It was almost evening by the time Wen Huaiyue returned home. Aunt Liu, who was simmering soup in the villa, heard the door open and rushed out of the kitchen. Seeing Wen Huaiyue being brought in safely by Wen Yao, she let out a long sigh of relief. Hurrying forward, she gently stroked Wen Huaiyue’s shoulders and said, “Little Miss, you are finally back.”
Aunt Liu had taken care of Wen Huaiyue since she was a baby, treating her almost like her own daughter. With the child missing for over a month, Aunt Liu’s heart had been on edge the entire time.
Wen Huaiyue smiled at her and said, “I am fine.”
“How could you possibly be fine?” Aunt Liu said, deeply worried. “A child out there alone is so dangerous! There are so many bad people, and if our Little Miss had been…”
Seeing that Aunt Liu would not stop, Wen Yao interrupted her with a laugh. “Aunt Liu, it is enough that A-yue is back. Did you make anything to eat? We have been on a plane all day and we are starving.”
“Oh my, my memory,” Aunt Liu said, slapping her forehead in self-reproach. “I am simmering black-chipped chicken soup in the kitchen. It will be ready soon, just wait a moment.”
“All right.” Wen Yao took Wen Huaiyue’s hand. “I will take A-yue to wash up first.” She poked Meng Wang. “Go find some of A-yue’s clothes for me.”
Meng Wang nodded. “Will do.”
Wen Huaiyue still carried a lingering, nameless sense of bewilderment, her mind wrapped in a haze. Watching her, Wen Yao’s heart ached. She scooped the child up into her arms and said, “A-yue, look, we are home. You do not need to be afraid anymore, okay?”
Wen Huaiyue blinked, keeping her lips pressed together without a word. She simply buried her face and hugged Wen Yao’s neck tightly, using the physical contact to comfort her belated unease.
“Come on, let us get you washed up.” Wen Yao carried her upstairs and let out a puzzled sound. “A-yue, did you gain weight? You feel a lot heavier.”
She muttered to herself, “Could that woman Ji Hua actually be feeding her well?” She seemed doubtful. “That is hard to believe.”
Wen Huaiyue still said nothing, perhaps because she did not know what to say. She felt trapped within a framework of bashful hesitation so profound that all her words had vanished.
It was not until Wen Yao reached for her clothes to undress her that she snapped out of her trance, crossing her arms to tightly cover herself. “Sister, I can wash up by myself.”
There was still a tooth mark on her neck. If Sister Yao saw it, she would certainly ask questions, and Wen Huaiyue did not know what excuse to use to brush it off.
More importantly, if Sister Yao found out that Ji Hua was the one who bit her, she would surely hate Ji Hua.
Wen Huaiyue’s feelings for Ji Hua were complex, but she knew one thing for certain: she did not want Sister Yao to hate Ji Hua.
She just felt that Ji Hua was not truly, terribly evil.
“Why?” Wen Yao asked, puzzled. “Sister used to help you bathe all the time.”
“I… I want to wash by myself,” Wen Huaiyue said softly.
“Fine.” Wen Yao smiled with doting indulgence. “Look at you, having your own secrets now. Well, call me if you need anything.”
Having waited in vain for Meng Wang to bring the clothes, Wen Yao clicked her tongue and raised her voice. “Meng Wang, are you sewing the clothes from scratch? Why have you not brought them over yet!”
Caught off guard by the sudden roar, Wen Huaiyue instinctively shrank back.
As if on cue, Meng Wang pushed the door open and said helplessly, “Can you lower your volume a little? I am not deaf yet.”
Wen Yao took the clothes and gave him a playful, smiling glare. “Are you talking back to me?”
Meng Wang spread his hands innocently. “Not at all. It just feels like everything I do is wrong. Try to be a little reasonable.”
“I refuse to be reasonable.” Wen Yao went to finish drawing the bathwater.
Used to this dynamic by now, Meng Wang smiled with indulgent resignation. “All right then.”
Wen Huaiyue tilted her head to watch the two of them. Noticing her gaze, Meng Wang lowered his head and asked gently, “What is it?”
Wen Huaiyue shook her head and smiled softly. “Brother-in-law, you and Sister have such a good relationship. I am so envious.”
Meng Wang ruffled her hair. “You will find someone like that someday too. But you are still a child, so do not think about such things yet. Go take your bath.”
His touch was gentle. Suddenly, Wen Huaiyue thought of Ji Hua. Ji Hua never patted her head like that; she always liked to ruffle Wen Huaiyue’s hair into a messy bird’s nest, forcing her to tie it up all over again.
Wen Huaiyue touched the tooth mark on her neck. It formed a slight, raised bump, not painful, yet it constantly reminded her of its presence.
That night at bedtime, Wen Yao insisted on sleeping with Wen Huaiyue. The disappearance had left her deeply shaken; this was her only younger sister, her own flesh and blood.
Though Wen Huaiyue repeatedly insisted she could sleep alone, Wen Yao selectively ignored her. Meng Wang was not entirely thrilled about it, but he understood.
Unable to talk her out of it, Wen Huaiyue relented.
Throughout the night, Wen Yao spoke to her in soft, murmuring tones. Sensing the hidden anxiety resting deep within her sister’s heart, Wen Huaiyue pressed a kiss to Wen Yao’s cheek and whispered, “Sister, I really am fine. I was treated quite well at Ji Hua’s place. Did you not say I gained weight?”
Wen Yao gently pinched the girl’s cheek and joked, “A-yue, you seem to like Ji Hua quite a lot. You are even calling her Sister Ji Hua, hmm?”
Wen Huaiyue smiled self-consciously. “Sister Yao, she is not really a bad person.”
Stroke by stroke, Wen Yao caressed her face and sighed. “I hope so. I simply cannot figure that woman out. As long as she does not bother our family, I will not care.”
Exhausted from an entire month of non-stop searching, fighting the Guangmao Group’s illegal fundraising scandal, clearing her own name, and managing the company, Wen Yao had reached her emotional and physical limit. She fell asleep before she could say much more to Wen Huaiyue.
Suddenly, a wave of guilt washed over Wen Huaiyue. After all, Wen Yao had exhausted herself entirely because of her. She reached out and wrapped her arms around Wen Yao in a tight hug.
Sister Yao’s scent was different from Ji Hua’s.
Ji Hua always carried a trace of coldness.
Wen Huaiyue thought to herself just before drifting off to sleep.
Over the next few days, Wen Huaiyue stayed mostly at home while Meng Wang went back to manage the company’s backlog of business. Occasionally, Wen Yao would go to the office to help Meng Wang, but she always made sure to carve out time to stay with Wen Huaiyue.
Whether it was her imagination or not, Wen Yao felt that Wen Huaiyue had changed slightly.
While she was still well-behaved, her obedience now bordered on silence.
She used to love playing outside. Several children living near the villa used to be her constant companions, often gathering to run around and play games. Now, however, she spent most of her time indoors. Aside from Aunt Liu, Wen Yao, and Meng Wang, she practically spoke to no one else.
It was not that she refused to talk altogether, but her words were few, concise, and direct. At night she slept entirely on her own. She also took care of her basic daily chores herself, even though servants used to handle those things.
She seemed to have grown up overnight.
Wen Yao did not know whether to feel comforted or worried. She figured A-yue was still recovering from the shock and would return to normal after some time.
As for Wen Huaiyue, she simply did not know what to say to the other children anymore. Ever since the kidnapping, she had developed a slight fear of strangers and darkness.
During the month she spent living at Ji Hua’s house, no outsiders ever visited, and Ji Hua never let her step outside. Most of her time had been spent quietly watching flowers bloom in the courtyard.
That one month of routine had left her accustomed to solitude, and she no longer saw anything wrong with being by herself. Of course, she could still play with the neighborhood kids if she wanted to, but she simply had no interest in it.
Her hair had grown quite long. When Wen Yao offered to take her to a salon for a haircut, Wen Huaiyue refused, saying she wanted to keep it long.
Wen Yao spoiled her rotten, so she naturally had no objections.
The start of the school term arrived quickly. Wen Huaiyue was now a second-grader, attending a prestigious local primary school.
Wen Yao dropped her off at the school gates, adjusting her coat and butterfly collar. “Study hard, and do not wander off at noon. Uncle Chen will come to pick you up. Understand?”
Wen Huaiyue nodded. “I understand.”
Wen Yao patted her head. “Off you go.”
School life proceeded predictably. Wen Huaiyue remained the quintessential model student: obedient, high-achieving, and never causing trouble.
Because she was pretty and charming, some of the more childish boys developed a crush on her. At their age, they hardly knew what liking someone actually meant, and a few of them probably still struggled just to write the character for affection.
They simply thought Wen Huaiyue was pretty and gentle, and found themselves irresistibly drawn to her. Spoiled rotten as children from elite private schools often were, they acted on impulse. Seeing Wen Huaiyue walk in, a group of little boys rushed over.
“Wen Huaiyue, I have some really pretty candies. They are very expensive. Do you want some?”
“What is so great about candy? I have an ultra-cool toy that is way better than your sweets.”
“Moreover, your candies do not compare at all.”
Wen Huaiyue clutched the straps of her backpack. Since she currently preferred to keep her distance from others, she walked past them in silence and headed straight for her seat.
The boys stood there dumbfounded, before turning to blame each other for scaring Wen Huaiyue away.
Days of studying rolled by. Wen Huaiyue gradually returned to her old routine, and her speech became more frequent. While she was still a bit quieter than before, it was a massive improvement over the absolute silence of her first few days back.
Still shaken by the ordeal, Wen Yao bought her a smartphone so she could call at the first sign of danger. The moment Wen Huaiyue got the phone, her very first instinct was to call Ji Hua, but she did not know the number.
One day, taking advantage of a moment when Wen Yao was not looking, she picked up her sister’s phone to search for Ji Hua’s contact information. Unfortunately, Wen Yao’s contact list was packed with countless unfamiliar numbers labeled for various executives and business associates, and after scrolling for ages, she found nothing.
She had no choice but to give up.
It left her feeling a little down.
April arrived. Along Chaosheng Street outside the school, cherry blossoms and yellow bell flowers bloomed in a continuous corridor of pale pinks and brilliant yellows. When the wind blew, it swept up a storm of falling petals. Pedestrians and car hoods alike were dusted with vibrant colors, making the ground look like a massive canvas painted in pink and gold.
The yellow bell flowers Ji Hua had given her last time had long since withered, leaving only dry, barren twigs standing inside the vase. Secretly, Wen Huaiyue had asked Uncle Chen to pick a few fresh branches of yellow bells for her.
She had not seen Ji Hua in over a month. Ji Hua had promised she would come looking for her, but Wen Huaiyue figured she was just lying.
A child’s heart is both complicated and simple. While staying with Ji Hua, she had simultaneously disliked and liked her. After many days apart, however, the dislike had been buried under a layer of dust, leaving only her fondness shining clearly.
She simply missed Ji Hua a little.
She missed her during the sleepless, pitch-black nights, amidst the meals that never quite hit the spot, and within the empty, quiet chill of the night devoid of a familiar coldness, temperature, and scent.
Her life was smooth now. No one casually yelled at her, calling her useless or stupid, ordering her around, or restricting her tears.
Countless memories of the old town drifted through her mind and settled into this familiar city.
Unfamiliar, familiar, nostalgic, they bled like pigments across the overly simplistic canvas of her memory.
Rich and heavy with color.
Her class was dismissed rather late that day, and by the time Wen Huaiyue walked out, there were not many people left on the street. Following her usual routine, she intended to cross the street to the convenience store where Uncle Chen was waiting for her.
Just as she stepped toward the crosswalk, a car suddenly pulled up right in front of her, its tires kicking up a flurry of fallen petals to block her path. Startled, Wen Huaiyue stepped back, intending to walk around the vehicle.
The car window slowly rolled down, revealing Ji Hua’s delicate profile and the long hair tied back behind her head. Tilting her head slightly, Ji Hua said in a calm tone, “Get in the car.”