You Liang had always been a happy child. He didn’t seem to be troubled by anything. He represented everything that was good about childhood: Innocence, happiness and a curiosity about everything. He could easily forget things that made him unhappy. His life was joyful and bright.
In the class, You Liang was the naughty child that gave the teacher headaches. He stood out in the class. He was not bound by rules and an imaginative personality. Theoretically, a kid like him should be monitored sternly and closely, but he met the most important person in his life, Yan Xizhi.
The headmistress didn’t raise him according to the standard educational method. Instead, she encouraged him to discover the beauty of the world around him. She wanted him to use his power to influence more kids.
Headmistress Yan knew from the start that You Liang was purposely scoring the last in class. Compared to being the first, he just wanted to be the last. This was because, in the past, the students who scored the worst would always be the kids with mental deficiency. Even though everyone encouraged them, they knew that they were incomparable to the other, better kids.
You Liang befriended them. His mindset was simple. There had to be someone who scored the worst. In that case, he would take that position. It was not easy to do the worst in the examinations. Even if he guessed randomly, he might still get a few correct answers. Therefore, he studied hard to know the correct answers so he could avoid them.
After he graduated and entered the society, You Liang’s happiness and careless nature contradicted the society. He had his own dreams and ambitions. He didn’t like being tied down at a fixed job. He had no savings and home, so he wandered everywhere. He treated the city as his theme park. He liked to help others and often volunteered. His passion was infectious. He was like a special flame, radiating brilliant rays of light.
When he was 20 plus, You Liang found love. His girlfriend was beautiful both inside and outside. They knew each other when they both volunteered at the orphanage. The two similar souls resonated with each other. You Liang, the free bird, seemed to have a warm nest.
Everyone loved You Liang. Everyone who yearned for sunlight would be willing to be his friend, but there was always an exception.
In a charity news article, You Liang’s biological older brother, You De, found out about his brother. The surname You was very rare. You De didn’t take long to find his brother, You Liang. He told You Liang that their parents were severely ill and the family didn’t have the money to look after them. He hoped that You Liang could help them.
You Liang didn’t mind that he had been abandoned by his family. He helped his family within his power. He was willing to help, but it was not because they were his family. He helped them because he was kind. He treated them like how he would treat others.Therefore, when his brother asked for more, You Liang rejected him firmly. You De couldn’t get it. Why could his brother waste so much effort helping strangers but could not do more for his biological family?
Gossip appeared among the neighbours. This incident exploded when the media got involved. There were negative comments on the internet, but You Liang didn’t care. He continued to live his life in his own manner. His days were fulfilled, gratifying, and happy.
More and more people noticed You Liang. His brother, You De, even managed to become an internet celebrity by shooting pictures and videos of his ‘non-filial’ brother. He gained a lot of followers and money through ads.
Their parent’s condition didn’t improve, but You De got a new car and a new home.
The tipping point was on the day their parents died. You De lived alone at his new home. He looked at his little brother, who lived his authentic life. Seeing the happiness on his brother’s face, an ugly and vicious plant grew in his heart.
Why was he so happy? Why did he deserve to be happy?
Why did he have such a beautiful girlfriend when he had nothing?
Why was he still so loved?
You De privately found a group of people to find You Liang’s girlfriend’s family. They told them that You Liang was an animal, lazy, didn’t have a job and had a mental illness. The girlfriend’s family didn’t believe it at first, but as more people came to persuade them, they started to buy into the story. In the end, they forbade their daughter from being with You Liang anymore.
On the day of the break-up, You Liang was not sad. He hugged his girlfriend, who was weeping openly. He gave her his sincerest blessing and left.
You De and other wicked people waited for You Liang to go insane. They hoped that You Liang would become selfish and start to pursue wealth like the rest of them. However, they were disappointed again.
You Liang was as happy as ever. He greeted the wildflowers by the roadside and helped feed the stray animals. He never used perfume, but he walked in a haze of happy fragrance.
You De, who lived in a big house, could never understand this. He and his fans found You Liang and offered to find You Liang a better job and a better woman because they were brothers.
You Liang rejected them with a smile. He was satisfied with his present, had no regrets in his past and was not concerned about his future.
His older brother said that only by living in a bigger house and having more money could one reach true happiness. He wanted You Liang to rely on him, admire him and beg him.
Perhaps a big house was happiness. Perhaps financial freedom was happiness. Perhaps having free sex was happiness. You De shared his definition of happiness with You Liang, but You Liang could not care less about it.
Since he was young, Yan Xizhi taught him that only by doing things that made him happy could he be happy. He didn’t need to abide by other people’s rules of happiness. He was born with freedom, so why should he limit himself?
You De’s ugly desire wasn’t satisfied. His riches couldn’t make You Liang envious of him. The more he captured images of You Liang, the faster the monster in his heart grew.
Who gave you the right to not care about houses and cars? Who gave you the right to be happy while being so poor? Was it because you hadn’t been tortured by society before? Was it because you hadn’t met a truly evil person? No. You cannot be so happy! You have to follow my rules, and then you can be happy!
The day after You De left, You Liang woke up on the garden bench. He hummed as he went to fetch water for the stray cats. However, when he passed by the public toilet, he noticed that the kitten that stuck to him the most was hanged.
You De and the wicked people hid in the corner and watched this with excitement. They sent You Liang a message, “You must be angry, right? Are you in pain? But you can’t do anything.”
After burying the kitten, You Liang started to avoid the crowd. However, he was the star of You De’s online show. You De and the others followed him and watched him.
You Liang wandered the city and helped those who needed it. He radiated kindness, happiness and optimism. The world responded in kind.
You De had to rely on sleeping pills to fall asleep on the softest bed, but You Liang could slumber easily on the hard garden bench.
You Liang didn’t have anything, but he also had everything. His happiness incensed the monsters who lived in the shadows. They didn’t want You Liang to be happy. It was as if his happiness could kill them.
You De and they tried all kinds of methods, but they couldn’t corrupt You Liang. The darkness in their hearts bit at their insides. They discussed in the dark corners and came to a conclusion. You Liang could be so happy and ignore the things that normal people valued the most because he had a healthy body. If his body was destroyed and he had to experience pain and illness, he wouldn’t be happy anymore.
Soon after that, You Liang ran into an ‘accident’ when he was helping an old man push his cart of recyclables. He was run over by a car.
Due to his history of charity, many people volunteered to help him after he was injured. Finally, You Liang survived the accident and was donated a pair of cheap fake limbs.
You De and the monsters happily installed hidden cameras in You Liang’s ward. They wanted to see You Liang crumble into despair. However, You Liang appeared unfazed and calm. He tried his best to adjust to his new life. He danced slowly under the sun.
Humans needed meaning and an anchor to live. However, You Liang’s heart was full. He was his own anchor. After he left the hospital, You Liang didn’t ask for pity. He used his new ‘hands’ to create handicrafts to thank those who had helped him in his time of need. The city was large, but the sun would always shine down on him.
You De and the twisted monsters were going crazy. They scratched themselves until they were bloody. They were so anxious they couldn’t sleep at night. They couldn’t believe someone like this existed.
No. He couldn’t be so happy!
In the dark corner, You De and the monsters analysed everything. They believed that You Liang was so happy because he had no attachment and responsibility in his heart.
Dark red eyes blinked in the dark. You Liang’s ex-girlfriend and her family died in a fire. A girl who was supposedly You Liang’s daughter was the only survivor.
You Liang was suddenly a father, but his life didn’t change much. He taught everything Yan Xizhi had taught him to his daughter. The girl slowly grew up. She was pretty and cute. She inherited everything that was good in her father. She was hardworking and clever. She loved others, and others loved her.
You De and the monsters took a break because they were waiting for the right time to strike.
…
“When his daughter was second year of primary school, You Liang lost his happiness. The light vanished from his eyes, and the smile disappeared from his face. Only blood remained.
“You Liang’s daughter disappeared from school. Even now, no one knows where his daughter is. People only know that You Liang personally murdered his own brother, You De and then killed himself. He became the biggest shame of Han De Shu Xiang Academy.
“You Liang also became the biggest case for Situ An to attack Yan Xizhi. In a public examination, he forced Yan Xizhi to resign.”
Gao Ming and Zhou Sisi read the articles and analyses on You Liang in the social experiment rooms. The reports chronicled You Liang’s life.
“The poor thing…” Zhou Sisi’s hands tightened.
“The current You Liang is not the same You Liang of the past.” Gao Ming stared at the different strange rooms underneath the lab building. They probably had to survive a ‘social experiment’ to reach You Liang. The experience was probably a replica of You Liang’s despair.
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