Fortunately, Gu Yunting didn't recognize her now. Even if he felt she was familiar, what of it? She just had to pretend not to know him.
With that thought settled, Ye Wan felt much more at ease.
Ju Zuo, the orange cat, kept shaking its tail as it followed her. For the first time, Ye Wan reached out and stroked its large, fluffy head. Ju Zuo was so touched it felt like it was about to cry, constantly rubbing its massive head against Ye Wan's hand, wishing it could just meld into her palm.
Ye Wan also felt a pang of emotion. After all these years away, she missed it too. At first, she hadn't felt much, but sometimes, the longer the time passed, the more pronounced the feeling became. The longing for certain people, events, and things would ache in her chest.
When Ye Wan went downstairs, breakfast was already prepared. Gu Yunting was waiting for her in the dining room. The moment she came down, his gaze never left her.
Ye Wan sat down, picked up her chopsticks, and started eating. The food was likely prepared by Sun Ma, all her favorites from before. Ju Zuo, like a dedicated guardian, squatted beside her and then slowly lay down.
"What's your name?" Gu Yunting asked, looking at her.
"How interesting. You don't even know my name, yet you abducted me and locked me up here. Are you a bandit?" Ye Wan gave a cold smile.
"Because I know you're mine!" Gu Yunting was as possessive as ever.
"Pfft, I belong to myself!" Ye Wan said, then continued eating. From then on, no matter what Gu Yunting said, she refused to respond.
"Are you really married? Are you lying to me?"
"If you are married, then divorce him."
"In any case, I will never let you leave again."
"I know I know you, but why can't I remember you?"
...
Gu Yunting's voice started out loud, but gradually became softer, and he himself grew more confused. She was so important to him, why couldn't he remember her?
Ye Wan pretended not to hear. She had truly given up on him.
After breakfast, Ye Wan went to the living room to watch television. Ju Zuo again moved to her feet to keep her company, sprawling at her feet like a loyal servant.
Gu Yunting made another call to Jin Lan. Jin Lan was in a terrible mood; he couldn't find Jiang Yan, who was deliberately avoiding him.
Upon hearing that Ye Wan had returned, his mood had soared, but the next second, he was plunged into hell by his older sister. The drastic shift from heaven to hell left him mentally and physically exhausted.
"What's her name?" Gu Yunting asked.
"Ye Wan. You and she grew up together, childhood sweethearts," Jin Lan explained.
"Ye Wan... Ye Wan..." Gu Yunting softly repeated the name. His head suddenly exploded. The flood of images in his mind became increasingly clear, and the face of that girl finally appeared.
A little girl entered the house with a woman. The little girl was incredibly beautiful. He stood upstairs, watching her, almost mesmerized. The girl seemed shy and kept trying to hide behind her mother.
Then came scenes of him holding the girl and telling her stories, with a dog and a cat nearby. Sunlight fell on them, making the scene dazzlingly beautiful.
The scene suddenly shifted. The girl was crying, begging him to eat. In anger, he flipped the bowl and even bit her. The little girl was so frightened that she cried hysterically.
The subsequent memories were all bad ones: him forcing himself on her, forcing her to kneel in the rain, her falling gravely ill and almost dying, her being pushed to the brink of wanting to escape through death... Later, he married her against her wishes, and then divorced her on his own accord... Later... later...