On the day of the competition, Meng Yan held the banned substance in her hand. After hesitating for a moment backstage, she twisted open the cap and swallowed it.

At that moment, it felt as if his throat had been cut open by that tiny pill. He seemed to see himself being disemboweled, covered in blood, looking horribly ugly.

Even on the battlefield, he never resorted to underhanded tactics. He was always upright and honorable; he could defend himself against sabotage, but he would never harm someone with a hidden arrow.

However, today, for the first time, he broke his own rules for Huo Jiayuan.

The moment he saw that tiny figure in the crowd, all his rules and beliefs crumbled.

All he knew was that she was watching him from below the stage.

He didn't want her to see him defeated.

He grabbed a glass of water from the side, gulped it down, slammed the glass to the ground, and charged into the boxing ring with a murderous aura.

...

Huo Jiayuan sat somewhat uneasily in the audience.

Amidst the noisy atmosphere, she recalled her first meeting with Meng Yan. It was in this dimly lit place, the air thick with a nauseating stench. She was surrounded by beast-like men and viper-like women, who grinned maliciously at her and egged her on to have sex with Meng Yan on the spot.

Meng Yan carried her on his shoulders, like an ancient leader carrying spoils of war, and strode back home.

Huo Jiayuan bit her lip, as if biting harder would ease the pain in her heart.

After today, the name Meng Yan will completely disappear from her life.

They will return to their own paths, becoming two parallel lines that will never intersect.

"Here you go." Xiao Rong handed her a bottle of mineral water and gave her a gentle smile.

Huo Jiayuan looked down.

Although this brand of water isn't what she drinks regularly, it's the most expensive she can find in the Biandu area.

"This is all the information we could find," Xiao Rong said apologetically. "Can you make do with this for now?"

Huo Jiayuan smiled gently, took it, but didn't open it.

Xiao Rong brought her a few more small cakes, but she only glanced at them and didn't eat them.

She used to live a pampered and carefree life at home, and always had a good appetite. But now she understands that when people are anxious, restless, or disoriented, they really can lose their appetite.

Xiao Rong's eyes darkened slightly. "You haven't eaten anything this morning. This competition will last for an hour. I'm afraid you won't be able to hold on."

"I can do it." Huo Jiayuan didn't even lift her eyelids.

"Miss, is this person... really worth all this trouble?"

In the dim light, Huo Jiayuan lowered her head again. He couldn't see her face clearly, but he could feel that her heart had already flown away. It hadn't flown to the boxing ring, but had met Meng Yan's heart in the sunlight, and they had flown hand in hand to the distance.

Xiao Rong clenched his fists tightly, his expression becoming even more gloomy.

"Don't you think I should thank you?" After a long silence, Huo Jiayuan finally spoke.

Xiao Rong was taken aback.

“You, Steward Xiao, have always been loyal in protecting me. Now you’ve even ‘granted’ me permission to come to a place like this to watch a boxing match, and ‘granted’ me permission to see Meng Yan one last time. I should remember all these favors and rewards. Once I return to Yangcheng, I should completely forget everything here. That way, I won’t have let you down! Right?”

“Miss, you…” Xiao Rong was somewhat surprised.

"Xiao Rong!" Huo Jiayuan glared at him. "Mind your own business! Mom and Dad only asked you to be responsible for my safety! Whether I've eaten or not, or who I'm upset about, is none of your concern, is it?"

Xiao Rong was speechless and could only stare at her blankly.

Yes, he crossed the line first, forgetting that Huo Jiayuan was a pampered young lady who had been spoiled since childhood.

How could a young lady have a good temper?

During his time in Biandu, he witnessed firsthand how she changed for Meng Yan, and he felt a pang of unease.

Xiao Rong lowered his head silently, saying nothing. Huo Jiayuan yelled at him, venting her anger, but after calming down and seeing him like this again, she felt a little guilty.

"Alright, go outside and wait for me!" she muttered. "You didn't really want to come to the game anyway, why put yourself through this? Go outside for some fresh air!"

Xiao Rong glanced at her, then turned and left coldly.

Watching his disappearing figure, Huo Jiayuan felt a surge of guilt again. She felt as if she had been torn in two, one part still in Yangcheng, in the Huo family, and in the girlhood she had spent with Xiao Rong.

The other part will always belong only to the person in the boxing ring.

She took a deep breath, rested her forehead on her clasped hands, and closed her eyes.

This is the way she learned to pray after arriving in Biandu.

She prayed silently in her heart that Meng Yan's competition would go well, that everything would go smoothly for him from now on, and then... that he would forget her.

...

Cheers and shouts, like waves rising higher and higher, swept through the small room. Meng Yan walked onto the stage, and the person opposite him defiantly showed him the dense tattoos on his left and right arms, his lip pierced into a devilish grin.

Meng Yan gave him a cold look.

Like Louis, this man was of mixed race, possessing the tall stature typical of mixed-race individuals. Even before the competition began, he swaggered around like a ferocious beast circling its cage.

In the scorching, fiery atmosphere, Meng Yan always maintained a cool demeanor.

He watched his opponent quietly, knowing that the man's excitement was due to the drugs.

But it's okay, he ate it anyway.

Meng Yan chuckled, threw off the towel draped over her body, and leaped onto the boxing ring.

The cheers from the audience were deafening, seemingly piercing his eardrums. He glanced down at the audience, and although his vision was blurred, he immediately spotted the girl sitting there quietly...

Meng Yan felt a slight pang in her heart.

This was probably the last time he would be this close to her.

...

The whistle blew, and the referee announced the start of the match. But Meng Yan hadn't thrown more than a few punches when he started to feel something was wrong... He felt dizzy and lightheaded, and his legs felt like they were walking on cotton; he couldn't even stand up straight.

His opponent took the opportunity to trip him and delivered a heavy punch to his temple!

Meng Yan's mind went blank for a moment, and a warm, viscous liquid slid down his head, turning his vision crimson.

He struggled to get up, but his opponent continued to knock him down, each blow fatal! He was beaten so badly he was powerless to fight back, not even having the strength to raise his arm to protect himself...

He was forced into a corner of the boxing ring by that man, and every bone in his body ached as if it were being pulled out one by one. He roared and tried to stand up straight again.

However, the opponent suddenly leaped up!

In the moments before he collapsed, Meng Yan heard a heart-wrenching sound come from the commotion. He wanted to stand up and hug her again, but his eyelids were too heavy to open. His breathing gradually weakened, and his soul seemed to leave his body.

The soul floating in the sky saw its own body, saw Huo Jiayuan crying her eyes out, saw Mingliang's upturned lips, and saw this chaotic and filthy world gradually receding from him...