A man, half-drunk even in the daylight, showed no restraint. He stepped forward to leer at Clara.

"Pretty little thing, aren't you? But a blind one... I wonder..." Before the man could finish his lewd remark, a forceful gust of power sent him crashing to the ground.

The hand gripping Clara’s wrist released instantly, and she stumbled backward.

Abu circled around Clara, pacing frantically in distress.

As the man continued his muffled cursing, Ethan Shaw looked down at him with a cold, piercing gaze. The drunk man shuddered instantly; he stopped shouting, scrambled to his feet, and stumbled away.

Only then did Ethan turn to look at Clara. Although he had been watching over her from the outside for the past few days, it had been a very long time since he had seen her from this close.

Ethan’s hand trembled as he reached toward her, but Clara made no move.

After a long moment, Ethan remembered—she couldn't see.

His voice was low and slightly raspy, carrying a trace of tenderness. "It’s alright now. Let me help you up."

Clara’s heart, which had been racing with fear, gradually began to settle. Hearing his voice, she felt a sense of familiarity.

Before she could place it, the man’s strong hand gripped her arm and pulled her up.

In that brief moment of contact, Clara caught the scent on him.

"Thank you." Clara expressed her gratitude politely, instinctively stepping back several paces.

Seeing her defensive posture, bitterness surged through Ethan’s heart.

He lowered his head slightly, taking a long time before he dared to look into her eyes. As he had expected, they were devoid of any light, but the reality was even harder to accept than he had imagined.

This relationship had brought Clara too much suffering. Ethan felt as though his heart were being torn apart; he didn't know if he would ever have the chance to be near her again.

"Sir, thank you very much. If there's nothing else, I'll be heading back now," Clara’s sincere voice called Ethan back to reality.

"I helped you. Do you intend to thank me with just a 'thank you'?" Ethan clenched his hands. Although he knew it was shameless to take advantage of someone’s vulnerability, he couldn't think of any other way to establish a connection with her again.

"Then what would you like?" Clara’s voice was filled with wariness.

Ethan gazed greedily at her face and said softly, "Buy me a meal."

Chapter 28

"Buy you a meal?" Clara asked in surprise. "Do we... know each other?"

"We don't." Ethan’s face showed a hint of nervousness as he intentionally lowered his voice.

Perhaps because he had a slight cold lately, his voice sounded different; Clara didn't seem to notice anything at all.

Watching Clara’s confused expression, Ethan felt his heart steady slightly, followed by a wave of bitterness and loss.

She hadn't recognized him.

"Then there is no need for us to eat together. If you require it, I can offer you compensation."

"I don't need compensation. I just want a chance to get to know you. Is that okay?"

"Sir, I am blind. Besides, I am not looking to make friends." Clara’s voice was tense, placing heavy emphasis on the word "friends."

Hearing her self-deprecating rejection, Ethan felt a pang of pain.

Looking at Clara, he suddenly didn't want to make things difficult for her just for the sake of an opportunity.

His voice was hoarse and tinged with disappointment. "Then forget it. I'll walk you out of the alley."

Clara hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

The sound of Ethan’s footsteps rang out in front of her. Leading Abu, Clara turned and walked toward the exit of the alley.

Before long, Clara caught a familiar scent—the aroma of osmanthus cakes from the old lady at the corner.

She pursed her lips and walked back slowly.

She didn't care where the person leading her had gone; she simply didn't want to have contact with him.

Ethan stayed behind her, watching her walk step by step toward the Tang house, his mind flooded with memories of her.

Clara kept her back very straight until she entered the Tang family courtyard. Only then did she relax.

She felt her way back to her room. Her mother's voice sounded outside.

"Cece, how was your outing today? Did you have fun?"

Recalling the day's twists and turns, Clara forced a slight smile and told her mother a lie. "Mm, it was pretty good."

With that, Clara sat on the edge of the bed and stared blankly into the distance, unmoving.

Today, she had messed up the meeting with Song Qinghe.

She had almost encountered danger.

And she had even met...

Clara’s hands tightened on her knees. On the way back, the doubts in her heart had grown stronger.

Although the man’s voice was raspy, the tone was so much like his.

When he grabbed her wrist, the warmth of his fingertips and that familiar scent all transmitted a single message to her.

He was Ethan Shaw.

But what she didn't understand was: why?

Why would he appear here?

He had long since forgotten her. Three years had passed; he should have been married by now.

Had he remembered?

A bitter smile appeared on Clara’s face as she mocked herself.

Clara Tang, oh Clara Tang, what exactly are you hoping for?

Even if he remembered, what of it? His marriage and her blindness were hurdles they could never overcome.

Perhaps they really weren't meant to be.

An ordinary love that had suffered so many hardships only proved that this relationship wasn't meant to be.

"Cece, come out. Your brother brought you something delicious." Her mother's cheerful voice sounded outside. Clara shook her head vigorously; she shouldn't immerse herself in imaginary pain. There were more things in this world she needed to do.

Even if not for herself, she should live well for her parents and her family.

"Coming right now." Clara stood up slowly. Abu circled her legs and nudged her, as if comforting her in her distress.

Chapter 29

As soon as Clara entered the courtyard, her mother began talking to her with a smile.

Clara replied softly, but after a while, she realized she hadn't heard Marcus’s voice.

She asked, "Marcus... is my brother in the courtyard?"

"I'm here." Marcus’s voice was low and sounded no different than usual, but Clara instinctively felt his mood was off.

Thinking about the meeting with Song Qinghe today, Clara felt guilty and a bit panicked.

"Didn't you say you were going on a business trip? How do you have time to be back today?" Clara’s tone was slightly flighty.

Marcus had already been feeling irritable. Hearing his sister's unnatural voice, alarm bells went off in his head. "Clara Tang, did you get into some kind of trouble?"

"I didn't! I'm blind, what kind of trouble could I get into?" Clara argued back sharply.

Mrs. Tang frowned and added from the side, "Your sister stays home perfectly well every day. What could possibly happen?"

Marcus pinched the bridge of his nose, his voice turning cold. "Fine. It better be that I don't find out."

Clara bit her lip, fiddling with the food her mother had handed her as if she were venting her frustration.

"I won't." Her tone was stiff—it was unclear whether she meant she wouldn't get into trouble or that she wouldn't let him find out.

Marcus let out a deep sigh. Women were truly a handful.

"I'm not eating at home today. I have things to do."

With that, Marcus grabbed his overcoat and hurried out the door.

Clara felt a gust of wind as he left, followed by her mother's parting instructions to him.

...

The next day, Clara was handing flowers to Chen as requested.

Suddenly, a woman's voice came from the doorway: "Miss Tang, do you have a moment? I’d like to talk."

It was Song Qinghe, wearing a long black dress, looking gentle and intellectual.

Chen hadn't actually seen Song Qinghe the last time; she had just sent a message through someone else. Seeing her now, she couldn't help but think that beautiful people truly do hang out with other beautiful people.

Startled by the sudden call, Clara’s whole body jolted. Her hand was pricked by a rose thorn, and she let out an instinctive cry of pain.

Chen hurried over. Song Qinghe, at the doorway, was also startled and stepped forward into the shop.

With everything pitch black, Clara felt someone suddenly approaching. her heart tightened uncontrollably, and her nerves bunched into a ball as she instinctively assumed a defensive stance.

"Sister Cece, it's me." After spending several months with Clara, Chen had gradually learned her habits. Clara didn't like people approaching her suddenly because she couldn't immediately tell who it was, which made her feel extremely insecure.

Chen carefully calmed Clara’s emotions.

Song Qinghe stood a few steps away, feeling slightly stunned.

When she first met Clara, she had seemed no different from a normal person except for her sight.