"Unable to turn back?" (Ito Yunai)

Ito repeated Bai Xuyu's words, her eyes slightly widened in surprise, mixed with some confusion.

She had never thought that Bai Xuyu would say such a thing.

"Why do you say that?" (Ito Yunai)

"Although my father is currently at the peak of his power, the way he does things... is bound to lead to trouble in the future, and he has accumulated many enemies... In reality, despite his current success, he is also walking on thin ice, and one day he might..." (Bai Xuyu)

As Bai Xuyu spoke, his voice became quieter and almost inaudible.

It was only then that Ito Yunai realized that she had neglected her friend's feelings for a long time.

If it were her own father, Ito Shinran, who went astray like Bai Yaxin, she would probably feel very helpless.

Helplessly watching her father sink deeper and deeper.

Unable to stop from the inside, as her father did not see his actions as wrong.

Unable to stop from the outside, external forces are currently no match for her father, and if they were to win, her father's fate would be dire.

Unable to stop through betrayal or other means, it was the same logic, her father must not lose.

Only after contemplating for Bai Xuyu in this empathetic manner did Ito Yunai understand the immense pressure this peer was under.

Bai Yaxin was wrong, no doubt.

But Bai Yaxin cannot afford to lose.

Once he loses, he would not only lose everything, but also end his next life.

In that case, only Bai Xuyu would remain.

"I'm sorry for ignoring your feelings for so long." (Ito Yunai)

Ito Yunai wanted to hug Bai Xuyu, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

She felt that no matter what she did at this moment, she would appear hypocritical.

"No, Yunai, you're not wrong. We stand on opposite sides, yet I invited you out and talked to you like this, I am the one being selfish." (Bai Xuyu)

If it were someone else, calling him selfish would be accurate.

But their bond, despite being on different sides, they were still friends.

Bai Xuyu was in a dilemma.

If Bai Yaxin continued to grow in power, his sins would only deepen.

Manranyama Souren couldn't handle him, nor could Manranyama Uminari, but eventually, he would provoke people even more powerful than him, and be cast from heaven into hell.

If Bai Yaxin got into trouble now, his existing sins were enough to keep him in prison for life, and escaping a death sentence would already be lucky.

In the end, Bai Xuyu's awakening came too late.

"If in the future, under certain circumstances, my father's life or death falls into your hands, would you spare him?" (Bai Xuyu)

After a long silence, Bai Xuyu asked Ito Yunai, "If possible, I would also hope that your father, Mr. Ito Shinran, could let my father off the hook..." (Bai Xuyu). Lowing her eyes, Bai Xuyu made these two requests, unable to look directly at Ito Yunai. However, Ito Yunai was unable to fulfill either request. Setting aside her father, Ito Yunai herself knew that she was just a minor character in this matter. The fate of Bai Yaxin's life rested in her hands, akin to winning a lottery ticket. If it were in her father Ito Shinran's hands, the chances were equally slim. Yet even with such a slim possibility, Bai Xuyu hoped to give it a shot. The pressure she was currently under led her to make this decision, to give her all for even the smallest glimmer of hope.

"Very well, I promise you." Out of sympathy for her friend, Ito Yunai agreed to the request.