Going back to my hometown for a dinner party, a childhood friend asked me: How much do you make in a year now?

I was about to give a rough estimate, but the words got stuck. I: Don’t ask. The company laid off staff, I’m now on a reduced salary, earning about seven or eight thousand a month, barely enough for the mortgage.

The tension in his eyes instantly disappeared, and his tone became unusually kind. He: Ah, I told you earlier, it’s hard to make it outside, better to stay safe at home. Come on, eat more, this meal is on me.

Seeing how relieved he looked, I thought to myself: If I said I just received a million yuan year-end bonus this year, this meal would probably be full of sourness and requests for loans.

The darkest side of human nature is: I can hope you live well, but I absolutely cannot accept you living better than me.

Especially those relatives who watched you grow up, and childhood friends you grew up with. Your success is the loudest slap in the face to their mediocre lives.