Miss Si's feigned innocence went too far, and the aloof Mr. Bo was easily swayed.

Before Xiang Mingche could say anything more, Bo Yusen had already gotten into the car.

The car door closed, and sitting at the other end of the back seat was Si Yuan, whom Xiang Mingche had not been able to find.

She had clearly overheard their conversation; her face was deathly pale, her eyes red-rimmed, and she looked like she wanted to cry but was trying her best to hold back her tears.

The car started slowly, and Si Yuan saw Xiang Mingche's figure getting further and further away in the rearview mirror.

"If you can't bear to part with him, you can get off the bus and go back to find him."

Bo Yusen's deep, cold voice reached her ears, and Si Yuan turned her gaze back to the expressionless man.

She looked at Bo Yusen quietly for a while, then reached out her hand to him. "Ninth Master, can I have a hug?"

Bo Yusen remained silent.

But his hand took the initiative to unbutton his suit jacket.

The meaning was quite clear: he wanted Si Yuan to hold him.

Si Yuan's eyes turned even redder, and she threw herself into his arms.

She could no longer hold back her tears, which she had been suppressing for so long. She choked back sobs, like a small animal being choked, with unspeakable pain.

Later, she simply burst into tears.

Si Yuan has always been a very restrained person; even when she sheds tears, she does so silently.

This was the first time she had ever cried out loud.

Her pent-up emotions had reached a breaking point, and she no longer cared what Bo Yusen would think of her.

She has never felt sorry for anyone and has always treated others with her whole heart.

She doesn't ask others to treat her with the same sincerity and genuine affection; she only hopes to receive a little bit of love.

But why—

When it comes to interests, they always sacrifice her first.

Does she really not deserve to be liked or loved?

Her hoarse, broken voice, filled with hysterical accusations, was met with gentle pats on the back from Bo Yusen instead of words of comfort.

His dark, deep eyes held no warmth whatsoever, only a chilling aura that inspired fear.

The crying grew fainter and fainter until it disappeared completely, leaving only the sound of even breathing.

Bo Yusen looked down and saw that Si Yuan was already asleep.

Tears still clung to her long eyelashes, and the tip of her nose was red; she looked utterly pitiful.

Bo Yusen reached out to wipe away her tears. The tears fell on his fingertips, and he tasted them.

I tasted the bitterness of injustice.

The fog is so thick.

Si Yuan was shrouded in a white mist, unable to see her surroundings.

"Ah Yuan..."

The voice sounded familiar, like Xiang Mingche, but it also seemed like it wasn't him.

"Ah Yuan..."

As the fog gradually dissipated, Si Yuan finally saw the scene before her clearly.

It's at the entrance of the Xiang family's house.

Xiang Mingche—

To be precise, with his leg in a cast, seventeen-year-old Xiang Mingche stood under the ginkgo tree they had planted together, smiling as he looked at her.

Back then, Xiang Mingche's features weren't as defined as they are now; he had a touch of youthful awkwardness, but he was very sunny and handsome.

"Clear-sighted..."

"It's me! I'm sorry, I didn't want you to see me in such a miserable state, but there are some things I want to tell you."

Seventeen-year-old Xiang Mingche, leaning on a cane, limped towards Si Yuan.

Seeing that he almost fell, Si Yuan quickly helped him up.

Seventeen-year-old Xiang Mingche smiled brightly at her, "I knew you had a soft heart and wouldn't ignore me."

Si Yuan's heart skipped a beat. "You..."

What exactly happened?

Why did she meet Xiang Mingche, who was seventeen years old?

"sorry……"

Seventeen-year-old Xiang Mingche held Si Yuan's hand, his face full of guilt and heartache, "I'm sorry, A Yuan... I thought I would always love you, but I didn't expect to still hurt you."

Tears streamed down her face without her noticing. Seventeen-year-old Xiang Mingche wiped them away for Si Yuan. "I know what he did to you. He's a beast, a bastard—"

The "he" that the seventeen-year-old Xiang Mingche was referring to was the twenty-four-year-old Xiang Mingche.

How could he hurt the girl I love like this?

Seventeen-year-old Xiang Mingche was also crying.

He was crying about his helplessness, about his inability to stop his future self from hurting Si Yuan, and about his inability to protect Si Yuan.

"I'm sorry, A-Yuan, I apologize to you on his behalf."

Si Yuan shook her head with tears streaming down her face. Her heart felt like it was being forcibly ripped out of her chest, and she felt extremely painful and uncomfortable.

She couldn't utter a single word.

"Don't forgive—"

Seventeen-year-old Xiang Mingche touched Si Yuan's face and said, "Don't forgive that bastard. He doesn't deserve to be forgiven. He did such a thing to you, and he should live with guilt for the rest of his life."

An apology is necessary.

But forgiveness is not—

Seventeen-year-old Xiang Mingche himself could not forgive twenty-four-year-old Xiang Mingche.

How could Si Yuan possibly forgive her?

"Ah Yuan... my Ah Yuan... you must be happy..."

"Please remember, no matter what, seventeen-year-old Xiang Mingche loved you the most..."

"No...and don't remember it, that's unfair to others..."

Seventeen-year-old Xiang Mingche cried very sadly. Si Yuan tried to wipe away his tears, but she couldn't wipe them all away.

"Mingche... I miss you so much..."

Si Yuan hugged seventeen-year-old Xiang Mingche tightly, and all her unspoken words could be summed up in one sentence: "I miss you so much."

"Me too... but Ah Yuan, I have to go..."

Si Yuan panicked, "Where are you going? Can you take me with you?"

Seventeen-year-old Xiang Mingche smiled at Si Yuan, "No, you still have a long way to go. Your happiness is just ahead. I will always bless you and protect you..."

His body gradually became transparent.

Si Yuan tried to grab him, but she couldn't catch him no matter what she did.

"Clear...clear—"

"Ah Yuan, move forward, never look back, and never forgive him..."

Si Yuan suddenly woke up.

Her delicate face was covered in tears. Only when she saw the furnishings in the room did she realize that everything she had just experienced was a dream.

But everything in the dream was so clear, as if Xiang Mingche at seventeen had really come here.

Turning around, I saw 233 looking quite dejected (｡ŏ_ŏ).

Si Yuan moved slightly, and 233 immediately reacted.

233Σ(っ°Д°;)っ：【Ah Yuan, you're finally awake.】

Perhaps because she had cried too much, Si Yuan felt a little dizzy when she got up.

She reached out and patted 233's head. "233, have you been watching over me all this time?"

233ε(*´･∀･`)「зﾞ：“Hmm! I like watching A-Yuan——”

Si Yuan smiled, and the regrets, pain, and despair in her dream seemed to disappear little by little.

Where is your owner?

233(◜◔。◔◝): [Ah Yuan, can I ask you a question?]

This is the first time I've seen 233 with such a conflicted expression. "Of course."

233(・-・*)？ 【Who is Mingche?】

Si Yuan: "..."

233(☍﹏⁰。): [It must be a person, right? You were crying and calling out this name in your dream, a total of seventeen times.]

A sense of foreboding washed over Si Yuan, and her expression stiffened. "Did your master hear that?"

233(ﾟｰﾟ): [Yeah, I heard everything.]

Si Yuan: "..."