AS’s story might seem simple at first. She believes that Tang Lici is responsible for the death of her brother, Fang Zhou. Because of this belief, she dedicates herself to seeking revenge against him with Gui Mu Dan’s help. GMD seals her memories and places a fragment inside her that gives her the ability to heal TLC.

After eventually recovering her memories, AS chooses to help TLC instead. She places the fragment into the final pill for him, leaves him a letter, and disappears. We do not see her again until the ending scene.

What some viewers might miss is that AS was already destined to die after leaving. Shui Duo Po reveals that AS suffers from an incurable heart disease, and the “strange energy” in her blood, the fragment placed there by GMD, is what has been keeping her alive. As SDP explains, if she loses that energy, she will die.

This alone makes AS’s story a tragedy. She ultimately sacrifices herself to save TLC, yet TLC never learns the truth. Instead, he believes she cannot stay because of everything that happened with FZ.

To better understand AS’s role in the drama, we also have to look at the flashbacks between TLC and FZ, as well as the brief flashback between AS and FZ.

We already know the story between TLC and FZ. After FZ is injured, TLC eventually convinces him, after many times, to practice the Rebirth Sutra in order to stay alive. However, Liu Yan interrupts the process, leading to tragedy and the misunderstanding that fuels the conflict and obsession between TLC and LY.

What some viewers may overlook is the importance of the flashback between FZ and AS and how it becomes a catalyst for the conflict between TLC and LY.

FZ’s change of heart about practicing the Rebirth Sutra, and his sudden desire to live, most likely comes from finally reuniting with AS. In their flashback, FZ tells her that he now has no regrets and asks her to meet him at Zhoudi Tower in one month. If he is not there, either TLC or LY will let her in. This suggests that FZ already knew he was dying and that seeing AS again was what motivated him to try to live.

In that sense, AS indirectly becomes one of the key catalysts in the story’s central conflict. If AS had never reunited with FZ, there is a real possibility that FZ would never have agreed to practice the Rebirth Sutra in the first place.

This also raises an interesting narrative question. Imagine if AS had sacrificed herself on screen to save TLC, and TLC had known that removing the fragment would kill her. The implication would be devastating: TLC would realize that not only did FZ die because of him, but also that the person FZ cared about most in the world, his sister, died for him as well.

That would have made AS’s sacrifice far more impactful. It would also give much greater weight to her final advice to TLC: that when one reaches the end of the road, it is sometimes better to let go of the past.

For those who still do not understand AS’s importance to TLC, look at Episode 22 at 7:30. TLC has always compared AS to FZ, which makes sense because they are siblings. But the comparison goes deeper than that. Both are selfless people who choose to see TLC as a person, rather than judging him based on what others believe about him.

Think about it. Even while believing that TLC killed FZ, AS still chooses to save him at the cost of her own life.

That choice reveals AS’s true character. Even after remembering everything, she chooses to let go of hatred. This moment can be interpreted in several ways. It may suggest that she is naturally compassionate, someone whose kindness ultimately outweighs her desire for revenge. But it may also reflect how her experiences while living without her memories changed her perspective and allowed her to see the world differently. In either case, the result is the same: she chooses to let go of the obsession that once defined her. 

Earlier in the story, after saving TLC, she tells him that he could save the world, and she would save him. In the end, that is exactly what she does.

I believe AS died after removing the fragment that had been keeping her alive. The setup throughout the drama strongly supports that interpretation.

Some people point to Tang Lici’s letter and argue that it shows she remembered her name and simply went back home. But this raises an important question: where is her home?

If we take that line literally, her home would be where FZ is. In other words, if she truly “went home,” she would be going to meet FZ.

There is also another detail in the drama that supports this. Throughout the story, AS is repeatedly compared to FZ or said to think like TLC. Even the letter she leaves behind feels very much like something TLC would do, writing in a way meant to prevent the other person from worrying about her.

AS's story is more tragic than one might expect. It reflects the title of her character song, 不说 (“Not Saying”). Even the lyrics themselves reflect this. The song captures AS's internal struggle with TLC and his role in FZ's death, as well as the fact that her sacrifice is never revealed to him.

I feel the need to share this because AS seems to be a poorly understood character. Some people see her as nothing more than a weak attempt to add romance for the audience and quickly write her off.

But I do not think that is what the drama was trying to do.

And that brings me back to the larger point.

A tragedy is only a tragedy if someone understands what was lost.

In AS’s case, it may simply be a silent tragedy, one that I feel is worth pointing out, especially since many people seem to overlook her character.