No reconciliation, no forgiveness! Mr. Pei leaves with nothing.

He put down what he was holding, climbed back to the ring, picked it up, and held it in his hands with great affection.

Jiang Hua smoothed her cheongsam, squatted down, and said with a smile, "You like this?"

"How about we choose something else?"

This ring symbolizes that the Huo family will inherit the family business in the future.

The Huo family…

Jiang Hua didn't want him to go back there and take on the position of Huo family heir.

Her greatest hope was that his future would be smooth sailing and that he would live a peaceful and safe life.

Jiang Hua wanted to take it from his hand and make him choose again, but before she could even step forward, she saw the child suddenly turn around and crawl towards Jiang Hua's direction.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the child crawled to Jiang Hua's side.

Without hesitation, the little guy stretched out his chubby little hand and tightly grasped Jiang Hua's fingers. His tiny palm gripped Jiang Hua's heart tightly as well.

Immediately afterwards, a childish voice rang out in the lobby: "Mom...Mom..."

Xu Qiulan exclaimed in delight, "Miss! Did you hear that?! The young master finally spoke and called you 'Mom'!"

She...heard it.

very clear.

Jiang Hua held the ring in his hand for him, and then she heard him call out, "Dad, Dad..."

A sharp, palpable pain shot through her heart, bringing tears to her eyes.

...

Later, her grandfather found her and said helplessly, "It's been a year. Listen to your grandfather and let it go."

Even without him, you must continue on your path with your child.

"What happened to Pei Zhan is not your fault."

"Don't be like your father, stuck in the past. You have a long road ahead of you."

“Now that he’s grown up, it’s time to think about naming the child and registering his household registration. Whether he’s in the Jiang family or the Huo family, he’s still your and Pei Zhan’s child, and that will never change.”

Jiang Hua's eyes were a little moist, her voice choked with emotion, and she said with belief, "He will come back."

"He said it."

"He won't leave me alone."

"Grandpa, can we wait a little longer?"

...

He waited for her alone in Wuchuan for so many years, and this year is nothing to Jiang Hua.

Her grandfather couldn't do anything about it and could only let her have her way.

In the first year, Jiang Hua counted down the days, hoping for his return.

The following year, Jiang Hua could no longer wait and went to Huo Beishen to press him for information about Pei Zhan's whereabouts. Huo Beishen gave her the same answer, as did everyone else: he would definitely come back.

Jiang Hua waited for him for another year.

In the third year, the baby had fully learned to walk and was old enough to attend early education classes. However, Jiang Hua couldn't bear to let him leave her side, and the child couldn't be separated from him either. Whenever Jiang Hua wasn't around, the child would cry and fuss, and even Xu Ma's attempts to soothe him were useless. So, instead of forcing him to go, she found a teacher to teach him some basic knowledge at home.

This year was also the year Jiang Hua missed him the most.

She went to the temple to pray for his safety and hoped that he could return to her side soon.

She missed him to the extreme.

Jiang Hua wondered if he was still angry because he hadn't believed her back then, and therefore didn't want to come back.

She tried to reassure herself that he would come back once he calmed down.

With this expectation, she waited for him for another year.

In the fourth year, the child's facial features began to resemble his more and more. The eyes that originally resembled Jiang Hua's now looked exactly like Pei Zhan's, as if they were carved from the same mold.

During the New Year of that year, Jiang Hua went to Wuchuan. Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar streets, Kagel, who was beside her, had already grown white hair.

In two years, Jiang Hua will be thirty, and she suddenly feels that she is no longer young.

Pei Zhan... By the time she turns thirty, he'll be forty.

Standing on the street where Pei Zhan had waited for her years ago, with cars coming and going in front of her, Jiang Hua held her child's hand, while Gou Dan held a freshly bought roasted sweet potato, his mouth covered in black soot from eating it.

In fact, she comes to Wuchuan once a year.

She knew she was waiting for someone, and she knew that person wouldn't appear, but she still wanted to wait a little longer.

As the New Year's bells rang at midnight, another year began.

The streets were deserted, with people walking by.

I know that all my expectations will turn into disappointment.

From initial hope to utter despair, the candle in my heart seems to be slowly, bit by bit, going out...

"I think I understand now..."

What does it feel like to wait for someone?

"Knowing there's no outcome, yet still clinging to a sliver of hope, yet afraid to give up."

“Kagher, you all say he’s alive, and I’ve believed you time and time again.”

"Actually... he's already dead, isn't he?"

In fact, Pei Zhan was already dead. She fired three shots, each one fatal, at such close range…

How could he possibly be alright!

These are facts that she has always refused to admit.

“Over the years, I’ve been deceiving myself, thinking that he definitely won’t die.”

This kind of thinking is just to make myself feel better.

“…Otherwise, why hasn’t he come back after five years?” Jiang Hua felt a dull, suffocating pain in her chest, as if a hand had gripped her heart.

Kagel lowered his head: "I'm sorry, madam, I have no answer for you."

Jiang Hua: "..."

"Mom, is Dad not coming back this year? If Dad isn't coming back, then let's not have Dad anymore, okay? Gou Dan likes being with Mom, and I'll be fine without Dad. Gou Dan doesn't need Dad either; he makes Mom sad and cry. I don't want a dad like that."

"Dog Egg, I'm happy with Mommy, Grandpa, Great-Grandpa, Aunt Xiaozhu, Godmother Bao'er, and my wife Qianqian. And those uncles and grandpas from the Huo family... They're all very good to Dog Egg. Dog Egg doesn't miss Daddy at all."

Shen Qianqian is the daughter of Bao'er and Shen Bulu.

To convince Jiang Hua, Gou Dan looked up at his beautiful mother beside him and said earnestly, "Really!"

"Mom, just like Gou Dan, don't think about Dad, okay!"

"Dog Egg doesn't like seeing Mommy cry."

Every night, while he was asleep, his mother would secretly think of his father and cry alone, crying very sadly.

He made his mother cry; he doesn't want a father like that.

Kagel: "Perhaps Madam should also be more open-minded, like the young master."

“Even without the young master, you and the young master will live a good life.”

"Madam, you could also try starting a new relationship and finding a suitable father for the young master."

"Madam is still young, she has many more five-year periods ahead of her."

Kong Ran once told his wife that letting go is liberation.

Master Kongran is the abbot of Qingfeng Temple.

That year, she frequently went to the temple to pray for his safe return.

One sentence at a time, and then another.

Kagel and Master Kongran have become quite familiar with each other.

"Those who make Mom sad and upset are all bad guys."

"Mom, find Gou Dan a new dad. We don't want this stinky dad anymore, okay?"

Yes, it's been five years.

If he could come back, he would have already done so.

Pei Zhan, this time…

I won't wait for you anymore.

...

Back in the Huo family ancestral home in the capital, no one knew why this room had been destroyed by fire years ago. Now that it had been rebuilt, Jiang Hua moved here with Gou Dan. Everything here, including every single plant and tree, was chosen by her and Pei Zhan together back then.

Jiang Hua is an extremely impatient person, and she likes to be accompanied in everything she does. Pei Zhan knew this about her, so she never got tired of his company.

To choose a table, Jiang Hua asked for his opinion, "Which one do you think looks better, this one or this one? You have to choose one."

Pei Zhan: "This?" He was probably testing the waters.

"You're asking me? I'm asking you. If you can't decide, then I won't look anymore. I'm going upstairs to sleep." Jiang Hua tried to get up from the sofa, but Pei Zhan pulled her back and made her sit quietly in his lap.

"Then choose one."

“Oh. Then let’s choose the second one.” Jiang Hua glanced at him sideways, deliberately contradicting him.

Pei Zhan probably guessed her little thoughts, and a slight smile appeared on his lips as he uttered a single word, "Mm."

...

Jiang Hua led her child into the magnificent hall. Gou Dan looked up at his beautiful mother beside him and asked, "Mom, aren't we spending Chinese New Year with Grandpa and Grandma this year?"

"No, it'll just be us this year." The first year we celebrated the New Year at the Huo family's house, and the second year at the Jiang family's house. We've been going back and forth between the two families, and we've never lost contact over the years.

Dog Egg said with a little disappointment, "We won't be able to see Qianqian's wife like this."

"We can go to Grandpa's house today, and then we can go see Qianqian, okay?"

"Okay!" Gou Dan rubbed his eyes and opened his little arms. "Mommy, I'm sleepy, hug me."

Kagel stepped forward and said, "Young master, Madam can't support your weight. You should go on a diet."

Gou Dan has been raised too well since he was a child. Jiang Hua has spoiled and pampered him too much, showing no restraint in any aspect, including food. Now, the child is round and chubby because of Jiang Hua's care. He is a bit fat, but very cute.

"No, no, I want Mommy to hold me." As soon as he started crying, Jiang Hua couldn't do anything about it, since he was the only son in the Jiang family.

"It's okay, Mommy can still carry you." Jiang Hua handed the bag to Kager, squatted down, and picked up the child with some difficulty. Gou Dan leaned against Jiang Hua contentedly, his chubby little hands wrapped around her neck. "Mommy, I don't want to go to kindergarten anymore."

"Why?" she asked gently, carrying him upstairs with slow steps.

"Because they all call me 'Second Pig'? They all laugh at me for being fat."

Jiang Hua frowned. "Who said that?"

"They all say there's another guy in the class named Big Pig, who's just as fat as me. They all say I'm not my mom's baby, that my mom adopted me from Big Pig's house, that I'm Big Pig's brother." Gou Dan looked aggrieved.

Jiang Hua's tone turned cold: "It's okay, you don't have to go if you don't want to."

"Stay home with my mom."

"What about Great-Grandpa's side..."

"Mom will talk to Great-Grandpa."

"I knew Mom loved Gou Dan the most." Gou Dan rubbed against Jiang Hua's neck with a satisfied look. "Mom smells so good. Everyone is so envious that I have such a beautiful mom."

These words instantly melted away the coldness in Jiang Hua's eyes. She smiled, patted his shoulder, and gently coaxed him, "Go to sleep."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gou Dan closed his eyes and fell asleep.

“Madam, you shouldn’t spoil the young master so much. It’s not a good thing.”

"Young Master's body should also return to a normal weight. Currently, Young Master's weight far exceeds that of his peers. If this continues, it will harm Young Master's health."

Afraid of disturbing him, Jiang Hua softened her voice and said, "He's just a child. Isn't it good for him to eat more? He's still growing. He's only five years old. If he's dieting, what if he gets sick from starvation? Can you afford to take the responsibility?"

Ultimately, Jiang Hua couldn't bear to part with her child, and she was even more reluctant to be harsh with him. She had considered controlling his weight, but whenever he was hungry and started crying, Jiang Hua's heart would soften at the sound of his cries.

That time, she couldn't even last a minute. As soon as she heard the child crying, Jiang Hua instantly surrendered.

They got back too late, and Gou Dan didn't wake up until noon.

Jiang Hua took Gou Dan back to Yulong Bay for the first day of the Lunar New Year. His father and maternal grandfather, Xiao Zhu, came to visit, and each of them gave him a thick red envelope. Gou Dan happily accepted it without being greedy and handed it all over to Jiang Hua. "I'm a good boy. I want to give all this money to my mother. Gou Dan will earn more money for my mother in the future."

Everyone burst out laughing when they heard the child say that.

Besides Jiang Hua, Gou Dan is most attached to Jiang Weiguo. As soon as he returned, he couldn't wait to stick to him.

Jiang Zhu has now completely taken over Jiang Hua's jewelry restoration studio and is also the president of the Jewelry Restoration Association.

In the blink of an eye, the once naive girl has transformed into an intellectual and elegant woman.

Every time Xiaozhu comes, he brings some new and interesting things. He gave him a bamboo dragonfly, and Gou Dan had a great time playing with it by himself...

...

In front of the Huo family ancestral home, a black sedan was quietly parked outside the courtyard.

The rear passenger door slowly opened.

After getting off the car, the man tilted his head slightly and gazed at the old house that was both familiar and unfamiliar, as if he were recalling something.

"I'm back!" The man's lips curled into a wicked smile.

His gaze fell on the open door.

Just then, a maid was sweeping the snow when she inadvertently caught sight of the unexpected guest who had suddenly appeared outside the door.

"Who are you? No outsiders are allowed here!"

However, when she saw the people following behind the man, a stern, warning gaze shot towards her like an arrow, making her feel fear and unconsciously take a few steps back.

The man seemed unconcerned about the maid's reaction; he simply said, "Call your wife and tell her... I'm back!"

"clear?"

...

On her way back, Jiang Hua received a phone call.

She answered the phone, and it was the maid's voice, "Madam..."

Jiang Hua: "What is it?"

"When...when will you be back? A gentleman said he's back."

"He... wants to see you."

Jiang Hua's mind went blank for a moment. The phone slipped from her hand, and her heart felt like it was about to burst out of her chest. For a moment, she stood there stunned, unable to react.

He's back!