If she could go back to thirteen years ago, He Zhilan swore, she would never do such a foolish thing. Standing alone at the village entrance, waiting and waiting, always thinking that a miracle would happen. She would blink, and her parents would miraculously appear before her, softly calling her, "Miss Zhilan, where have you been all this time? It’s time to come home."
"Lin Chan, I even doubt whether I, Gu Zhilan, am their daughter. I don’t know why, but in just thirteen years, why did the kind and friendly figures in my memory turn into what they are now? They are so terrifying that I am nearly afraid to tell them that I am Gu Zhilan, the Gu Zhilan who got lost and left home thirteen years ago. I don’t even have the courage to ask them, have they ever looked for me when I left them, when I left home? Have they ever been sad for me? Have they ever shed a tear for me?"
Who says time isn’t the greatest enemy in this world?
The people she had been waiting and searching for, had already turned into strangers.
"Thirteen years ago, after I was kidnapped, perhaps, they didn’t want me, but now, it’s me who doesn’t want them! I will never forgive them, I hate them!"
By the last sentence, she didn’t even have the strength to cry, and just blankly let the tears flow, with no sound coming from her mouth.
Thirteen years, and thus the story ends.
She no longer has the courage to step into the Gu family compound.
Not only are their faces unrecognizable, but their hearts are no longer as they once were.
At this moment, to describe her as being devastated would not be an exaggeration.
If heartache could be depicted physically, she would be covered in scars by now.
Lin Chan listened to He Zhilan’s words. Surprised was not enough to describe his feelings at this moment. He understood all of her despair, hatred and disappointment towards the Gu family.
But, Lin Chan was quite surprised, "So you’re Gu Zhilan? The chubby girl who loved to eat?"
Lin Chan looked blankly at He Zhilan in front of him. How could he not see any resemblance between He Zhilan and the chubby little girl from back then?
"How come you don’t recognize me?" Lin Chan pointed at his own nose, "Don’t you remember me? Or did you purposely not recognize me?"
Seeing He Zhilan’s puzzled look, Lin Chan suddenly slapped his own thigh hard. The sound, so heavy, it seemed like he couldn’t feel the pain. "You went to the south with Uncle Gu and Auntie Gu when you were four, so it’s normal that you don’t remember me. Ah! How could I not recognize you? Look at my pig brain! I was wondering why I felt such a strong affinity with you and why I liked you so much as soon as I saw you! As it turns out, we knew each other when we were kids! I thought you and Gu Zhilan just happened to share the same name. I didn’t expect that you were the same person!"
Lin Chan seemed a little excited, and he shook He Zhilan’s hand, "Take a good look at me and see if you can remember me. When you were little, I often teased you! Weren’t you particularly fond of candies? Once, in the courtyard, you were following Lan Li, persistently asking him to play with you. Lan Li was ignoring you. But when he saw me, he told you I had candies in my back pocket. You immediately ran to me. Before I could react, you bit my butt. I was so scared that I cried out loud. Let me tell you, I still have the bite mark you left on my butt. I show you, you bit really hard, drew blood and still said I was hiding candies and not sharing them with you!"