We Each Have a Key

A person does not have to be chosen by another person to confirm his or her worth. The freedom to leave is a real possibility, not a test of loyalty. Zhou Yuan continued to break through the boundaries of his environment throughout his life, but mistook his lover's boundaries for rejecting himself. He suffered a real career failure and was left for good reason; after rebuilding his career, he disguised the old trauma as care, slowly turning someone who was free to leave into someone who needed permission. The third person amplifies the process but does not create it. The cessation of the cliff moment is Zhou Yuan's willingness to give up a revenge that is bound to hurt others, even if it does not bring Xu Zhiyao's return. Xu Zhiyao's freedom is not a guarantee that he is always correct. She is clingy, punishes others through silence, and once crossed the line by accepting appreciation from others; she must accurately admit that part of herself, neither attributing it all to Zhou Yuan, nor accepting the other person's infinite inspection of her. In the end, a wedding will not be held to prove the consummation, conflicts will not be resolved through childbirth, and the third party will not be humiliated to prove the victory of love. The two kept their respective residences and financial arrangements, and slowly started dating again; some common items have been sold, and some friends no longer meet. The second kind of love is not a repaired version of the first kind.