Proofread by Peter Gong

"Well, your uncle and aunt are both very tender and passionate towards each other. They don't have time to play with you. I think you'd better play with me, your grandma." An Rong pats Gu Lang on the back and pulls him out of her arms. Gu Zechen's family, since his father's death, has been independent. Over many years, except for the occasional necessary meetings during festivals, An Rong’s family and his family already don’t have much contact. Gu Lang, who grew up in a foreign country and never got involved in the family struggles, keeps a pure heart. Every time he comes back from abroad, he always lives in An Rong’s house for two days. An Rong is glad to stay with him. Now, Gu Lang, who was worried just now, has listened to An Rong's words, has a good talk in the living room and bursts out a laughter from time to time with An Rong.

Upstairs, the servant knocks on the door and brings Su Ni a bowl of tremella soup.

"Madam says that you work hard in this period of time, and your body needs more nutrition. There will be delicious food later in the evening." Su Ni's heart gets warm. Since her family fell, only An Rong cares about her as usual. Su Ni wants to give Gu Zechen a bowl of tremella soup, and she knocks on the door of his study. "This is what mom specially cooks for us. Do you want to taste it?"

Gu Zechen looks and frowns. "Don’t you know I don't like sweets?"

Su Ni is shocked. She doesn't know that. Gu Zechen understands that clearly. He isn’t harsh. "You go out first. I still have something to do."

"That's fine. We'll have dinner soon." Su Ni tells him and the latter has already opened the document and ignores her words.

Su Ni comes out of the study and sees An Rong looking over here. She smiles. "Mom, I gave Zechen something to eat."

"He didn't eat it." An Rong says.

Su Ni shakes her head. An Rong pats her on the shoulder and says. "This kid doesn't like sweets since he was a kid. It's OK."

Su Ni is a little guilty. "Mom, it seems that I really don’t know Zechen enough. I don't know a lot about him."

"Take your time." An Rong carefully takes Su Ni to sit down. Her eyes are full of love. "Though you don't say what you have experienced these years, I also know that. I don't blame you."

"Just in time, I can also tell you what Zechen likes to eat..." When An Rong begins to talk, Su Ni listens very carefully. Until the food is ready, An Rong still is still talkative. "Many things can only be understood when you get along with each other slowly in the future. Ze Chen is not bad, but he is just cold. As long as you can enter his heart, you will surely feel his tenderness." Su Ni never feels that tenderness.

But at this moment, Su Ni nods. "Mom, I know."

Upstairs, a tall figure has quickly come down. Su Ni and An Rong look at each other, knowingly shifting the topic.

"I heard that you will have a rest tomorrow. Do you have any plan to take my aunt out for a walk?" On the table, Gu Lang asks Gu Zechen with a smile.

Gu Zechen is still eating. "No." Gu Lang's eyes look a bit of cunning. He knows that today's news is fake. Sure enough! Gu Lang makes a loud noise, and looks at Su Ni sneakily, as if to disclose her lies. He is extremely proud. Su Ni pretends not to see it. She lowers his head and drinks soup.

"I have two tickets for Andrew's global tour, but I can't go with my friends tomorrow. Otherwise, you two can go for me."

"Mom..." Everyone knows that it is an excuse. Gu Zechen says unhappily. Su Ni smiles awkwardly.

An Rong says, “It’s not easy to procure these tickets. So, do you want to annoy me?”

"Otherwise, let's go. It's OK anyway." Su Ni persuades Gu Zechen.

"Tomorrow morning, the company will have another meeting." Gu Zechen takes back his hand without trace, looking for the reason with a poker face. At this point, Su Ni doesn't say much. She smiles at An Rong. She knows her meaning, but Gu Zechen doesn't want. She can’t force him. Everyone in the meal eats unhappily. During the dinner, Gu Lang ignores the oppressive atmosphere and forces himself to tell jokes. But no one hears him. He has to give up.

Upstairs.

Gu Zechen sits at his desk and looks at the materials. Su Ni can’t help but say. “Just now if you promised, mom would be happy. It’s okay for me not to go there."

"If she kept thinking about keeping us together, she would never be happy and one more time didn’t hurt.” Gu Zechen says without turning his head. Su Ni bites her lips, sitting on the bed silently. In the middle of the night, Su Ni has a nightmare. The scene that appeared countless times reappears again. Su’s family changes ownership overnight. Her father can’t bear the blow, faints in the company, and the scene is in a mess. By the time she gets to the hospital, her father is dead.

It rains cats and dogs.

As the first daughter of Su family, for the first time she feels helpless, like a person standing on an uninhabited island. At this time, the tide slowly rises, and soon she will be submerged. But for her, there is no way to go back, and she can't stop it. Even she has no courage to question the person who betrayed her. The person deceived her and took the company away, but why did he do this? Her Father never recovers and becomes a vegetable. Doctors say there is little chance of his waking up in this lifetime. Su Ni closes her eyes and lets the tide slowly cover her face, gradually suffocating her.

(Su Ni coughs.) Su Ni coughs violently and sits up in a moment of fright. She looks around in a daze and finds Gu Zechen staring at her suspiciously. Su Ni touches her face. It is moist, but it is not tear for it doesn’t taste salty. She knows that she has this dream again.

"I'm fine. I had a dream!" Su Ni explains first.

She doesn't seem to sleep for long. Gu Zechen is still reading in front of the desk, and she is lying on the quilt. She doesn’t know when she goes to sleep. Su Ni gets up and takes a shower in the bathroom. The feeling of being drenched all over her body makes her shiver involuntarily. She hasn't had this dream for a long time. Maybe it's a reminder. It's time for her to see her father.

She comes out with a coat and goes to the balcony to be refreshed by the wind. Touching her pocket, she takes out a cigarette and lights it for herself. The night wind is cold, and it gradually makes her calm down. Three years are like a dream. Sometimes she feels it is distant. Sometimes she feels that every detail of this dream is too clear, which brings her endless pain. Su Ni rubs her heart position, which seems to have been pulled with a burst of pain.

She takes a puff, but the smoke is strong. She then snuffs it out, and turns back to the room. But suddenly she finds that Gu Zechen has put down the book, standing behind her.