Orator (2)

Traffic throughout the entire city ground to a simultaneous halt as all eyes focused on the blonde girl.

Xu Xiaoyou looked down at the councilman.

"You are right. Others are a mirror for examining the self. None of us can view ourselves with objective clarity; we need the evaluations of others for self-assessment. The opinions of others are indispensable, and becoming an object for others is a stage everyone must pass through."

"However, the prerequisite is that what we are doing through this mirror is seeing ourselves, not finding ourselves."

"Are we truly powerless to do anything, or are we simply falling into a lucid state of depravity?"

"The gaze of the other creates a sense of shame, forcing one to become an object."

"Yet I only see the majority of people living in self-deception, abandoning their freedom, accepting labels, and becoming accustomed to—even numbly dependent on—this sense of shame, willingly playing a role labeled by others."

"Street punks, Professional Moms, the unemployed, leftover women—can these labels truly encompass you as a person and extinguish all your brilliance?"

"Ask your own hearts—have you yourselves come to identify with these labels?"

"How is that possible!" the street punk girl shouted in anger. "My character wasn't bad before; I just made one mistake, and it became an unforgivable sin in the eyes of others, leading my guardian to expel me and forbid me from stepping foot in the house ever again."

"My rating kept dropping. To hell with being a street punk! I've never truly bowed my head. I'm still working hard to earn money, doing whatever dirty or exhausting job I can find." The girl began to sob, wiping away tears as she turned her head away fiercely.

"Of course I want to change. I want to become better, wash away my past mistakes, and face a new day with a fresh look. I just want a better life, but no one is ever willing to give me a chance. They only look at my label and naturally force my filthy past onto me."

"Clearly, those are things I didn't do...."

The girl's sobbing words pulled many people present into deep thought.

A youth standing in the corner lowered his eyes. Many had told him that the skyline was beautiful, the most stunning sight in Skyline City, where one could overlook the entire city and gaze at the distant lakes; when you opened your arms, the wind and sunlight would embrace you.

In his memory, the skyline had always been close to heaven. He wanted to see the most beautiful place one last time at the end of his life.

He was truly exhausted, because he was perfect—in the eyes of others.

This youth's rating was 100.

His label was "Perfect Male God."

Since his student days, he had shown extraordinary talent, entering the mechanical engineering department of Asimov University very early. His guardian and those around him held endless expectations for him; with his exceptional looks and humorous conversation, social media had packaged his persona to be flawless.

No one knew that he practiced his expressions in front of the mirror every night to ensure that every smile he gave in public the next day had the perfect arc. He knew that once this filter of perfection was broken, even by the smallest mistake, people's impression of him would plummet. He had no room for error; both his mentor and his agent had hammered this into his ears.

He often retched in the restroom due to anxiety, relying on medication to barely fall asleep, sleeping no more than four hours a day, yet still forced to use makeup to appear radiant.

He didn't hate being liked by people, nor did he hate perfection itself; on the contrary, he loved the feeling of being in the spotlight.

He just hated that he wasn't, and could never become, the perfect person people expected.

He just hated himself for acting like a robot, following pre-entered instructions to play a role while his internal parts inevitably began to break down.

The glass reflected his haggard self, his eyes wavering. This gaunt fellow was actually the once-spirited version of him; if he went out without makeup, forget others not recognizing him—he wouldn't even recognize himself.

Looking through the window, an airship bearing his name, 'Loren,' slowly flew over the city. The inspirational words were spoken by him, but he had forgotten what kind of resolve he had held when he said them.

Since he couldn't become that perfect self, let him stay in his perfect moment forever.

The girl with the "Good Girl" label looked down numbly.

A 'Good Girl' couldn't keep pets. A 'Good Girl' had to comb her long hair, wear pretty skirts, and dress up like a doll. A 'Good Girl' had to listen to her guardian. A 'Good Girl' had to endure the malicious speculation and ridicule of others, learning to be submissive.

A 'Good Girl' should live like a 'Good Girl.'

At some point, people began to force these requirements upon her, like an invisible hand pushing her head beneath the water. The suffocating pressure made it impossible to breathe, and the cold darkness gradually numbed her. Like an empty shell, she met others with a smile, tentatively testing the waters, always afraid of making a mistake. Living as the person others imagined was truly exhausting; if she closed her eyes, she wouldn't feel anxious about the cold and darkness anymore, right?

The youth with the "Brave Citizen" label sighed. If given another chance, he would never stand up to confront an Awakened One again. With such a label, even if he was terrified when facing danger, he was the only one who couldn't turn and run. He had to make a "Brave Citizen" entrance, then charge in like a hot-blooded youth to engage in close combat with sinners and drive away all the bad guys.

To hell with it—if a grenade rolled over, would he have to throw himself on it to block it with his body?

The man with the "Rain God" label looked at the clear sky with worry. A new concert was about to start; if it didn't rain outside soon, his persona would collapse. God knew how such a label had come to be....

"Most of you can stay out of it, pretending to be unbothered and ignoring the labels, but that doesn't mean you won't be affected. Even if the people passing you by make no choices, you will still be stung by the self reflected in that shattered mirror."

"This morbid city is hell. The people in hell are not affected by the choices of others, but by their mere existence."

"When you try to find, correct, kill the self, or exclude dissidents through the labels of others, the silence of others will roar in your ears."

"No torture devices are needed; others are an eternal hell."

"All values are defined by others, sacrificing your own free will for them."

"You cannot pursue your own ideals, forever trapped by the labels given by others, unable to love the ones you love, unable to live in your own way."

"Born like a camel, bearing heavy weights, enduring all injustice, oppression, and plunder, kneeling to death in humiliation—even abandoning the right to stand that I gave you."

"If this is what you want."

Facing several mechanical officers who walked toward her and surrounded her at the center, Xu Xiaoyou opened her hands. Scattered golden sequins fell around her, and cards of the Queen of Hearts fluttered about. Those brilliant golden eyes shone in the countless shattered mirror shards.

She was like a believer in probability who had already staked her life on the gambling table before going all-in.

"Then debate me, insult me, arrest me, and finally kill me!"

"In the name of civilization and truth, fire at your savior!"