Nina couldn't tear her eyes away from the investment app's screen. A steep red curve shot upwards, marked with an astonishing annualized return rate: "+120%."

It was an investment project in an emerging tech field, recommended by a friend who had already put in a sum and received considerable returns in just two months. Nina was incredibly tempted.

She worked hard and lived frugally, but the numbers in her bank account grew far too slowly for her aspirations. She longed to provide a better life for her family, to take a trip without worrying about the cost, to have a more liberating lifestyle.

This project looked like the beanstalk that could take her to the sky in a single leap.

But alongside the immense temptation was an equally immense fear. The news was full of stories of people who lost everything to high-risk investments. The money she would put in was almost her entire savings from the past few years. If it failed, she couldn't bear to imagine the consequences.

Desire and fear wrestled fiercely in her mind. During the day, she couldn't focus on work. At night, she tossed and turned, calculating potential gains and losses, unable to sleep.

Just as she was about to be consumed by this anxiety, she remembered a lifestyle blogger she followed who had once shared an online divination tool, claiming it helped to see the essence of things in times of confusion.

With a glimmer of hope, Nina opened the website. She solemnly wrote down her question: "Should I make this high-risk investment?"

The result was "Liu Lian" (Lingering). Just like her current state of mind: tangled and stagnant. She sighed and continued to read the interpretation:

"Wealth is like water; it can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. In a swift current, steering comes first. What you seek, is it wealth, or 'freedom from worry'? If it is wealth, you bear the risk. If it is freedom from worry, there are a thousand paths. This query seems to be about money, but it is truly about the heart. See what your heart truly desires, do not chase the glittering reflections on the water's surface."

"This query seems to be about money, but it is truly about the heart..." The sentence struck Nina like a gong.

She asked herself, what do I really want? Is it the money that might double, or is it the disappearance of the feeling of losing control over my life? The answer was the latter. She wanted peace of mind and a sense of security about the future.

And this investment, regardless of its outcome, had already robbed her of her peace of mind. If she invested, she would spend every day in unease and fear, constantly worrying that the curve would plummet.

Suddenly, she understood. She desired wealth to make her life better, not worse. An 'opportunity' that made her lose sleep, no matter how attractive it looked, went against her original intention.

She let out a long, deep breath and felt a wave of relief wash over her. She opened the investment app and uninstalled it from her phone. Then, she took out a notebook and started to replan her finances—with lower-risk, more stable options.

She knew this path would be much slower, but it led to a more secure and stable future.

In that moment, she no longer envied the high returns in her friend's account, because she knew she had made a decision that would let her sleep soundly at night. And peace of mind was a treasure that no amount of money could buy.