Parental Love: To Save or Not to Save

I didn't dare struggle anymore. I was afraid that if I kept struggling, the chains would squeeze her entire body apart.

I realized I'd only made things worse.

But I couldn't bear to watch her suffer like this.

I didn't know how to help her.

"Xiaobai, you've already done your best. You can't save me. Hurry and leave. Don't get yourself trapped here too—it isn't worth it. And mom doesn't want you to get hurt at all. For your sake, mom isn't afraid of death, but you must protect yourself."

Her words nearly brought tears to my eyes.

Was this maternal love?

Ye Jinghong had no idea what I was going through. She lightly touched me. "Something's wrong with your emotions." She had noticed it too. I said, "I want to help her, but I can't do anything, and I can't do anything right. Am I useless?"

Ye Jinghong grabbed my hand. "You're too tense. Those are just illusions in your mind. They aren't real. If they were real, there's no way I wouldn't be able to see or feel anything."

Actually, I suspected they were illusions too.

But what if they weren't?

After all, none of us could be sure.

"Wait outside for me," I told Ye Jinghong.

Ye Jinghong refused. She said she had to keep an eye on me, but I insisted, "I said go outside first. I'll be fine." I wanted to figure out what exactly was going on. Just like in my room earlier, Ye Jinghong had woken me up. If I hadn't woken up and had remained asleep, what would have happened next?

I suddenly realized something.

These scenarios seemed to be connected only to me. Ye Jinghong couldn't see them.

So I thought Ye Jinghong might disrupt the progression of the scenario, just