Clara stood at the door, with a listless Abu crouching at her feet.

Abu hated rainy days, and Clara wasn't too fond of them now either.

Rain meant she couldn't go home alone; she had to bother her family to pick her up.

In the gaps between her drifting thoughts, she felt an intense gaze fall upon her.

Clara looked up instinctively, but her world was entirely dark.

Abu didn't react, which meant the person wasn't close.

Clara’s hand tightened around Abu’s leash, her entire body tensing up.

Just as she was hesitating whether to call her mother, a familiar voice suddenly sounded in her ear: "Clara, time to go home."

Marcus’s voice brought Clara a great sense of security. She let out an instinctive sigh of relief.

"What’s wrong? Did something happen?" Marcus asked, looking at Clara as she settled into the car with a long exhale.

"No..." Clara’s eyelashes fluttered rapidly. In the end, she chose to hide her suspicion.

"Is Mom at home?" Clara quickly changed the subject.

Marcus gave her a deep look and answered according to her lead.

The car pulled away from Thirteenth Alley.

Ethan Shaw stepped out from behind a wall, holding his umbrella, only to see the back of the vehicle disappearing.

...

Saturday morning.

Clara woke up early to prepare for her meeting with Song Qinghe.

"Mom, can you help me with my makeup?"

Mrs. Tang stared at her daughter. Since the accident three years ago, this was the first time Clara had asked to wear makeup before going out.

"Are you meeting someone important today? Or is there something special happening?" Mrs. Tang’s voice was slightly tight.

"Yes. I’m meeting an important person today. I should wear makeup to be polite." Clara’s tone was natural.

Mrs. Tang responded immediately.

Even though she was dying to know who her daughter was meeting, she did her best to give Clara space and didn't want to push her too hard.

Fifteen minutes later, looking at her daughter who was as beautiful as ever in the mirror, Mrs. Tang’s heart felt as soft as if it were soaking in warm water.

Her voice was gentle: "Do you want me to walk you there?"

Clara leaned over to give her mother a hug. "Don't worry. We’re just meeting at the tea house in the alley."

The weather was nice today. Clara led Abu out of the house.

After walking a short distance, Clara’s expression suddenly changed. She no longer looked as natural as she had in front of her mother; she looked extremely anxious and nervous.

Even when she reached the entrance of the tea house, Clara was still trying to give herself positive mental reinforcements.

The tea house owner knew Clara. Seeing her enter, he greeted her warmly: "Cece, your friend is already here. She's in the upstairs booth."

Clara’s heart tightened instantly, and her hand gripped the guide dog's leash.

"Thank you, Uncle Chen. I'll head up now."

Every step Clara took was preoccupied. She rehearsed the words she had prepared the night before over and over in her mind.

The waiter led her to the door. She took a deep breath and pushed open the booth door.

Before she could speak, the person inside spoke first: "Hello. Are you Marcus Tang’s sister?"

Chapter 26

Clara paused. When her name was placed alongside Marcus Tang’s, it was so recognizable that it was hard to reach any other conclusion.

Song Qinghe studied the beautiful girl before her, only stopping when she noticed the vacant look in her eyes.

Song Qinghe stood up abruptly, her smile fading. Her lips moved slightly: "Your... eyes?"

Clara wasn't at all surprised by her sharpness. She gave a soft laugh. "I’m sorry, I can't see. May I bring my guide dog inside with me?"

Song Qinghe responded quickly: "Of course, I..."

"I heard from my brother that you're afraid of dogs. I was worried it might be inconvenient." Clara shifted the topic.

"Your brother mentioned me to you?" Song Qinghe was visibly surprised and pleased.

Clara gave a small nod. "I know about you."

"Please come in. I’m a bit afraid of dogs, but it's not that serious. Besides, service dogs are different from regular ones." Song Qinghe’s tone was gentle, not at all what Clara had imagined.

The two sat down across from each other. Abu curled up at Clara’s feet, looking very well-behaved.

Clara spoke first: "I’m sorry for disturbing you so abruptly. I hope I haven't affected your work or life."

With that, an apologetic look appeared on Clara’s face.

Song Qinghe instinctively waved her hand, then suddenly remembered the person before her couldn't see.

She said softly, "It's no trouble. But why did you want to see me, Miss Tang?"

Clara paused before saying, "The last time I went to deliver files to Marcus... my brother, I accidentally overheard you two arguing."

At the mention of this, a sense of frustration surfaced on Song Qinghe’s face. "Did we scare you last time? I'm sorry. I usually have a good temper, it’s just that Marcus is truly so..."

Before she could finish her complaint, Song Qinghe stopped herself, suddenly realizing she was talking to Marcus’s sister. Her face turned awkward.

Clara didn't mind at all; in fact, she finished the thought for her: "My brother can be very irritating, can't he?"

Song Qinghe grew vague, but Clara asked directly: "Are you two planning to break up?"

At those words, the trace of a smile on Song Qinghe’s face froze. Her face turned slightly pale, but she didn't deny it.

Clara continued to ask: "Is it Professor Song who wants the breakup?"

Her voice was cautious.

Song Qinghe’s mouth quirked in a mocking curve. "No. It’s your brother who wants to break up."

Even though she couldn't see, Clara could clearly sense Song Qinghe’s unhappiness.

"I’m sorry. It’s all because of me." Clara frowned deeply.

Her words stunned Song Qinghe. Pushing her lips together, Song Qinghe said, "What does this have to do with you? The relationship issues between me and your brother..."

Clara’s face was full of bitterness. "Actually, three years ago, my brother told me he wanted to bring you home to meet us. But then, there was the earthquake in the neighboring city, and I had an accident during the rescue mission. The family couldn't look after my brother... and for a long time afterward, he was busy running around because of me."

"In recent years, he has spent so much energy on me. He probably doesn't want to burden you. Because he feels I am his responsibility—that if I stay blind forever, he has to be responsible for me for the rest of his life. He doesn't want your life to be so hard." The self-loathing in Clara’s voice was heavy.

Her frankness left Song Qinghe astonished. She and Marcus had known each other since university, and their relationship had always been stable.

They had discussed marriage, but in the end, it always fell through.

She had never imagined that the seemingly omnipotent Marcus Tang was carrying such a massive burden.

"Are you trying to persuade me? But Marcus is the one who chose to break up with me," Song Qinghe said, her tone cooling slightly. "He never even thought about telling me any of this."

Chapter 27

"Looking at it this way, does it mean he doesn't trust me enough either?"

Sitting in the booth, Clara Tang felt her heart tighten as she listened to the receding footsteps of Song Qinghe.

Her hands, resting on her knees, clenched into fists. She spoke to Abu at her feet in a panicked whisper, "Abu, did I mess things up? I’m truly useless."

With that, taking advantage of the empty booth, Clara began to sob quietly.

By the time she left the tea house, the rims of her eyes were still slightly red.

Clara naturally couldn't see her own appearance, but feeling the soreness and stinging at the corners of her eyes, she decided to head home later to avoid her mother’s prying questions.

Leading Abu, Clara wandered through the familiar Thirteenth Alley before finally choosing an unfamiliar lane to turn into.

From the moment Clara left the tea house, Ethan Shaw, who had been following her, frowned slightly at her direction. However, he maintained a firm, steady pace, following her at a moderate distance.

The scent of alcohol in the air made Clara pause. She suddenly remembered that when her mother was introducing the neighborhood, she had mentioned a street hidden away here that was lined with bars.

Given the current situation, she had likely wandered in by mistake.

Clara immediately tugged Abu's leash to turn around. Her heart tightened slightly, but she figured that since it was broad daylight and unlikely many people would be around, she didn't need to panic.

Unexpectedly, before she could take more than a few steps, someone suddenly grabbed her hand from behind.

Terrified, Clara scrambled backward. Abu grew anxious as well, letting out a few sharp barks.