Clara was getting ready for bed after a long day. She had just finished blow-drying her hair when a frantic pounding erupted at her door. Startled, she instinctively pulled it open.

Simmy Sun stood in the doorway, her lips pressed into a tight line, her expression uncharacteristically grave.

"Sister Clara, I think you’re trending back home."

With that, she thrust her phone toward Clara. The top trending topics were dominated by Night Knightley’s name, including one titled: #NightKnightleysPublicConfessionWhereAreYouClaraJiang#.

The internet was flooded with photos of her, though, fortunately, no one had leaked her current location yet.

Clara’s expression froze. She took the phone with a sense of bewilderment, her brow furrowing deeply as she scrolled through the viral posts.

Simmy didn't pry; she simply watched Clara with worried eyes. Clara, however, didn't have a massive breakdown. She merely let out a soft sigh and admitted the truth.

"It’s me. Night Knightley is my ex. I left the country immediately after we broke up."

The room fell silent for a beat at the sudden revelation. It took a moment for Simmy to find her voice. "What? If you've broken up, why is he making such a huge scene? Isn't this going to cause you so much trouble?"

Clara rubbed her temples, feeling a wave of helplessness. "A little, yes. But I’m abroad now, and his family is barred from leaving the country for certain reasons, so it shouldn't have too much of an impact."

Simmy’s expression remained grim. "We should still be careful. He sounds incredibly extreme. People at the office might recognize you soon. Sister Clara, maybe you should start wearing a hat or something when you go out."

Seeing the girl’s genuine concern, Clara forced a small smile. "It’s okay. Like I said, he can't get out of the country."

Simmy clearly wasn't convinced. she nodded gloomily and even dug out one of her own hats. "Wear this when you go out. It’ll hide your face and protect you from the sun."

Clara took it, trying to lighten the mood with a joke. "It’s just an ex-boyfriend, no need to be so tense."

"Night Knightley is clearly unhinged to pull a stunt like that at such a major event," Simmy countered. "I’ve read plenty of news about exes who turn obsessive and do extreme things out of spite. Sister Clara, I’m truly worried he’ll harass you or that something might happen."

Hearing such care from a girl she had only known for a few months, Clara’s heart softened. She took Simmy’s hand and patted it gently.

"I was with him for many years. Although he did many things to hurt me, I don't think he’s that extreme, and he would never physically harm me. Don't worry."

Though Clara said this with a smile, Simmy remembered her silence when they had talked about ex-boyfriends a few days prior. She could sense that this relationship had left deep scars.

Simmy didn't know how to offer comfort, so she wracked her brain for the right words. "It will pass, Sister Clara. You’ve already climbed out of that mire. Just keep looking forward."

"Besides, you have us! I have plenty of classmates here. If he dares to come and cause trouble, I’ll get them all to help me protect you!"

Looking into those determined eyes, the anxiety in Clara’s heart slowly dissipated. She let out a soft laugh.

"Okay. Thank you, Simmy."

She had survived those agonizing days in the past. Now that she was in a new country surrounded by friends willing to protect her, what was there left to fear?

——————————

Online, the narrative of Night Knightley’s "devotion" continued to grow, even leading some radical netizens to curse Clara, calling her ungrateful.

This lasted until the former friend—whom Night had been ruthlessly targeting—was pushed to the brink of bankruptcy. In retaliation, the man began leaking everything he knew.

"Clara Jiang is a wonderful girl. When Night went blind for his ex-girlfriend, she was the one who stayed by his side in silence, helping him through the darkness until he regained his sight."

"And after he could see again, Night’s mother suddenly flipped, looking down on Clara in every possible way. But because Night protected her, they stayed together."

"Too bad Selene Young came back—that’s the ex-girlfriend. With just a few tears, she tricked the brainless Night into registering a marriage with her behind Clara’s back."

"During that time, Selene framed Clara repeatedly. And your 'devoted' hero protected Selene while tormenting Clara until she had no choice but to disappear."

"You netizens are so gullible. You believe whatever he says? Devoted enough to marry someone else? Devoted enough to let another woman carry his child? And when it all blew up, he forced an abortion and personally handed his ex-girlfriend over to a perverted old man's bed."

"If you like him so much, I hope you all find a 'true love' just like Night Knightley!"

With that, Night’s public image completely collapsed. Although the Knightley family moved quickly to scrub the trending topics, the internet's memory and its fickle nature were faster. People who were about to provide information on Clara’s whereabouts blocked Night after cursing him out. Night went feral with rage, intensifying his attacks on his former friend until the man was bankrupt and buried in debt.

Driven to utter despair, the former friend waited for the day Night drove out. He intercepted him with a battered van, flooring the accelerator and slamming into Night’s car with suicidal force.

The van was so flimsy that the front end was pulverized; the man died instantly. Night’s car, however, had enough safety features to save his life, but the impact left his body shattered. His organs began to fail rapidly, and the trauma to his head left him completely blind—this time, with no hope of recovery.

When Night woke up, his world was a void of pitch black. He tried to stand, but his body felt as light as a cloud, limp and powerless.

"What’s happening? What’s wrong with me?"

Losing his sight again sent him into a state of absolute terror. The darkness merged with his previous nightmares. Trembling, he cried out Clara’s name incessantly.

No one responded until a bodyguard, losing patience with the noise, snapped at him.

"Shut up! You still think you're the young master? The Madam has spoken—you just need to stay alive. If you can't handle it, go ahead and die, just don't do it in public."

Night’s voice was hoarse. "What does that mean?"

Before the bodyguard could answer, footsteps echoed at the door, followed by Selene Young’s mocking voice.

"You’re blind, and you’ll never get better. Don't you know what that means in your circle?"

"Your mother rescued me from that pervert. She said I should stay here and take good care of you."

"After all... you are still her son..."

He couldn't see the expression on her face, but he could feel her slowly approaching. She reached out and pinched his chin, gripping it with the same brutal force he had used on her when he first learned the truth.

"Night Knightley, isn't it wonderful? Trash like us... we should go to hell together."

All that answered her was Night’s muffled groan of agony.

——————————

For the next two New Years, Clara Jiang celebrated in Australia. Every year, Simmy Sun’s parents would fly over to join them, and Simmy would always insist on dragging Clara into their family festivities. Having spent so much time together, their personalities and values aligned perfectly, and their bond grew increasingly close.

That year, the Sun family officially moved all their business operations to Melbourne, intending to settle there permanently. Simmy kept pestering Clara, asking if she had plans to stay for good.

This was a question Clara had pondered for a long time. Her few close friends back home had all started their own families, her parents had long since passed away, and she was left with no assets or property in her home country. Whether considering her personal relationships or her current professional focus, she personally leaned toward staying.

Her career flourished, and she eventually saved enough to buy her own home. At one point, she had considered returning the money Mrs. Knightley had given her, but Simmy stopped her. The girl had poked her forehead in a huff.

"Are you stupid? You spent years taking care of a blind man with all your heart—you earned every penny of that. Why would you return it?"

Clara never mentioned the matter again and began preparing her immigration documents. During this time, the Sun family provided immense support, helping her navigate various hurdles. With sufficient funds and a solid client base, she turned down a promotion from her boss and chose to open her own studio instead. Over the next two years, the studio expanded steadily and eventually became a success.

At the end of her fourth year, Clara met all the immigration requirements and successfully obtained her permanent residency. When she returned to her home country to finalize some paperwork, she met up with friends she hadn't seen in years.

Time had passed like a shadow, and they were no longer the youths they once were. Yet, the moment they gathered, they found that familiar feeling of being able to talk about anything. Naturally, everyone was most curious about her love life.

Facing their enthusiastic gossip, Clara was candid and graceful.

"I dated someone for two years, but we parted ways due to personality differences; we're partners in business now. My current boyfriend and I got together early this year. He's two years younger than me, a student at the University of Melbourne, but he’s very mature..."

Her face beamed with unmistakable happiness as she shared stories of their daily life and showed them photos and videos. Seeing the well-matched couple looking so in love on the screen, everyone felt a sense of relief and joy for her.

After chatting for a while, someone suddenly brought up Night Knightley.

"Hey, have you guys heard? I hear Night Knightley isn't going to make it."

Hearing this, Clara’s heart jolted slightly, and she instinctively looked up. In recent years, she had been so consumed with work and adapting to her new environment that she rarely sought news from home. Simmy might have known something, but out of concern for Clara, she never mentioned him. Though Clara occasionally spoke with her friend Zhao Siqi about the past, those memories always felt like they were shrouded in a thick fog, blurred and distant.

The name "Night Knightley" felt like an old, still photograph—tinted with a yellowish layer of antiquity. She had assumed he would eventually let go of that relationship and move on to lead his own life. She never imagined he would end up so miserable, and now even his life was hanging by a thread.

The atmosphere in the room turned cold for a moment as everyone carefully watched Clara’s reaction. Seeing that she was only shocked rather than devastated, they relaxed and began to talk more freely.

"I heard about it too, Clara. But since you said you didn't want to hear about him anymore, I never brought it up. It is quite a tragic story, after all."

"Tragic? It’s more like reaping what he sowed. He treated Clara so poorly for Selene Young’s sake, and then he went off the deep end. In the end, his own friend crashed into him, leaving him completely blind and broken. I don't know what Mrs. Knightley was thinking, but she actually had Selene Young serve as his caregiver. They’ve been keeping him alive, but he’s been through hellish torment."

So much time had passed that Clara actually struggled to remember the other woman’s name; hearing "Selene Young" caused her to daze for a second. Knowing that these two people, who had completely altered the trajectory of her life, had met such an end filled her with a sense of melancholy.

Even so, the lapse in concentration lasted only a fleeting moment. A buzz came from the phone in her pocket. She snapped back to reality and pulled it out; it was a call from Simmy Sun.

"Sister Clara, when are you coming back? My mom made that fruit jam you love so much. I'll bring a couple of jars over when you're home."

"I'm coming back tomorrow."

The past was gradually fading into a blur. She stared fixedly out the window; the sunlight was perfect, just as it had been on the day she left all those years ago.

[END]