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Gu Ci and Lu Zhiyuan exchanged glances, displaying an unspoken understanding. Both raised their glasses, just about to toast, when Gu Ziyu’s glass evaded, “One person gets to make a wish.”

The three of them clinked their glasses together. Gu Ziyu said, “I wish for my mom’s good health, a long life, and that she’ll take care of my kids when she gets old.”

Gu Ci and Lu Zhiyuan were both speechless.

Son, can you distinguish between a wish and a luxury? You’re thinking quite far ahead.

Gu Ci chuckled at his remark, and Gu Ziyu, with a smile in his eyes, asked, “Mom, what’s your wish?”

“My wish is for Ziyu to grow up safely and to heed the country’s call to have three kids.”

Lu Zhiyuan and Gu Ziyu gaped.

The father and son both had subtle expressions on their faces. As the charming atmosphere-setter, Gu Ziyu asked, “Dad, what’s your wish?”

Lu Zhiyuan looked at the glasses gathered together. What was his New Year’s wish? He only wished for Gu Ci’s safety and happiness year after year. There was a clear longing in his eyes, yet it was also distant and aloof.

“My wish… Long live freedom!” Lu Zhiyuan lightly tapped the glasses of Gu Ci and Ziyu, downed his drink in one go. Gu Ci’s face instantly turned as cold as snow.

Lu Zhiyuan maintained his steady gaze on her, his expression calm. There was no Third Master’s icy indifference, nor Third Young Master’s explosive anger. He accepted his situation with equanimity, a sense of tranquility that came with acceptance.

In Gu Ci’s heart, however, a storm was brewing. Gu Ziyu held onto her last shred of reason, not wanting to lose control in front of him.

“Dad, you really know how to kill the mood!” Gu Ziyu had long sensed the subtle tension between his parents. Dad wanted freedom and no entanglements with them, while Mom was determined to confine him.

This was an unsolvable problem.

Gu Ci had been drinking continuously, while Lu Zhiyuan ate his meal. Gu Ziyu played the role of atmosphere-setter, observing the situation. The atmosphere between Lu Zhiyuan and Gu Ci was cold, giving off the feeling of familiar strangers – a glaring sign of an unhappy marriage on the verge of divorce.

Gu Ci continued to drink one glass of red wine after another, her gaze vacant. Lu Zhiyuan, on the other hand, would sneak glances at her. Whenever Gu Ci looked in his direction, he would quickly avert his gaze, creating a subtle tension in the atmosphere.

In the meantime, Gu Ziyu received a phone call and went outside to answer it.

After finishing half a bottle of red wine, Gu Ci wanted to continue, but Lu Zhiyuan held her wrist, looked into her eyes, and said gently yet firmly, “Don’t drink anymore!”

“Why do you have the right to control me?” Gu Ci turned to the side, and their noses almost touched. “Lu Zhiyuan, you’re determined to sever ties with me. Everything I do has nothing to do with you.”

Lu Zhiyuan’s brows furrowed slightly. He took the wine bottle, poured the remaining half without much care, and downed it in one gulp. The wine trickled down from the corner of his lips to his neck, splashing onto his collar, vivid and sensual.

Gu Ci licked her lips, feeling a bit parched.

Lu Zhiyuan placed the wine bottle heavily on the table. “Did you forget how you went crazy the last time you drank?”

“How could I forget? I went crazy, and you pushed me into the lake, nearly drowning me,” Gu Ci said with a cold smile. “At that moment, 1 knew that you really didn’t love me.”

Gu Ci’s eyes were slightly red. “Lu Zhiyuan, in our past lives… why did you marry me? Out of pity for me?”

“It was because I couldn’t bear to see you being mistreated, to see you sinking into the abyss. I wanted to heal you,” Lu Zhiyuan suppressed the affection welling up in his heart. “All the suffering you endured was because of me, and I couldn’t just stand by.”

“Just pity, guilt, and a desire to make amends?” Gu Ci’s heart ached.

Lu Zhiyuan looked at Gu Ci’s vulnerable eyes, eyes that were screaming desperately. They silently pleaded, “Tell me you love me, don’t give up on me, please.” But she remained so stubborn.

“Is it important?” He spoke with a slightly hoarse voice.

“It’s very important!” Gu Ci wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye. “I don’t care about your story, whether it’s true or not. The past lives and the present have nothing to do with me. I just want to know… why did you marry me, Lu Zhiyuan? You said that if you couldn’t find a reason to live, you would live for me. Have you forgotten?”

She had always lived for him. He was her redemption, her faith.

Her heart would die with him.

Now, he had abandoned her once again.

“I love you,” Lu Zhiyuan chuckled lightly, showing both pity and deep affection. “Whether you’re a test from the gods or the reincarnated Gu Ci, I love you. My soul has always been drawn to you. When we first met, you were so young, yet I wanted to protect you. Even after half of my soul was drained of emotions, without love, 1 couldn’t help but want to protect you. Cici, no matter how many times we go through this cycle, even if I lose my memory and forget you, I will still fall in love with you at first sight, still adore you. It’s a curse and my… destiny.”

He paused. “But I can’t be with you, Cici. 1 don’t want to break my heart for you intentionally. I say harsh things to hurt you and make you despair and suffer.”

“I love you, and I can’t hide it. But if you’re with me, you’ll lose everything – not just me, but also Ziyu and the people from the Jiang family.” He looked at Gu Ci tenderly. “The happiness of family life, are you happy with it? Are you willing to make them go through separation and death again? Do you love me so much that you don’t care about losing everyone else?”

Gu Ci’s face turned pale, and she sat rigidly in her chair. The red wine she had been drinking burned in her chest and lungs. Lu Zhiyuan’s words were more piercing than his lies.

Lu Zhiyuan, with a mix of tenderness and cruelty, asked, “Cici, would you be willing to lose them for me?”

“Stop it!” Gu Ci snapped.

Lu Zhiyuan asked again, “Would you be happy being with me after losing everyone else?”

“I told you to stop!” Gu Ci was greatly agitated, her eyes red. She frightened Gu Ziyu, who had just returned. Gu Ci stumbled away, looking disheveled.

Lu Zhiyuan was gentle yet resolute, his eyes holding her pain, indulging her anger, but firmly rejecting her.

Seeing her back, Gu Ziyu, who had just returned, was angered. “Dad, today is New Year’s Eve. Why did you have to upset Mom? Can’t you wait until after the New Year to talk about this?”

“Ziyu, let her calm down. She’ll come to terms with it,” Lu Zhiyuan replied.

But Lu Zhiyuan knew very well that tonight was the best time to be honest with Gu Ci. She had just enjoyed family happiness, and she needed to understand the pain of losing what she had gained.

She had to realize what she would lose for the sake of loving him. Only then could she truly let go!

Gu Ziyu came in, stood in front of him, and asked softly, “Do you really not love Mom at all?”

“I love her very much,” Lu Zhiyuan furrowed his brows, “I can sacrifice everything to protect you, but Ziyu, you need to stay away from me for your safety.”

“I don’t understand.”

Lu Zhiyuan said in a deep voice, “No matter if I’m with you or not, I’m willing to give my all to protect you.. Just remember that, okay?”