Chapter 6: Xiao Hao, Long Time No See

After gathering five million, Xu Anhao immediately arranged surgery for her mother. Everything went exceptionally smoothly.

During the post-operative period, she kept vigil in the hospital room, watching her mother gradually recover. The heavy weight in her heart finally lifted.

One afternoon, when her mother seemed more energetic and mentioned craving the soft cakes from the old-established shop at the alley entrance, Xu Anhao tucked her phone into her pocket and headed out.

The phoenix trees at the hospital entrance were shedding leaves, golden fragments spiraling down to land on her shoulders.

Just as she raised a hand to brush them off, a deep, gentle voice suddenly came from behind:

“Xiao Hao, long time no see.”

Those two words were like a forgotten pebble, abruptly tossed into the tranquil lake of Xu Anhao’s heart, stirring up waves upon waves.

Her footsteps halted instantly, her blood seeming to freeze in that moment, even her breath growing labored.

Xiao Hao.

She hadn’t heard that address in eight years.

Memories surged forth like a breached dam, flooding back with overwhelming force.

A hospital error had swapped her life with that of Shen Wenli’s younger sister, Shen Zhixia.

She grew up cherished in the Shen family, living as “Shen Anhao” for twelve years.

Meanwhile, Shen Zhixia endured twelve years of hardship with Xu’s mother in a rented apartment.

When the DNA report was laid bare before them, all the warmth she’d known became “misplaced kindness.”

On the day they exchanged identities, Shen Mu held her tightly, weeping for a long time.

Shen Wenli gripped her hand and said, “Xiao Hao, no matter what, you’ll always be my little sister.”

But in the end, they still left. Taking Shen Zhixia with them, they moved to a distant foreign country.

Leaving Xu Anhao alone in the cramped old house, readjusting to life as “Xu Anhao.”

Xu Anhao slowly turned around, meeting a pair of profound eyes.

It was Shen Wenli.

Now, he stood just three steps away from her taller than she remembered, his jawline sharper, yet the gentleness in his eyes remained exactly as it was in their childhood.

He looked at her, his gaze holding complex emotions: longing, guilt, and a hint of cautious hesitation, as if he was afraid of disturbing something.
Xu Anhao parted her lips, only to find her throat tight, unable to even utter the word “brother.”

She glanced down at the paper bag in her hand, the aroma of soft cakes seeping through the seams, a reminder of her current life.

She wasn’t the carefree youngest daughter of the Shen family anymore, but Xu Anhao the one who had to scrape together five million for her mother’s surgery.

“I just returned to the country. I didn’t expect to run into you here.”

Shen Wenli broke the silence first, his eyes scanning the dark circles under her eyes, concern evident in his tone.

“You’re coming from the hospital, are you unwell?”

Xu Anhao’s voice was soft: “No, my mother just had surgery. It went very successfully.”

“That’s good.” Shen Wenli visibly relaxed, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly, his relief palpable. “I thought…”

He didn’t finish, taking half a step forward before pausing, as if worried about being too forward, and asked quietly,

“How have you been these past few years?”

Xu Anhao lowered her gaze, her eyelashes casting faint shadows beneath her eyes. “I’ve been fine. It’s all in the past now.”

Yes, it was all in the past.

The chaos and embarrassment after the identity swap, the reluctance to leave the Shen family and the unfamiliarity with her biological one all had been worn down by the daily grind into mere memories.

“I have to go now. Mom is waiting for the soft cakes.”

Xu Anhao raised her head, avoiding his gaze, wanting to end this sudden reunion as she turned to leave.

“Xiao Hao!”

Shen Wenli quickly called out to her, his movements urgent as he pulled out his phone,

“Let’s exchange contact information. It would be good to look out for each other in the future.”

Xu Anhao’s steps halted, but she didn’t turn around.

“No need. After we were exchanged back then, we were no longer on the same path. Perhaps we won’t meet again in the future.”

Shen Wenli’s hand holding the phone froze mid-air, the screen displaying the “Add Contact” page, the light in his eyes gradually dimming.

He watched her resolute back, his throat tight. After a moment of silence, he suddenly spoke, his voice soft yet earnest:

“Three days from now is my mother’s birthday.”
Xu Anhao’s back stiffened abruptly.

How could she forget?

Before she turned twelve, every year on Shen Mu’s birthday, she and Shen Wenli would secretly prepare surprises together.

This date had long been engraved in her heart.

Only the rustling of falling plane trees remained in the air.

Xu Anhao remained silent for a long while before finally responding softly: “I know.”

Her footsteps gradually quickened before she departed.

Shen Wenli stood in place, watching her disappear at the end of the plane tree grove, still holding the phone he hadn’t managed to hand over.

He didn’t say that all these years, his mother would always murmur before her birthday, “I wonder how Xiao Hao is doing.”

He didn’t say that the first thing he did after returning to the country was look for her.

He didn’t say that mentioning his mother’s birthday was just an excuse to get her to step through the Shen family’s door again.

The autumn wind rose once more, plane tree leaves falling on his shoulder.

Shen Wenli reached up to brush them off, murmuring softly: “Xiao Hao, I’ll be waiting for you.”