Please provide the text you would like me to translate.

Bai Luyao’s words stirred many feelings in Huang Qi. Even after she returned to her dorm that night, she was still thinking about it. Bai Luyao faced life and difficulties with a positive attitude, working hard to avoid and overcome obstacles in her own way; Huang Qi believed she would only grow stronger and better. The same could be said for Tong Fu and Xiao Ying—their attitudes were equally optimistic.

Reflecting on herself, Huang Qi realized that her own problem was minor in comparison: she had simply found a boyfriend whose outward circumstances weren’t ideal, and her family might oppose it. Compared to Bai Luyao and Tong Fu’s challenges, her dilemma was insignificant, yet all she did was procrastinate—waiting for Xiao Ying to succeed, for her parents to lower their expectations, pinning her hopes on others. She was passive, too negative.

The illustrious, resolute Lord Huang thought that she ought to do something herself, to live up to her title.

That evening, Xiao Ying called as promised. Huang Qi told him about Bai Luyao giving up on graduate school to work, omitting any mention of Bai’s secret affection for their teacher. “Xiao Ying, I think she’s really insightful, and what she said makes sense. Just recently, a senior told me that a master’s degree is increasingly worthless—these days, graduates find jobs worse than what their classmates did right after their bachelor’s, and starting salaries are dropping. Grad school isn’t necessarily a good thing anymore.”

Sha Zhouyin replied, “It depends on the person. For us who never went to college, the more you study, the more useful it is. Xiao Qi, don’t just follow others. Her path might not suit you. Some people are suited to entering society early, gaining work experience; others are better off staying in school to learn more. Do you really think you could land a high-paying bank job right now? Just stay in school, do your research, and after graduation, find a stable job in your field. Isn’t that good?”

Huang Qi felt underestimated. “You’re saying I’m incompetent, low EQ, can’t survive in society, and can only rely on a degree?”

“Where did you get that idea? I just don’t want you to hit setbacks and suffer too soon. Xiao Qi, so many people wish they could go to college and never get the chance. Your school is a dream for countless people. You should cherish your opportunity to study further. Don’t let the current money-driven atmosphere make you think education is useless. Supporting a family is a man’s job; you just do what you love. If I can’t provide for you, it only proves I’m useless and not worthy of you.”

Huang Qi didn’t like his last words. “Worthy or not, being together is about two people, sharing everything, including finances. Yesterday you talked about equality, now you’re being all macho?”

Sha Zhouyin laughed. “That’s not what I meant. Is it gender equality if I let you support me?”

Lord Huang rolled her eyes skyward. “You’re my spouse; it’s fine for me to support you.”

In truth, Huang Qi saw the gap between herself and Bai Luyao. Her four undergraduate years had been spent entirely on academics, even her internship was in the department lab; she studied engineering and had no work skills. She’d heard from classmates about management trainee positions at major banks—competition was fierce even among finance majors, let alone outsiders. She’d probably be crushed if she applied.

Environmental studies was a fairly niche field—this was especially clear when job hunting. Ten or so classmates had sought jobs, only to meet repeated setbacks. Positions in their field required master’s or PhDs; for unrelated jobs, there were too many applicants and too few spots, with no experience or specialties it was hard to stand out. So, as Bai Luyao suggested, a graduate degree added considerable value for Huang Qi.

But only those in the situation understood this; for most people, the employment landscape for college graduates was irrelevant unless they had a soon-to-be graduate at home. Especially the neighbors back home—what would they care? All they saw was, “Oh, your daughter’s a top student at T University, a master’s graduate! Amazing!”—until they found out she’d chosen a construction foreman as a son-in-law.

She couldn’t selfishly pursue what she liked, thinking only of herself while leaving Xiao Ying to bear the pressure alone, struggling to catch up. The least she could do was pause and wait for him.

The lesson from her philosophy class that resonated most with Huang Qi was the idea of quantitative change leading to qualitative change. She couldn’t transform herself overnight, but she could focus on accumulating small improvements, believing that one day the transformation would come.

With both hope and caution, she first sought advice from seniors, prepared a resume, discussed job hunting with classmates, sent out her CV to many online postings, and attended a school job fair, applying wherever she met the requirements.

It was already a bit late in the recruitment cycle, mostly unknown small firms and a few last-minute openings, but Huang Qi believed that with effort, she’d eventually find something. Every field has its masters; Xiao Ying excelled as a construction worker. She didn’t care if her first job had a low starting point.

Over the following days, she received interview invitations from several small companies. Lord Huang was full of fighting spirit and confidence, preparing carefully with online guides. It was her first interview—she was nervous and excited. When she called her mother that evening, she accidentally let it slip, “Mom, I have an interview early tomorrow, so I won’t talk long.”

Teacher Ding, sharp-eared and alert, immediately asked, “Wait, what are you interviewing for?”

Huang Qi thought hiding it wouldn’t work, and this couldn’t be concealed anyway. She decided to come clean. “I’m looking for a job. Mom, I don’t really want to do grad school anymore. I have a high school classmate, also a girl, who studied liberal arts and got a bank job—her first year’s salary is 120,000! You know how much our lab seniors earn after graduation? Not even close…”

“Stop with the useless comparisons,” Teacher Ding’s tone suddenly became stern, “Do you know what integrity means? You decided on grad school last year; now you back out and waste the teacher’s graduate spot. Do you realize how many people want to get into your school’s graduate program? Because you took a spot, someone else missed out by a hair. Imagine the difference in their lives. You occupy the latrine but don’t use it, snatching away someone’s precious opportunity and then saying you won’t go—don’t you think that’s irresponsible?”

Teacher Ding had been a homeroom teacher for years; her reprimands carried authority. Huang Qi felt guilty at once, her confidence instantly diminished. “I—I asked the seniors. They said teachers have flexible quotas every year, to prevent not enough students or students who don’t show up. If I don’t go this year, the teacher can recruit one more next year. It’s not really wasted… Our lab is big, they recruit plenty every year, so one less won’t matter…” Her voice grew quieter as she spoke, because she knew she was at fault.

Teacher Ding listened patiently, saying nothing, but the silent pressure came through the phone and Huang Qi felt it keenly. After Huang Qi stammered through her reasons about the job market, Teacher Ding finally said, “Xiao Qi, I’m your mother. I’ve always seen through your little schemes. Let’s be frank—don’t bother making excuses. Tell me, are you dating Sha Zhouyin? Are you worried that if you get a master’s, people will say he’s unworthy, so you don’t want to pursue it?”

Huang Qi froze. “Mom, you—you know?”

Teacher Ding sighed, her tone softening. “Such a child, thinking you’ve hidden it so well? Your living expenses this year soared—I noticed. Over New Year, you two met at Beige Bridge. In a small town like ours, everyone knows your grandfather, everyone knows you. Someone saw you and ran straight over to tell your grandfather, saying, ‘Your granddaughter is secretly dating the son of a murderer.’ Can you imagine their attitude?”

“Your grandfather is old and values sentiment. Xiao Ying grew up before his eyes, so he kept quiet about it. He advised me and your father, saying, ‘The two kids grew up together, and were separated by adult affairs, but now they still care about each other; it shows they’re loyal and sincere. Young people are passionate. Let them be; don’t rush to interfere and break them up.’

“I later asked Uncle Wenwen, who said Xiao Ying was in Tianjin. I thought a long-distance relationship wouldn’t last, and as long as it didn’t affect your studies, I’d turn a blind eye. You’ve always been sensible, never giving us cause for worry, so we trusted your judgment. But now you’re giving up grad school for him, ruining your future—not just us, even your grandfather who’s always protected you wouldn’t agree.

“You think no one at home knows about you two, but the whole town’s heard. You still have junior high classmates; who can you hide it from? I won’t even mention the local mentality—you know it well. You’ve excelled, got into a prestigious university, our family moved from the countryside to the city, your father’s now a top teacher—on the surface, it’s enviable, but many are jealous, waiting for you to stumble so they can laugh at you. The things they say are awful. Saying your judgment is poor is the mildest; some even say you’re attracted to his physique, and can’t let go after getting a taste—spreading such rumors about an unmarried girl!

“You haven’t heard a word of this, have you? Your grandfather suppressed it all, never letting us tell you. He’s shouldered all your pressure. Xiao Qi, humans are social beings; we can’t escape others’ influence. Especially your grandfather and our professions—reputation matters. How will you face such gossip? Cover your ears and pretend not to hear? That’s the coward’s way. The best response is to live better, become more outstanding, and slap them in the face!

“But what are you doing now? Instead of striving for improvement, you want to lower yourself, thinking that makes you and him ‘match.’ Do you really think people won’t talk? You’re too naive! They’ll only say, ‘Look at the Huang family daughter—she was brilliant as a child, got into T University, but lost her mind and married a construction worker, her job’s nothing special, and now she’s miserable—worse off than me!’

“Xiao Qi, I’ve been a homeroom teacher for years. When students fall for each other too young, I have plenty of ways to deal with them. If I really wanted to break you up, could you have lasted this long? Our family of three has always been harmonious, and we never played the elder in front of you. I don’t want to ruin all these years of affection, so I won’t do anything to you. But Sha Zhouyin—he’s just a neighbor’s child who died years ago; I haven’t seen him in six or seven years, I feel no obligation toward him. And you should understand, it’s easier for me to pressure him than you, isn’t it? He must already feel a lot of stress being with you—do you want me to add more?

“Xiao Qi, you haven’t entered society yet; if your ideas are immature, I don’t blame you. You have three more years to study; if you want to date someone in school for experience, I won’t interfere much. When you graduate, find a job, and consider marriage, you’ll naturally understand the difference between ideals and reality. Walk your path, don’t let love cloud your judgment and regret it for a lifetime. Life needs money, health, a career, many things—the least important is love, understand?”

After Teacher Ding’s words, Huang Qi was left defenseless. Only after hanging up did she realize her back was drenched in cold sweat. It was then she deeply felt she was indeed a child, utterly inexperienced compared to adults, no match at all.

Her soaring spirit was instantly doused. The next day’s interview went poorly, and after being told to wait for a response, she never heard back.

She attended a few more interviews, scattered here and there, and finally received two acceptable offers. One was as a research assistant at an institute, with a starting salary of just three thousand; one was a patent engineer at a patent agency, with decent pay, but Huang Qi knew from her lab experience that the field was narrow, and once you entered, you’d likely do it forever. Both were, as her mother said, unimpressive jobs. The positions she really wanted, those with no major restrictions, didn’t pan out; some were rejected at the resume stage.

The setbacks in her job search made her doubt her abilities and decisions; her confidence faltered. But the biggest blow came when, one day, she realized Xiao Ying hadn’t replied to her messages in ages. When she called, his phone was off—and it stayed off.