"Okay, okay," Gu Yuanshan replied with a smile. "It's been a long time since I've had authentic hometown food. I'll eat more today."
Huo Yunlan chimed in, "I've heard Xiaoran say that the food at 'Weimeiju' is delicious. I'd love to try it."
Just as they reached the stairwell, Gu Yifei, who was walking at the front, suddenly stopped.
A petite figure in a white down jacket rushed out of the shadows in the stairwell and grabbed Gu Yifei's arm.
Gu Yifei was startled and froze on the spot.
He composed himself, frowned, and looked over, only to realize that the person who had come was Meng Zihan.
Meng Zihan's hair was messy, her face was deathly pale, and there were dark circles under her eyes. She looked extremely haggard.
Gu Yifei's heart tightened, and he blurted out, "Xiaohan? What's wrong with you?"
Meng Zihan gripped his arm tightly, as if she had grasped a lifeline.
Before she could say a word, large tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down her thin cheeks.
Her lips trembled, and it took her a long time to squeeze out broken words.
"Brother Yifei...you're finally back! If you hadn't come back...I would have been bullied to death by them."
Looking at her pitiful state, Gu Yifei felt a familiar pity instantly replace the long-lost sense of estrangement he had felt.
He softened his voice and asked, "What happened? Don't cry."
Gu Yifei's mother, who was standing to the side, lost all her warm smile, and her eyes were filled with undisguised anger.
She stepped forward, her voice cold: "Xiao Meng, our family just reunited today. Let's talk about this later. You should go back now."
Meng Zihan seemed not to understand her words at all, and turned to look at her with a pleading tone.
"Auntie, I haven't seen you and Brother Yifei for so long. Can I have dinner with you? I really miss Brother Yifei."
The moment Meng Zihan uttered those words, everyone present froze, leaving only an awkward silence.
Gu Yifei's gaze swept over his mother's tense profile and his father's gloomy eyes, before finally landing on Meng Zihan's tear-streaked, pitiful face.
It felt like my heart was being torn apart by two hands.
On one side was the face of her family, and on the other was Meng Zihan's helpless pleas.
After a brief struggle, he made his choice.
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