Kuang Ye stared blankly at “himself” slowly sinking into the water. In a daze, he seemed to hear heart-wrenching cries echoing in his ears. He suddenly remembered what Wanwan had once told him: her soul might be nearby.

“Wan wan?”
“Wan wan?”

He aimlessly called out her name, searching around the room with bloodshot eyes filled with panic and heartache.

“Wan wan, don’t cry. I’m fine. I’m really fine…”

[Ah Ye.]
[Ah Ye, wake up.]

The voice he had longed for suddenly echoed by his ear. Kuang Ye felt his consciousness slipping away from this world. He took one last look at the “Kuang Ye” in the “dream” and thought to himself: In the next life, Wan wan and I will both be happy.

—

In the hospital, Mu Wan anxiously called out to the unconscious Kuang Ye, whose eyes remained tightly shut. He had been in a coma for an entire day, and the doctors couldn’t find any explanation.

“Ah Ye!”

On the hospital bed, Kuang Ye suddenly opened his eyes. Seeing the living, breathing Mu Wan in front of him, he immediately pulled her into his arms with such force that it felt like he wanted to merge her into his very being.

“Thank goodness, Wan wan. You’re alive.”

Hot tears soaked the fabric on her shoulder. The fear and worry Mu Wan had endured all day came crashing down at that moment. They clung to each other, crying uncontrollably, as if they were two halves of an inseparable whole.

The three members of the Mu family watched the scene unfold, their own eyes brimming with tears. During the day Kuang Ye was unconscious, Mu Wan hadn’t eaten or drunk anything. She forced herself to smile to keep them from worrying, but her pain was evident, and it broke their hearts.

—

After the doctor ran a full-body examination and confirmed that Kuang Ye had no physical issues, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. Because they were worried something might happen, the entire family had stayed at the hospital just in case. Now that Kuang Ye was awake, they headed home briefly to shower, change clothes, and grab some daily necessities.

Although the VIP ward had basic shower facilities, it was nothing compared to home.

Once the family left, Mu Wan asked Kuang Ye, “Ah Ye, what did you dream about? You kept calling my name while you were unconscious and were drenched in cold sweat from the pain.”

Thinking about the dream, Kuang Ye still felt lingering fear. He brushed it off vaguely.

“Maybe it’s because of what you told me about the previous life. I dreamed of something similar.”

“I dreamed that you were—” He hesitated. “Never mind, it’s over now. I’m awake.”

The words “tortured to death” caught in his throat. Just thinking about them made his chest feel like it was being crushed, suffocating him.

Mu Wan noticed his evasiveness. Seeing that they were alone in the room, she sat on the bed and playfully teased him.

“What did you dream about? Was it me abandoning you for someone else, making you cry like that?”

Looking at her mischievous smile, Kuang Ye’s mind flashed to the lifeless, serene face he had seen at the funeral in his dream. His hand suddenly reached up to gently caress her cheek. His voice was hoarse as he locked eyes with her.

“Wan wan, I dreamed that you were killed… in the basement of an old apartment.”

Bang!

The apple Mu Wan was holding fell to the ground, rolling away. Her pupils dilated, her face turned deathly pale, and her fingers trembled uncontrollably as if consumed by overwhelming fear.

Seeing her reaction, Kuang Ye felt as if he had been plunged into an icy abyss. His entire body went cold. He hugged her tightly, his voice so choked with sorrow that it was barely audible.

“Wan wan, that wasn’t just a dream, was it?”
“The torture, the dismemberment—those were things you really experienced in your past life, weren’t they?”

“You told me that at the airport, I encountered the kidnapper, and I wanted to call the police but couldn’t get a signal in the tunnel. You said he provoked me, which is why I ended up killing him in rage.”

“But that wasn’t it, was it? The moment I saw him at the airport, I had already decided to kill him to avenge you. From the start, I never even considered calling the police.”

“You made up the part about the signal and calling the police just to hide the fact that I willingly killed someone for revenge.”

“Wan wan, how could you be so foolish?”

“You would rather cover for me, making up unnecessary details, than let us know how much you truly suffered.”

Mu Wan was already crying uncontrollably. More than the terror of her death in her previous life, she was heartbroken that Kuang Ye now knew such a cruel truth.

Through her tears, she smiled and cupped his face with her hands.

“How could those details be unnecessary?”
“My Ah Ye is so kind. If it weren’t for me, your hands would never have been stained with blood.”

Kuang Ye covered her hands with his own, his voice firm. “Wan wan, this time, I will protect you no matter what.”

Mu Wan wiped her tears and smiled. “Mm. I believe you.”

—

Outside the room, the three members of the Mu family leaned on each other for support, barely keeping their legs from giving out.

Afraid to leave Mu Wan alone in the hospital, they had only gone home briefly before rushing back. But as they approached the door, they overheard the word “torture.”

Those two simple words replayed in their minds, leaving their legs weak. Tears rolled silently down their cheeks as they covered their mouths to stifle their sobs.

Then, a fierce hatred ignited in their eyes.

That kidnapper—they would never let him go!