Birthday

A few days later, Zhou Min and Zhou Qiting came to the welfare home again. The difference was that this time, Zhou Qiting asked Zhou Min about her wishes in advance and gave her enough time to prepare mentally.

The black car stopped outside the welfare home. In the back seat, Zhou Min stared through the car window at the gate that he had seen from afar.

Different from the view from the car three years ago, the past and the present overlapped in Zhou Min's sight this time. She was recalling her first shabby childhood memories through the completely different new look of the welfare home.

This is where she grew from a baby to a child, and it is also the "home" that carries the few good memories of her past.

Here is also Teacher Xiao He who has always believed in her and cared about her.

It was also because of this that she didn't dare to approach this place later when she was covered in filth. She even thought that if she could die earlier, she would always be the kind child in Teacher Xiao He's memory and would never tarnish that precious memory.

Zhou Min's fingers unconsciously clenched the corner of his clothes, and his knuckles turned white from the force.

Zhou Qiting, who was sitting next to her, covered Zhou Min's clenched hand, wrapped her knuckles in his palm, put his right hand around her shoulders, held her in his arms, and patted her gently to comfort her.

"Zhou Min," Zhou Qiting's voice was soft, yet gentle and firm. "I understand why you're hesitant to see Dean He, but you should know that you're only doing things against your will because you're being persecuted by evil people and forced by cruel fate."

"Dean He has always been thinking about you. What she cares about is not the you that others talk about, nor the you that is constructed by public opinion, but you as a person, the you who has struggled to get to where you are today from the shadow of the past."

"I brought you here not to examine your past, but to let you know that many people have truly been helped by your existence."

Zhou Min's face was still pale, and a broken voice escaped: "But it's all because of me..."

"It's not because of you."

Zhou Qiting's voice was decisive and clear. She held Zhou Min's slightly trembling shoulders with both hands, and made Zhou Min's eyes meet hers, without any hesitation in her eyes.

"Not long ago, after further interrogation, Chen Shu confessed that she had committed arson to vent her hatred more than once..."

Zhou Qiting knew that after so many years, it would be difficult for her to remove the guilt that had long been ingrained in Zhou Min's heart. She could only reveal the truth again and again, allowing Zhou Min to unload the burden bit by bit.

She spoke each word with unwavering determination: "You, like those victims, are innocent objects that she chose to harm and vent her anger on. Her sins should not become shackles on you."

Hearing this, Zhou Min was stunned, her tense shoulders slumped slightly, and she let out a long, silent sigh.

Zhou Yiting's words made her feel that she had been forgiven some of her "guilt", but she could not completely get rid of the self-blame she had always felt in her heart for those lives lost and individuals injured in the fire.

"I understand." She shook Zhou Qiting's hand back, "Don't worry, I just need a little more time."

"Okay, I will always be with you." Zhou Yiting made a simple but weighty promise.

Zhou Qiting knew that the heavy sense of guilt had lingered for too long and had long become a part of Zhou Min's soul. Time alone would not be enough to completely eradicate it.

No matter how long it takes, no matter how repetitive or difficult the process is, she will always be with Zhou Min and share the burden that Zhou Min carries.

Hearing this, Zhou Min didn't say anything else. He just leaned his head gently on Zhou Qiting's shoulder, trusting her completely and showing his vulnerability completely.

After calming down a little, Zhou Min finally mustered up the courage to get out of the car. Zhou Qiting held his hand firmly, and they walked in together.

He Yue had been waiting at the porch of the welfare home for a long time. Time had turned her temples white, but the kindness in her eyes was no different from that of the past.

The moment he saw He Yue from afar, Zhou Qiting's fingertips moved slightly, and he gently loosened his hands that were clasped with Zhou Min's.

"Go ahead." Zhou Qiting patted Zhou Min's shoulder soothingly, "I'll wait for you here."

After saying this, she took a half step back. This distance not only gave Zhou Min enough space to sort out his thoughts and welcome the reunion, but also allowed her to look back and know that she was not alone.

She just stood quietly behind him, watching Zhou Min walk towards He Yue step by step, and watching He Yue hug Zhou Min with heartache, and her nose actually felt sore.

"Xiao Min...you have suffered so much over the years..." He Yue's hug was filled with concern and care for Zhou Min, "You must have suffered a lot..."

Zhou Min's vision was a little blurry, and the feeling of guilt still weighed heavily in his chest, but underneath that, a soothing warmth was slowly flowing out.

She had rehearsed the scene of confession countless times in her mind, but she never thought that what she would receive when they met again would not be forgiveness, but unconditional love.

The dam in Zhou Min's heart collapsed. She bent slightly and leaned on He Yue's shoulder, her tears silently soaking the other's clothes.

She did not defend herself and followed the promise she had made to He Yue. She recounted what had happened since she was adopted in a disjointed manner, downplaying the abuse she had suffered and making no secret of the crimes she had committed.

In fact, Zhou Qiting had mentioned to He Yue the part that Zhou Min had downplayed and the unknown scars on Zhou Min's body when she personally came to his house after learning all the truth and apologized for her and Zhou Xihe's misunderstanding of Zhou Min.

"I know."

“It’s not your fault.”

"You've come back safely, that's enough."

Those heavy pasts did not bring about the expected criticism. At this moment, Zhou Min finally realized that not only Zhou Yiting, but also people like He Yue who were important to her would love her unconditionally no matter what she had done.

At this moment, the corner of Zhou Min's clothes was carefully pulled by a very light force.

She turned around in surprise and saw a little girl.

Seeing Zhou Min turn around, the girl mustered up her courage and solemnly held out the thing she had hidden behind her for a long time in front of her.

A glass jar filled with candies, the candy wrappers are colorful, and if you look closely, you can see that the packaging is also different.

"Sister, these are filled with our favorite candies."

The little girl raised her face and, in a tender yet earnest voice, sent Zhou Min a blessing from other children on the date of birth registered on his identity information. It wasn't a "Happy Birthday," but rather—

"I wish you happiness every day."

-

In the car, Zhou Min unscrewed the lid of the glass jar, picked out a candy wrapped in pink candy paper, peeled it open, and handed the candy to Zhou Qiting's lips.

Zhou Yiting withdrew his gaze from the street scene outside the window, lowered his head slightly, and opened his lips to hold the candy.

Zhou Min took the candy wrapper in his other hand, stretched out his right hand, and placed his warm palm on the slightly cool back of Zhou Qiting's hand, and his five fingers naturally penetrated into her fingertips.

"The box of candy you gave me that year was later stolen." Zhou Min fell into memories.

"I know." Zhou Yiting shook Zhou Min's hand, holding her hand tightly. "It's just that I found out too late..."

She told Zhou Min about the candy box that she saw thrown in from the window and the contents of the note inside.

It wasn't until the truth was revealed three years ago that she was certain that this was the work of the dean who not only embezzled funds but also colluded with the kidnappers.

At that time, Zhou Qiting and Zhou Min were seen climbing over the wall to watch the sunrise together by people who had been following them secretly. So those people used the box of candies that Zhou Min cherished and that Zhou Qiting had given him, as well as the ambiguous content of the note, to achieve their goal.

"So that's how it is..." Zhou Min murmured in a low voice.

Noticing Zhou Yiting's tension and self-blame when she mentioned this matter, Zhou Min held the coldness in his palm more tightly in his own hand, wanting to be closer to her.

There were only a few candies left in the candy box when it was stolen. Zhou Min naively thought that a child in the same courtyard was too hungry and did such a thing. He was not angry, but just suppressed his disgust and rummaged through the trash can, thinking that he should at least find the empty box.

But no matter how hard she searched, she couldn't find it. So she thought of sneaking out at night when everyone was asleep and looking for it at the garbage station outside the welfare home.

Unexpectedly, in the end, he didn't find the candy box. Instead, on his way back, he secretly saw Zhou Qiting being kidnapped by a masked kidnapper who covered his mouth and nose...

To ease the slightly heavy atmosphere in the car, she pretended to be relaxed and changed the subject: "Do you know how I got to that place?"

Zhou Min felt that her behavior of chasing after him alone instead of seeking help from adults was a bit impulsive, but if she were given the chance to choose again, she would still do so, especially when she later learned that the dean at that time was also involved in the kidnapping. She was even glad that she caught up with him and rescued Zhou Qiting in time.

"If you are willing to talk, I want to listen." It doesn't matter even if he doesn't want to talk. Zhou Qiting has completely trusted Zhou Min's consistent sincerity.

"I was clinging to the frame of the car those people were driving."

I dug all the way.

Zhou Min then joked, "So all the dust, dirt, and mud were all smeared all over me."

Zhou Qiting was stunned. She had never thought that the truth back then would be like this. Although Zhou Min said it lightly, she could still imagine the difficulties and dangers in the process.

"You..." She cursed distressedly, "You are such an idiot."

After being scolded like this, Zhou Min grinned and smiled foolishly.

Zhou Qiting recalled that when Zhou Min rescued her, except for her face and hands, the rest of her body was dirty.

She immediately thought of a possibility: "Did you stay in the wild for a long time before waiting for the opportunity to save me? Did you suffer a lot?"

The young Zhou Yiting was locked in a dim room at that time. Her fear and anxiety made her lose her concept of time. After being rescued, she had to undergo a considerable period of psychological treatment. Later, she no longer wanted to recall what happened at that time, so she didn't know the exact length of time she was trapped.

The reason why there was no dust on this person's face at that time was either that he found a source of water to wash it himself, or that it was washed away by rain water in the mountains.

Zhou Min looked away, looking left and right, but he didn't dare look at Zhou Qiting: "I can't remember clearly...it should have been only one or two days."

Seeing Zhou Min's hesitation, Zhou Qiting knew that the latter was more likely.

How come this person has been like this since he was a child? He is so determined that it makes people feel distressed.

Zhou Qiting raised his hand and stroked Zhou Min's cheek, asking her to look at him. He looked deeply into her eyes and said slowly, "Thank you."

This belated thank you was so heavy that it didn't sound like gratitude, but more like a broken confession, confessing Zhou Yiting's previous misunderstanding of her.

"Then I want a thank-you gift." Zhou Min said frankly.

As soon as she finished speaking, a soothing kiss came up, prying open Zhou Qiting's lips and tongue, absorbing the sweetness of the peach candy that had melted in her mouth.

Zhou Yiting's heart, which was filled with bitterness, finally tasted sweetness at this moment. She closed her eyes, responded to the kiss, and accepted all of Zhou Min's unspoken comfort.

After the kiss, Zhou Qiting pulled away slightly, looked at Zhou Min with a hazy look in his eyes, leaned close to her ear, and whispered softly, "Do you want more 'thank you gifts'?"