It was as if rain had fallen on her head. This rain, neither slow nor hurried, was a silent drizzle that wet her heart as it silently sprinkled upon it. What she heard beside her ears, apart from the wind of late autumn, was his muffled, fragile voice, sounding like whining, pleading for comforting or as if he was enduring alone, trying to get through these emotions, strained, gruff, and heartbreakingly choked. Liang Zhichen stood not far away, with just over ten meters separating them. He gazed intently ahead... Having heard Shujun’s reply, Baobao rushed over following the sound. She sped through the woods, and in that moment, in Baobao’s world, aside from Third Brother, she could see no one else, hear no one else, and pay attention to nothing else. He followed behind Dong Huiying, carefully protecting her, fearing that she would bump into something. When she saw Shujun, she threw herself at him. Did she understand what this action meant? She said she didn’t comprehend love, didn’t understand the feeling of affection, all her actions were from instinct. Driven by instinct, she tackled Third Brother to the ground, burying her head in his embrace, while Third Brother hugged her tightly in return. Liang Zhichen suddenly felt as if he had become an outsider. He wanted to curl his lips into a smile, at least they had found the person, and his heart was settled, no need to worry anymore. But his stiff lips, as if weighed down by a heavy weight, he just... couldn’t smile. "Third Brother!" Yue Ning hurried over, with Zhi Chen’s back to his younger brother. As his younger brother was about to rush forward, Zhi Chen stretched out his long arm and abruptly stopped him. Yue Ning paused, barely managing to halt his steps. Then, he stared in a daze at the couple tightly embracing each other ahead. "Baobao, Third Brother..." Haoming carried Shu Yu over, with Yixuan, their sixth brother, beside him. Like Yue Ning, they, too, were stopped by their eldest brother. They stared blankly ahead, seeing Shujun, like a child, his face buried in Dong Huiying’s long hair. Shujun sobbed. He was dirty like a beggar, much thinner than they remembered, almost unrecognizable, like skin and bones, haggard and ravaged with a heartbreaking grimness. The skin which was once fair was now rough from days in the wilderness exposed to wind and sun, no longer visible with its former delicacy. Shu Yu slid down from Haoming’s back, then saw Zhi Chen’s brooding gaze, the Fourth Brother with his head down, the Fifth Brother pressing his lips together, and the Sixth Brother who appeared bitter... He then looked towards where Shujun was, revealing a joyful and pleased smile from the bottom of his heart. How wonderful, Shujun was still alive, that was good enough. Only after a long while did Shujun gather his emotions; he sat up holding Dong Huiying, still keeping her tightly locked in his embrace, reluctant to let go. It was only then that Dong Huiying got a clear view of his appearance. She gently stroked his face. He had lost so much weight, his eyes had no focus, he could not see her. Her eyes grew sore, her heart suddenly clenched in pain, and then, she managed to smile faintly, pulling Shujun to stand up. "Baobao?" He sounded very anxious, as if he feared she might disappear. She responded softly, "I’m here." Shujun’s lips blossomed into a smile, "You’re here, that’s good, that’s good..." He feared it was a dream, feared it was all an illusion, but even if it was an illusion, he wanted to immerse himself in it. "Let’s go, watch your step," she supported Shujun’s arm, looking forward to the various expressions on the faces of Zhi Chen and the others, feeling somewhat shy and somewhat guilty.
