Chapter 109: Little Pup, Loud Voice

"The balance between survival and dignity?" Si Chongtian mused, looking as if he understood yet remained slightly perplexed.

"Yes, balance." Shi Tiexin spoke each word heavily and with conviction. "Growing up in the orphanage, when you lack strength, you don't make waves; it is best to follow the rules set by the powerful. Just like how I said 'excuse me' as I left today. That is not a humiliation; it is a necessity for survival. In the face of survival, there is no such thing as being humiliated."

"But silence, endurance, and compliance do not mean you have to cast aside your dignity. If I cannot defeat you, I will endure, train diligently, and work hard in silence. But I will never curry favor with you or cling to you. If I only choose silence and endurance, then no matter how difficult or repressed things get, my dignity and my backbone remain intact. But if I bow my knees simply because you are strong, then my dignity can never be reclaimed."

Recalling scene after scene from his past, Shi Tiexin let out a long sigh. "The environment I grew up in was vastly different from yours. In such a place, it was impossible to cultivate any personality or express one's true self. Under the crushing weight of life, such things seemed ridiculous and absurd."

"Even preserving a tiny shred of dignity or a sliver of backbone is incredibly, painfully difficult. Living while standing tall is often much harder than crawling on one's knees. Even finding that balance is never easy."

"Because there are always some people who will suppress you simply because you refuse to kneel."

"But looking back now, no matter how hard, how oppressive, or how painful it was at the time, I have no regrets. Life may be harsher when you hold onto your dignity, but you can stand tall as you grow stronger—and keep growing stronger."

Si Chongtian clenched his fist and exclaimed, "Exactly, exactly! No matter how hard things get, dignity must never be compromised!"

Shi Tiexin shook his head. "No, a hard life is not the hardest part. The hardest part is having a backbone but being forced to step back and endure. Silence and endurance may be more stifling, but they keep you alive—they keep you going."

"I am not afraid of death, though at times life can make you wish for it. But I cannot die. I am an orphan, and I know deeply how hard that is. I have felt envy, resentment, doubt, and bitterness."

"But later I understood: I could not choose my past, only my future. And for that future, no matter what, I must ensure my children have a tree to shelter them from the wind and rain, a house that stands against the storm, and a safe, stable home."

Shi Tiexin stood at his post, head held high, neck straight, gaze fixed forward. His posture was as sturdy as a mountain range. "This is my resolve."

Si Chongtian was stunned, staring at Shi Tiexin in complete awe. He felt that Brother Tie's words had delivered a massive shock to his system. He had heard many things before—his father often rambled about how difficult things were in the past—but perhaps because Shi Tiexin was closer to his own age, or perhaps because he was seeing it so vividly, Si Chongtian suddenly felt his former self had been somewhat shallow.

This was not a gap in cultivation level, but a gap in character and perception.

If he were to compare, he felt his former self was like a supercar—high horsepower, plenty of fuel, perfectly maintained, capable of tearing up the racetrack, but all that racing was done just for fun.

But Shi Tiexin was like an ocean freighter. It carried a heavy burden, braved the elements, broke through the waves, and traveled day and night. Its speed might not compare to the supercar, but the profound weight and unshakable determination were incomparable.

In ten or twenty years, the supercar might still be gleaming, but it would still be darting around the track like a headless fly. The freighter, however, might be rusted and battered, but it would have reached the New World. Looking out at that brand-new horizon, the freighter's horn would surely sound with a bold and triumphant note.

*This is the kind of man I admire!*

"Big Brother Tie!" Si Chongtian was moved. He decided then and there that he would change his address to "Big Brother Tie"—it fit perfectly.

"Right, enough talk. Back to the post." *Heh, now he knows how impressive I am, right? Conquered by my charisma. Big Brother Tie is Big Brother Tie wherever he goes.*

"Oh, right," Si Chongtian suddenly remembered something. "Big Brother Tie, you said you were working here to pay off debt, right? How much do you owe? If it's not much—I mean, if it's under three million points—I can help you!"

*Pfft!*

The unflappable Big Brother Tie almost coughed up blood.

*This little brat has bad intentions, talking about "three million points" so casually. To my ears, that's a horror story!*

*Three million?!*

*Good grief, these rich kids... just how long have they been saving their pocket money?*

"If it's more, I'll have to wait a couple of months. My dad told me to focus on my studies, so he's not giving me as much as before. But he'll give me more next month, so if you're not in a hurry, I can scrape together up to ten million points."

*Alright, brother, say no more...*

*I finally found a little bit of balance, and you keep saying things that tempt me. If I hadn't just bragged about my grand resolve, I might have actually started clinging to you!*

*Breathe... dignity... dignity...*

Fortunately, perhaps from his time spent keeping a poker face, while a storm raged in Shi Tiexin's mind, his face remained completely unmoved and unreadable. To hear of such a massive fortune and remain indifferent—that was the mark of a man with true integrity. Even Baldy Situ probably couldn't pull that off.

After a long internal struggle and mental preparation, Shi Tiexin finally regained his composure.

"Thank you, but it's not that much. Only one thousand points. If I can't scrape it together by then, I will ask to borrow some from you. But I want to try on my own first, to pay off the debt with my own strength as much as I can. Besides, robbing Peter to pay Paul is not my style." Shi Tiexin smiled faintly, appearing calm and collected, completely hiding how shaken he had been. "But regardless, I thank you for your kindness."

"Oh, oh! Big Brother Tie, what you said is so wonderful! I suddenly understand—this must be what you call dignity!" The kid seemed to have an epiphany. "I think I've relied on my dad too much. If I didn't have a wealthy father, I probably wouldn't be half as good as you."

Shi Tiexin felt his face grow slightly warm and hurried to be humble. "Not at all, not at all."

*If I had a wealthy father, I might be the one who wouldn't be half as good as this kid! How many young masters can be like him? He's already a rarity.*

"You are! You definitely are!"

*This brat has one bad habit: he's stubborn when he decides on something—though, when it comes to worshipping me, that doesn't seem like a bad thing.*

"Big Brother Tie, look at this handwriting! It's pure art!" Si Chongtian picked up the draft paper he had been practicing on and shouted at the top of his lungs. "Incredible, Big Brother Tie! This writing is peak! Out of all the young people I know, you are the absolute master of hard-pen calligraphy!"

The sound of Si Chongtian's voice was still echoing in the workshop when someone pushed the door open and walked in, catching the tail end of his exclamation. The man glared over immediately. "Peak master of youth hard-pen calligraphy? Who is blowing such an arrogant horn?"