"Jingnan, you..."

Pei Nian murmured to him, "What are you talking about?"

Huo Jingnan's heart tightened.

But once the words are spoken, they cannot be taken back.

He didn't regret telling the truth; he was just afraid of seeing the disappointment in Pei Niansheng's eyes.

That expression was as if his unwavering belief had collapsed and the light he had always believed in had been extinguished in an instant.

I always thought I wasn't alone in this world, but it turns out that was a joke.

“Niannian…” Huo Jingnan licked his dry lips, “I’m sorry, I…”

Under Pei Nian's gaze, he couldn't utter a single complete sentence.

Pei Nian's ears were ringing.

When Lu Ran told everyone that she was Lu Lishan's illegitimate daughter, she was just angry and scared. She was angry that Lu Ran had exposed her secret, and she was scared that she would lose Jiang Mianmian and Lu Lishan because of it.

But now, Huo Jingnan says she is not the daughter of the Lu family.

She felt desperate.

It felt like stepping into an abyss; in her world, nothing could support her anymore...

Her legs went weak and she fell to one side.

"Niannian!" Huo Jingnan panicked and reached out to catch Pei Nian.

Pei Nian's small body curled limply in his arms, as if all the energy had been drained from her. Her eyes lost focus, her eyelids twitched, and then closed weakly...

*

Pei Nian felt like she was walking on a road with no end.

She traveled alone, encountering poisonous insects and wild beasts, pebbles that blistered her feet, scorching sun, and winter snow and frost.

She faced everything alone.

She thought her heart had hardened and was immune to all poisons, but when their faces appeared one after another before her eyes—Jiang Mianmian, Huo Jingnan, Lu Lishan, Lin Yuqing, Jiang Can, Huo Zhixing, Huo Junyu, and Huo Junyang…

Her heart softened instantly.

She rushed toward them, but as soon as she got close, they vanished.

Pei Nian shouted loudly, waving her hands, tears streaming down her face.

Jiang Mianmian stayed by her side, wiping the sweat from her brow, and looked at the doctor with concern, "How much longer until she wakes up?"

"The reason she suddenly fainted may be due to excessive mental stress," the doctor said. "Let her rest well, and she will recover soon."

Huo Junyu placed his hand on Jiang Mianmian's shoulder and gently squeezed it.

"It's alright," he said softly. "Pei Nian is a very strong person; she will get through this."

Huo Jingnan sat to the side, looking at Pei Nian's pale face, his heart breaking.

All she wanted was a home...

He covered his face with his hand and took a deep breath.

He could give her this home, but the home he gave her and the home she wanted had different meanings.

*

Just as the doctor said, Pei Nian recovered quickly.

But when she woke up, her consciousness seemed to be stuck on the day her past was revealed. She began to become less talkative and less cheerful; she was already a man of few words, but now she became even more silent.

For most of the day, she sat blankly in a corner of the windowsill, looking out the window, seemingly at something.

She would respond to Huo Jingnan's meticulous care, but the feeling had changed. She would still go to the kitchen to cook and make soup, and she would still serve him rice and vegetables, but her movements were mechanical, like a robot, as if someone had programmed her to do these things.

Huo Jingnan suggested that everyone get together, but she didn't say anything, though her eyes showed her refusal.

She suddenly didn't know how to face Jiang Mianmian anymore.

One night, she hid in her room and secretly burned the diary. It seemed she had been deluding herself; how could she possibly be worthy of being the Lu family's daughter?

A few days later, on another moonlit night with few stars, she left Yangcheng with her simple luggage.

She left only a few words: she went to teach in a mountainous area, and her return date was uncertain.

Upon seeing the letter, Jiang Mianmian burst into tears and leaned on Huo Junyu's shoulder, sobbing softly.

Huo Jingnan remained calmer than anyone else.

Pei Nian's choice was within his expectations. He understood her; she was a slow-to-warm-up person and didn't adapt to changes easily.

Jiang Mianmian sent messages to Pei Nian almost every day, but Pei Nian never replied.

"Why is she ignoring me now!" Jiang Mianmian's eyes reddened with frustration. "She wasn't like this before... She's always treated me like an older sister, and I've always treated her like a younger sister! No matter if we're related by blood, she'll always be my younger sister!"

Huo Junyu didn't know how to comfort her, so he took her to Huo Jingnan's house.

Huo Jingnan's answer was that Pei Nian had neither sent him any messages nor made any phone calls.

"But I know she doesn't really want to abandon us."

Huo Jingnan smiled confidently.

Actually, with his abilities, finding Pei Nian would be too easy.

However, he did not follow.

Because he understands her, he knows she wants to be alone, she just wants some peace and quiet.

She just needs time to heal this wound.

Then let her heal on her own. Some people need constant companionship, while others are better suited to solitude.

What he had to do was respect all her choices.

If you love her, don't bother her.

"Little You, don't worry," Huo Jingnan chuckled. "Niannian has us in her heart, she just doesn't know how to express it. Give her some time, she will definitely come back."

However, Huo Jingnan was still treated differently by Pei Nian in the end.

He receives a silent phone call every day.

The phone doesn't display the number or the location. It calls precisely at four o'clock every afternoon. After answering, no one speaks, but Huo Jingnan can hear faint breathing sounds. Even though they are thousands of kilometers apart, he can feel her presence.

He knew it must be her on the other end.

When he first received this call, he suppressed his wildly beating heart and cautiously asked, "Niannian, is that you?"

There was no sound from the other end.

"Niannian, don't hang up!" Huo Jingnan's voice was slightly hoarse. He had a lot to say to her, but for a moment he didn't know how to start.

"Niannian, I...I miss you so much."

There was still silence on the other end, but there was a faint sound, like fingers tapping on the microphone.

Huo Jingnan's eyes welled up with tears, and he smiled with relief.

Later, he received silent phone calls from Pei Nian every day.

She didn't hang up; she just listened to him talk about what happened each day.

Just like she used to keep a diary.

She used to write in her diary and tell it to her mother. Now that she doesn't have a diary anymore, Huo Jingnan tells it to her instead.