Back in his own little nest, he felt much better again. Sure enough, he was still a bit averse to trouble. Even though he could control the pace, investing too much energy made him feel irritable. Zhou You lay on the bed, pondering life. Originally, he had enough money in this life to just coast along, but his ambition was still too strong. Whenever he spotted an opportunity, he couldn’t resist grabbing it, unable to hold back. He had once read a book called *Influence*, and he’d read it many times. It mainly discussed how a person is influenced by their surroundings to make purchases. *Influence* focused on six key principles: reciprocity, commitment, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity. In fact, many ancient Chinese classics, like *The Analects*, *Augmented Words for the Wise*, and *Records of the Grand Historian*, touched on these ideas in various ways, just under different terms and without systematic organization. Currently, there’s hardly any new development in humanities; almost all principles can be found in classical Chinese texts. Sometimes, when reading history—though it was always a casual read—he noticed that much of it was just cycles repeating. Human nature hadn’t changed much. With little change in human nature, societal influences just kept cycling. New theories were all built on old foundations, unable to break free, because human nature remained largely the same. He had read *The Analects* and *Augmented Words for the Wise*, but each reading felt different. As he aged and gained more experience, his insights deepened. Young people think they can conquer heaven and earth, but gradually, they realize that just being able to support themselves is impressive enough. At first, he was outraged by the injustices he faced, but over time, he grew accustomed to them. He was just an ordinary person, and the norm for ordinary people was to encounter unfairness. And often, there was nothing he could do about it. He basically had no way to resist, or the cost of resistance was too high, leaving him without the courage to act. So, as long as the grievance or injustice wasn’t too severe, he silently endured it or laughed it off. Since he couldn’t change the world, he changed himself—his mood, his way of thinking, abandoning conventional notions and embracing the survival rules he had mastered. There were many schools of thought in the world, and many experts and scholars contradicted each other. The Hundred Schools of Thought, the conflict between Legalism and Confucianism, the debates between the School of Mind and the School of Principle—all had points of contention. So, the views we’ve been exposed to since childhood might not suit us. We should choose the good and follow it, and correct the bad, selecting behavioral guidelines based on our own reality to make ourselves happier. This world is constantly trying to take more from us, whether through outright robbery or subtle theft. Facing large interest groups, we have no way to resist. The only thing we can do is prevent smaller interest groups—like scammers, merchants, illegal groups, and malicious authorities—from also carving up our assets. They use all sorts of tactics to force us into submission, sucking our blood, squeezing us further, dangling big promises, and offering small favors to make us work ourselves to the bone. They exploit vague authority to make us comply, use social norms to steer us, and leverage our preferences to get close to us. Thinking back now, the influences he’d faced since childhood were overwhelming. We influence others, and others influence us. For example, soaring housing prices push and lure you into buying a house. When faced with something you love, sometimes you can’t help but buy it. At work, you constantly strive for better treatment, while social recognition and norms pressure you to conform as much as possible. Like marriage and having children, education and healthcare, parental authority—these force you to step by step into line, living according to societal norms, unable to live your brief life as you truly wish. *Influence* mainly focuses on business, but it actually touches on every aspect of life. We’re affected by advertisements, policies, propaganda, social norms, and so on. Sometimes, there’s no way around it. Human energy and time are limited. If you overthink every single thing, you’d probably break down before long. So, human instinct is a tool for individuals to navigate complex social life, but unfortunately, it’s increasingly exploited by others. How to ease worries? Only through reading—read more, practice more, think more. Let go of the urge to save others; respect their destinies. Over the past six months, as everything went smoothly and his wealth kept growing, Zhou You’s mindset had swelled a bit. He even had the illusion of wanting to be a savior. Life without money is meaningless, but just making money is also meaningless. “Fangfang, let’s go swimming together.” Without exercise for a long time, the body doesn’t bring joy. Exercise makes you happy, releasing dopamine and endorphins. One major reason for postpartum depression is that the body loses its joy—lying in bed, unable to move, facing a complicated new environment that the body can’t handle. Now the swimming pool was his own. Not to mention anything else, just for his own swimming comfort, he had to ensure the water quality was good. Besides, it wasn’t like he was short on cash. Whether in winter or summer, it’s best to take a quick shower before getting in the water. Not just to rinse off, but to let the body adjust to the water temperature. Sitting by the edge for a bit, splashing some pool water on yourself, can prevent many issues—like cardiovascular problems or leg cramps. Looking at the vast swimming pool, Zhou You felt a deep sense of satisfaction. He had always hoped for a private pool of his own, and unexpectedly, in this life, it had come true in a roundabout way. Before coming, he adjusted the water temperature in advance. Adjusting it while swimming, with one side cold and the other hot, would be an unbearably intense experience. He started slowly, doing a few laps with freestyle, breaststroke, and backstroke to warm up his body. Then he went into sprint mode. With all his strength, he swam 100 meters in one go. The pool churned up waves of water. His whole body and mind felt a sense of joy. The recent stress vanished, and he regained a spirited, upward-looking state. Wang Fangfang watched him swim from the side. Last night, she had thought about staying over at his place, but Zhou You didn’t bring it up, and she felt too shy to suggest it herself. Seeing him a bit down, she wondered what was wrong. Now that he’d finished exercising and seemed in a better mood, she sat down to chat. “Yesterday, you seemed off. I wanted to ask, but I didn’t dare—did something upset you?” Being cared for felt wonderful. A warm current surged in his heart. “It’s nothing. I was just too idle. When you’re idle, you start thinking, and if you think too much, you get down. I’m fine now.” “Come on, get in and swim for a bit. Teach me how to hold my breath underwater.” Wang Fangfang dove straight in from the edge, swimming from one end to the other in one breath. It was only 25 meters, a breeze for a professional athlete like her. A mermaid in the water couldn’t compare. Please keep reading, please bookmark.