Youxuan thought for a moment and said, "I don't feel anything. I always feel that he is mysterious."

"What's wrong, sir? Is there something wrong with him?" he asked.

Shangguan Qing shook his head slightly, his eyes passing through the scattered antiques in the store and falling on a dim light in the distance.

There was a subtle hint of deepness in his tone: "It's okay, I just have an inexplicable premonition in my heart. From now on, we should pay more attention to Yu Hai's words and actions."

The night is as dark as ink, and there is silence outside the window, with only sparse stars dotting the night sky.

Xu Muzhi's figure was looming in the darkness. She had just walked out of the shadow of the dungeon, with a sense of heaviness and relief in her steps.

Just as she was about to step into the night, a familiar figure approached quietly - it was Yu Hai.

Under the moonlight, Yu Hai's face looked particularly gentle.

He approached slowly, with light steps, as if afraid of disturbing the tranquility.

He stopped in front of Xu Muzhi, his eyes filled with both inquiry and concern, "Muzhi, are you okay?"

Before he finished speaking, he gently raised his hand, as if he wanted to touch her shoulder, but stopped in mid-air, fearing that his action was too abrupt.

The moonlight was thin, sprinkling between the sea and Xu Muzhi, forming a soft and subtle boundary.

Xu Muzhi raised his head, his eyes flashing with complex emotions, his voice choked with sobs, "Yu Hai, why... why didn't you protect Mu Cheng? He trusted you so much."

Her questioning was as light as the breeze, but it struck Yu Hai's heart like a heavy hammer.

Yu Hai's face turned pale instantly, and a trace of pain and self-blame flashed in his eyes. He lowered his eyes to avoid looking directly at Xu Muzhi. He clenched his hands into fists, with his nails deeply embedded in his palms.

"I...I tried my best."

His voice was low and hoarse, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from the depths of his throat with difficulty. "But some things are beyond my control. I... I never thought that Shangguan Qing would be so cruel."

Under the night sky, Xu Muzhi's eyes gradually became firm. She took a deep breath, as if she wanted to turn all her resentment and anger into strength.

She gently brushed off the dust on her hem, looked directly at Yu Hai, and said in a soft voice with unquestionable determination, "Yu Hai, you continue to stay with Shangguan Qing and do what you should do. As for her... I will go find her myself."

After saying this, she turned and walked into the deeper night, each step seeming so decisive and powerful.

The moonlight stretched her shadow long, contrasting sharply with the surrounding darkness, as if foreshadowing an impending storm.

Yu Hai stood there in a daze, looking at Xu Muzhi's back getting farther and farther away.

Under the moonlight, her outline gradually blurred until it merged into the deep night.

His eyes were empty and complicated, as if all his strength had been drained away.

She murmured to herself, her voice so soft that it was almost carried away by the night wind, "He's dead, and you're not even willing to...look at me straight in the face?"

As he spoke, a crystal teardrop quietly slid down his face, across his resolute face, and finally disappeared into the night.

He slowly raised his hand, trying to grab something, but only touched nothingness.

The air around him seemed to freeze, and even time seemed to stop at this moment. Yu Hai's heart was filled with an unprecedented pain and despair, an indescribable pain that was more intense than any physical pain.

He closed his eyes and let the tears fall silently. Every breath seemed to remind himself that the warmth that was once within reach but out of reach was lost forever.

Yu Hai dragged his heavy steps through the dim street lights and returned to the community.

It was late at night and the neighborhood was so quiet that the only sound one could hear was the echo of one's own footsteps.

He pushed open the door, and the soft light inside the house shone in stark contrast to the desolateness outside.

Shangguan Qing was sitting on the sofa in the living room, playing with an exquisite antique vase in his hands, with deep eyes, as if waiting for something.

She raised her head and her eyes met Yu Hai's. There was both inquiry and an imperceptible tenderness in her eyes.

"You're back." Shangguan Qing's voice was calm yet contained a hint of barely perceptible nervousness.

She stood up and slowly walked towards Yu Hai.

As she approached, a subtle tension seemed to spread in the air.

Yu Hai stopped and looked at her with complicated eyes. He had a thousand words in his heart, but he didn't know where to start.

In the end, he just nodded slightly as a response.

Shangguan Qing walked slowly to the front of the sea, his eyes as deep as the stars in the night sky, his tone revealed unquestionable authority, "Tomorrow, you don't have to go to the store. As for the reason, you should know it better than anyone else."

Her words were gentle, but like a chill breeze in winter, they inadvertently pierced Yu Hai's heart.

Upon hearing this, Yu Hai's body trembled slightly, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes, including anxiety about the upcoming unknown and speculation about Shangguan Qing's intentions.

He lowered his eyes, trying to calm the waves in his heart. When he looked up again, his eyes had regained their former calmness and determination.

"I see."

His concise answer, although in a low voice, revealed his unquestionable determination.

Shangguan Qing's eyes became more profound. She slowly walked around Yu Hai, went to the window, and pulled open the heavy curtains, letting a touch of cold moonlight pour into the room, illuminating half of her face and adding a bit of inviolable majesty.

"Yu Hai, I admire your loyalty and ability, but being loyal to me means you cannot have any selfish thoughts. I hope you remember that anyone who betrays me, no matter what the reason, will not have a good ending."

She turned around, the moonlight outlining her chiseled face, and her tone was filled with unquestionable determination, as if every word was powerful and struck Yu Hai's heart.

She walked slowly closer until she was only one step away from Yu Hai. Their breaths intertwined in the air, forming a subtle confrontation.

"Remember, I saved you and I can take your life back, so don't let me down."

After saying that, she withdrew her hand, turned and walked towards the sofa. Her back looked both lonely and powerful.

Yu Hai responded softly, "I understand," with an imperceptible bitterness and determination hidden in his voice.

He turned and walked towards the room with heavy steps, each step seeming to be crossing an invisible barrier.

Pushing open the door, the dim light gently sprinkled on his shoulders, but could not illuminate the haze in his heart.

He walked in slowly. Every object in the room seemed so familiar and yet so strange, as if the world had changed overnight.

He walked to the bed and sat down, unconsciously clasping his hands together, his knuckles turning slightly white from the effort.

I looked out the window with empty eyes. The night was as dark as ink, the stars were hidden, and there was only a lonely moon hanging high in the sky, casting a cold light.

Yu Hai felt mixed emotions, his thoughts surged in like a tide, but were forcibly suppressed, leaving only emptiness and desolation.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to bury the heaviness and complexity deep in his heart, but found that he had already been drawn into an unpredictable vortex.

As the night deepened, the stairwell was filled with the sound of light and tacit footsteps. Shangguan Qing and Cheng Ji walked down side by side. Their figures lengthened and shortened in the dim light, as if they were the intersecting trajectories of two worlds.

Cheng Ji spoke softly, occasionally turning his head to cast a concerned look at Shangguan Qing, with unspoken tenderness and understanding hidden in his eyes.

Arriving at Cheng Ji's house, he took out the key with ease, his movements smooth and natural.

The moment the door opens, a warm breath of home hits you in the face, mixed with a faint woody scent and the aroma of freshly brewed tea, making people relax unconsciously.

The lighting in the house is soft, and every piece of furniture is placed just right, revealing the owner's taste and care.

Cheng Ji closed the door gently, turned around and looked at Shangguan Qing who was standing at the entrance. Her expression was a little more solemn than usual, with a barely perceptible worry locked between her brows.

"Are you in a bad mood?" he asked softly, his tone full of concern.