She slowly slid down, but her hands still clung tightly to the edge of the bathtub. She desperately tried to call for help, her mouth forming silent pleas. This was a sign of a heart attack, a hereditary illness from her family, a calamity destined to befall her.

Xiǎomù watched helplessly as his mother suffered a heart attack, unable to save her. Mingzhu's head slowly slipped into the bathtub, and the water continued to flow, soon covering her mouth and nose. Her head gradually sank into the water, and the hand that had tightly clung to the edge of the bathtub finally released, though it was filled with reluctance.

Through the bathtub, Míngzhū could be seen lying on her back, her face turned towards the sky, sinking to the bottom. Her hair spread out and floated around her like a dying, desperate little snake writhing in helplessness.

The door creaked open, and Xiǎomù saw a boy of about four or five years old push into the bathroom. Xiǎomù recognized the boy with the delicate features and glassy, transparent eyes as himself. He tried to block the boy's view, not wanting him to see the scene in the bathtub.

But the boy walked straight through Xiǎomù's body and approached the bathtub. Xiǎomù, tears streaming down his face, shouted desperately, "No, don't look!"

However, the boy stood dazed in front of the bathtub, staring at his deceased mother submerged in the water. His eyes widened in shock, overwhelmed and unable to look away.

In that moment, the mother's beauty was indescribable. Beneath the water, she lay there with her eyes open, looking at him with a serene, almost saintly compassion.

The boy knelt down, resting his head on the edge of the bathtub, gazing at his mother in the water. He murmured, "Mommy, why did you leave Xiǎomù? Mommy, Xiǎomù will be very obedient in the future. Please don't go."

The boy believed his mother had abandoned him and left this world. He heard her crying every day but did not understand that her tears were due to her deep love, not the despair of being unable to exact revenge.

Xiǎomù bent over, repeatedly telling the little boy, "No, Mommy hasn't abandoned you. It's just an accident."

But the little boy said, "Mommy, please don't ever leave me."

Xiǎomù watched as a woman's head slowly emerged from the bathtub, and the woman began to rise from the water.

This was not a person, but the spirit of the mother, unable to transcend due to the child's plea, could only gently embrace the child from behind and softly press against him.

Xiǎomù saw the woman's smile—pale yet tender. His mother had never truly left him, but he had fallen into an abyss of endless suffering, having caused so much harm to others.

Xiǎomù reached forward to touch his mother's face, and as his hand made contact, all the surrounding illusions vanished. Only the bathtub, still filled with water, remained.

In a frenzy, Xiǎomù threw away the gun and pulled the woman, who had already sunk to the bottom of the bathtub, out of the water. As he held her, he cried out, "No, Mommy, you can still be saved!"

Luò Wǎn coughed violently, her face turning blue from the lack of oxygen. In another minute, her heart would stop beating. But Xiǎomù lifted her from the bathtub, seeing her open her eyes. Overcome with joy, he exclaimed, "You're okay! Oh my God, you're okay!"

Looking up, Xiǎomù saw Lǐ Dàlù pointing a gun at his own head, sternly demanding, "Hand Luò Wǎn over to Shàngguān Liúyún."

Xiǎomù's gaze gradually cleared, having fully emerged from the illusions. He looked at Lǐ Dàlù, smiled, and said, "I've always looked down on you, thinking you were just a freeloader. But I must admit, I too have my mistakes."

Shàngguān Liúyún, seeing that Shěn Jī could no longer hold on, urgently said to Xiǎomù, "Release Shěn Jī quickly. She can't hold on much longer."

Xiǎomù handed Luò Wǎn over to Shàngguān Liúyún and walked to the glass container holding Shěn Jī. Turning around, he said, "This woman is not a good person. What does it matter if she dies?"

Shàngguān Liúyún responded firmly, "Whether she's good or bad, we have no right to take another's life. You cannot kill."

Lǐ Dàlù's gun was still aimed at him.

"Alright, I don't want to kill anyone right now," Xiǎomù said. He pressed a very discreet button on the wall, and a glass panel suddenly fell with a crash. Shěn Jī fell out onto the floor, gasping for fresh air, and her complexion began to improve.

Lǐ Dàlù continued to point the gun at Xiǎomù while walking over to help Shěn Jī. He said, "You and I will go turn ourselves in!"

Xiǎomù turned to Shàngguān Liúyún and asked, "Brother, do you want me to turn myself in as well?"

Shàngguān Liúyún stood between the two, torn and uncertain. His younger brother, whom he had always cherished, had committed such acts. Although he felt deep resentment, he did not wish for Xiǎomù to turn himself in, yet he saw no better alternative. This moment was the most sorrowful and difficult choice of his life.

Xiǎomù smiled faintly and pointed at Shàngguān Liúyún, saying, "You're always unable to make up your mind. When I wanted to take your favorite toy as a child, you watched me quietly. When I took your former girlfriend as an adult, you still watched quietly. Now, as I threaten to kill your most beloved person, you continue to watch me quietly. Your greatest flaw is your softness; you can't make any decisions."

Shàngguān Liúyún's eyes welled up with tears. "Yes, you're right. I'm not as capable as you, not as ruthless, and not as free as you. When Grandma said we needed to choose someone from our family to inherit the business, I stepped up, giving up my freedom to let you pursue what you wanted.”

His voice grew louder. "I gave you my toys, my girlfriend, my freedom, and my happiness because you are my younger brother. I should have made concessions for you because I'm your older brother. Even if you may never have seen me as your brother, I am your brother, and that fact will never change.”

Shàngguān Liúyún could no longer speak. The sorrow in his eyes was deeper than when Luò Wǎn first saw Xiǎomù. The loss of their grandmother and his brother's darkness seemed to overwhelm him, nearly bringing him to his knees.

In the studio, two factions formed. Luò Wǎn and Shěn Ji, coming to their senses, stumbled over to Lǐ Dàlù and Shàngguān Liúyún. Luò Wǎn was half-supported by Lǐ Dàlù, while Shàngguān Liúyún, seeing Shěn Jī's pitiable state, helped her gently.

All four of them stared at Xiǎomù alone. Despite Lǐ Dàlù still holding the gun, they all felt an overwhelming fear from this handsome man. Although he no longer posed any physical threat, they felt a powerful force pressing down upon them.

The pressure from Xiǎomù grew stronger, causing Lǐ Dàlù's hand to tremble. He was uncertain whether he should fire the gun, especially considering that Xiǎomù was unarmed and also Shàngguān Liúyún's younger brother.

The intense sense of danger surged repeatedly in Lǐ Dàlù's heart. He waved his hand and said to Shàngguān Liúyún, "Let's go!”

Shàngguān Liúyún looked at him in surprise and asked, "What about Xiǎomù?”

"Just go!” Lǐ Dàlù insisted.