Chen Ke was stunned by the deep, magnetic voice. He never expected that Chen Zhuo's clear, youthful voice would turn into a bass voice after he grew up.

Perhaps Chen Ke had been stunned for too long, because another voice came from the phone: "Hello? Who is it?"

Chen Ke spoke up: "Chen Zhuo?"

The phone went completely silent.

After a long while, when Chen Ke thought Chen Zhuo wouldn't recognize him, the deep male voice rang out again on the phone, this time trembling violently: "Chen... Ke."

Although his voice trembled, his tone was very firm.

Chen Ke was surprised. He didn't expect that Chen Zhuo could recognize him from just two words. After all, Chen Zhuo hadn't heard his voice for twenty years.

"Hello? Are you still there?"

Chen Ke remained lost in thought for a while, when Chen Zhuo asked uncertainly on the phone. Chen Ke quickly replied, "Yes, I'm back."

Are you... still leaving?

His deep voice carried a cautious unease.

"He probably... he won't leave." If nothing unexpected happens, he will die peacefully in this world.

"Then wait for me."

"Hey—" Before Chen Ke could even speak, the phone rang and the call ended. He hung up the phone with a sigh of helplessness. Was this kid going to have to rush back now?

Probably not. Didn't Shuya say he was in Beijing on business and wouldn't be back for three days?

But she has indeed matured. When she suddenly heard that he was back, she didn't question him on the phone about why he had disappeared for so long. She sounded quite calm.

Seeing Chen Ke return, Zhou Shuya excitedly stepped forward and asked, "Big brother, how was it? Did second brother go crazy with joy when he heard you were back? Let me tell you, ever since you..."

The words "disappeared," "gone," and "not here" swirled in Zhou Shuya's mind. She couldn't choose the right one, so she could only vaguely continue, "Second Brother has never given up looking for you. After searching all of Shanghai, everyone was starting to give up, but Second Brother never gave up. For the past twenty years, no matter what circumstances he was in, he persisted in looking for you. Even Mom and Dad thought that you might really not come back this time, but Second Brother always firmly believed that you would definitely come back."

And you really came back! Good heavens! Is this what they call... "Sincerity moves mountains"? Did your wish come true?

“What you keep in mind will surely come to pass,” Chen Ke replied softly.

·······

Chen Ke's sudden return was a miraculous surprise for Zhou Shanhuai and Song Xiaowen.

The moment the two saw Chen Ke at the door, their faces were filled with astonishment and shock. They stood there dumbfounded for a long time, unable to come to their senses.

Chen Ke felt a pang of sadness looking at Zhou Shanhuai and Song Xiaowen, whose faces were already covered with wrinkles and whose hair was more than half white.

"Mom and Dad, I'm home."

It wasn't until Chen Ke spoke that the two of them snapped out of their daze.

Song Xiaowen had become an old lady, but the moment she rushed over and hugged Chen Ke, Chen Ke seemed to return to the old tenement building in the alleyway, except that Song Xiaowen didn't ask him where he was or what he was doing that time.

This time, she cried as she slapped him hard and demanded, "Where...where have you been? Why did you disappear for twenty years? If you had come back a few years later, we might not have even seen each other one last time!"

Fearing that the old lady's emotional state would be bad for her health, Chen Ke quickly patted her back gently to comfort her, saying, "I'm back now, Mom, don't get excited, don't get excited."

Zhou Shuya, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped forward and said, "Mom, let's go inside first. Don't cry, or your eyes will hurt again."

"That's right, let's go in first and then talk." Zhou Shanhuai, who followed, had red eyes, but managed to hold back his tears.

Chen Ke looked at him with an apologetic smile and called out, "Dad."

"Oh, it's good that you're back, it's good that you're back." Zhou Shanhuai said as he quickly turned his head, as if to lead the way.

Zhou Shanhuai's awkward appearance finally made Song Xiaowen burst into laughter through her tears. Wiping away her tears, she whispered to Chen Ke, "Your dad definitely cried. Humph, it's understandable that an old man like him would cry from excitement to see his son come back. Why is he even embarrassed?"

Seeing Song Xiaowen's amused expression, Chen Ke finally realized that time had only changed her appearance, while her heart remained that of the optimistic and cheerful Song Xiaowen.

Looking sideways at the almost unchanged courtyard, Chen Ke asked with a smile, "Were these flowers a later gift from Dad?"

"Huh? What flower?" Song Xiaowen looked confused.

Chen Ke paused for a moment, shook his head, and said, "It's nothing, Mom, let's go inside." But in his heart, he realized once again that twenty years was indeed a very long time, enough for people to forget some trivial details.

As Li Gang watched Chen Ke go inside, he finally couldn't hold back his tears. Although he also had a lot to say to Chen Ke, he wasn't in a hurry and there would be plenty of time in the future, so he turned and left.

Chen Ke's return gave Song Xiaowen endless things to say. She talked about Chen Zhuo, Zhou Shuya, and themselves. So much had happened in the past twenty years, from major national events to minor family matters. Song Xiaowen told Chen Ke everything she knew in detail, and Chen Ke listened patiently, occasionally asking a few questions. Zhou Shanhuai added to the conversation from the side.

It wasn't until Li Guaizi and Xu Manling, a married couple, arrived after receiving the news that Song Xiaowen realized it was already dark.

Li Guaizi looked at Chen Ke with disbelief in his eyes. Before Xu Manling could say a word, Li Guaizi rushed over, dragged Chen Ke to the corner, and interrogated him: "Tell me, it's been twenty years, why haven't you changed at all? Did you secretly eat some kind of immortality elixir?"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!