To cover up her inner panic, she chuckled. "Really? Then from now on, Senior Brother, you should be happier. That way, it won't be in vain that we've come to know each other."
She changed the subject. "Oh, Senior Brother, since you said I haven't changed, why didn't you recognize me before? Why did you only acknowledge me today?"
Lu Wei was momentarily stunned, as if unsure how to answer. Then he slowly said, "Although your eyes haven't changed, your appearance has changed a lot. Before, I wasn't sure it was you, so I didn't dare to rashly confirm it. But do you still remember Uncle Juan? He once gave me a meal, and we've kept in touch... He just came to my house and brought me news of you. That's how I knew you were that little girl from back then."
Qiqi's attention was immediately diverted. "Uncle Juan is here? Where is he?"
Lu Wei said, "Wait a moment."
He stood up and picked up the phone on the table, giving a few instructions. After a while, the butler led a middle-aged man into the room. It was indeed Juan.
"Uncle Juan, you're here!" Qiqi was overjoyed.
Seeing her, Juan couldn't contain his happiness either, rubbing his hands together. "Oh, Qiqi, so you're here too! So you've known the young master all along! Haha, we really are fated to meet!"
The three of them happily reminisced about the past, and only then did Qiqi understand—Lu Wei was the young master Uncle Juan had mentioned, the mute brother from back then.
It turned out that Lu Wei had suffered from congenital heart disease since childhood, and his condition was quite severe, often flaring up. As a result, he always needed a doctor by his side and couldn't go to school or make friends like ordinary children. Instead, he stayed at home, cared for by his mother and a host of doctors and nurses. This isolated life meant Lu Wei had no friends his age during his childhood and didn't know how to interact with others, fostering a withdrawn and taciturn personality. As the eldest grandson of the Lu family, he had more inheritance rights than his younger siblings, so his mother was terrified that someone might harm him and kept him under 24-hour protective isolation. Although Lu Wei was sensible, he couldn't endure this long-term loneliness. Finally, at the age of eleven, he ran away from home. After leaving, he signed up for a summer camp, hoping to interact with kids his age, but he got separated from the group, got lost, and was trapped in the mountains. By coincidence, he met Qiqi, who had just escaped from the orphanage, and the two traveled together until they reached Juan's home. Though he had run away, Lu Wei knew his family would worry, so he left early the next morning. Later, he met Juan again and helped him find a job.
He had never forgotten that little girl who had accompanied him in the darkness, using laughter and joy to dispel the unease and fear in his heart. He and Juan had tried to find her, but because Qiqi had moved around so much, they never managed to reconnect.
"Qiqi, I've finally found you. This is wonderful. From now on, don't disappear again, okay?" Lu Wei looked into the girl's eyes, his tone sincere.
"Disappear? Of course I won't disappear again. Senior Brother, I want to be with you and Uncle Juan. Look how happy we are now!" Qiqi's eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled.
"Good, good."
Uncle Juan nodded nearby, tears glistening in his eyes, his face etched with deep wrinkles of joy.