Chapter 498: Chapter 498: Gwen’s Struggles

Lana immediately burst into laughter.

"Please," she said dramatically while placing a hand over her chest. "If I ever defend a man who doesn’t deserve a second chance, then I truly wouldn’t be Lana anymore."

The playful tone finally caused Gwen to smile again.

The atmosphere inside the room gradually became lighter.

Seeing this, Lana leaned back slightly before speaking again.

"You know, James is actually a very awkward person emotionally."

Gwen quietly nodded.

"He doesn’t even realize when his actions suffocate someone emotionally," Lana continued. "Half the time, he probably thinks he’s being caring."

Gwen let out a tired sigh. "That honestly makes things even more confusing."

Her fingers tightened slightly around the blanket beside her.

"It’s not like I don’t understand him," she admitted softly. "I really tried my best."

Her voice gradually became quieter.

"But whenever he kept talking about you..." she paused briefly before lowering her gaze further, "...I started feeling jealous no matter how much I tried not to."

Lana nodded understandingly. At that moment, she did not laugh or tease her.

Instead, she spoke gently. "Then next time, use the same method on him."

Gwen blinked in confusion. Lana grinned mischievously. "Do exactly what he does to you."

Gwen stared at her blankly.

Lana chuckled.

"Make him understand your feelings either through communication or actions. Sometimes emotionally dense people only realize pain after personally experiencing it."

Hearing that explanation, Gwen suddenly looked enlightened.

For the first time, she finally felt that maybe James truly was not acting maliciously on purpose.

He was simply terrible at understanding emotions.

The two girls continued chatting for nearly an entire hour.

The more they talked, the more Gwen realized how comfortable Lana was to be around.

Despite her strength and mysterious background, Lana never once made others feel inferior around her.

Instead, she had an oddly warm personality that naturally made people relax.

Eventually, almost all of Gwen’s anger disappeared completely.

The moment Lana noticed Gwen calming down, she immediately decided to strike while the iron was still hot.

Resting her chin lazily against her palm, Lana suddenly spoke.

"You know, when you finally reach the peak of the world one day, you’ll realize something."

Gwen looked at her curiously.

Lana smiled faintly. "At the top, the scenery becomes beautiful... but also lonely."

Her voice softened slightly.

"And at that point, you won’t want someone who constantly makes you feel suffocated."

Then she lightly poked Gwen’s shoulder.

"You’ll want someone who can stand beside you comfortably at the very peak."

Gwen stared at her quietly.

After a few seconds, she gave a helpless smile.

"That sounds nice," she muttered softly. "But first, I would actually need to reach the top of the world."

Her expression dimmed faintly. "And honestly... I know I never will."

Lana immediately frowned. "Who told you that?"

Gwen lowered her gaze. "My parents."

The room suddenly became quieter.

"They always said I would never surpass my older sister," Gwen continued softly. "According to them, Yumi is the only one truly capable of reaching the top."

The moment Lana heard the name "Yumi," her expression subtly changed.

Because of Monica, she already knew quite a bit about Yumi.

Still, she never expected Gwen to actually be related to her.

Lana stared at Gwen in surprise. "You’re Yumi’s younger sister?"

Gwen nodded silently.

After processing the information briefly, Lana suddenly snorted softly.

"Honestly? I think you’re better than her."

Hearing such confident words, Gwen immediately looked shocked.

"How do you even know my sister?" she asked suspiciously.

Lana awkwardly coughed once before waving her hand dismissively.

"Let’s just say..." she muttered dryly, "...our relationship isn’t exactly good."

Then she casually added, "If given the chance, your sister would probably try killing me."

The moment Gwen heard that, her eyes immediately sparkled with excitement.

"Really?! What happened?!"

Lana instantly regretted speaking.

Seeing Gwen suddenly becoming energetic again made her feel helpless.

"It’s an old story," Lana muttered quickly. "Let’s not talk about it."

However, Gwen suddenly leaned closer with unexpected seriousness.

"Trust me," she whispered firmly. "I hate my sister just as much as you hate her."

The moment Lana heard those words, she became slightly stunned.

Then Gwen slowly lowered her head.

"You may have seen Yumi as one of those perfect overachievers everyone admires..."

Her fingers quietly tightened together.

"But because of her, my parents constantly compared me my entire life. She often schemes and frames. She even used a vicious scheme to... kick me out of the house."

A trace of bitterness appeared across her face.

"Sometimes... I honestly wondered whether I was even their real daughter."

Hearing those painful words, Lana’s expression slowly softened.

Gwen quietly took out her phone and started to show the photos of certificates and awards.

"They were never enough," she whispered.

Then, little by little, she began talking about her childhood.

She spoke about how every achievement she earned was overshadowed by Yumi’s accomplishments.

How every mistake she made was magnified.

No matter how hard she tried, her parents only ever looked proudly at her older sister.

She was kicked out, had to drop out at the age of 18, and ran in various ghost zones to make a living.

At one point, Gwen even laughed bitterly while speaking.

"You might not believe this," she muttered quietly, "but once I returned to them, they even arranged a marriage for me."

Lana froze slightly.

Gwen lowered her eyes in humiliation.

"The man was already in his late nineties."

For a moment, the entire room fell silent.

Even Lana felt shocked hearing that.

Only now did she finally understand why Gwen was so insecure emotionally.

Growing up in the shadow of someone constantly praised as perfect had slowly destroyed her confidence piece by piece over the years.

It turned out that ever since Gwen’s childhood, she had never truly been praised for her achievements.

No one celebrated her victories.

No one proudly showed off her accomplishments.

Even when she succeeded, the praise would always somehow shift toward her older sister instead.