“She is my mother,” Wei Juan said, enunciating each word clearly, her hands clenching quietly at her sides.
The man's body jolted violently, as if he had been struck by something heavy. He staggered back a step and grabbed a tree next to him to steady himself.
"Your mother..." he murmured, his eyes instantly reddening, "Is she...is she alright?"
Wei Juan felt a pang of sadness and lowered her eyes: "My mother passed away ten years ago."
"Passed away?"
The man's voice sounded like it was being torn apart, and the color drained from his face, turning it ashen. The veins on the back of his hands bulged, and he seemed to have lost all his strength.
After a long while, he finally calmed down, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Wei Juan, his voice terribly hoarse: "How did she die..."
Ever since he saw how warm and happy their family was last time, Zheng Feng didn't dare to ask about their lives anymore.
He had no choice but to disappear completely to ensure his family's happiness.
He hasn't inquired about her over the years. He's happy for her because she's living a happy life, but he doesn't want to hear any news about her. The happiness of her family only reminds him of what he sacrificed for his ideals and his country.
Their family's happiness would sting his fragile and sensitive heart.
He huddled up like a quail, numbing himself by working himself to the bone.
But now he discovers... she's dead?
"It's a long story," Wei Juan said, sitting down on a stool. Zheng Feng sat opposite her.
"Let me tell you about yourself first." Wei Juan raised her eyes and stared intently at Zheng Feng across from her, asking the question she most wanted to ask, "What is your relationship with my mother?"
"Let me tell you a story," Zheng Feng sighed.
The man began to speak to himself, as if lost in distant memories.
"A long time ago, I fell in love with a girl whose name was also Liu Yun. We were a perfect match, we were very much in love, and like all loving couples, we got engaged and were about to get married..."
“But just before the wedding, I received an urgent secret mission. The mission required me to ‘disappear’ from the world and sever all ties with the past. This mission had to be kept absolutely secret. I couldn’t tell her, not a single word. I had to leave without saying goodbye.”
"I thought the mission would be over in a year at most, but I didn't expect it to be so dangerous. It took three whole years."
"And my original identity is dead in this world."
Zheng Feng's face was full of pain and regret.
Three years later, when I returned after surviving a near-death experience, I couldn't wait to find her, only to discover... she had married someone else and was holding a little girl. The man treated her very well, and she seemed... to be living a happy life.
"She has already forgotten about me, this dead man."
Wei Juan's breath hitched, and her eyes reddened.
“I didn’t dare disturb her. What right do I, a ‘dead man,’ have to ruin her life? I could only take a look from afar and then leave.” The man raised his head, tears streaming down his deep wrinkles. “I’ve calculated the time. That little girl, if she grows up, would be your age. You and Liu Yun looked exactly alike when you were young…”
He choked up and couldn't continue.
Wei Juan was already in tears. She used all her strength to squeeze out a few words.
"I am that girl."
Zheng Feng suddenly looked up, his bloodshot eyes filled with utter shock. He stared intently at Wei Juan, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.
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