For a brief moment, Rong Ye stilled. But his breathing remained ragged, his eyes still filled with despair, as the silence that followed grew heavier than anything before.
So much had been given to him.
And he had turned it all into nothing.
Perhaps… he truly was useless.
He had nothing to offer. Nothing at all. Except for a face that others praised, a hollow shell that meant nothing in the face of true strength. And what use was that? In this world, beauty could not protect, could not fight, could not avenge.
It was worthless.
Just like him.
The thoughts came one after another, relentless and cruel, each one sharper than the last. They echoed in his mind, growing louder until they drowned out everything else.
His body leaned forward slowly until he was fully slumped on the ground. His vision blurred as his eyes began to sting, the tears gathering before he could stop them.
And then, without warning, the past came rushing back.
He saw his father.
