A long, lingering old dream played out completely in his memory.
The three months of spending day and night together could be considered one of the few bright spots in his recollections.
For many years after that, Shen Zhizhao had been alone.
He recalled this illusory dream, or rather, it was not a dream.
He knew very well that it was real.
But at the same time, Shen Zhizhao felt a profound sense of absurdity.
After all, too much time had passed, and he had no real sense of that memory, as if he were watching someone else's story.
Shen Zhizhao was a very heartless person; what had passed would be forgotten by him, and what had disappeared would suffer the same fate.
The word loss had always spanned the many years since he could remember.
Undoubtedly, he had truly liked her back then.
So much so that even thinking about it now made him want to shed a tear.
Shen Zhizhao's personality had never changed. He always wanted to escape when encountering issues, unsure of what attitude to adopt when facing her.
The topic of emotions had always been complex. When he was a child, if he wanted to please someone, he would silently do everything for them and then muster the courage to talk to them.
But he was no longer a child. How should they interact now that they had grown up? He could not figure it out.
She was also instinctively repelling him. Shen Yi was very rational and did not confuse him with the boy in her memory.
People all grow up little by little.
Personality might reveal shadows of the past, but they would never be the same person.
Shen Zhizhao glanced at the time.
Four o'clock in the morning.
He could not sleep, so he simply sat up and stared blankly.
At the age of eight, holding her was the last time he cried during his childhood.
Those tears were not out of sadness from loss.
They were born of the near-ecstatic joy that she had survived.
So.
She should not be an existence he naturally forgot.
She was his long, lingering old dream.
And the only living proof in his dust-covered memories of many years.
...
At night, the girl rolled to the innermost side of the bed, covering her head with the quilt, exposing only a few strands of loose hair scattered on the pillow.
More than one person suffered from insomnia tonight.
Shen Yi could not sleep either.
When Shen Zhizhao was a child, he had a fragile heart. After being bullied on the island, he would often squat in a corner and silently shed tears.
Shen Yi would frequently roll up her sleeves and help him fight back.
Now look at him.
The first thing he did after becoming successful was turn around and forget her!
Shen Yi could understand his half-familiar, somewhat silent attitude towards her.
After all, even if Shen Zhizhao remembered her, from his perspective, their childhood encounter was a solid ten years ago.
In the long ten years of Shen Zhizhao's life, those short three months probably held very little weight.
Even if Shen Yi took the initiative to talk to him, he might casually say, Ah, I don't remember. Let the past stay in the past.
Just thinking about such words made her too sad.
Thinking of this, Shen Yi pulled the quilt up again, almost burying her entire face in it.
Anyway, as long as she denied it quickly enough, Shen Zhizhao could not hurt her first.
...
As the New Year approached, with the exception of Shen Wenta who returned to the Shen family, everyone else had arrived. Shen Yi avoided Shen Zhizhao at home during this time.
Shen Zhizhao also often stayed behind closed doors. Even when eating together, it was usually everyone else chatting while he remained silent.
What a strange, hard-to-understand person.
Shen Yi thought.
When he was a child, all his emotions were clearly written on his face. Now, he had become a closed codebook that could not even be cracked open.
The villa area strictly prohibited setting off fireworks and firecrackers, making the New Year extremely boring. Wen Ya dragged Shen Sixing out to shop, while the others were responsible for cleaning.
Light snow started falling outside the window again.
Shen Yi pressed her face against the window, squishing her chubby cheeks.
Brother, I saw the weather forecast saying it's going to snow here for a long time. Can we build a snowman then?
Shen Xun: Yes.
But we have to wait until after the New Year, when we come back from the island. He also imitated Shen Yi's posture and pressed his face against the window, his eyelashes trembling slightly. Don't be afraid, I will protect you.
Shen Yi originally did not need to go.
But she still chose to go with him.
Shen Xun was not a person with very high emotional intelligence, but he knew how a brother should protect his sister. He would grab everything he could for her.
The environment on the island would be very harsh.
He had to take good care of her.
Shen Yi could not help but burst into laughter. Maybe I'll be the one protecting you then.
Shen Xun did not believe it.
She simply snorted and said no more.
During the New Year, Shen Zhizhao left more than ten days early because he had matters to attend to.
The day he left, Shen Yi did not go downstairs to see him off.
She stood behind the window on the second floor, watching Shen Zhizhao carrying his suitcase across the courtyard. His black coat and scarf blew backward in the wind. He kept his head down, looking inexplicably lonely.
Except for the day they met, the two never had a single interaction afterward.
Even when only the two of them were left in the living room at home, Shen Zhizhao would not say a word.
He often stared at her with an unpredictable expression.
Shen Yi went from being nervous at first to being completely unfazed later.
...
The New Year passed as plainly as the last. Shen Yi received many large red envelopes, stuffed them all into her little golden piggy bank, and placed them neatly in the glass cabinet.
About ten days after the New Year, the Shen family sent someone to pick up the children.
During this period, Wen Ya spent a whole month giving the two children intensive courses on wilderness survival.
Between the two children, Wen Ya was most at ease with Shen Yi.
Shen Yi was the child she had taught the most, and the only one who could truly catch up to her step by step.
She was looking forward to seeing the results this time.
Shen Ruxu had the most intense reaction in the family.
He disagreed with Shen Yi going.
Like a crazy tuxedo cat, he threw a tantrum and rolled around at home for a long time, but still could not soften Shen Yi's heart.
The young man first lay on Shen Yi's suitcase, refusing to get up, and then tried to lock Shen Yi's bedroom door from the outside.
Finally, he squatted pitifully in front of Shen Yi, resting his hands on her knees, looking at her with the eyes of a small animal.
Shen Yi almost relented.
But only almost.
You have to respect my wishes, brother. Shen Yi reached out and pinched his cheek.
Your wishes? Shen Ruxu bit the corner of his lip, puzzled: A child's wishes?
Yes, Shen Yi said firmly as he picked her up: A child's wishes are also very important.
Shen Ruxu wished he could hide her in his arms.
But he was not a dictatorial person after all. Meeting Shen Yi's gaze, he puffed out his cheeks, then let out a breath, and listlessly compromised:
Alright, I will respect you.
It was a good thing Shen Yi did not live with the Shen family.
After all, none of the adults in the family would respect a child's wishes.
Those people in the Shen family especially looked down on the cowardly eldest brother.
And when Shen Zhizhao grew up and truly gained a portion of real power from his grandfather, those elders who had once treated him harshly tacitly chose to forget their past cruelty.
Every time they met, they scrambled to praise him, saying the eldest brother had been the most qualified heir since childhood.
He only felt that those old folks were too amusing.
Changing his tune so quickly—did Shen Zhizhao, who used to get scolded to tears all the time, know about this?
"Goodbye, Second Brother." Shen Yi lowered her head, affectionately pressing her cheek against his, and smiled. "I'll miss you."
After bidding farewell to their parents, the two children got into the car.
Wen Ya reluctantly watched them leave. Clenching her hands slightly, she asked in a soft voice, "Shen Sixing, did your family mention how long it will be before they can come out?"
Shen Sixing stroked his chin. "It's only a week this time. It won't be too long."
He sighed inwardly.
Sure enough, he still couldn't bear to part with them.
The duration had been reduced from a whole month to just one short week.
His son was really cutting them a Pacific Ocean's worth of slack.
