Host! I told you to do a task! I didn't tell you to bbb.

"Don't talk nonsense!"

Shen Moci's voice was pierced by the sea breeze as his fingertips dug into the flesh of her wrist, refusing to let go even as it was soaked in blood.

"I'll pull you up, we'll go home, and we can be like before!"

Liu Yunshu's gaze swept over his pained face and then landed on Lu Hengyan's arm, where veins were bulging.

Finally, the image lingered in Gu Shichen's bloodshot eyes, a hint of relief suddenly tinged with tiny tears.

It slid down her pale cheeks and was swept away by the sea breeze into nothingness.

"But I'm dirty..." Her voice was as soft as a sigh.

"From the day I was forced by Lu Hengyan, from the day I was... taken by Gu Shichen, I have never been good enough for you."

"Not dirty! You're not dirty at all!"

Shen Moci roared, her tears mingling with her blood as they dripped down the cliff.

"It's our fault, we're so sorry! Come up here, I'll take you away, we'll leave this place and never see them again!"

Lu Hengyan's hand finally reached her fingertips, and the icy touch almost made his heart stop.

He gripped it tightly, his voice filled with heartbreaking regret:

"Yun Shu, please, don't give up! I'm a bastard, I forced you. Come up here, and I'll pay with my life!"

Gu Shichen's force almost broke Shen Moci's waist.

He watched Liu Yunshu's body slide down, the panic in his eyes almost consuming him.

"Yun Shu, no! Please don't!" Her voice trembled uncontrollably.

Looking at the three people's extreme pain, Liu Yunshu suddenly smiled faintly.

She slowly raised her other hand, not to grab Lu Hengyan's hand.

Instead, she gently placed her hand on Shen Moci's hand, which was clutching her wound, her fingertips applying slight pressure, as if to soothe her, or perhaps to push her away.

"Mo Ci, forget about me."

She said softly, then suddenly jerked her wrist away.

Shen Moci and Lu Hengyan felt their hands slip, and the icy touch vanished instantly.

They watched helplessly as Liu Yunshu's body, like a kite with a broken string, plummeted into the surging, dark waves.

The last look she gave me was as calm as a stagnant pool.

"Yun Shu—!"

Three desperate cries were swallowed by the waves. Shen Moci tried to jump down like a madman, but was held down by Lu Hengyan and Gu Shichen.

He slumped on the edge of the cliff, his hands digging into the mud, his fingernails filled with blood and dirt, tears mingling with the mud as he cried like a helpless child.

Lu Hengyan stood frozen in place, his eyes gazing blankly at the sea below the cliff.

Liu Yunshu's last words kept replaying in his mind, and it felt like a piece of his heart had been ripped out, causing him so much pain that he almost suffocated.

Gu Shichen leaned against a withered tree on the edge of the cliff, his fingertips turning white from the force, the scarlet in his eyes gradually fading, leaving only a deathly gray.

Su Xiao was so frightened by this turn of events that she collapsed to the ground, trembling as she looked at the three men in front of her who seemed to have gone mad.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

As Liu Yunshu fell, she crushed the amulet, and a layer of pale golden light instantly enveloped her, dissipating all the impact of the fall.

Xiao Ba quickly exchanged for a small boat and some medicine, and Liu Yunshu landed steadily on the small boat with soft cushions.

The sea breeze ruffled her disheveled hair, and the wound on her wrist was still bleeding, but she was no longer the mess she had been just moments before.

Little Eight flapped its wings and quickly handed over the medicine and clean gauze: "Master, quickly treat the wound!"

Liu Yunshu took the gauze and deftly wrapped it around her wrist with her fingertips, her movements so swift and skillful that it was hard to believe she had just escaped death.

She looked up toward the cliff and could faintly hear those three heart-wrenching screams.

Crushed by the waves and torn apart by the wind, yet there was no ripple in his eyes, only a cold calm.

"Let's go, let's find a quiet little town to settle down in."

She spoke softly, her voice devoid of any emotion.

Little Eight nodded quickly, flapped its wings, and steered the small boat away from the coastline.

The ship cut through the dark waves, leaving a shallow mark that was quickly smoothed over by the surging waves, as if no one had ever been there.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Shen Moci and the other two ran to the shore like madmen, but Liu Yunshu was nowhere to be found.

Gu Shichen suddenly pulled out his phone and roared out the order:

"Call in all the yachts and fishing boats in the coastal waters! Conduct a thorough search! Even if you have to turn this sea upside down, find them!"

His voice trembled uncontrollably, and the veins on his hand gripping the phone were bulging, his knuckles turning white as if they were about to break.

Search and rescue vessels arrived one after another, and lights spread across the sea.

Like a flowing galaxy, yet it cannot illuminate the unfathomable darkness.

Shen Moci, Gu Shichen, and Lu Hengyan boarded different ships to personally participate in the search and rescue.

His eyes scanned the sea surface incessantly, afraid of missing any clue.

As night deepened, the sea breeze grew increasingly fierce, carrying a biting chill.

The search and rescue operation lasted all night, but they couldn't even find a trace of Liu Yunshu's clothes.

Where is Su Xiao?

Gu Shichen suddenly spoke, his voice as cold as ice, and the ferocity in his eyes surged again.

The bodyguard immediately brought the trembling Su Xiao over. She was so frightened that her legs went weak and she knelt down on the beach.

"I was wrong... Please, have mercy on me..."

Her eyes lit up immediately, as if she had grasped at the last straw.

She scrambled to Gu Shichen's feet and clung tightly to his trouser leg.

"She must have drifted far away with the sea! Maybe...maybe she was rescued! She's so lucky, she definitely won't die!"

Gu Shichen kicked her away violently, the coldness in his eyes almost tearing her apart.

"You better pray she's still alive, or I'll show you what it means to wish you were dead."

Su Xiao was kicked and curled up on the ground, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth, but she dared not cry out anymore. She could only bite her lip tightly and let fear overwhelm her.

As dawn approached, a faint layer of pale white appeared on the sea surface.

The search and rescue boats returned to shore one after another, bringing only despairing news.

"Mr. Gu, nothing was found."

"Mr. Shen, we've searched this entire area, but we found nothing."

"Mr. Lu, that area doesn't have it either."

Shen Moci stood on the ship's railing, the sea breeze ruffling his disheveled hair, his eyes filled with a desolate, lifeless emptiness.

He still clutched the blood-stained moon pendant in his hand, his fingertips already aching from the cold metal, yet he seemed oblivious to it.

He clutched it tightly, as if it were the only remaining connection between him and Liu Yunshu.

"impossible……"

He murmured to himself, his voice so soft it seemed to be carried away by the sea breeze.

"She's so afraid of pain, how could she possibly stay in the icy seawater..."

Tears finally rolled down her cheeks, landing on the deck, where they were instantly dried by the sea breeze, leaving no trace.

Lu Hengyan leaned against the mast, his face as pale as paper and his eyes bloodshot.

He hadn't slept all night, his eyes fixed on the sea, and now the last glimmer of light in his eyes had been completely extinguished.

He recalled the last look Liu Yunshu gave him, as calm as a stagnant pool.

The despair hidden within was like a dull knife, repeatedly cutting into his heart.

"It's my fault...it's all my fault..."

He murmured softly, his voice filled with heartbreaking regret.

"If I hadn't forced her, if I hadn't pushed her... she wouldn't have come to this..."

Gu Shichen stood on the shore, watching the ships return one after another, emanating a terrifyingly low pressure.

He took out his phone and dialed an international number, his voice as cold as ice:

"Use all available overseas resources to search every ship that passes through this area. Even if she's washed ashore overseas, we must find her!"

After hanging up the phone, he turned to look at Su Xiao, the ferocity in his eyes almost consuming her:

"Take her away and 'take good care' of her. Once we find Yun Shu, we'll make her pay off her debts."

The bodyguards immediately stepped forward, dragging the crying and struggling Su Xiao away. Her screams were swallowed by the sea breeze and disappeared into the morning mist.

This search lasted for three years.

Over the past three years, the three of them have gone to great lengths to thoroughly investigate this sea area and dozens of surrounding cities.

They even mobilized Interpol, but still couldn't find any trace of Liu Yunshu.

She vanished from their world as if she had evaporated into thin air.

All that remained was the blood-stained pendant and the wound on the cliff edge that would never heal.

Shen Moci closed the coffee shop and locked himself by the sea for years.

Lu Hengyan chose to temporarily retire from acting, dismissed all his assistants, built a small house by the sea, and became neighbors with Shen Moci.

Gu Shichen's business empire grew ever larger, and his methods became increasingly ruthless, but no one ever saw him smile again.

Over the past three years, under Gu Shichen's instructions, Su Xiao has experienced the most hell on earth.

She was locked in a dark basement, tormented day and night by fear and despair.

The arrogance of the past has long been crushed, leaving only a shell clinging to life.

But he never received news that Liu Yunshu was alive, nor could he find relief.

Until one day, the three of them gathered together, and Li Wei brought them some food and supplies.

Li Wei placed the thermos on the stone table and looked at the three emaciated men in front of her.

Shen Moci's stubble covered his chin, and his eyes were shrouded in an unyielding mist.

Lu Hengyan wore a faded shirt; the once spirited movie star was now nothing but dejection.

Gu Shichen was dressed in a suit and tie, but he couldn't hide the deathly stillness in his eyes, and the chill emanating from him could freeze the sea breeze.

She sighed softly, "If only I had known this would happen!"

Just then, her phone rang; it was her boyfriend, Jeremy Lin, calling.

As soon as she answered, she heard Jeremy Lin's excited voice, "Weiwei! I saw Yunshu!"

"What did you say?" Her voice trembled, almost dropping her phone. "Shuhao, say it again, who did you see?"

There was a pause on the other end of the phone before the voice repeated, "It's Yunshu, Liu Yunshu! In the ancient town of Suzhou!"

With a "buzz," Li Wei felt her mind go blank, and then a wave of ecstasy overwhelmed her.

She abruptly turned to look at Shen Moci and the other two, her lips trembling, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time:

"Yun...Yun Shu...she's still alive! Shuhao saw her! In the ancient town of Suzhou!"

A light that tore through the darkness suddenly burst forth in the chaotic eyes of the three people. It was a spark that suddenly ignited after three years of deathly silence, burning their eyes painfully.

Shen Moci suddenly grabbed Li Wei's wrist, his voice trembling uncontrollably:

"Tell me...explain clearly! Where in Suzhou is she? What kind of ancient town is she in?"

Lu Hengyan staggered forward, his previously empty eyes now churning with turbulent emotions as he stared intently at Li Wei.

"Is it true? Are you sure it's her? Or just someone who looks like her?"

The chill emanating from Gu Shichen instantly froze, only to be replaced by an even stronger agitation. His fingers trembled uncontrollably as he pulled out his phone.

"Address! Have Jeremy Lin send me the exact address! Immediately!"

Li Wei was startled by the three people's reactions and immediately screamed into the phone:

"Jeremy! Address! Send me the exact address where you saw Yun Shu! Quickly!"

Jeremy Lin on the other end of the phone didn't dare to delay and quickly gave out an address.

As Li Wei read the address aloud, Gu Shichen had already dialed his assistant's number.

"Back up the plane! The fastest private jet, destination: Suzhou! Mobilize all available personnel in Suzhou to seal off that ancient town, search inch by inch, don't miss a single corner!"