes."

To be honest, if it weren't that Chen Ke insisted on calling him over, he should already be at home studying the Level 0 Magic Light Technique in the "Magic Theory." After all, the more these accumulations grow, the more interesting it is to feel the flow of magic nodes and trigger magic, analyzing how the arrangement of these magic nodes affects the world, and the relation to the frequency of magic power flow.

Isn't that awesome? Why bother with that stuff!

Chen Chencheng's eyes brightened, eagerly saying: "Is it true that after starting to interact, you subconsciously resist, feeling the other's presence disrupted your life rhythm."

"…Yes."

She nodded: "Many people who have been single for a long time have this problem, the same goes for both genders. Once it involves romance, resistance arises. In your opinion, what is the reason?"

Li Qing pondered for a while, gently sipping his coffee, the bitter taste swiftly blossoming in his mouth.

"In our generation, romance has already become a complex term too hard to explain. We believe romance requires a lot of money, time, energy, unmatched emotional intelligence, and cunning.

The standards for developing love have become very high, no longer just the kindness of offering a cup of water or wiping sweat, nor the pleasure of mutual attraction, but you liking a complete persona, and I have to conform to this persona for us to have a chance.

Meanwhile, the standards for nurturing hatred have become very low. Everyone has pre-buried landmines in their hearts, triggering disaster upon contact.

This is an era where mutual dislike is easier than mutual attraction.

Even for those who do attract each other, the road ahead isn't smooth. Various marketing accounts tell you love should be this or that; if not, you don't love. Under such artificially made rules, the benefitting party unwittingly believes it and demands their partner; the losing party either follows along, becoming a 'licking dog' in the end, or chooses to resist, leading to an arduous battle. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

In this environment, the happiness called love becomes increasingly difficult to reach. Some feel that making the partner obedient is the only way to feel happiness; others feel defeating the partner is the path to happiness. But no one in the world is entirely foolish. Outwardly, they may appear loving, while in reality playing out the thirty-six strategies of love. A significant trait of the new generation is that both genders feel they've suffered losses in romance.

Even if both are broad-minded people, the world's closest companions, the road remains incredibly rocky. Love needs material conditions represented by a house as its foundation, a sentence despised in the era of the simple view of love, yet an iron rule today. Those meeting conditions are willing to sell everything and fall deeply into debt just to prepare the chips for love; those not meeting the conditions never deny this rule, only thinking themselves unworthy of love.

Diamonds, bride prices, extravagant weddings, 520 gifts — many absurd things have turned into necessities. Not following them invites strange looks from society and partners.

Such is the power of customs, making those at a loss feel unfairly treated, those unfairly treated feel unworthy, and those worthy fill the pockets of manipulators with their lifelong efforts.

Causing those harmed by this to ridicule those unharmed as 'single dogs', and those compromising to mock those resisting as naïve and immature.

Believing mutual affection could simply bring people together, outsiders view as either foolish or scummy, making you afraid to think this way. Even thinking might not be correct, even if so, you might not get it. So why bother? Why insist?"

Li Qing raised the coffee and drank it all at once: "So, I think this is the reason why more and more people are single nowadays."

Chen Chencheng was silent for a long time and then said with some frustration: "This topic actually involves the current societal situation, it's really difficult; I'm starting to regret choosing this topic for my doctoral thesis."

She sighed deeply, with some understanding: "No wonder last time when we met, you made such a calculating move when determining no further possibility with me."

Li Qing was speechless: "That's not called calculating, but understanding one's self-positioning. If I had to develop further with you, the most likely trend is me wholeheartedly being good to you, thus turning into a 'licking dog,' after all, our levels are unequal."

The term 'licking dog' is too heavy; having gone through it, Li Qing would definitely not enter that self-degrading situation again.

It's all a mix of bitter stories and tears.

"Unequal levels?" Chen Chencheng was curious: "How did you figure that out?"

Li Qing glanced at her: "Your bag is LV, your watch is Longines, your necklace is Tiffany, tut… the total amount on you is probably close to a million, so in your eyes, I should be an amusing flavoring, no matter how quirky your personality.