Seeing that face, what else could I doubt? I look in the mirror every day.
“Jireh, that’s me!”
I jumped onto him, and forgive me for being so excited; luckily, he caught me, or that would have been quite an embarrassing position.
“You’re amazing! You actually replaced the school founder’s statue.” Jireh’s face also showed surprise.
“The year you graduated, Principal Ricky Aya also left. Although his term wasn’t over, no one knows the reason.”
“The new principal just returned from Canada and values students’ opinions very much. As long as it’s not a serious issue, she will agree.”
“Coincidentally, the statue was in terrible condition at that time, so the student council president requested to replace it with your statue. She said you could represent the new era of women and encourage us to pursue our dreams, and there’s even a slogan engraved on the statue.”
Sure enough, there were a few lines of text on the statue: “Being unknown is not shameful; it just waits for you to shine. A true warrior fears no power, breaking rules to embrace beauty. Happiness is in your hands, just waiting for you to realize it.” I was so moved; I didn’t even know I had become so great.
“Actually, the seniors wanted to thank you for establishing the social event day!”
“Social event day? That still exists?” I was truly surprised. Although I had fought hard to establish it back then, I never thought it would be preserved.
“Because so many people requested it, it had to be kept.”
“Now, almost every senior in the third year will request it.” I felt like I must have unintentionally made many parents resent me.
I am Thalia Eve. When I was young, my mother and aunts often dragged me to watch soap operas, but I always scoffed at them. From a young age, I never believed that women should depend on men; those with abilities should call the shots. Now, I believe that only by mastering everyone can I navigate my relationships with them effortlessly. I do not allow myself to be at a disadvantage. Being a woman comes with inherent weaknesses, but it also has its advantages. It is only natural to make good use of one’s strengths, and those men who admire me are at best mere embellishments in my life. To control and utilize them—if I have the ability, why not? I think my parents would want me to be this way. I call myself Thalia Eve, “Those who admire me must be able to weave my hair with a pain that pierces the heart.” This is how I interpret it; this is my destined fate and my advantage.
At thirteen, I established my own “Men’s Pond Pavilion.” The people in the pavilion are like-minded individuals. Initially, it was just a small group of six, and our goal was to create a pond for men where those in need could safely and freely find their fish. This business exceeded my expectations; more and more people joined, and the money earned was used to purchase and upgrade facilities. In just five years, the Men’s Pond Pavilion had become a well-known organization nationwide, yet none of my friends or family knew I was the leader. As the head of a pavilion, it is impossible for it to grow and establish itself without being a strong woman. In fact, the real me would frighten ordinary people, so I have never revealed my true self in front of friends and family.
The base of the Men’s Pond Pavilion is an old apartment building, which looks dilapidated and somewhat eerie. This serves as its protection; a scary old apartment is less likely to attract intruders. However, I will not mistreat my subordinates, nor will I let the money earned go to waste. Although the exterior is unappealing, the interior is luxurious, with the latest facilities.
If someone approaches within a hundred miles, notifications of their identity and image are sent. Every door is equipped with facial recognition and iris recognition, and there are also rank locks, so no unrelated individuals have ever successfully intruded. Each bookshelf has weight detection, preventing even the possibility of internal theft.
Inside the pavilion, there is a publicity department responsible for promotion, a public relations department for client communication, and an investigation department for data collection. Their abilities rival those of FBI agents (most come from special operations backgrounds), and the information they gather has never been wrong. They can investigate everything from ancestors to the dirty deeds done behind closed doors, and this is what I am most proud of; it is the capital on which the Men’s Pond Pavilion stands. The affairs department is responsible for organizing and compiling records, managing finances and hygiene. The information section is divided into two parts: one half is responsible for organizing and compiling the electronic library, consisting of ordinary people, while the other half is made up of hackers, tasked with protecting the electronic library.
The Men’s Pond Pavilion is my hard work over the past five years and my pride; I have never failed, and Lillie is the first.
