"I can start by learning small things. Besides, one day you will both have to leave me, and Marcus should have his own life. Your world can't always revolve around me."

"I'll be fine on my own, Mom."

Looking at her calm daughter, Mrs. Tang couldn't help but look up at Mr. Tang, who had returned at some point and was standing at the doorstep.

Mr. Tang’s eyes were also a bit red, but he slowly nodded toward his wife.

Mrs. Tang clenched her hands and said hoarsely, "Alright. I'll take you there tomorrow."

Hearing her mother's confirmation, the curve of Clara’s lips lifted slightly as she promised, "I’ll definitely work hard and won't hold you back."

Clara reached out to take her mother's hand. Restraining her sadness, Mrs. Tang firmly squeezed Clara’s cool hand. "Cece, everything will get better. Your eyes will get better too."

Clara smiled but said nothing. Her heart, once full of hope, had slowly settled after one disappointment after another.

Regardless of the road ahead, trapping herself in a cocoon was never Clara Tang’s style.

...

"Cece, Cece..."

"No, please, please..."

"I was wrong. Don't leave me, I really know I was wrong..."

On the reclining chair, a man growled in a low voice, like a trapped beast.

The psychiatrist sitting to one side adjusted his glasses and pressed the play button.

To the sound of slow music, the man who had been raging with his eyes closed gradually calmed down and finally opened them.

Hidden in those deep eyes was an untold sorrow; the eyes that were now awake were a void of silence.

"Mr. Shaw, that’s about all for today’s psychological treatment. Have you been feeling any better lately?"

"No." Ethan Shaw’s voice was flat, without a single ripple.

"Has your sleep improved at all?" The psychiatrist felt a rare sense of defeat.

"No... though one night I managed to get four hours of sleep." Ethan remembered that day.

"Why? Did something special happen that day?" the psychiatrist guided in a low voice, aiming to break through his hardened psychological defenses.

Having just woken from a dream, Ethan’s forehead was covered in a fine sweat, and his thoughts were noticeably slow.

"Nothing special."

The psychiatrist frowned slightly. "Then tell me about something that left a deep impression on you."

"I went out that day and met someone in a blue dress. Her back looked a bit like hers..."

His logic was somewhat muddled, and his thoughts weren't very clear.

The psychiatrist let out a sigh of relief. Indeed, the root of Mr. Shaw’s problem still lay with "her."

In nearly three years of treatment, the results should have been more obvious, but the outcome was unsatisfactory.

At first, he thought there was a problem with his treatment methods. Later, through several sessions of hypnosis, he discovered that Mr. Shaw was simply choosing to submerge himself in his dreams.

Whether it was a beautiful dream or a nightmare, he simply wanted to see "her" and was desperately trying to keep her there.

But the psychiatrist also knew that the person he missed was long gone.

"Do you want to meet that girl?" the psychiatrist asked somewhat abruptly.

Ethan looked up displeased. "Use her to make me fall asleep? There’s no need. If it’s not Cece, no one else will do."

Under his hostile gaze, the psychiatrist felt a tremor in his heart and let out a long sigh. "Mr. Shaw, you must learn to move on."

"Meeting new people is also a good choice."

Chapter 17

Hearing that, Ethan only gave a cold scoff. "I don't want to move on."

With that one sentence, the psychiatrist was left completely stunned.

Ethan had already stood up, picking up the suit jacket draped to one side, and strode out of the office.

Watching the man's tall back, the psychiatrist couldn't help but sigh: "Love truly wounds people."

Ethan drove all the way to the parking lot and got straight into his car.

The narrow space gave him an inexplicable sense of security. He slumped over the steering wheel, inhaling deeply.

The dream just now had caused his destructive urges to rise rapidly. He came for treatment once every half-month; most of the time, he requested to have a good sleep in the office.

Each time, under the doctor's deliberate guidance, he could always dream of the past.

He dreamed of Clara Tang, who normally never entered his dreams.

He really, truly missed her.

Even if the probability of a nightmare far outweighed that of a beautiful dream, he was like a man possessed, addicted to the desire to see her.

"Clara Tang, what should I do?" Ethan whispered. A single tear fell quickly, landing on his black suit trousers and vanishing instantly.

Ethan drove aimlessly, eventually turning toward Clara’s home.

Her former home. After the accident three years ago, her family had moved away.

He could no longer find a single trace of information regarding her or her family.

Only the news from the doctors that she had passed away.

Ethan looked at the detached small villa, lost in thought.

The Clara Tang in his memory was optimistic and strong—a bit pampered, yet strangely able to endure hardship. It was clear she came from a good background.

He was young and headstrong back then, always feeling they had plenty of time ahead.

Occasionally, when Clara wanted some romantic gestures, he was always indifferent.

And then... there was no "then."

Not long after Ethan’s car slowly drove away, a black car parked in the spot he had just occupied.

"Marcus, isn't Cece coming back to live here?" Julian Zhou was the same age as Clara, three years younger than Marcus Tang.

Marcus looked at the car disappearing in the distance, dazed for a moment. He only snapped back when he heard Julian’s voice.

"She’s staying over at Thirteenth Alley for now. I came to get some clothes for her." Marcus opened the door and got out.

Julian followed behind him. "How is she now? I’ve called her many times, but she won't let me visit."

"Then come with me today."

Marcus turned to look at Julian. "She was in a bad emotional state before, but she’s much better now."

"Her eyes..." Julian fell silent immediately upon seeing the sudden change in Marcus’s expression.

"It’s still unclear regarding her eyes; the doctors haven't reached a conclusion. The surgery is high-risk, so for now, we can only let her recover." Marcus spoke very quickly, as if he were avoiding the subject.

Julian’s mood also plummeted. Even as an outsider, it was heartbreaking to hear, let alone for her own brother.

Although Marcus always teased Clara, he was always the first to stand up and protect her whenever something happened.

"Cece is emotionally sensitive, but there's no need to intentionally avoid the subject. She’s stronger than we think. She’s going to help out at the flower shop in a few days."

Only when speaking of this did a hint of a smile appear in Marcus’s eyes.

Julian also let out a sigh of relief. Everything would get better.

Thirteenth Alley.

"Clara Tang." Julian stood to one side, looking at the woman sitting on the sofa with a completely vacant gaze.

Even though he had prepared himself, his heart still ached uncontrollably.

Clara’s eyes had been so beautiful, but now they had lost their soul.

"Julian, you're here!" Clara lifted a bright smile, appearing very happy.

But Julian could see an inseparable sorrow within it.

Chapter 18

Abu squatted by Clara Tang’s side. Noticing a stranger, he instinctively moved in front of her, guarding her with a wary gaze fixed on Julian Zhou.

Julian took two steps back to maintain a safe distance. Abu studied him for a few moments before slowly lying back down.

"Your Abu is truly intelligent," Julian said softly. He had a natural talent for opening comfortable topics that made it impossible for anyone to dislike him.

Clara chatted with him quietly. Julian spoke at a relaxed pace, but their conversation wandered across all sorts of topics, from local news to stories from afar.

Watching Julian keep Clara laughing non-stop, Mrs. Tang nodded repeatedly in approval.

She whispered to the Tang men, who were preparing food nearby, "I knew Julian was a good lad. Arranging that blind date for them was definitely the right choice."

Mr. Tang remained noncommittal.

Marcus Tang, however, frowned slightly. "Mom, it doesn't matter if Cece never marries. Besides, Julian Zhou isn't suitable."

Mrs. Tang froze and muttered, "How is he not suitable? What’s wrong with our Cece? Her eyes will get better eventually..."

"Julian is great, but do you think his mother is 'suitable'?"

At the mention of Mrs. Zhou, Mrs. Tang fell silent instantly.

After the accident three years ago, Mrs. Zhou had called, but her words—both direct and implied—showed a complete rejection of any further connection following the blind date.

The Tang family weren't people to force themselves on anyone, but the coldness still left a bitter taste in their mouths.