Eighteen years later.
The Kong Family Manor.
"Clan Leader Su, you haven't stepped out of the manor for seven or eight years now, have you? Aren't you curious to see what the outside world has become?"
Listening to Zhou Li's boisterous voice coming through the receiver, Su Yan couldn't help but laugh.
"Clan Leader Zhou, I simply haven't left the manor; it's not as if I've been isolated from the world. I am very well aware of what's happening outside."
They were both people of a certain age, and both were clan leaders; how could he still be so young and reckless?
"I don't care! This is my wedding day, you absolutely must come and attend!" Zhou Li commanded bossily over the phone.
He didn't believe for a second that Su Yan would be able to find an excuse to refuse this time.
Ever since Su Yan decided to take over the Kong family fifteen years ago, her entire heart had been devoted to them. Especially in recent years, it had become increasingly difficult to catch a glimpse of her.
"Don't worry, of course I will attend your big day," Su Yan gave a definitive answer.
As one of her few friends, how could she miss it?
Only then was Zhou Li satisfied. He rambled on for quite a while longer before hanging up the phone reluctantly.
Su Yan walked out of the main hall and looked toward the training grounds under the glow of the setting sun. A group of Kong family youths were training with talismans, full of vitality.
Such a beautiful scene felt as if she had seen it long ago.
"Clan Leader, you called for me?"
Kong Xiang's beard had already turned gray, but his imposing aura remained undiminished.
"Uncle Kong, Zhou Li is getting married. I'm going to attend his wedding."
"Clan Leader Zhou is quite a late bloomer when it comes to marriage," Kong Xiang couldn't help but sigh.
Zhou Li and Su Yan were the same age, both thirty-seven. Getting married at this age was indeed considered quite late.
"Shall I accompany you, Clan Leader?"
"No need. Let Gan Hua accompany me. I'll leave the manor in your care, Uncle Kong," Su Yan instructed simply. With Kong Xiang staying at the manor, she was naturally at ease.
"Very well. Clan Leader, you could also take this opportunity to wander around the outside more. Development is moving very fast these days," Kong Xiang suggested sincerely.
Although thirty-seven-year-old Su Yan looked no different from how she did eighteen years ago, Kong Xiang knew that she had kept her heart closed off all this time.
Su Yan offered no comment.
One week later.
Su Yan appeared at Zhou Li's wedding, and it was also the first time she saw Zhou Li's bride.
The bride was just an ordinary person, in her twenties, with a face full of innocent radiance when she smiled.
Standing beside Su Yan, Gan Hua couldn't help but steal a few extra glances at the bride.
It definitely wasn't his imagination; from a certain angle, the bride actually bore a two or three percent resemblance to Su Yan.
From beginning to end, Zhou Li's face was brimming with happy smiles. Su Yan knew he had found true love.
This was the happiest kind of life.
"Su Yan, look, I'm already married. You should hurry up and find someone suitable to marry as well. Otherwise, once you grow old and lose your luster, there really won't be anyone left to want you."
Perhaps only Zhou Li would dare to tease Su Yan like this.
Su Yan gave him a faint, sidelong glance. "Why must I marry? Besides, in this world, I doubt there is actually a man stronger than me."
Zhou Li was amused by her words, though he knew full well it was because she hadn't truly let go in her heart.
However, he quickly suppressed his playful demeanor and turned serious.
"People like us naturally have longer lifespans than ordinary people. You might not feel it now, but in a few decades, you will surely wish to have a companion by your side."
"I understand what you mean, but I truly have no thoughts in that direction right now," Su Yan replied very seriously.
"It's not that you have no thoughts, it's just that you haven't met the person you truly like," Zhou Li corrected her.
Su Yan had no intention of continuing the topic.
"Su Yan, I have to attend to the guests in a moment, so I won't have time to look after you. If you feel bored, go to the back garden. Many peonies were planted in the garden this year, and it's currently their blooming season. They are quite beautiful."
After his instructions, Zhou Li returned to the bride's side.
Su Yan sat in the noisy hall for a while, and then she truly walked out.
Over the years, she had grown accustomed to being alone; such occasions only felt irritating to her.
Gan Hua originally wanted to follow her, but he was stopped by Zhou Li, who suddenly appeared beside him.
"Senior Brother Gan, let her go for a walk."
For some reason, Gan Hua felt as if Zhou Li's words carried a hidden meaning.
A gentle night breeze blew.
As soon as Su Yan reached the back garden, she caught the scent of flowers. Following the fragrance, she was met with a sight of lush, blooming clusters.
The Zhou family was incredibly wealthy; as long as they liked something, they could find any precious flower.
However, this garden remained exactly as it had been eighteen years ago, without the slightest change.
Su Yan went to a pavilion and sat down, immersing herself in this sea of flowers.
"Excuse me, may I sit here?"
A young man's inquiry suddenly sounded from behind her.
The voice was completely unfamiliar, and Su Yan's gaze remained fixed on the flowers.
"Please do."
This wasn't her place, so anyone was welcome to sit.
It was just that this peace was destined to be interrupted by the newcomer.
"Sister, do you like peonies?"
The youth seemed very interested in the flowers Su Yan was looking at and actually took the initiative to strike up a conversation.
Su Yan did not like talking much with strangers and prepared to leave by withdrawing her gaze.
But when her eyes swept over the youth standing before her, her breath hitched, and the blood throughout her body seemed to boil.
The youth looked to be about seventeen or eighteen, but that face was one Su Yan could never forget in her entire life.
She was completely unable to make a sound, yet tears fell uncontrollably.
Is it you?
Is it really you?
Gu Yang!
You didn't lie to me; we have finally met again.
***
Afterword.
From the moment Wu Xiao was born, he was different from other children.
He remembered clearly who he was and how he had died. And in his heart, there was only one single thought: to grow up quickly and see that girl whom he would rather die than forget.
Year after year.
From babbling and toddling to entering primary school and middle school.
Not a single moment passed where he didn't hope that time could move faster, and faster still.
Until this year, his eighteenth year, as he looked at this incredibly familiar face in the mirror. He was still him, but he was also no longer him.
But no matter how much he changed, his heart had never changed.
The moment he saw Zhou Li, Zhou Li was shocked.
And his purpose for coming was the desperate urge to see that person.
When he saw that slender and familiar figure in the pavilion, he nearly burst into tears.
He had fantasized about this scene countless times; now that the dream was realized, he couldn't help but feel afraid.
Heaven knows how much strength it took for him to finally walk into the pavilion and reach her side.
As their eyes met, all the sacrifice, torment, and waiting were worth it.
Yan Yan, I have finally found you.
The End.