"Have they been looking for me?" He Zhilan asked, her voice wavering.
"At first they did. They used all their connections to find you, so the elders in the courtyard knew about your disappearance, but then..." Lin Chan looked at He Zhilan hesitantly, only continuing after seeing she was calm. "Later, they just..."
"Later they stopped, right? So, while I was still desperately waiting for them to find me, they had already abandoned me. They lost me, gained Gu En, maybe, they even thought Gu En was better than me, more obedient, more understanding, more clever, Gu En is their pride."
Lin Chan didn’t know how to respond. He didn’t know what the Gu Family was thinking, but he asserted, "Who said you’re less than Gu En? Everyone you’ve ever played with in the courtyard privately thinks you’re great! Don’t believe me? Ask Chen Yun, ask Xing Ye, don’t you think you’re more liked than Gu En! We were not fond of Gu En from the start. Despite her young age, she seemed cunning. She could win every elder’s heart, she would never get upset, she didn’t throw tantrums, she was never willful—a girl not yet eight years old, as composed as an adult! You know, even adults get upset! Back then, we thought Gu En was a total pretender!"
Gu En and her family returned to the capital over two years after Gu Zhilan disappeared. After Gu Zhilan’s initial disappearance, the head of the Gu family had relocated once more, not returning to the capital until after two and a half years. Therefore, when Lin Chan and the others met Gu En, she was already over eight years old, much like Gu Zhilan had been.
An eight-year-old girl should be headstrong, and yet, this quality was completely absent in Gu En. She was well-behaved to the point of seeming without temperament or personality. If adults didn’t give her something, she would never ask. Even if she was given food she didn’t like, she would eat it without complaint.
Moreover, Gu En could practice calligraphy, qin, chess, and drawing day and night, not stopping until her families and teachers were satisfied. Keep in mind, Gu En was barely past eight!
Maybe, such a child is likable in the eyes of adults, but they are resoundly disliked in the eyes of teenage boys.
Because inevitably, the elders will remark on their naughtiness compared to how ’obedient’ the Gu family’s daughter is at such a young age. Naturally, these boys would then compare Gu En with the disappeared Gu Zhilan.
In contrast to a cute girl who would join in their mischief and subsequently be used as a scapegoat when their parents scolded, the model child Gu En was naturally less desirable.
"Zhilan, have you really decided not to acknowledge them?" Lin Chan was conflicted. In his heart, he didn’t want He Zhilan to have anything to do with the Gu Family. Judging by today’s situation, his parents, representing him, had already broken ties with the Gu and Lan family.
But on the other hand, after thirteen years, He Zhilan finally found her parents. If she chose not to acknowledge them because of his selfishness, that would be quite cruel.
He Zhilan shook her head resolutely. "I won’t acknowledge them. I can’t step foot into the Gu Family’s house, no matter how good you think I am. In their eyes, I’m nothing more than a foolish, vain country bumpkin. As you saw, they have no room in their hearts for their daughter Gu Zhilan. In their eyes, Gu En is their only daughter. Even if I’m standing right in front of them, they don’t recognize me. They even abandoned their humanity for Gu En. There’s nothing left of the Gu Family in my heart. I hate them for abandoning me so early, and I despise their current selfish state."
"Although I hate them, they gave me this life thirteen years ago, enabling the existence of today’s He Zhilan. This life, I owe them. Now that they want it back, I’ll give it to them. From this point on, I, He Zhilan, owe them nothing! I’ve even paid them back with the very life I could barely afford to return. What’s left to acknowledge?"