The Empress Dowager turned her back, and Gu Yin could not see her expression.
Silence fell in the room. An Xin, waiting outside, could faintly hear sounds of argument from within but dared not push the door open.
Perhaps it was the silence at this moment that allowed Gu Yin to regain his composure. He slowly walked towards the Empress Dowager, "I apologize, I may have been a bit agitated just now."
The Empress Dowager did not respond. Gu Yin moved closer to her, and she turned her head away.
Gu Yin sighed softly. Finally, as if making some sort of resolution, he said, "Nan Yin, I was there both times as well." He said something rather inexplicable, and the Empress Dowager showed no reaction.
"Whether it was the first time the Nan family was destroyed, or the second time of silence, I was there. It wasn't just you watching; I was watching too." This time, he spoke very clearly.
The Empress Dowager looked at him as if she could hardly believe it, her eyes seeming to ask if it was what she was thinking.
"I told you, I have eyes and ears everywhere... I told you, I am immortal." Gu Yin said this with a smile, but his eyes were a little red. However, one did not know how much truth these words held.
"In the first life, Nan Zhi Yun's one-sided affection brought her much hardship, and you were powerless. Having finally gotten a second chance, you wanted to change things, but the trajectory of events seemed to slowly drift off course, leading to an irrecoverable situation and a complete loss. I know this too."
"That's why I can understand your caution this time. But this time is truly different from the previous two. Why do you keep pushing yourself? You've been dwelling on the past, never letting go. Nan Yin, you are very tired. So please let go, and rest well, okay?" Gu Yin's face was full of sincerity.
Hearing Gu Yin's words, it was impossible for the Empress Dowager not to be shocked. But some things were not that simple.
"Gu Yin, I am guilty... I have always carried this sin. I cannot let go, nor can I forget. If it weren't for me, those things would not have happened." This was the first time the Empress Dowager appeared so helpless and vulnerable before Gu Yin.
Gu Yin placed his hand on the Empress Dowager's shoulder. "It wasn't your fault. Those were inevitable outcomes. Nan Yin, I'm begging you, please don't dwell on it anymore, okay?"
"I can't. I can't do it. I will never forget those scenes, and I am the one who led to those results, so I can never forget. Gu Yin... when I first returned, I had nightmares every night. Every scene from the previous two lives kept flashing in my mind. I can't." The Empress Dowager shed tears. She rarely cried, because in her eyes, crying was a sign of weakness. She truly disliked crying, even detested it.
Seeing her like this, Gu Yin's heart ached. Perhaps all the courage he had gathered in this life was spent today. He walked up and held her in his arms.
"Nan Yin, counting this one, you have been bound for three lives. Why must you be so tired? The fault is not yours. Those were all destined. Even without you, those outcomes would not have changed. I have never lied to you, have I?" Gu Yin said to her.
That was right. The Empress Dowager had been reborn, not just once. Including this life, the Empress Dowager had memories of three lives.
One life was the one where she shared memories with Yu Jing Chen. In that life, Nan Zhi Yun died protecting Yu Jing Chen by taking a sword for him.
Another life... was a life that Nan Zhi Yun and Yu Jing Chen were both unaware of. In that life, she wanted to change the dire consequences of the previous life, but unfortunately...