Gu Yuan responded with a hum.

Chi Yu kept asking, "What plans do you have for the future? Do you need my help?"

"No need, just wait for me at the hotel. If you get too bored waiting, you can buy a ticket and go back."

"Go back? No way!" For him, it was already miserable enough to come alone; he insisted that they both return together.

"Then just wait for me at the hotel."

Originally, Chi Yu’s sudden arrival in Sydney to find her was unexpected; she hadn’t intended for Chi Yu to meet Wen Fei.

"Why can’t I go? I’ve never met my mother-in-law." He spoke with a righteous tone, as if Gu Yuan wouldn’t be able to refuse because of this.

Gu Yuan’s expression cooled a bit: "You’ve met before, and..." She gazed into Chi Yu’s eyes, "besides, there are unresolved issues between you two."

Issues...

Chi Yu was stunned.

He had issues with Gu Yuan’s mother?

Just as he was puzzled, Gu Yuan said something, "Something happened before, and you were implicated in it, and I also sent my uncle to prison."

Chi Yu was dumbfounded.

Gu Yuan sent her own uncle to prison?

When did that happen?

At that moment of confusion, Chi Yu forgot he had amnesia, forgot everything related to Gu Yuan.

But amnesia wasn’t his choice, it was fate, and Chi Yu didn’t blame anyone, only himself.

He asked her, "What happened back then?"

Gu Yuan’s lips curled into a smile: "Why don’t you try thinking about it yourself."

Gu Yuan walked up to Chi Yu, pulling his hand. He held her hand in return, not too forcefully, but tightly.

In this posture, Gu Yuan leaned against him for a while. Since there was still time, she talked to him a bit more: "I approached you as Gu Xueli because I wanted to maintain our relationship in a different way. No matter how much you blame or resent me, I should accept it. I deceived you; that’s a fact, I admit it."

"Even if you never ask me about our past, if you want to know, as long as you ask, I will definitely tell you."

Stepping back from his embrace, Gu Yuan looked up at Chi Yu: "I have to go now."

Chi Yu said, "I’ll wait for you to come back."

Gu Yuan comforted Chi Yu, gripping his hand three times uncertainly, and under his reluctant gaze, she slung her bag over her shoulder and stepped out into the mist of dawn.

Returning to that cold, grand castle, she checked her watch—just eight o’clock.

There had been no calls or messages last night, indicating that Wen Fei had made it through the night safely. Worried that Wen Fei might attempt suicide, she had arranged for someone to keep an eye on Wen Fei’s situation after she left.

Another night had passed.

The fatigue on Gu Yuan’s face had diminished considerably, while the despair on Wen Fei’s face grew more pronounced each day.

She set the breakfast and said to the woman sitting curled in the corner all night, "It’s time to eat."

The room’s windows were tightly shut, and the curtains were drawn so no light could enter except for a dim wall lamp. Seeing the woman in the corner motionless, as if not hearing her, Gu Yuan walked to the window and pulled the curtains open.

The day had broken.

The sunlight of dawn broke through, and Wen Fei instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

The light was too harsh for her to bear, and she buried her face in her knees.

Gu Yuan walked over to her, her footsteps made a slight sound, and Wen Fei sensed her approach but didn’t lift her head.

"Do you need a nursing home? I’ve already found a few..." Her voice was light, "Don’t worry, not in the country but in Sydney, since you love this place so much."

Only then did Wen Fei slowly raise her head.

However, she didn’t look at Gu Yuan but slowly got up and walked towards the window, drew the curtains closed again, then returned to the bed and lay down.

She moved slowly and sluggishly, each step seemingly unsteady as if she might fall at any moment. Her complexion was sallow, her appearance gaunt, visibly aging day by day... nearing the end of her life.

Wen Fei of the past took great care of herself, possessing a youthful grace unbecoming of her age.

The Wen Fei of now clung to survival as time passed, possessing the worn features unbefitting of her age.

Time truly is a wondrous thing.

In the blink of an eye, it transforms a person into this state.

Seeing that Wen Fei ignored her, Gu Yuan walked to the bedside and pulled her up: "Shall we go to the nursing home now?"

"No." Wen Fei’s other free hand reached to smooth her hair by her ear, unexpectedly striking a once-elegant pose: "I’ve spent my entire life pursuing elegance and beauty; how could I squander my remaining time in a place like a nursing home."