An Liyang immediately prepared to turn away, but after taking a few steps, he stopped again. His icy voice continued to pierce the other’s ears: "Please take care of yourself from now on! As for me being your son, you can consider me dead long ago. Rest assured, I will keep your secrets until the day they are revealed. Goodbye."

Leaving these two final words, An Liyang walked away without looking back.

Behind him stood Xi Xilan, trembling with rage.

It was supposed to be a day of joy and family reunion, yet it had turned into this, and she was reproached by her own son. The more she thought about it, rather than introspection, her heart was filled only with anger.

"Damn it, I need to accelerate my plans; this evil son must not ruin my good fortune."

With that, she hurriedly left the rooftop.

In the car downstairs, An Liyang sat calmly, when suddenly, he remembered something and quickly took out his phone. Seeing no messages or missed calls, a flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes.

A mocking smile then curved upon his lips: "It seems I am truly a child forgotten by Heaven; maybe I was never meant to live in this world."

Thereafter, An Liyang became increasingly desolate, as if he was wasting his life. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

He spent all day shut in his hotel room, eating little and drinking continuously. Within a short week, while others gained weight over the New Year, he grew so gaunt it was hard to even look at him. More concerning were the signs of mental confusion.

Of course, this is a story for another time.

On New Year’s Day, after An Nan and the others emerged from the kitchen, everyone noticed An Liyang was missing.

Uncle Liang and Aunt Fu immediately frowned, as An Nan’s expression became difficult to read. As the others were about to speak, she quickly interjected: "Enough, he’s gone, let him be. Stop asking. Aunt Fu, Uncle Liang, I know you’re surprised, and I can’t explain it all right now, but I promise I will tell you one day. Not now, because I myself don’t know what is happening. He truly returned to life, and truly remains in this world. I can’t understand why he didn’t return for so many years, or what happened to him. What scares me is that he has changed, he’s no longer the person I knew years ago."

Aunt Fu gently patted her hand, worried: "Li Yan cherished you since childhood; nothing is more important in his heart than you. So, I think he must have his reasons for acting this way. My only hope for you is to focus on the good aspects, and not dwell too much on the negative. Otherwise, you’ll end up trapped by your own thoughts, unable to break free."

"I understand, Aunt Fu, don’t worry, I’ve come to terms with it. I don’t wish to force anything from him anymore. After all, so many years have passed, and many things have changed. Just like me, I’m no longer the An Nan of those days, right?"