Zhao Jingyao squeezed my hand. "Xier, thank you."
"Don't thank me." I paused, then said, "Whether Meyan chooses you or not isn't up to me—it's up to him. You know as well as I do that there is someone irreplaceable in his heart, a true moonlight that no one else can touch."
"I know." Zhao Jingyao smiled faintly, her gaze drifting past my head to somewhere behind me, a slight mist of moisture welling up in her eyes. "Xier, there was a time when I wanted to find someone who loved me deeply, someone to be my lifelong companion. I longed for a marriage of mutual affection and happiness. But after Xinyan passed away so suddenly, my perspective changed completely. I used to hear people say that you never know whether tomorrow or an accident will arrive first, and I never paid much attention to it. But after what happened to Xinyan, I truly understood those words. Fate may seem like it belongs to us, but it isn't actually in our own hands. While I still have the ability to do what I want, I want to be brave just once. The worst that can happen is hitting a brick wall, but what if I actually find happiness? If you never try, no one will ever know what's waiting for them, right?"
Chapter 245