Jiang Jiayan looked at An Youhe with a puzzled expression; she didn't recognize the girl in front of her.
"Who are you? Where is Ye Zhou's mother?" Jiang Jiayan asked.
Chen Yang chuckled dryly twice. "You probably don't know this yet, but Ye Zhou's sister and mother have both passed away."
Jiang Jiayan stood frozen in place.
When did they all die?
"It hasn't been that long, just a few years."
Several years passed, and Jiang Jiayan's heart began to ache. Several years had passed, and she had been gone for eight years.
She did come back during those eight years.
————Jiang Jiayan's Memories————
"Jiang Jiayan, think this through carefully. Is your youthful, naive, and unrealistic love more important, or are the excellent learning conditions here more important? Are you really going to give up your future for a man?"
Shen Man confiscated Jiang Jiayan's phone and passport early on. Looking at her daughter, who was lying on the bed in a nightgown and looking dejected, she was extremely disappointed in her.
Jiang Jiayan hugged her knees, her mind in turmoil.
Chen Man dressed smartly and elegantly, and even in the United States, she wore clothes with a distinctly Chinese style.
She continued, "If you stay in the US, I can get you into the best university here. If you go back, you can only go to a second-rate university. Is it worth it all for a man? Even if that man elevates you to the heavens, can you really reach the heavens without relying on your own strength?"
Shen Man glanced at her unresponsive daughter, the gloom in her eyes lingering. Her high heels clicked loudly on the ground as she walked out, then returned with a few things in her hands.
Throw things on the bed.
"Here's what you wanted: phone, wallet, passport, everything. Go back if you want. Can you even see your own future?"
Shenman's chest heaved as she hugged her arms.
Jiang Jiayan stared blankly at what she had been wanting for the past two weeks.
These things were right in front of her, yet she hesitated.
...
Jiang Jiayan spent five years earning a master's degree in psychology from Harvard University, a world-renowned institution.
Wearing her graduation gown, she delivered a graduation speech on behalf of all the students in the auditorium.
"Thank you to the school for nurturing me over the past five years, and thank you to all the partners and friends I have met and who have helped me. I have spent the most enjoyable five years here."
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience. Jiang Jiayan flashed a bright smile and held up her graduation certificate.
Then, the principal personally turned her tassel and took a group photo.
"Jiang, you have finally become a qualified Harvard student and an outstanding student after five years. I am very proud of you."
Jiang Jiayan said in fluent foreign language, "Thank you too."
Jiang Jiayan turned her head and looked at Shen Man below the stage.
Shen Man, dressed in a well-fitting and elegant cheongsam, smiled at her, then turned to flirt with several blond, blue-eyed handsome men beside her.
Shen Man is nearly forty years old, but there are still few wrinkles around her eyes. She looks like a girl in her twenties, but she has more charm than girls in their twenties.
Jiang Jiayan helped her mother get rid of several male college students who were completely infatuated with her, and then drove her mother home.
Jiang Jiayan asked as she drove, "What did Dad say on the phone again?"
“I told you to study hard so you can make something of yourself in the future, and stop thinking about him all the time.”
"I haven't seen him for five years. Why does he always call when I'm not home? And he still has my number in his phone, why doesn't he call me?"
Shen Man yawned elegantly and said casually, "He doesn't want to affect your studies. But think about it, you get up at five every morning to study and don't go to bed until eleven at night. There's such a big time difference between China and the United States, so it's normal that you two never see each other."
"Mom, find a suitable time tonight to make a video call to Dad. I'm on vacation now and have been staying at home for a while."
"Don't you need to find a job?"
"I'm not looking for a job. I plan to stay home for a while and use that time to apply for doctoral programs at several universities I'm interested in."
Shen Man dropped her pretense and said earnestly to Jiang Jiayan, "If you want to go back, then go back and take a look."
Jiang Jiayan's smile gradually disappeared.
Does she really want to go back?
She had always wanted to go back, but now she's less willing to.
After washing up, Jiang Jiayan turned on her long-unused phone. There were over a thousand missed calls.
All one thousand were sent by Ye Zhou.
Jiang Jiayan was not surprised.
When she got off the plane, she felt a mix of emotions.
That year, Ye Zhou got the same score as her in the college entrance exam and was very happy to say that they could go to the same school. I don't know if Ye Zhou still hates her, or if Ye Zhou retook the exam. Ye Zhou was capable of getting into Tsinghua or Peking University, but she chose to take the exam with a lower score because of her.
Her father hadn't called her in five years. It wasn't that she hadn't had bad thoughts, but she forced herself not to think about them.
However, things didn't turn out the way she expected.
Jiang Jiayan contacted her former classmates and learned that Ye Zhou had not repeated a year of high school, but had instead gone to that third-tier university.
She felt even more guilty. Once she arrived in China, she didn't know where to go first. After thinking about it, she decided to go home first.
She realized she had no home. She went to the police station and saw her father serving time in prison.
Ye Zhou's father died protecting him.
Jiang Jiayan hesitated to pick up the microphone beside her, while her father across the glass was already in tears.
...
Jiang Jiayan wandered aimlessly through the crowded streets. Suddenly, she remembered that Ye Zhou had insisted on taking her home for so many years, but she had no idea how to get home from him.
As the New Year approaches, festive lanterns and couplets are hung in the streets and alleys, and shops and supermarkets are holding promotions. At the entrance, there are shop assistants dressed as mascot mascots attracting customers.
Jiang Jiayan walked down the street. Five years had passed since she left, and the place had been completely transformed; she no longer recognized it.
She called her homeroom teacher, Mr. Wang, and was answered by an elderly woman's voice.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for my former homeroom teacher, Wang Qingguo. I was his student before."
"Oh, Qingguo's student? He passed away from lung cancer last year. I'm his wife. You can tell me anything you need."
Jiang Jiayan paused for a moment, as if her homeroom teacher's voice and smile were still right in front of her.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't know about this."
"It's alright. He's taught so many students over the years, it's normal that he might not have notified you. Miss, is there anything I can help you with?"
"I'd like to ask my classmate Ye Zhou's home address."
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