Xia Liang's words did not exceed Emerald Sparrow's expectations.
Early on that summer's night, when Xia Liang discovered the truth about herself and confessed it to herself on the balcony, Emerald Sparrow had already faintly guessed her thoughts.
Xia Liang did not mind the kind of love she received; what she lacked was simply a source of love, so when she found someone willing to give her affection, she would endlessly excavate possible "love" from that person.
The reason Xia Liang developed such a personality was not a lack of self-control, but because she was "afraid of being poor."
This "poverty" was not material but spiritual, the lack of the "love" she spoke about.
It's like a person who has been branded by a life of poverty, even when their life becomes prosperous, they are always uneasy, always wanting more money; like a person who once didn't have enough to eat, even when they are no longer short of food, still subconsciously practices thrift and does not want to waste a bit of grain.
Xia Liang had a similar mentality, only what she hoarded was not material goods but "love".
All that she did was actually an extension of this "lack of love" psyche. Whether it was her unconditional obedience to her parents; the excessive indulgence of those mean "friends"; or even the unlimited affection she now showed to Emerald Sparrow, it all stemmed from the same pursuit.
"You will have such a thirst for 'love' and a fear of losing 'love', and it's not really your fault."
So Emerald Sparrow said, "Your parents were negligent in this matter. They failed to provide enough care when their child needed love, and that's their mistake."
"Those bad kids were especially vicious in this matter too: they might have approached you under the guise of 'friendship,' but due to immature jealousy or various other reasons, what they ultimately brought you was only hurt. I hope you can discern this clearly and remember it."
"You might feel that love is scarce and that not getting enough love is not your fault; it's just that your past environment was not good, and the people you met all had their issues."
Driving the SUV gradually back to the villa district, parking it underground, Emerald Sparrow walked out of the garage with Xia Liang. She continued talking as they walked towards the villa's front gate, "Do you remember the first time you came to me for a talk, what I taught you?"
"...Not to suppress myself and to learn to be willful?" Xia Liang said, somewhat uncertain.
"That's right, you can think of it as the first lesson I taught you."
Walking into the villa's courtyard, standing in front of the main entrance, Emerald Sparrow took out her key: "And now, you can see all this as the second lesson I have taught you."
"What is it?" Xia Liang asked, somewhat confused.
"The content of this lesson can be summed up in a few words."
Inserting the key into the lock, turning it, pulling open the door, Emerald Sparrow turned to Xia Liang, her voice cool, yet subtly tinged with warmth:
——"It's called 'love is not scarce'."
Behind the main entrance were shimmering decorations, banners hanging from the living room to the entrance, and a huge banner that was immediately visible.
At that moment, Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan suddenly emerged from behind the door with smiles, holding pull-string party poppers in their hands, squeezing up next to Emerald Sparrow. Then, all three of them looked at Xia Liang.
In the sound of the party poppers being triggered, the three girls spoke in unison, then said together: