Lin Yuqing seemed to have walked down a road with no end.
It was dark on both sides, and she followed the only light forward, but the sound of waves kept reaching her ears.
Mixed in with these were soft, weak cries: "Mommy, Mommy..."
Lin Yuqing's heart was pounding. In a daze, she saw a little girl with outstretched arms running towards her like a bird!
"Little Pomelo!"
She shouted and rushed over, but her foot suddenly slipped and she lost her footing!
"ah!"
She woke up screaming, only to find herself back home, lying in her own bed.
Beside her was her family doctor, and Lu Lishan, his eyes red and swollen, holding her hand tightly.
She moved her lips, straining to call out his name: "Ah Shan..."
“I know everything.” Lu Lishan’s voice choked with emotion. “Zhixing told me everything.”
Lin Yuqing's eyes were filled with sorrow as she forcefully uttered the words, "We can't... let him go!"
“I understand.” Lu Lishan nodded. “Don’t worry, I will handle everything.”
"Where is my daughter?"
Just as Lu Lishan was about to answer, someone gently knocked on the door.
The person who came in was Lu Ran.
Lu Lishan and Lin Yuqing's expressions changed slightly when they saw her.
Lu Ran remained calm; she had been looking forward to this day for a long time. The huge weight in her heart had finally been lifted, and even her breathing felt much easier.
Then, she knelt down in front of them with a thud!
"You..." Lin Yuqing and Lu Lishan were stunned for a moment, then felt sorry for her and wanted to help her up.
However, the girl was stubborn and refused to get up while kneeling in front of them.
"I'm sorry." Lu Ran's voice was very soft, but the three words sounded incredibly heavy.
“Mr. Lu, Mrs. Lu,” she looked up at them, “I should have told you the truth from the beginning, but I didn’t dare… I know I was selfish. If it weren’t for me, you might have been reunited with your daughter and her family long ago. It’s my fault, I’m so sorry…”
"Silly child, how can this be your fault!" Lin Yuqing forced herself to sit up and told Lu Lishan to quickly help her.
Lu Lishan helped her up. "If it weren't for you, we might have been kept in the dark forever."
"You silly child, why did you call him Mr. and Mrs. Lu just now? You should have called him Uncle and Aunt!"
"What?" Lu Ran was stunned, her nose suddenly stinging with tears, and she stammered, "But... I am Lu Ming's daughter."
"You can't choose whose daughter you are, but you made the right choice in how to be a good person."
Lu Ran's eyes welled up with tears, and her lips twitched twice.
Lin Yuqing slowly got out of bed, walked unsteadily to her side, and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Now I understand why you've never been close to us." She smiled. "Why we offered you shares, but you wouldn't sign... It turns out it was all for our daughter."
"Auntie..."
“You’re a good child,” Lin Yuqing said, wiping away Lu Ming’s tears while her own face was streaked with tears. “It was Lu Ming who did the bad thing, not you!”
Lu Ran nodded.
This was the most carefree laugh she had ever had since arriving at the Lu family home.
*
Huo Junyu held Jiang Mianmian's hand as they walked through the night.
The Lu family residence was just ahead. He sensed that Mianmian's steps were slowing down, and her little head drooped. He couldn't see her face clearly, but he could understand the conflicted feelings she was experiencing.
These past two days, she's been unable to get through to Su Aiqian on the phone. Even when she does manage to get through once or twice, Su Aiqian seems unwilling to talk to her and hangs up after only a few words.
Huo Junyu understood that Su Aiqian did this to keep her distance.
However, in Jiang Mianmian's eyes, her mother, who had always doted on her since she was a child, suddenly lost all love for her.
"Mianmian, what's wrong?" Huo Junyu stopped in his tracks.
In the soft moonlight, he could vaguely see tears in her eyes.
His heart skipped a beat. He gently squatted down in front of her, turned around, and smiled at her.
"Can't walk anymore? I'll carry you!"
Jiang Mianmian was slightly taken aback.
"It's alright, get on!" Huo Junyu said with a smile. "When you were little, your brother Junyu carried you on his back every day!"
Jiang Mianmian's heart tightened. She clutched the hem of her clothes with her two small hands and looked at his broad back, feeling that it all seemed so unreal.
She preferred to treat it as a dream.
When she woke up, she was still at home in Jiangzhou. Su Aiqian was still frying spring rolls for her in the kitchen, and Xiao Wei was still calling her "sister" incessantly.
I could still see my dad secretly smoking at the entrance of the alley, only to be caught red-handed by my mom, who would grab his ear and yell "Ouch, ouch!"
That was her home, that was her life...
The Lu family's magnificent building and luxurious courtyard were worlds apart from her life.
Jiang Mianmian bit her lip, refused to let Huo Junyu carry her, and walked past him directly forward.
Huo Junyu watched her stubborn back and sighed, feeling a pang of sadness in his heart.
The only person who can comfort her now is perhaps Su Aiqian.
He frowned, an idea beginning to form in his mind, but he didn't have time to think about it in detail now. He caught up with Jiang Mianmian's pace and continued to hold her little hand as they walked towards the Lu family's house.
Just as he arrived at the gate, he ran into Lu Ran in the courtyard.
"You..." Lu Ran paused for a moment, then smiled with delight, and stepped forward to take Jiang Mianmian's hand, "You're back! Your uncle and aunt must be so happy!"
Jiang Mianmian carefully broke free from her hand.
She was not yet able to adapt to her new identity, nor to the people around her, all of whom had some connection with her.
"Ranran, I'm sorry," she said softly. "I...I heard that Mrs. Lu is not in good health, so I came to see her. I...I don't know how to face her yet, I need more time."
“Yes, I understand.” Lu Ran chuckled. “But you can’t see your aunt right now. After she fainted, the family doctor came to examine her but suggested she go to the hospital for a more thorough check-up. Just now, your uncle accompanied her out!”
Jiang Mianmian suddenly became worried, "Going to the hospital so late? Is it very serious?"
"Probably not." Huo Junyu hugged her and comforted her softly. "Aunt Yuqing has been going to the United Hospital for routine check-ups. It's their own hospital, so there's always someone there. Uncle Shan is extremely worried about her. Whenever the doctor recommends a check-up, he accompanies her no matter how late it is."
"oh……"
"Then why don't you stay home tonight?" Huo Junyu asked tentatively.
Jiang Mianmian suddenly grabbed his clothes and pouted.
Huo Junyu smiled. She looked like a child sent to a boarding school by her parents, not wanting them to leave.
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