The sweet and gentle boy is actually crazy and bad.

Was it only her, then and now?

Wen Yisheng reacted for a moment, sniffed, and still pushed Wen Zhi away in a resistant manner, not letting him touch her.

She wiped away her tears, her eyes were red and watery, and there were faint tear stains. Her sad and pitiful appearance made Wen Zhi's heart ache.

She asked, "What did you say?"

Wen Zhi resisted the urge to hug her, his voice gentle yet earnest: "The little girl I met was you, in the wheat field amusement park, you were wearing a little dress, and you were crying. The reason I didn't tell you was because..."

He paused, then gave a forced laugh: "I don't want you to know anything about my childhood. Those things would expose my deformed and ugly side. I admit, it took me a long time to confirm that it was you."

"But if you completely reject me because of this, that would be too hurtful."

"Whether it was seventeen years ago or the first time we met again, it was because of you that things became different. Only you can make it different, believe me, Wen Yisheng."

Upon hearing this, Wen Yisheng felt completely confused.

"Stop making things up, it's absurd! I could never have met you when I was a child!" How could that be? She had never been to Beijing when she was a child.

They were too young. Seventeen years ago, they were only five years old. Unless it was an extremely profound memory, they would have no chance of remembering it.

"I didn't make this up, it's you." Wen Zhi spoke slowly, stubbornly, and clearly, each word distinct.

"Seventeen years ago, you came to perform at the Extraordinary Theater in Beijing with a dance teacher surnamed Li. You must have gotten lost and wandered into Wheat Field Kindergarten. You were calling for your father and crying. I covered your mouth with my mouth."

"If you don't believe me, you can ask that teacher surnamed Li to find out if she really came to Beijing to perform. I still have her information here."

He vividly described the scene from seventeen years ago.

Wen Yisheng was stunned, momentarily lost in confusion. Perhaps his face was too deceptive, for she actually believed what he said.

"Ah Sheng." Wen Zhi approached and pulled the bewildered Wen Yisheng into his arms.

"I'm sorry, I should have told you sooner. Please don't be angry with me."

He leaned down and buried his face in her chest, his soft hair gently brushing against her chin, like an insecure child who felt only comforted by such close contact.

"I'll die without you," he said, his voice muffled as he buried his face in her chest. "You just said you wanted to break up? How could you say something like that..."

He answered in a low voice, "Nothing is allowed..."

Wen Yisheng felt a strange pang of sadness in her heart, but this time she didn't push him away.

Yes. She acted impulsively just now, losing her temper and saying those two words...

But Wen Zhi was so sensitive, caring about her every thought and every word.

He must have been very sad just now.

But if the identities were reversed, and he were the one being used as a substitute, who knows how he would torture her...

Wen Yisheng sighed softly, raised her hand, and gently rubbed his soft hair, her fingertips tracing his temples down to his fair cheeks.

She didn't say anything, but the caressing gesture clearly showed that she had calmed down.

Wen Zhi obediently leaned against her chest, letting her pet him like a puppy, closing his eyes and humming softly in comfort, a smile appearing on his lips.

……

He thought the matter was over, but when he came home from get off work in the evening, he found the house unusually quiet.

He called out twice but received no response. His face darkened, and he anxiously searched every room.

Just then, his phone vibrated, and Wen Zhi looked at the message he had received:

Wen Yisheng: [I've returned to Huai City. I want to figure out that matter myself. I'll be back soon.]

It was already past 7 p.m. when I got back to Huai City by high-speed rail.

Wen Yisheng has been in Beijing for the past few years, only returning home on the anniversary of her parents' death each year.

No one lives in the house. As soon as you open the door, you can smell the musty smell of a house that hasn't been ventilated for a long time. The air is mixed with dust and is a bit pungent.

Wen Yisheng turned on the lights and opened the windows for ventilation. Looking around her familiar yet empty and desolate little home, she couldn't help but feel sentimental, recalling the time when her parents were still alive.

Her phone rang suddenly. She snapped out of her daze, staring blankly at the screen without answering, until the call ended automatically.

Wen Zhi's message popped up next: [Have you arrived yet? Are you still angry? You always have to answer my calls. Do you know how worried I am when I can't see you or hear your voice?]

Wen Yisheng could almost picture Wen Zhi's frantic and irritable state through these words.

She sighed softly, realizing she wasn't a child anymore.

I'm home. Don't worry, I'll be back soon.

She put her phone away.

Wen Yisheng was a little worried. It wasn't that she didn't want to believe Wen Zhi, it was just that everything... was too coincidental.

She couldn't help but doubt the veracity of his words, and whether the existence of that teacher surnamed Li was something he had made up.

Seventeen years is too long; Wen Yisheng really doesn't remember ever going to Beijing when she was five years old.

She came back because she remembered that her parents would take pictures of her from the audience after every performance, and perhaps she could find some clues in the photo album...

Wen Yisheng quickly pulled out three thick photo albums with old-fashioned covers from the cabinet.

Each photo album was thick and heavy. Wen Yisheng picked out one and opened it. Every page of the album was neatly filled with photos.

The first few pages mostly feature a couple in the photos.

The woman's face was gentle and serene.

The man has strong and handsome facial features.

These are Si Nian and Wen Yan, her parents.

Gradually, a little guy appeared on the later album pages.

Wen Yisheng had originally intended to find clues, but tears slowly welled up in her eyes as she flipped through page after page of photos, her fingertips tracing her parents' faces.

Just as I was flipping through the second photo album, halfway through...

Wen Yisheng paused noticeably, her gaze falling on a small three-inch photograph at the very edge of the album.

Wen Yisheng pursed her lips, took out the photos, absentmindedly put down the album, walked to the small desk, sat down, and turned on the desk lamp to examine them carefully in the light.

The photo has an old-fashioned look, so it must have been taken with an instant camera.

In the photo, a little girl in a white tutu stands on the steps. She has a small face, beautiful eyebrows and eyes, and her eyes are pure and bright black.

Her expression was somewhat awkward, with her lips slightly pursed, as if she was about to cry at any moment.

The photographer who took this photo was clearly not very skilled; in fact, he was terrible at it.

The main character is Xiao Yisheng.

The photo was taken at an angle, and a figure was also captured in the upper left corner, trying to steal the spotlight.

Wen Yisheng stared intently at that corner, her eyes stinging in the light. The delicate face in the corner overlapped with the one she had seen in the experimental documentary...

The sudden, urgent knocking on the door pulled Wen Yisheng back to reality.

The old door wasn't soundproof, and she could hear the increasingly agitated shouts from outside even from inside her bedroom.

Wen Yisheng's eyelashes trembled as she got up to open the door.

The person outside the door was travel-worn, with short, messy hair and a gloomy expression as he stared at him.

"Why aren't you answering my calls...!"

Before he could finish speaking, his words were abruptly cut off.

Wen Yisheng threw herself into Wen Zhi's arms and hugged his waist tightly.

……

A corner of an old photograph.

The little boy hid behind a trash can, with only his head showing.

That face was delicate, with fluffy hair, but its expression was wooden and dull, and its eyes were fixed on Xiao Yisheng.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

The camera shutter clicked, capturing this old photograph buried in time and hidden in the past.

—It turns out to be a long-awaited reunion.