The Trauma of Maternal Loss

This flow traces how Su Xiangcheng’s memory of her mother’s suicide shapes her fear of love, abandonment, and self-destruction.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Childhood Drawing

A Child's Picture The imagined family Su Xiangcheng draws her parents holding her hand, believing that excellence might somehow restore what has been lost. The unbearable response Her mother sees the drawing before walking onto the balcony. The memory becomes a private explanation for Su Xiangcheng’s lifelong fear of being the cause of abandonment.

The False Explanation

A Family Story Grandfather's protection Her grandfather tells her that her mother left because of terminal illness and did not want to burden the family. Memory against silence Su Xiangcheng remembers more than the adults believe. The gap between the official story and her memory makes her suspicious of protective lies.

Fear of Repetition

The Mother’s Shadow Anticipated abandonment Su Xiangcheng worries that loving Lu Xun may lead her toward the same despair that consumed her mother. Defensive distance She treats emotional withdrawal as survival. Her refusal to trust is not only marital suspicion; it is an inherited fear of losing the self.

The Suicide Threat

History Repeats Nearby Witnessing danger When Su Qingrou places a knife against her neck, Su Xiangcheng is overwhelmed by memories of her mother. Protective panic She cannot treat the crisis as ordinary romantic drama. The possibility of another woman dying turns family history into immediate terror.

Choosing Life

Refusing the Inheritance A direct warning Su Xiangcheng begs Su Qingrou not to repeat their mother’s fate. She insists that family debts and failed love do not justify death. A new principle The sisters begin imagining survival as an active choice. Pain may remain, but it need not dictate the final action.

during Su Xiangcheng's childhood

during her childhood after the suicide

after Su Xiangcheng begins fearing Lu Xun's betrayal

during Su Qingrou's knife crisis

after Su Qingrou's rescue