Liang Heng turned his head to look at her.

Shen Jiao readily agreed and immediately asked, "What about Cen Yi?"

Liang Heng remained calm, his voice as gentle and warm as ever, his eyes sparkling.

"Since we parted that day, I have never seen her again on either side of the bridge."

He sighed, "I was prepared to never see her again, but I never expected her to send me a message. I hesitated for a long time about whether to say 'long time no see' or 'how have you been' when we meet again."

"Then what did you say?" Shen Jiao righted the overturned wine cup.

“I…” Liang Heng paused, “She spoke first, and I didn’t have time to say anything.”

Shen Jiao: "Did she say 'long time no see'? Or 'how have you been'?"

“No.” Liang Heng shook his head.

She said, "Liang Heng, every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt has its debtor. After all these years, it's time for you to seek revenge."

“Liang Heng, every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt has its debtor. After all these years, it’s time for you to seek revenge.”

The candlelight flickered, and the moment the young man spoke, it seemed to overlap with the smiling voice from a few days ago.

As time passed, Cen E was no longer the innocent and carefree girl she once was. The years had worn away her unruly edges, but they could not erase the sins she had committed over the years.

She held a string of Buddha statues in her hand. "I repent before the Buddha every day, but the mistakes I have made are the mistakes I have made. Repenting all the time only makes me feel like I am deceiving myself."

Liang Heng remained silent.

The girl was no longer the delicate and charming girl she once was, and he was no longer the boy who would blush if he spoke just a few words to her.

Ignoring the young man's silence, Cen Yi asked to himself, "Did you bring the medicine?"

"Did you ever really like me back then?" Liang Heng asked rhetorically.

"I have converted to Buddhism, and I do not speak of love or affection, but only of gratitude and resentment." Cen Yi snatched the poison, revealed a relieved smile, and drank it all in one gulp.

Thank you.

Liang Heng caught the swaying Cen Yi, a hint of restraint flashing in his eyes.

"Take my hand, Cen Yi. If you just take my hand, I'll save you. I can save you."

Her hand fell limply, missing the young man's warm palm. Blood stained her lips, and she finally uttered the word "I'm sorry" silently.