After Rebirth, the Celebrity Daughter is the Medical Expert!-Chapter 197 - 130: Second Update

"Are you struggling to understand why someone would veto you, and feel like your dignity is shattered?" Ning Youguang asked.

"Yes, if the guy preferred someone with better or similar qualities to mine, that would make sense to me. But why did he choose Xiaoshi?" Li Qing was baffled.

Being able to articulate the cause of your pain is a step forward.

Ning Youguang said gently, "I know you’re hurt, but what really bothers you isn’t that the guy doesn’t like you. The hardest part is coming to terms with failing in the comparison with Xiaoshi."

Li Qing thought for a moment, "You’re right."

Ning Youguang took a sip of water and asked softly, "Have you grown accustomed to comparing yourself with others since childhood in your original family?"

"Is there a problem with that? How else would you know where you stand, right?"

Ning Youguang sighed and said, "Dear, that’s the crux of the issue. Actually, determining your worth doesn’t come from comparing with others, but it hinges on yourself. Take yourself as an example—do you feel any change between now and a week ago?"

"Of course, I’ve lost a lot of hair, darker circles under my eyes, low spirit, bad complexion..."

"Compared to these changes, how do you view yourself?"

"I’m not as good-looking as before, nor as spirited, and I constantly find fault with myself, doubting if my self-assessment was arrogant, wondering endlessly what’s wrong with me, what’s lacking compared to Xiaoshi, etc."

The more Li Qing said, the more dejected she became.

Ning Youguang raised her hand to interrupt her words, stopping her self-critique.

She said, "Let me ask you, are you still the Li Qing who graduated as a master’s student from the University of Science and Technology of China, is a level ten pianist, comes from a well-off family, stands at 164 cm, weighs under 50 kg, is pretty, owns a car and house in Beijing, loves to travel, cooks well, is helpful, and kind-hearted?"

Li Qing let out a rare laugh, "Of course, that’s all me. Although I’m not in the best state now, that doesn’t mean all these qualities have vanished."

Ning Youguang also smiled and continued earnestly, "Exactly, you are still you. You’ve just encountered an absurd crush, where a less familiar and unrelated decent-looking guy made his choice, and you’re puzzled by it. But as long as you respect his choice and rationally know that those two have nothing to do with you, your life remains unaffected. Life goes on; you can pursue relationships as you wish, have endless choices of who to like, isn’t that so?"

After a long pause, Li Qing asked hoarsely, "So, I’m not inferior to Xiaoshi, am I?"

Ning Youguang chuckled, "Of course, who says when two girls like the same guy and he picks one, the other must be the lesser one? That logic is flawed and illogical."

Thinking a bit more, she continued, "Did you watch Taiwanese idol dramas when you were younger?"

Li Qing perked up and exclaimed, "Of course, I loved watching them, always glued to the TV during holidays."

"Back then, weren’t the second female leads in those dramas always rich, beautiful, well-educated, and adored by their parents and many friends and relatives as super privileged?"

"Yes." Li Qing nodded earnestly.

"Weren’t the female leads typically from poor backgrounds, average-looking, not very educated, without impressive skills, and struggling in society as ordinary ugly ducklings?"

"Yes, so..."

"Back then you probably didn’t find it odd, but now if you rewatch them, you can’t sit through even one episode—wondering not only what’s wrong with the male lead but also what the writer was thinking. Any reasonable person knows that in real life, a girl with the second lead’s privileges would have a line-up of rich, handsome suitors and wouldn’t compare herself to someone out of her league, going crazy over a foolish guy, right?"

"..." Seems like she’s talking about me.

"Now, if you were the second female lead, what would you do?"

Li Qing buried her head in a cushion and muffled her response, "I would definitely stay away from the abnormal lead couple, enjoy being independently fabulous, or find a more splendid field of flowers."

"That’s it." Ning Youguang chuckled, "You’ve figured it out, haven’t you?"

"Yes, I trapped myself in this situation. I don’t need to compare myself to Xiaoshi. That guy not liking me is his prerogative. You can’t force matters of the heart; they aren’t significant to my life."

Ning Youguang nodded with a smile, "That’s right. You must believe that you’re always great and are marketable among the opposite sex. Right now, it’s just a brief encounter with a less suitable guy. In the future, there’s plenty of opportunity for better love."

A glow returned to Li Qing’s face, "I understand now. I won’t condemn myself or devalue my worth through comparisons anymore."

Ning Youguang smiled slightly, stood up, and brought back two plates of fresh-washed cherry tomatoes and lychees from the kitchen, placing them in front of Li Qing, "Yes, without comparison, there’s no hurt."

Releasing her emotional knot, she immediately relaxed.

Upon seeing the fresh and beautiful fruits, Li Qing’s appetite sprung to life.

Without needing an invitation from Ning Youguang, she started helping herself to the fruit plates.

After devouring the two plates, she stretched like a well-fed cat and then settled onto the sofa in Ning Youguang’s room, falling asleep.

Sunlight streamed through the window, gently falling on her, and as Li Qing fell into a deep sleep, her pallor faded into a soft pink, sweet like a baby.

Ning Youguang gently held her wrist, checked her pulse, found her in good physical shape, then quietly stood up, fetched a blanket from the cupboard, and draped it over her.

Li Qing slept until dusk.

Ning Youguang had quietly gone out for lunch and returned to finish reading a book in the room.

When Li Qing awoke, she saw Ning Youguang lounging by the window with a book, as still and serene as a beautiful painting.

She dazedly lingered for a long while, feeling as though she was still dreaming, unwilling to wake up. 1314