Although Rong Xiwen had said that only she could save Shen Yi, Rong Qian still had no idea, even now, how she was supposed to save him.

Rong Xiwen could tell what she was thinking. He reached into his bag, pulled out a photograph, and handed it to her. “Take a look — does the person in this photo seem familiar to you?”

Rong Qian was still caught in her anxious spiral of how do I save Shen Yi, and had absolutely no mood for looking at anything. She glanced at it from the corner of her eye — and then, the moment she made out what it was, she snatched the photo right out of his hands.

She stared at it, astonished, and asked Rong Xiwen, “Dad! How do you have a photo of me?!”

There on the old photograph, alongside Rong Qian, was another person — Shen Yi.

This was also the second time Rong Qian had ever seen a photo of herself and Shen Yi together.

She looked at herself in the image: she was wearing a red, backless silk evening gown, crystal high heels on her feet, her long hair pinned up and crowned with a diamond-studded tiara.

From head to toe, she radiated an aura of noble elegance — like a young heiress attending a grand soirée, dancing in the ballroom.

And the man dancing with her was Shen Yi.

Dressed in an all-black suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, one hand resting at her waist and the other holding hers — he looked as though he were guiding her through the steps, his gaze fixed on her with a tenderness that reached its very limit.

Both of them in the photograph wore smiles in their eyes.

And yet Rong Qian felt a sadness in it — as though the two people in that image knew they were about to be parted, and so in those final moments, they each chose to face the other smiling, to smile their way through this last dance together…

Just thinking it, Rong Qian felt her nose begin to sting.

Rong Xiwen told her: “This photograph was given to me by Shen Yi. He asked me to pass it on to you.”

Heaven alone knew what it had been like for Rong Xiwen, carrying this photograph with him all these years — watching his own daughter slowly grow into the woman in the photo.

This was his own flesh and blood. And yet before she had even been born, he’d had to face the reality of his daughter being arm in arm with another man.

Five mixed flavors wasn’t nearly enough to describe how that felt.

“He’s waiting for me…” Rong Qian had this inexplicable feeling.

Watching his daughter gaze at the photograph with that expression of longing, Rong Xiwen’s heart felt anything but at ease.

This man was someone his daughter loved. If they could become a pair and live happily ever after, that would be one thing.

The problem was — they could never be together…

At that thought, Rong Xiwen couldn’t help but let out a sigh. He said to Rong Qian, “This is the last photograph. It’s also your last time traveling back. My girl — seize this chance. You must save him.”

“But, Dad — how exactly am I supposed to save him?” Rong Qian clutched the photograph tightly in her hands.

Rong Xiwen felt her struggle and pain. He patted her shoulder gently and said, in a tone of comfort, “Silly girl, don’t rush. Listen to what I have to tell you.”

Rong Xiwen’s expression grew serious. He spoke to her with great gravity: “You must tell him what will happen — you absolutely cannot let him walk down the path of being driven to take his own life.”

“As long as you can warn him ahead of time, he’ll be able to take precautions. He won’t have to be backed into a corner with no way out.”

Rong Qian still had doubts lingering in her heart. She asked Rong Xiwen: “Dad — who actually wrote that anonymous letter? Shen Fenran didn’t die, did he? Is it possible he changed his name and came back to take revenge on Shen Yi?”

But Rong Xiwen’s answer left Rong Qian disappointed — because he didn’t know either.

Rong Qian was deeply unsatisfied. She was afraid that even after she went back, she still wouldn’t be able to help in any meaningful way.

Rong Xiwen, however, assumed she was hesitating about something else entirely. After much deliberation, he decided it was still necessary to lay things out plainly with her. “My girl — are you thinking about what comes after?”

“What do you mean, what comes after?” She couldn’t even make sense of the past — where would she find the headspace to think about the future?

Rong Xiwen said to her: “If you truly manage to save Shen Yi — when you come back, what you’ll see will be a man in his sixties. Will that frighten you? Would you rather he had died than see him having grown old?”

“Dad, what are you saying?” Rong Qian’s brow furrowed deeply. “As long as he can live — nothing else matters!”

And with that, Rong Qian took the photograph and walked out.

Rong Xiwen called after her in a hurry: “Are you going right now? My girl — at least tell your old father how you use the photograph to travel back!”

Rong Qian didn’t even turn her head. She waved her hand and said, “You’re better off not knowing, Dad. I’m worried your heart couldn’t take it.”

Watching his daughter’s retreating figure, Rong Xiwen’s eyes grew dim — aching with tenderness and reluctance. During this time, he had watched with his own eyes as she went through things most people couldn’t even imagine.

Even wanting to stop her, he didn’t know how.

He thought to himself — if only this truly could be the last time.

His daughter had long since earned the right to return to a normal life. Let it be like a dream: wake up, and it’s over.

Let the past be the past. Living well in the present, and facing the future with courage — that was what truly mattered now…

Xie Dong was standing at the entrance of the restaurant, smoking. When he saw Rong Qian come out alone, he quickly stubbed out his cigarette and stepped forward to ask: “How did it go? What did you talk to the Director about?”

“If there’s anything you want to know, go ask him yourself. I still have something to take care of — I’ll be heading off.” Rong Qian didn’t linger for even a moment, her footsteps hurried.

Xie Dong blocked her path. “Where are you going? Don’t wander off on your own. If you’re leaving, you can only go back to the hotel.”

“I — I want to go look at the sea.” Rong Qian hesitated for just a moment before saying this.

Xie Dong’s expression turned strange. “Look at the sea?”

“That’s right. The port isn’t far from here. I’ll take a walk by the water and then come back. No need to worry about me.” Rong Qian gave him a reassuring smile, then walked away.

Xie Dong’s brow furrowed, but in the end he went upstairs to find Rong Xiwen.

Rong Qian hailed a taxi and had the driver take her to the port. The driver was a local, and greeted her with enthusiasm: “You’re here for a visit, right? This time of year, the port is quite lively — when you get there, you’ll—”

But he didn’t get to finish. Rong Qian interrupted: “Is there anywhere with fewer people? Somewhere quiet, close to the sea — ideally with nobody around at all.”

“The young lady wants somewhere quiet to herself? Of course there is! I’ll take you — it’s a bit windy and sits right on the cliff’s edge, but the scenery is truly beautiful!” The driver was enthusiastic, and he really did take Rong Qian to exactly the place he’d described.

Rong Qian stepped out of the car and felt the fierce sea wind, and heard the crashing of the waves surging far below the cliff. She knew at once — this was a perfect place to plunge into the sea.

The driver noticed there wasn’t a single person nearby, and this young woman was standing alone at the edge of the cliff, holding a photograph in her hand — looking very much as though she was having dark thoughts about throwing herself into the sea.

He felt uneasy about leaving, so he called out: “Miss, what are you doing here?”

Rong Qian turned her head and smiled at him. “Uncle, when I come back next time, I’ll give you a different answer. But right now — I’ll tell you: I’m here to — jump, into, the sea!”

And with that, Rong Qian leaped — launching herself off the cliff.

The driver’s eyes went wide with horror. He was utterly stunned.