The Dating Game

What is Bliss’s current living situation like? Bliss lives with her parents, who love her with all their hearts. However, her ego constantly gets triggered because she lives with them. Even though her ego is always bruised in their presence, she continuously strives to be a perfect daughter. Perfection goes hand in hand with a heavy burden of responsibility—one that she sometimes just wants to abandon altogether. Occasionally, Bliss might say, "Mom, I’m not doing chores today," and her mother will reply, "Great." Her mother always welcomes her and showers her with love, letting her be who she is. Isn't that wonderful? Yet, Bliss should also be independent and not rely too much on her mother. We often depend on those who love us, don't we? Bliss is no exception; she can't help but be dependent on her mother. But slowly, she is separating from her, becoming an independent version of herself: she no longer relies emotionally on her mother nor gets dragged along by her words. She still tries to do this every day. It has become such a familiar routine that she no longer feels detached from it—even though it is terribly difficult, as her mother was the closest person to her in childhood, the one who accompanied her through her formative years. Thinking about this, Bliss suddenly wants to push her mother away and say, "Mom, I hate you." She hates her mother as much as she hates herself. How can you love who you are when you hate your mother? On the flip side, Bliss feels integrated with her mother, as if they blend into one. Yet she cannot help but admit that there is a resistance within her. Have you ever imagined yourself as someone strong and talented, completely forgetting your true self? Nothing is impossible—if you hate and abandon yourself, you can create a truly perfect mask. Bliss does just that, making things exhausting for herself. It is terrible to abandon yourself, but Bliss doesn't realize this until she joins the Dating Game. What was Bliss’s daily life like before joining the Dating Game? Every day, she had to take anti-depressants, and she still felt bitter about it. A few pills going into her body—who knows what kind of adventure they take inside her? But her mother said, "Take your medicine, and you will get better." So she took them. As for whether she actually had depression or not, God only knows. She couldn't trust those doctors, whose very presence made her feel like she was facing a shock. Yet, she still took the medicine to please her parents. That was a huge deal for Bliss, but she pushed through. Every day, she became lighter and more comfortable. It was a massive effort. Besides taking anti-depressants, what else did Bliss do daily? She wrote novels and worked as a streamer—unpaid endeavors she pursued just to drown her sorrows. She didn't care what outsiders said about her. But Bliss was caught in the embrace of despair, trapped in a life without purpose. She felt pain every day, accompanied by cold chills. Maybe the depression was real. It wounded her self-esteem. Haven't we always been taught that we need to do something with our lives? A job to support ourselves, to feed our ambitions, to light up the future, or to prove our worth to the outside world. But Bliss had depression. It felt like a life sentence, one that whispered, "You are useless." However, Bliss’s despair stemmed from a deeper source: it lay within her very self. How could she make life more meaningful? How could she feel joy in living every day? Bliss felt she needed to do something, which was why she became a novelist and streamer. But these activities couldn't fill the void of despair. As mentioned, Bliss was unaware of what was happening deep inside her. She wore a mask to fight off her childhood struggles. That said, childhood was still a wonderful time, despite its difficulties. Bliss drifted, struggling to connect with her true self. But even Bliss wasn't sure—what was her true self actually like? Today, Bliss woke up early to find her mother waiting by her bedside. Her mother said: "I have a gift for you." "A gift? That’s great!" Bliss looked around excitedly. "What kind of gift is it, Mom? Let me guess." "Hmm." "A giant teddy bear so I can hug it when I sleep?" "No." "A pack of game vouchers so our family can go out with Adelaide’s family?" "No." "Or a game ticket for me to go out alone?" "No." "I want to know, I want to know!" "If you want to know, I'll tell you." "Tell me quickly, Mom!" "It is..." "Don't keep me in suspense! Tell me, Mom," Bliss said, shyly tugging at her mother's sleeve. "Maybe it's not a big gift, right? Just a small one," Bliss added. "I think that works too." "Mom, tell me quickly, what is the gift?" "Take it easy, don't rush," her mother stopped her daughter. "Why?" "Because I will reveal this secret to you soon. Come with me to the dining area." "To the dining area? Sure," Bliss said, but inside she felt annoyed. A part of her was triggered. It couldn't be helped—she was her mother. Whatever her mother did could touch the deepest parts of her soul. And what can we do about it? Continue to love our mother. "Is it a small gift? What kind of gift could it be?" Bliss muttered to herself. Mother and daughter walked into the dining area. Their family dining area was actually the living room, featuring a brand-new set of wooden tables and chairs bought by her wealthy younger sister, Adelaide. On top of the table sat a clear glass vase with a simple, narrow-necked shape, holding fresh lilies. As they reached the living room, Bliss’s mother said: "Now, I will show you the gift." Bliss felt her heart race. "Tell me quickly, Mom, what is it?" Her mother took a medicine box off the table and handed it to Bliss. "This is your new medication for depression." It felt like a bucket of cold water dumped over Bliss. "New medication for depression? When did you go buy medicine without taking me along?" "This is new medicine prescribed by the doctor. After a period of treatment with the old medicine, the doctor saw that you are progressing normally, so he decided it's time for a new prescription." "So that's how it is..." But Bliss felt awful. Anyone looking at her face right now would see her turn pale. What her mother had just done forced her to face her depression head-on once again. "This is just as bad as going to the doctor," Bliss babbled to herself, covering her face. If every visit to the doctor was a shock to her, switching medication was equally jarring. "Will taking this medicine make your life better? The answer is yes," her mother said. "But taking medicine into my body—who knows what harmful effects it might have? Medicine can lead to side effects." "Side effects aren't as important as the medicine's ability to cure your illness," her mother said with a loving voice. And once again, Bliss surrendered. She pulled out the d**g instructions to read. "Take once in the morning, and once more at dinner." "Hang in there, sweetie. You're already 26 years old; don't make me worry about you anymore." For some reason, Bliss felt an invisible pressure. Could a mother's love actually be a form of pressure? It is love if you view it as love. "Mom, get the pills out for me to take," Bliss bossed her around. "I'm too lazy to do it." "Alright, I'll get them for you," her mother said kindly. Yet Bliss felt terrible again. She felt it within her relationship with her mother, but she couldn't articulate why. Why did she feel bad most of the time? She was uncomfortable in this love, struggling against it like a mouse trying to break free from a trap overflowing with delicious bait. Was love something she needed to be wary of? Bliss took her medicine and then ate breakfast. Breakfast was pure agony for Bliss. But was there any alternative? Bliss went through the motions as if in a delirium, as if caught in a swirling storm. She felt dazed and dark inside—oh, the irony. After breakfast, her mother left for work. Bliss felt deeply humiliated that her mother had to work to support her. That was why she wrote and streamed. But today, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Still, she forced herself to keep going. Around 12 o'clock, Bliss washed her hands and went to have lunch. Feeling absolutely nothing, she carried on with life. That was understandable. And one must also forgive actions that yield no results. People live because they simply keep living. If effort was required, she had put in the effort. If the results weren't promising, she just had to accept it. If it left behind any shame, Bliss wasn't even aware of it. It’s a bad sign when you can't feel anything about yourself. For Bliss, feeling even a little bit would be enough. But because she pushed herself too hard to work, she lost all sense of feeling. At the very least, Bliss felt that feeling nothing at all was a terrible thing. Because of this, that afternoon was another difficult stretch of time for her. "Come on," Bliss pleaded. "Why do I keep feeling so terrible? Complaining isn't what I want to do, but instead..." Bliss widened her eyes. "I want to snap!" Bliss found an object nearby and threw it away. "New medicine, why does it have to be new medicine?" Bliss muttered. She turned back to look at the medicine packet on the table. "Well, it's not that bad, I'll take it," Bliss said. Afterward, she went outside and opened the door to get some fresh air. It was an act of escaping from her own thoughts. The problem was that she didn't want to think at all—she really was running away from herself. However, as Bliss opened the door, she suddenly wanted to slam it shut again. But then, she opened it back up. "What is this?" The first thought that struck Bliss was that someone was playing a prank on her, or that someone had confessed their love to the wrong address. But gradually, she accepted the reality before her eyes and let her imagination soar. These things are wonderful; I get to enjoy flowers and candles. Someone had brought these into her life. Bliss walked into the center of the large heart made of candles and picked up the bundle of deep red velvet roses placed in the middle. She inhaled the sweet fragrance of the roses, intoxicating her mind. She became overwhelmed with love—feeling loved. She twirled inside the large candlelit heart. Who could have brought such wonderful things? Bliss felt ready to give that person her love, but wait—she needed to know more about them first. "Who... who is it?" Suddenly, a gift box fell out of the bouquet Bliss was holding. Oh, there's a gift too? Bliss felt mixed emotions—partly anticipating the gift, partly feeling as though she were attracting bad luck. The gift box had a flip-top lid, making it easy for Bliss to open it up. Inside was an object shaped like a smartwatch, featuring a sleek, polished surface and a near-transparent band, with the watch face itself exquisitely crafted. There was also a letter included with it. Bliss opened the letter. "What is this?" Bliss felt utterly exhausted. From taking her medication, writing, and streaming, to now this. But right after, her mind was flooded with questions. What on earth is happening to me? Bliss ran her fingers over the surface of the letter. She began reading the written lines, her eyes quickly scanning through the rows of text. And she forced herself to accept reality—naturally, just like that.