The sects, cultivators, and life itself hated Xue Yang -- he defied the odds to survive -- he built himself up from the bottommost rung -- yet never lost his 7 year old self. If only someone had of reached out and gave a hand to the 7 year old trapped inside his adult body - XY would have lived contently by that person’s side. Candy is a metaphor for the sweetness, love, kindness that was missing in his life. Always out of reach - snatched away by cultivators - leaving only a scar both on body and mind.Xue Yang's flashbacks expose his vulnerabilities to the viewers--flashbacks of himself that nobody else saw. WWX never saw the real heart of Xue Yang. Possibly Song Lan witnessed enough to recognize Xue Yang's mind shattered from Xingchen killing himself. I can count four times that Xue Yang's mind got shattered and all by cultivators too: first time was by Chang Ci'an: result-- who would give justice to a penniless, dirty, nobody street kid? Where were the great sects at ? Who championed the street kids?!2nd time Xue Yang's mind shattered when someone he trusted enough to let down his guard, back stabbed him, and left him to die in the ditch. Xue Yang would have died from his wounds either by the elements or by animals if Xingchen had not be travelling down that road. Even then if Xingchen had of delayed a certain amount of time, Xue Yang would have died!3rd time Xue Yang's mind shattered when Xingchen slit his throat because of bad choices on both sides parts! *yeah i'm not exactly letting you off the hook XY!* Xingchen made the wrong choice to confront and trigger Xue Yang. Xue Yang only reacted in the way he had been pushed into by the cultivators of the righteous world....4th time that Xue Yang's mind shattered for good: Wei Wuxian after doing *a biased empathy with A-qing* came to the conclusion *and without asking Xue Yang's side* to condemn him to death--not quite sure that it was mercy in WWX's mind.... anyways he then proceeds to drive Xue Yang to mentally break down. Xue Yang died alongside Xingchen the moment the man put a blade through his neck. Xue Yang barely lived -- his self survivor self wouldn't let him go. The 7 year old inside him sobbing for Xingchen to come back for 8+ years must have taken such a toll on his health.