"What happened? Why is Zhilan crying?" Mina was a bit confused, He Zhilan was sobbing while she spoke so much of her words were a bit muddled, and Mina didn’t fully understand. Consequently, she was concerned and mostly baffled by He Zhilan’s sudden emotional breakdown.
Tan Heshu sighed, then explained, "The girl in the photo is her, but now she can’t find her home."
Then he started to comfort He Zhilan, "I really didn’t expect to meet again under these circumstances after so many years. Don’t worry, you’ve already waited twelve years, someday you will find your home. Rest assured, I will do my best to help you, to contact Lan Lin’s family."
Although he said this, Tan Heshu also knew in his heart, it would be very difficult to find them. He, too, had lost contact with Lan Lin a long time ago. Back then, there were no phones, and even their mailing addresses had become invalid. Now to find them, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack.
However, seeing He Zhilan crying to the point of breathlessness, Tan Heshu thought, no matter how hard, he couldn’t give up helping her. After all, it seemed to be her only hope.
"Is Lan Lin my cousin? From my uncle’s side of the family?" He Zhilan’s voice choked with sobs. "Can I keep this photo?"
"You can keep it!" Mina readily agreed with a nod of her head. Although she couldn’t comprehend the pain of being unable to find one’s home, she could feel the sadness that weighed heavily on the girl beside her. It was so heavy that it brought tears to even her eyes.
"I’m a bit forgetful, but I remember you calling him Brother Lan Lin. You were a sweet talker when you were little, always calling everyone ’big brother’. Brother Lan Lin, Brother Heshu, but you stubbornly refused to call Tan Heqian, who was around your age, ’big brother’ because he cried a lot when he was a kid and you always teased him." Tan Heshu said, "But one thing is certain, you and Lan Lin’s family are relatives. If your mother’s surname is Lan, then Lan Lin is likely your cousin. He might be the son of your uncle."
Who would have thought that a faded photo of four children would result in an unexpected reunion years later in such a manner. But now, there’s one person missing, the one named Lan Lin.
Hearing Tan Heshu’s words, Tan Heqian was confused. The joy and surprise of his elder brother bringing his future sister-in-law to visit him had been overshadowed by this shocking revelation.
"Oh my goodness!" Tan Heqian ran his fingers through his hair. "I can’t believe I knew He Zhilan when we were kids! No wonder I felt a strong connection to her the first time I saw her, she just seemed so familiar!"
As he looked at the obviously teary-eyed He Zhilan, Tan Heqian thought to himself that he could hardly believe that the apple of the Gu family’s eye would be kidnapped by human traffickers after his family moved away. Then, after twelve years, they would meet again at Capital University!
Tan Heqian softly cursed under his breath, what a messed up destiny!
Upon realising He Zhilan was a child kidnapped by human traffickers, the next thing Tan Heqian worried about was, "He Zhilan, does your husband know about this? What about your adoptive parents? Do they know?"
"Husband? Zhilan, you’re married?" Now it was Tan Heshu and Mina who were stunned.
This news even surprised Tan Heshu. He glanced at He Zhilan, clearly disbelieving. After all, He Zhilan was about the same age as his little brother, Tan Heqian. How could such a young girl already be married?