Clark looked over at Lois. Lois just gave him a slightly apologetic smile. The reflection of light flickering in her pupils grew brighter and brighter.
Her entire face was immersed in the glow of the computer screen. Her fingers typed a line on the keyboard, "Who are you, really?"
"A businessman and a collector. If you're interested in me, perhaps we can meet. Maybe I can help you sort out some issues."
Lois's fingers paused for a moment, but she eventually replied in the email: "Alright. Tomorrow at 10 a.m. at Café Number 9 on Missouri Avenue."
The next day at 10 a.m., Lois appeared at the café as promised. As she pushed the door open, she keenly noticed a man sitting in a corner of the café. As an independent journalist, she had seen countless people, and the moment she saw that man, she knew he was not ordinary.
Nevertheless, Lois still walked over, sat down opposite him, nodded, and said, "Hello, Mr. Rodriguez. The main reason I asked to meet you today is to express my gratitude. The information you provided about the royal family's artifact swapping scandal has brought me considerable fame and profits. Of course, more than verbal thanks, I'd like to return the favor by providing others with what they want. Although I'm not an internationally renowned journalist, I can accomplish quite a lot. If you encounter any trouble, feel free to come to me."
"Thank you, ma'am." Shiller put down his phone, smiled at her, and then said, "Let's not rush to thank me. We both know the ramifications of this matter are far from settled. Have you encountered any trouble lately?"
"Seems nothing escapes you." After placing her order, Lois handed the menu to the waiter, placed her hands on the table, and then said, "Are you familiar with Superman?"
"I've heard a bit."
"I'm a journalist, I know. Saying this might make me seem hypocritical. After all, the profession of journalism hardly leaves a good impression on anyone. But I have to say, this world needs Superman. I want to help him."
"We all agree on that point," Shiller nodded and said, "This world needs powerful good people, people who can lend a hand when the human race is on the brink of an abyss. But, how exactly do you want to help him?"
"His good side doesn't need further emphasis," Lois said after taking a sip of the coffee that was brought over, "I want to help him address his shortcomings. More specifically, eliminate some of the hidden risks he carries."
"Such as?"
"Identity issues," Lois said, "I don't know if you're aware, but Superman is not an Earthling. I once followed him onto an alien spacecraft; he must be from another planet."
"That's quite intriguing. Since he's an alien, why would he stand so firmly on the side of the human race?"
"I speculate that he might have been sent to Earth as a baby, and his adoptive parents treated him very well, educating him to be outstanding. He considers Earth his home and naturally wants to protect it. But as you know, this will inevitably arouse suspicions among some people."
"I understand," Shiller nodded and said, "If he were human, people would praise him for being just and powerful; but if he isn't, no matter how good he does, people will feel dissatisfied with him, even suspecting he has ulterior motives."
"Exactly. People are always in fear. But we can't say this fear is wrong. In fact, I am also a very suspicious person; logically, I shouldn't trust him. However, my intuition tells me that Superman is trustworthy."
"I won't impose my thoughts on others. I understand their doubts. I hope to resolve this issue in a more gentle manner."
"It looks like you already have a plan," Shiller said.
"I only have a rough concept right now. But without help, I'm afraid I can't accomplish it; after all, I'm just a journalist, not a well-connected businessman like you. There are many things I can't acquire."
"Could you tell me about your plan?" Shiller asked, then quickly added, "Of course, I'm on your side and won't divulge any information before the plan succeeds."
"I trust you," Lois looked into Shiller's eyes and said, "People like you always act like enemies in front of friends and like friends in front of enemies."
Shiller squinted his eyes slightly and smiled.
"Making someone valued is very difficult. They need to perform well themselves, have the right opportunity to be recognized by everyone, then demonstrate their value and continuously strive to achieve a crucial position."
Lois began to talk about her plan.
"But making someone undervalued is very simple. You just need to make this person become someone else's appendage."
"For example, if a woman gets married, she will inevitably be regarded as 'someone's wife' among another group of people. The same goes for men. This is the role they play in life. But if this role is overly emphasized, people will start to belittle them, not care about their opinions, or how they feel about things, or even ignore anything related to them. Because appendages are not important enough."
Shiller nodded, he certainly understood what Lois was saying. When a person is tightly bound to another, it can be a couple, parent and child, or even a leader and subordinate relationship, truly equal relationships are quite rare, most are dominated by one side with the other following. In extreme cases, one side completely occupies the master role while the other becomes an appendage.
Take the most common parent-child relationship as an example. When children are young, many people view them as appendages of their parents and cannot truly acknowledge that children have independent personalities, so when doing many things, they do not consider the child's opinion but instead ask the parents. Even if the child actively offers an opinion, they choose to ignore it because the child is seen as an appendage of the parents.
In this situation, the child's circumstances may also be overlooked. For example, if something happens at school which is a huge deal for the child, adults might not care at all because the child is always known as a "vassal."
It's the same in intimate relationships. If a person's opinions are not listened to for a long time, such as in travel itinerary arrangements, living habits, hobbies, etc., it means they are not valued and are seen as a vassal of another person.
Therefore, it can be inferred that when you want to belittle someone, directly demeaning them is not the best choice because it makes your malice too apparent. People aren't fools, even if it's phrased politely, someone can tell you're being sarcastic, which doesn't allow you to hold the moral high ground.
The correct method is to treat them as a vassal within a relationship: ignore their opinions, don't pay attention to their situation, or excessively focus on the other person in the relationship as a way to express how much you value them, thus highlighting your disregard for the person you want to belittle.
If people around you always do this, for example, at a family gathering, even when you are present, they ask your parents' opinions when discussing your affairs; when couples are together with others, whether ordering food or arranging activities, they only focus on what your partner chooses, no matter what opinion you offer, they don't care at all, this is a typical belittling behavior.
Many people don't notice this because they fall into self-doubt, thinking maybe their opinion isn't good enough, or they lack sufficient knowledge to offer an opinion, so they are ignored. But in fact, that's not the case at all. This is a social repression, some people are naturally skilled at this, and use it with seamless ease, whoever encounters it is unlucky.
Moreover, this strong binding doesn't just happen between people, sometimes it occurs between a person and an object.
Some people, when addressing others, will not refer to the person directly. They are very accustomed to binding a person with other things, things that are not inherently part of you or entirely necessary to you.
Some people describe others by saying "the tall one," "the long-haired one," "the round-faced one," etc., which refer to physical features, or take it further by saying "the one from the class next door," "from such and such department," "graduated from such and such university." These are normal adjectives, they are substantive. Physical features and locations are naturally bound to you.
However, some people will use descriptors like "the one always carrying a white backpack," "the one always holding a thermal cup," "the one who likes to order takeout" to describe others. This is actually a belittling behavior because they bind you with something that isn't naturally or necessarily associated with you.
A person buying a white backpack and using it for a period of time is perfectly normal, and typically no one might notice. But if someone frequently describes you as "the person with the white backpack," people will naturally associate you with the white backpack.
Then one day, when you don't carry this white backpack anymore, many people will find it strange and ask you, "Why aren't you carrying the white backpack?"
This seems quite normal too, many might have been asked like this. If you change your hairstyle, people ask why you changed it; if you usually take the bus to work and suddenly ride a bicycle for a day, people ask why you suddenly rode a bicycle. Most people may not have any malice, just curiosity. But in reality, "explanation" consumes energy.
People often say that when you're away from home, your identity is something you create yourself, if someone questions you, you can just make things up. However, whether you explain it truthfully or make up a story, it still requires effort, at least you have to say a few more words. And these explanations are completely unnecessary, bringing no benefits. Even for those good at socializing, it's a waste of effort; not to mention those who aren't good at socializing, who become flustered and stammer when asked, not knowing how to explain, which is emotionally exhausting.
Ultimately, it's because things that weren't supposed to be bound with you are seen as strongly bound and even regarded as one of your labels, so when you make a change, it leads to questioning. Whether it's malicious or well-intentioned questioning, it's a form of social pressure that consumes one's energy and emotions.
And those who like to use non-bound things to refer to someone are accustomed to creating this type of social pressure for others. When you don't appear with this thing, they will definitely take the lead to feign surprise and inquire, just wanting to hear your explanation.
Even though this doesn't actually benefit them in any way, for some people, creating social pressure for others brings pleasure, it's their entertainment, so they are always keen to do so.