Lu Weixi's hands, hanging tightly at her sides, clenched tightly, her eyes filled with pain. "Ayun, it's all in the past, don't mention it again..."

Gong Ning turned her head away, her eyes still cold. "Is it all in the past? Why deceive yourself?"

As she spoke, Gong Ning gradually fell silent, and a trace of pain and complexity appeared in her dark and dim eyes.

She felt guilty and remorseful for having ruined the entire Gong family, yet she could never forgive them.

She always thought that since she had done something wrong, she should use this deep-seated guilt to offset her hatred for her family.

That way, nothing will be left, and everything can return to how it was before, back to the way it was...

But how can emotions be offset like goods in a transaction?

Not only do they fail to counteract each other, but they also mix together, becoming a contradictory agent in chaotic emotions.

Like two heavy stones weighing on her heart, they made her feel heavy and depressed.

This suffocating atmosphere and environment...

She really wanted to escape quickly and get rid of these irritating and gloomy emotions...

But you just can't escape it, you can't shake it off.

Gong Ning suddenly exhaled, her breath still trembling from crying, and carried a hint of sorrow in the sea breeze.

Lu Weixi remained silent for a long time. Her eyes, which always gazed tenderly at Gong Ning, were now reddened with tenderness and regret. "Thirteen years. From the moment you fell off the plane, I haven't had a good night's sleep. Because every time night falls, I always think of A-Yun's lovely face. She was so sweet and soft, always wanting to snuggle in my arms and act spoiled, even more so than her older siblings. But back then, I wasn't brave. I was so cowardly that I hated myself. I... I thought more than once, could I have another chance... to choose again, to bravely protect A-Yun just once..."

Gong Ning scoffed, "What choice do you have? Bravely protect me, then leave Gong Xiangru off the plane? Are you willing to do that?"

"If I could do it all over again, no matter who fell, I would fall with her, so that her mother would be by her side, and she wouldn't be alone and helpless anymore..."

Gong Ning suddenly fell silent, her bloodstained fingers trembling slightly in the cool sea breeze.

After a long, long time, Gong Ning's lips moved, gradually curving into a complex yet relieved smile. Her tone was light and devoid of any emotion, "I...believe you, but it's too late! And the you of the past, the you of thirteen years ago, couldn't do it, couldn't be that brave. You didn't have that courage back then..."

Lu Weixi trembled, tears welled in her eyes, and a small sob escaped her throat.

Gong Ning unconsciously clenched her hands, unaware that blood was seeping from her wrists again. Her eyes were filled with glistening tears, and she trembled slightly. "Over the years, I've hated you more than once. I hate that if you couldn't give me the same love as Gong Xiangru, why did you even raise me in the first place? You should have just sent me away. Unequal love... I'd rather not have it!"

The problem is not scarcity, but inequality.

You can do without something, just don't distribute it unfairly.

Two children, twin sisters who have been playing and spending time together since they were little.

It allowed a five-year-old girl to see this inequality through a life-or-death decision.

This inequality will only become the final straw that breaks the camel's back in her life...

Lu Weixi retorted in a flustered manner, even somewhat incoherently, "Ayun, no, Mom loves you and your sister equally. They are both my children, both my darlings, there's no inequality..."

As she spoke, she gradually gained some clarity of understanding...

Ah Yun is right.

No matter how many chances she has to start over, nothing can erase the cowardice and choices she made thirteen years ago.

Without any hesitation or grievance, she simply chose Gong Xiangru and her sister.

Yes, now, what right does she have to stand in front of A-Yun and hope for her forgiveness?

What face does she have to ask A-Yun to forgive her based on the bond between mother and daughter?

Lu Weixi suddenly fell silent, turned her face, and looked at Gong Ning with tenderness in her eyes.

Her eyes were reddening uncontrollably; some things, once done wrong, can never be undone.

Let's look at her again, just one more time...

"If there's nothing else, you should go back. It's windy here, so please don't come back..."

Don't come again...

Lu Weixi understood Gong Ning's subtle double entendre. Her eyes trembled, tears welled up in her eyes, and her whole body trembled slightly. After a long while, she lowered her voice and pleaded softly, "A-Yun, can I... hug you?"

Gong Ning's eyes widened, her cold, pale fingertips trembled slightly, and she abruptly looked up at the still azure sky in the distance. "I'm covered in blood, don't get me dirty, please go back..."

Lu Weixi's breath caught in her throat; the pain in her chest seemed to be spreading throughout her body. "I can stay and help you find your friend..."

"Need not!"

Lu Weixi took a few steps back, her steps unsteady, and she stumbled slightly.

His gaze lingered on Gong Ning's face, his lips moved slightly, but in the end he didn't say anything more.

After a long while, she turned and walked away with tears in her eyes, her steps unsteady, her figure appearing even thinner and more fragile in the strong sea breeze.

Shen Yuchen also accompanied Lu Weixi and her group to the beach.

After hearing the words "Gong Ning has been kidnapped" from Gong Qiaoyu and Lu Weixi, they took a taxi and followed them.

Gong Ning, that little girl...

...

After her injuries were given basic treatment, Gong Ning stubbornly refused to get back into the car. Standing on the beach, she anxiously awaited the results of the search and rescue operation.

Helpless, Yan Jingzhou grabbed a coat and forcefully put it on her, then waited with her at the beach.

The Yan Clan's private submarine is conducting search and rescue operations underwater.

As time passed, the hope in Gong Ning's eyes grew increasingly faint.

Not long after, Ah Lin, whom she had been calling out in her heart for so long, suddenly appeared before her eyes.

It shimmered exceptionally brightly in the gradually darkening night.

Gong Ning weakly raised her eyes, then her pupils suddenly lit up. "Ah Lin, you're here! Chang'er fell into the sea. She's back, but I accidentally lost her. She's in the sea. Can you help me find her? Ah Lin, please help me!"

A-Lin, who had accompanied Gong Ning through several lifetimes, naturally knew who Chang'er was.

In the Guyou Dynasty, the only people who could make His Highness so anxious and change color were the retired emperor and the second princess, Gong Changyue.

A few complex emotions flashed in A Lin's emerald green eyes. He smacked his lips a few times, then suddenly pursed them, pouting. He hypnotized himself for a few seconds, suppressing the urge to tell her everything.

Gong Shangyue is dead.