I raised stunning young ladies, but they all wanted to possess me.

It is Pei Youyi.

She wasn't wearing a cheongsam today.

A minimalist light apricot knitted maxi dress with a slightly open neckline, revealing a glimpse of her fair collarbone.

The skirt hem fell below her knees, gently clinging to her legs in the sea breeze, clearly and smoothly outlining her leg shape.

Those legs were long and straight, so white they seemed to reflect light.

She stood barefoot on the rocks, her ankles slender, her toes rounded and delicate as they touched the damp stone surface.

Her hair was not tied up in a bun, but loosely held in place by a very thin silver hairpin, with a few stray strands falling down her side.

When the sea breeze blows, the skirt clings to the body, gradually revealing the waistline and the full curve of the chest.

She turned around and saw Gu Yan, then waved to him.

"Xiao Yan, come here."

"The sea here is beautiful."

Gu Yan walked over, climbed onto the reef, and sat down beside her.

The sea breeze whips up waves that crash against the rocks, shattering them into countless white bubbles.

She was very close to him, and that familiar magnolia fragrance wafted over again, mixed with the salty smell of the sea breeze, making it seem even more gentle.

"Why did Sister Youyi decide to come out today?"

Pei Youyi tucked her wind-blown hair behind her ear.

Her ears were small and white, with a pair of pearl earrings on her earlobes that gleamed faintly in the hazy light.

"I've been in the tent for too long, so I came out for some fresh air."

She paused, then turned to look at Gu Yan.

"Actually, I heard that you're having a hard time taking care of those two children."

"I thought I'd come and see if I could be of any help."

"But we stopped here."

"Yu Ran is inside, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to go in."

Gu Yan looked at her.

Her eyes were so gentle, so tender they seemed to hold the entire East China Sea.

But beneath that gentleness lies a very faint layer of melancholy, like fog on the sea, which cannot be seen unless you look closely.

"Sister Youyi, are you avoiding Yuran?"

Pei Youyi smiled softly.

She raised her hand and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear with her fingertips, a movement tinged with a barely perceptible hesitation.

Then she sighed very, very softly.

"She is my daughter."

"When did a mother need to hide from her daughter?"

"But...you're in there too."

"She's inside too."

"It's not convenient for me to go in."

"After all, that child knows everything. As her mother, I haven't figured out which face to use to see her yet."

Her voice was very soft, like a faint echo in the sea breeze that might dissipate at any moment.

"These past few days, every time I pass by your tent, I stand outside for a while."

"Hearing you talk, whether she's arguing with you or bickering with Jinyu, I actually feel a little envious."

"You see, when she's with you, she laughs, she gets angry, and she rolls her eyes."

"She's never like this in front of me."

"To me, she will always be that respectful yet aloof daughter."

"I used to think that the child was cold-hearted, that it was just his nature."

"Later I realized that it wasn't that she was cold, but that I never gave her the right to be warm."

Her voice trailed off as she gazed at the distant sea.

The fog had not yet dissipated, and the boundary between the sea and the sky was blurred into a gray blur.

She remained silent for a long time.

"Actually, when you were in the private room that day, I was thinking, how wonderful it would be if I could be like her, able to cry when I want to cry and laugh when I want to laugh."

"But we can't."

"Because I can't compete with my own daughter for her affections."

"Even the slightest hint of competition is unacceptable."

Gu Yan reached out and gently covered the hand that was resting on the reef.

Her fingers were cold, having been exposed to the sea breeze for a long time.

He thought she would say something more, but she simply rested her head slowly on his shoulder.

The sea breeze blew her long hair across his face, tickling him and carrying the fragrance of magnolia blossoms.

He didn't speak.

He knew she needed someone to be with her.

The sea fog gradually dissipated.

In the distance, seabirds skimmed across the water, uttering several long, drawn-out calls.

Sunlight filtered through the clouds, turning the sea a pale gold.

"Xiao Yan."

Her voice came from his shoulder, very softly, as if afraid of disturbing the sea.

"Could you... come with me to sit under the lighthouse over there tonight?"

"I don't want to go anywhere else."

"I just want to spend some quiet time with you."

Gu Yan nodded.

"it is good."

"I'll go with you tonight."

He went back to his tent first.

Lin Jinyu and Pei Yuran had already gone to bed, and unusually, they didn't bicker.

Gu Yan stood between the two beds for a while, pulled the blanket back up to Yu Ran's waist, and gently tucked Jin Yu's hand, which was sticking out of the blanket, back in.

The sea breeze slipped in through the gaps in the curtains, causing the troop lights to sway gently.

He tiptoed out.

The lighthouse is located in the northwest corner of the camp. It is an old stone lighthouse that has been abandoned for many years.

Before the Kuroshio War began, this place was the most familiar landmark for fishing boats returning to port.

The lighthouse is now out, and the tower is weathered, but the rocks around the base have been smoothed by the sea and have a dark bluish-black hue under the moonlight.

The sea breeze at night is cooler than during the day, and the waves crash against the rocks, breaking into large patches of white foam.

Pei Youyi was already sitting on the stone steps below the lighthouse, waiting for him.

She changed into a light apricot-colored knitted long dress, the hem of which fluttered gently in the sea breeze.

She was barefoot, her feet resting on the damp rocks, the silver anklet on her ankle gleaming faintly in the moonlight.

Her hair was loose over her shoulders, and the sea breeze blew a few strands onto her cheeks, which she then gently brushed aside with her fingertips.

Gu Yan walked over and sat down next to her, with less than a fist's distance between them.

"This used to be a fishing port."

Her voice was very soft, as if she were afraid of disturbing the sea beneath her feet.

"I came here once when I was a child, with my father."

"Back then, the lighthouse was still lit, and fishing boats would dock at night relying on that light."

"Now the lights are out, and the sea has changed."

Gu Yan followed her gaze and looked out.

The wreckage of the Fifth Line Fleet still floats on the sea, with several blackened masts leaning into the water like some kind of huge black punctuation mark.

The moonlight was half obscured by the sea fog, and the entire sea surface was shrouded in a gray haze.

"Xiao Yan."

She suddenly called his name softly.

"Um."

"You came to our family when you were twelve years old, and I've watched you grow up."

"Back then, you weren't feeling well, and you were always out of breath when you walked. Yu Ran always had a cold face and didn't care about you at all."

"Only I make the kitchen prepare soup for you every day, and I make sure you finish it before letting you go back to your room."

She chuckled softly as she spoke, but the sound was quickly carried away by the sea breeze.

"Actually, I didn't take care of you because you're the Imperial Wall."

"It hurts my heart to see you all alone."

"At that time, I thought, how sad this child would be if no one loved him."

"That's why I want to pamper you a little more."

"Later, as you grew up, I realized that I looked at you differently than I looked at Yu Ran."

"I was so scared at that time."

"I'm afraid you'll find out, I'm afraid Yu Ran will find out, I'm afraid everyone will find out."

"I tried my best to present myself as the dignified and proper matriarch of the Pei family."

"We've been keeping this up for so many years, until the day the news of your death came."

She paused here.

The sea breeze blew from the side, and her hair was blown so that it covered half of her face.