It's been almost a year since I returned to Hangzhou, and Tong Jing walked into the house, facing this familiar room that couldn't be more familiar. He felt a mix of emotions as he put down the small Teddy bear in his arms and looked up to see his mother rushing out from the inner room.

  "Xiao Xuan——" Mama Tong called out to her softly, unable to contain the excitement in her heart. Her precious daughter had finally come back.

  "Mom..." Tong Jing lowered her head, extremely guilty. She knew that she had worried her mother for this period of time, otherwise her mother wouldn't look so haggard.

  "Come back, it's all right! Come back, it's all right!" Madam Tung stepped forward and stroked Tung Jung's face, her eyes brimming with tears. "Here, let Mommy see your hand..."

  Tong Jing stretched out his hand and fiddled with it for a while, "It's all good, just like before!"

  The young mother nodded with relief, "Finally!"

  "By the way, where's Xiao Yao?" Tong Jing suddenly realized that there was only her mother at home, where was Xiao Yao?

  "She went to the tutoring class and will be back soon——" Mama Tong held Tiantian's hand and walked towards the living room, suddenly seeing a fluffy thing, she was startled, "Ah, what is that?"

  Tong Jing let out a "heh" and laughed, "Mom, that's just a tea cup poodle, it's really small, a friend gave it to me—"

  "Oh, it's just a little dog, isn't that too small?" said Mama Tong, picking up the little Teddy and teasing him back and forth. "Xiao Jing, which friend gave this to you? Is it that boy you like?" she asked, turning her head around.

  Tong Jun had never told his family the truth, so when Tong's mother asked him like that, he just went along with it and replied, "Yeah, it was that boy who gave it to me——" He didn't want his mom to know everything he had sacrificed to save his dad.

  "This boy is quite thoughtful, no wonder you like him. However, mom still advises you to make things clear with Bo Yang, hiding from him won't solve anything." Madam Tong said meaningfully while stroking Xiao Teddy's head.

  "I've already made it clear to him, he won't come looking for me again—" Tong Jing said, his tone very light, as if this was a long, long time ago, something that had passed, everything had passed.

  Tong's mother lifted her head, didn't say anything, just patted Tong Jing's shoulder. She always unconditionally supported her daughter, comforted her and gave her strength, because she could see that Tong Jing still had feelings for Bo Yang.

  It wasn't until they were almost done eating that Tong Yao came back, pushing open the door to see Tong Jing standing in front of him. His expression didn't show any excitement, and he gave her a calm glance before walking past her into the house.

  Tong Jing didn't expect Tong Yao's reaction to be so cold, and she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. She turned around, not knowing what to say for the moment, only feeling inexplicably that Tong Yao must have hated her to death.

  Tong Yao returned to his own room, slammed the door shut and didn't come out again. He was just pouting, angry that Tong Jing had abandoned him so ruthlessly, without a word, and gone to America on her own. She had kicked herself out of his life, making him an outsider. That's why he studied every day, crazily studying, just to keep himself from thinking about Tong Jing.

  Tong Jing knocked on the door outside, "Xiao Yao, can you open the door?"

  There was no response, and Tong Yao fell onto the bed, closing his eyes and covering his ears with his hands.

  "Xiao Yao——" Tong Jing called out again, her hand grasping the door handle slipping down, "Are you really blaming sister——"

  Tong's mother patted Tong Jing's shoulder, lowering her voice, "I'll open the door—" She said, taking out a key and opening the door with two or three turns.

  Tong Yao remained lying in bed, deliberately turning over and refusing to look at Tong Jing.

  "You go talk to him---" Mama Teng gently pushed Teng Jiang forward and then closed the door for them.

  Tong Jing walked over and squatted in front of Tong Yao's bed, smoothing out the messy hair on his forehead. "Sorry..." She really felt sorry.

  Tong Yao's shoulders, shrunk and wide, had a childlike simplicity and weakness, his tightly closed eyes hid untold sorrows, only the two clear and thick eyebrows were deeply furrowed, revealing an unyielding stubbornness.

  "You said you'd let your sister handle it, but you're still my most beloved little brother. How could I possibly abandon you——" Tong Jing's fingertips slid to Tong Yao's two clear and thick eyebrows again, and with each slide, her heart skipped a beat.

  The two of them stood there, face to face, breathing in each other's air. Neither of them made a sound. Finally, Tong Yao opened his eyes, parted his lips, and felt his throat tighten, his voice trembling with emotion. "Do you know? The more you talk like that, the more I'm afraid. It feels like you're going to leave me further and further away. Sister, I want to hold onto you. Why is it so hard? Tell me, why is it so hard?"

  Tong Jing's eyes were filled with deep remorse, like a vast ocean. "Xiao Yao, have you ever thought that maybe your feelings for me aren't love, but habit? You've grown accustomed to relying on me, just like a child can't leave their mother's side and needs her protection to grow up slowly. That's why you feel like you can't leave me, but one day you'll grow up, and then you'll realize that you don't need me anymore."

  "You don't have to tell me these things, you can have your own choices, but don't stop me from loving you, just like that, okay?" Tong Yao sat up on the bed, his eyes seriously looking at Tong Jing, knowing clearly that there was a cliff ahead, yet still wanting to jump down without hesitation. Some loves are really hard to let go of.

  "I don't want you to get hurt—" Tong Jing still shook his head.

  "I'm not afraid of getting hurt!" Tong Yao insisted.

  This conversation had no outcome, Tong Jing knew she had nowhere to retreat, Tong Yao also knew he had nowhere to advance, they could only blame the heavens for letting them know each other, this is fate, destined to be intertwined.

  Time is still in decay, and everyone is decaying themselves. Tong Jing put all her energy into reviewing, and her mother even hired many private tutors for her. Tong Yao sometimes gave his test papers to Tong Jing, not for anything else, just wanting to make her happy and satisfy her wish to take the Tsinghua University exam.

  Bo Yang effortlessly became the vice president of the student union and in his sophomore year, he was elected as the president with a 90% vote rate. Who at Tsinghua didn't know Bo Yang? It's almost impossible.

  Gong Shengqing also entered Tsinghua University as an international student that year, and she even applied for the same major as Yang Pu. It was very smooth sailing, and Tsinghua accepted her right away. With connections, what's difficult to handle? You tell me, especially since Gong Shengqing's family has more than enough influence. Every year, Tsinghua receives donations of no less than tens of millions from the Gong family. Do you dare not let Gong Shengqing in?

  Later, everyone knew that this ancestor was rushing towards whom, it was none other than our Commander Yang, Yang Pu was very annoyed, Bai Yang was also very annoyed, he also wanted a follower, right? It was Zhan Le Ha, she still hadn't given up pursuing Bai Yang.