Helian Min disliked leaving without saying goodbye, but he had a premonition that once he left this time, he would likely be put back into those heavy shackles.
With the burden of these shackles, he might very well lose the warmth he had finally found.
"Daddy, is there something my brother hasn't told me?"
After countless times sensing Helian Min's inner turmoil, Xiao Anman finally voiced her own inner question.
Xiao Anman just doesn't often show off her intelligence, but there are many things she really knows but doesn't say.
Two days have passed since that old man came last time.
However, Brother Helian has never been able to return to his former self, which makes Xiao An somewhat worried.
However, the two adults in the family, Gu Tingxiao and Helian Min, refused to mention the matter, so Xiao An, who had been waiting silently but had not received the explanation she wanted, could no longer hold back.
Why would An'an ask that?
Gu Tingxiao, who had just finished a video conference in the study, picked up Xiao Anman, who was standing next to his chair, and put her on his lap.
"Because my brother is unhappy."
Although Helian Min still wore a smile when facing Xiao Anman, for Xiao Anman, that smile was far too superficial.
In terms of concealing one's true inner emotions, Helian Min was even worse than herself.
That's why Xiao Anman could see it at a glance.
"An'an is worried about her brother, isn't she?"
"Um."
"But everyone has their own things to do. Daddy needs to work, and Brother Helian also has his own things to do."
Is my brother leaving us?
Xiao An was quite perceptive and noticed the unspoken meaning in Gu Tingxiao's words.
Children's hearts are soft and sincere, and even if adults want to hide it, they cannot escape their eyes.
"This is his own choice. An'an, let's wait for your brother to talk to you about it."
An elderly person who has exhausted all their energy has indeed reached the end of their life; such physical depletion is something that cannot be reversed by human effort.
Three days after the old man visited the Gu residence and left, Helian Min received the last news of the old man's passing.
In the end, they were unable to see each other one last time, and the estrangement between the grandfather and grandson could not be truly eliminated.
However, Helian Min, who felt guilty about the last part of that conversation, ultimately couldn't do what she had planned: to ignore the Helian family and the old man's wishes.
On the day she left, Helian Min's face appeared extremely pale.
Holding Xiao Anman's hand, Helian Min told her, word by word, that he was leaving this place.
"Then, will my brother come back in the future?"
Because of Helian Min's excessive solemnity, tears began to well up in Xiao Anman's eyes.
"I will definitely come back as long as An'an wants to see me."
Helian Min wiped away the tears from Xiao Anman's eyes with her fingers and said with heartache.
If he could, he would even want to deny his entire past, but he couldn't; this was something he had to do.
Although Gu Tingxiao had anticipated this, he did not expect things to actually turn out this way.
It's just a family matter for the Helian family, and unless Helian Min herself asks for help, I have no reason to interfere.
Therefore, Gu Tingxiao did not make any special remarks about Helian Min's departure.
Doubao is quite sensitive to changes in its owner's emotions.
I don't know what the human is sad about, but it's a perfectly sunny day and she's just making it rain on her own. How can I stand it?
Gu Tingxiao was quite skilled at coaxing Xiao Anman, but this time, he was truly at a loss.
This cannot be compensated for with a few words or material things.
The house feels empty and desolate when one person is missing.
Because she couldn't bear to see Helian Min leave like this, An'an sat among the piles of books that Helian Min often read at home, like a little mushroom escaping reality.
She secretly shed tears because she missed Helian Min.
It's different this time; the feeling is completely different from before.
Xiao An had a strong intuition that if Helian Min really left this place this time, she might not come back.
Moreover, this departure was also a very painful thing for Helian Min.
Gu Tingxiao felt sorry for her, but didn't know where to start.
Unless Helian Min is brought back, it will be very difficult for Xiao An to truly return to a happy state.
Doubao jumped around Xiao Anman's feet several times, but found that she couldn't seem to get Xiao Anman's attention. Only then did she realize that her human seemed to be having a real problem, not just crying.
Doubao's immediate reaction to Helian Min's departure was that she didn't feel anything significant.
For Doubao, everyone else seems so important except for his human.
Moreover, Gu Tingxiao is still busy with work every day, leaving early and returning late. It's just that he's away, and he'll come back sooner or later. That's all that's on Doubao Grandpa's mind.
I never imagined that something so small in Doubao's eyes would make this useless pet owner so sad.
It gradually became quiet.
It consciously walked to where Xiao Anman's palm could touch it and obediently lay down.
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