AMRWFA -Chapter 146 Brainwashing

Jian Lichang fell silent.

Because Lu Yuanqing was right—if he were only after her looks, with so many beautiful women in the entertainment industry, he wouldn’t go to such lengths to focus on her.

“See? Truly liking someone and just lusting after their beauty are completely different,” Lu Yuanqing said. “I don’t know what that woman told you to scare you like this, but considering how long we’ve known each other and everything I’ve done for you, you should trust me. I’m serious about you—this is not just a game. If you don’t believe me, we can get our marriage certificate right now and fall in love after we’re married.”

Jian Lichang was so startled she nearly jumped. She shook her head quickly. “Uncle Lu, don’t be like this. In my heart, you’re an elder. I’ve never thought of you that way. If you say things like this… it feels like incest.”

“What kind of elder am I to you? We’re not related by blood at all. I’m just a few years older than you. Just because I’m older, does that mean I can’t sincerely like someone and want to be with her?”

Jian Lichang couldn’t exactly say that was wrong.

Being older didn’t mean someone couldn’t fall in love.

“Of course you can. Even at seventy or eighty, you have the right to pursue true love,” Jian Lichang said. “But… I’m sorry. You’re not my type.”

He already knew that—that’s why he had planned to take things slowly and let feelings grow over time. Lu Yuanqing took a breath, feeling extremely frustrated that his plan had been disrupted.

“Is it because you think I’m too old?” he asked.

Originally, Jian Lichang didn’t want to be so blunt, but remembering what her godmother had said, she steeled herself. “Yes… a little. I’m only eighteen, and you’re in your forties—you’re in the same generation as my parents. I don’t want a boyfriend that old. If I’m going to date, it should be someone around my age. Even two or three years older is too much. I just want a sweet relationship. As for whether it lasts or not, that doesn’t matter. I’m still young—I don’t need to think that far ahead.”

Lu Yuanqing’s chest tightened. “A relationship without marriage is just playing around irresponsibly. How can you think like that? If you date those young boys, aren’t you just letting them take advantage of you?”

He earnestly tried to persuade her, saying that girls should value themselves and not behave carelessly.

A woman’s chastity, he insisted, was the best wedding gift she could give her future husband.

It was because modern society had such poor morals, and young people all thought like her, that so many women ended up abandoned and unable to marry.

Jian Lichang was dumbfounded. For the first time, she realized that the man she had once seen as a towering figure was actually so “old-fashioned.”

She immediately protested. Why should a woman’s chastity be the best gift for her future husband? Wasn’t that just a shackle imposed on women by feudal society?

They were both human—why should women have to remain pure and faithful while men could do whatever they wanted?

Why?

“You don’t understand. Men care about these things. A key matches only one lock—no man likes a woman who’s been with other men…”

“Uncle Lu, that’s way too outdated!” Jian Lichang said unhappily. “What kind of feudal thinking is that? What era do you think this is? And what about men? This is an age of gender equality.”

“If women keep themselves pure, men naturally won’t behave recklessly. They’ll understand that if they sleep with a woman, they have to take responsibility for her for life, and won’t act carelessly.”

Jian Lichang rolled her eyes. “So by your logic, when men have multiple wives or act promiscuously, it’s all women’s fault? Because women didn’t behave properly, dressed too revealingly, and tempted men?”

“That’s not what I mean. But if women don’t give men the opportunity, how could men force them?”

“Then where do rapists come from? Do they pop out of the ground?”

Lu Yuanqing choked. “That’s a minority. In a forest, there are all kinds of birds. With such a large population in our country, it’s normal to have a few scum. If the water is too clear, there are no fish—you can’t expect every man to be a gentleman.”

“You’re right,” Jian Lichang said. “Then let blank paper match with blank paper, and newspapers match with newspapers. Right now, I’m a blank sheet of paper, so I want to find another blank sheet. Uncle Lu, there’s nothing wrong with that, right?”

In other words, you’re already a used newspaper, so don’t come looking for me—go find your own kind and stop ruining someone like me.

As for her, she’d just find another blank sheet like herself—even if they ended up “ruining” each other together, so be it.

For a moment, Lu Yuanqing didn’t know how to respond. He wanted to say it wasn’t the same. He was a man—and a successful one at that. Being older meant having more experience, which was only natural.

He even tried to “educate” her: a girl without experience should find an older man. Such a man would be successful, mature, and steady—a safe harbor. Even if the sky fell, he’d be there to hold it up.

A mature man wouldn’t make unrealistic promises or speak empty words. He’d cherish her and never let her suffer.

She could simply be his little princess, while he took care of everything.

But dating someone her own age would be completely different.

Girls mature earlier than boys, so boys her age would be like clueless youngsters—immature and inexperienced. Both would be hot-blooded and prone to conflict over trivial matters.

She might even end up having to comfort her boyfriend instead.

But Ruan Yaoyao had already “educated” Jian Lichang about all this, so she wasn’t easily fooled.

“But I just want to find another blank sheet,” Jian Lichang said. “You’re right—older men are more mature, but that also means they have richer life experiences. And what does that mean? It means they have a past—after countless relationships, who knows how many women they’ve dated? It’s precisely because of all those experiences that they know how to read young girls so well and cater to their preferences. Girls think they’ve found true love, but in reality, they’re just deceived by the image those men create—becoming nothing more than part of their romantic history, their stories to boast about. And the ones who pay the price are the girls—their youth, even their entire lives.”

Lu Yuanqing said, “That’s other people. I can marry you first, then fall in love.”

“I’m not after your money, so why would I marry you?” Jian Lichang replied. “I’ve already said—I just want a blank sheet. Even if he’s immature and needs me to comfort him, as long as I like him, that’s enough. If it doesn’t work out, we can break up. Men can gain experience—so can women. Maybe after experiencing life, I’ll figure out what kind of man I truly want.”

Lu Yuanqing: “…”

What exactly had that older woman been teaching her?!

It had only been a few months, yet she seemed like a completely different person.

Talking about men this and men that—did she even realize what she was saying?

What frustrated him even more was that, at the end, Jian Lichang sincerely asked him:

“Uncle Lu, why don’t you date someone your own age? Is it because women your age are harder to deal with? I’ve heard that some older men don’t go for women their own age because they’ve already been rejected by them, so they turn to inexperienced young girls—thinking a meal or a cup of milk tea is enough to win them over. But someone as successful as you shouldn’t be like that, right?”

The puzzled look on her face made it seem as though she was genuinely wondering—

So even a ‘successful’ man like you is actually a failure among your peers?