"That's right."
Lin Fan smiled. "That's exactly the mindset you should have."
"You're only sixteen. At your age, you're going through puberty, when it's easiest to develop an attraction to the opposite sex."
"You need to understand that attraction isn't the same as love. It's just a normal psychological response as your body develops."
The more Bibi Dong listened, the more confused she became. Unable to contain her curiosity, she asked, "Puberty?"
Lin Fan said, "Yes. Scientifically speaking, at sixteen, your body is developing rapidly and your hormone levels are rising. As your sense of self grows stronger, you start caring about other people's opinions and approval, so when someone gives you a favorable appraisal, it's easy to develop an attraction to them."
"It's a normal sign of your mind growing more mature."
Bibi Dong thought for a moment, then said uncertainly, "So you're saying that when the Bibi Dong in the story met Yu Xiaogang at sixteen or seventeen, she developed an attraction to him just because he complimented her?"
Lin Fan said, "More or less. After all, Bibi Dong was the Saintess of Spirit Hall and the Pope's disciple. At most, people would say things like, 'The Saintess is truly gifted,' or 'His Holiness the Pope has taught her so well.'"
"Besides, their praise came with a respectful tone and an unequal attitude. Naturally, Bibi Dong would see it as ordinary praise. But when someone her own age complimented her, the gratitude she felt would be completely different."
"And you're attracted to me because I'm an outsider. You've never been out into the world, so you find me novel. You think the novels and other things I talk about are amazing, as though I'm very knowledgeable."
"But in reality, back where I came from, I was nothing more