Chapter 153: I Thought Staying Far Away Enough Meant We Would Never Meet Again

To be honest, over the past four years, it had been a very, very long time since she last thought of him...

Perhaps she had been numbed by work...

Or perhaps she had been healed by time...

Now, all she could think about was throwing herself into work, repaying Qiao Yu for his care towards her and the babies over the years, and thereby finding some peace of mind.

She had always known his feelings for her.

However, she was no longer that naive, easily-moved young girl who had just stepped into the university campus.

Now at twenty-six, when it came to matters of the heart, she could not give him the outcome he desired. Therefore, in every other aspect, she had to try doubly hard.

After buying the groceries and returning to the residential complex, Shi Runrun took the elevator upstairs, only to realize, while carrying two bags of vegetables, that she had forgotten her keys!

Left with no choice, she leaned against her security door, patted it, and called out, "Weilai, Fengfeng, Yiyi, hurry and open the door for Mommy. Mommy forgot her keys."

Before long, a cute, babyish little boy's voice sounded from inside.

"Shi Runrun! This is the tenth time this month you've forgotten your keys when going out! Do you know that I'm still not tall enough to reach the doorknob?!"

Outside the door, Shi Runrun offered a helpless, sheepish smile.

Uhm... Was it really that many times?

Why didn't she remember?

Inside the apartment, little Shi Weilai had dragged a small stool over, placed it by the door, and then stepped onto it, standing on tiptoe as he used his chubby little hands to struggle with turning the doorknob.

This was indeed quite difficult for a four-year-old child.

Finally, with a click, the door swung open.

Shi Runrun gently pushed the door open and stepped inside. Glancing at her older son standing by the entryway and her younger son playing with a toy cartoon car on the living room carpet, she asked with lingering confusion, "Little Shi Weilai, where is your sister?"

Little Shi Weilai walked over, took the two bags of groceries from his mommy's hands, cast a glance with his dark, bright eyes, and said, "Little sister? Grandma Wang from next door took her out to play..."

Before his voice had even faded, the hurried breathing of Grandma Wang, who lived right across the hall, was heard from outside the door.

"Yiyan's mom! Hurry up and come out with me! I've lost Yiyan!"

"What?!"

Shi Runrun's pretty face turned instantly pale with panic!

Meanwhile, down at the plaza.

By the flower bed, little Shi Yiyan—who was just about as tall as the flower bed itself—stood holding a princess doll, blinking her bright, dark eyes in puzzlement.

"Huh, how come Grandma Wang disappeared..."

Oh dear, she was lost.

There were many people coming and going, but little Shi Yiyan didn't know the way home, so she could only stand there, blinking her large eyes wide.

Mommy had told her that if she ever got lost outside, she must never run around blindly and must stay right where she was, waiting for the adults to come find her.

She listened to Mommy and wouldn't run around.

However, the next second, a very, very tall man appeared before her, staring straight at her with his mouth dropping open into a large, gaping "O" shape.

By the flower bed, the large and the small figures gazed at each other. The larger one's eyes were filled with shock, while the smaller one's eyes were full of puzzlement.

"L-Little... little one... what's your name..."

Ji Yunan widened his eyes, finally snapping back to his senses, his handsome face twitching tightly.

He couldn't believe that two people in this world could look so alike!

They looked far too much alike!

No!

They were practically identical!

If there was any difference, it was simply that one was the magnified version and the other the miniature version!

Little Shi Yiyan was slightly frightened by the strange uncle in front of her. Not daring to answer his question, her tiny body trembled as she instinctively shuffled a few steps away toward the flower bed.

As a result, losing her footing, her little foot caught on a stone, and she almost stumbled right into the flower bed.

Fortunately, Ji Yunan was quick-witted and agile; he immediately bent down and caught her.

"Little one, tell big brother, what's your name, and who are your mommy and daddy?"

Little Shi Yiyan shook her head and said earnestly, "No! Mommy told me I mustn't talk to strangers! Besides, you look so old, you're not a big brother, you're an uncle!"

Ji Yunan: "..."

Fine. As far as he remembered, little sister-in-law's tongue wasn't quite this sharp.

Him? Old?!

Where on earth was he old?!

In his early thirties, at the prime of his youth, this was clearly a man's best years, wasn't it?!

Even though he was already taken, whenever he walked outside like this, countless women still checked him out!

Ji Yunan wanted to ask more, but at that moment, the phone in his pocket rang.

He answered it.

"Xuezheng? Alright, I know, I'll be right back, but let me tell you, you'll never guess who I just ran into on the street—Hello?!"

Damn it, he hung up.

Ji Yunan put away his phone, muttered a curse under his breath, and then bent down, smiling coaxingly at little Shi Yiyan. "Wait here for uncle for a moment, okay? Uncle will go buy you some candy. Will you wait here for uncle?"

With that, Ji Yunan turned and hurried away from the scene in a rush.

Leaving little Shi Yiyan staring at his retreating figure with a puzzled expression as she softly muttered, "What a truly weird strange uncle!"

Right at that moment, Shi Runrun's voice echoed from behind her!

Hearing it, little Shi Yiyan's small face instantly blossomed into a smile as she scampered toward the direction of the voice!

"Mommy!"

Catching sight of little Shi Yiyan emerging from the edge of the flower bed, Shi Runrun was so anxious tears nearly fell. She rushed forward, grabbed the child, and pulled her straight into her arms!

"Shi Yiyan! Do you want to scare Mommy to death?! How could you just run around like that?! Thank goodness you're okay!"

Grandma Wang, standing nearby, also panted heavily and said apologetically, "Thank goodness she's alright. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to bear the responsibility!"

Shi Yiyan blinked her eyes and began explaining to her mommy, "No, Mommy, I got lost just now, and then I met a strange uncle. He told me to stand right here and wait for him, and said he'd come find me later."

"A strange uncle?"

Shi Runrun frowned.

"Yeah, Mommy! When he saw me, his eyes went wide and his mouth opened real big, and he even asked who my mommy and daddy were. Mommy, do you think he knows you?"

Shi Runrun stood up and scanned her surroundings, but saw no familiar faces.

Suddenly, her daughter's last sentence struck her, and her expression shifted slightly.

Could the strange uncle in Yanyan's description be... him...?

For a fleeting second, Shi Runrun plunged into sheer panic. Lowering her gaze to look at her precious daughter's face—which was an exact replica of her own—her heart skipped violently, and her breathing hitched.

"Quick! We're going home!"

Without a moment to spare for deeper thought, and not daring to think any further, she took her daughter's hand and hurried back.

"Uh, Mommy, but that strange uncle told me to wait for him..."

Led along by the hand, little Shi Yiyan spoke as they walked.

Quickening her pace, Shi Runrun replied, "You even called him a strange uncle yourself, what if he tricks you and sells you off?! Hurry up and come home with me!"

Back inside the apartment, Shi Runrun didn't even care about cooking; she hurried straight into the bathroom.

She splashed cold water on her face, then raised her head to stare at her own reflection in the mirror, sinking into deep thought.

Her heart was beating frantically, and her temples throbbed fiercely.

She carefully replayed every word Yanyan had just said...

Who could that strange uncle her daughter mentioned possibly be...?

Could it really be him...?

No... impossible. He was far away in Beijing; how could he possibly come to S City?!

Yet... yet in the past four years, nothing as bizarre as tonight's incident had ever happened...

She had thought that as long as she stayed far enough away, she would never cross paths with him again...

Shi Runrun had never imagined what kind of scene it would be if she were to reunite with him one day.

She couldn't picture that scene. She was fragile, and she was cowardly; she couldn't bear to face him...

Yet, if the person Yanyan saw wasn't him, then who on earth was it?

Terror gripped Shi Runrun's heart—she was terrified that he would discover the babies, terrified that he would come and snatch her children away from her...