Andrew Brooks crushed out the glowing cigarette butt, slowly turned around, and gazed through the amber glass door at the enchanting woman before him. His heart surged with emotion, his eyes reddened, and two sparkling tears silently slid down his cheeks.

　　To Emily Summers, this was nothing more than a reunion after ten days apart, but for Andrew Brooks, it was the end of an eleven-year-long torment of the soul.

　　Eleven years ago to the day in his previous life, he had forced himself to visit the The Summers Family as agreed, only to leave in humiliation under the bone-deep contempt and dismissive words of Emily Summers's parents, ignoring Emily Summers's desperate cries and never looking back. After that, he cut off all contact with Emily Summers. Heartbroken, Emily Summers left for country M to study abroad, where she developed depression and, three years later, jumped to her death—leaving an unhealable scar on Andrew Brooks's heart.

　　He, too, was left in unbearable pain and regret, closing off his heart to emotion, and remained alone until he died in a fire.

　　“Emily.” Andrew Brooks pushed open the door with trembling hands and softly called out.

　　As if she could sense the turmoil and sorrow in Andrew Brooks's heart, as if emotion had transcended time and space to connect the partings of past and present lives, Emily Summers shuddered. That trembling and dread from the depths of her soul frightened her. The joy she had felt moments before vanished, replaced by anxiety and gloom.

　　“Little Andrew!” Tears welled up on Emily Summers's beautiful face. She threw herself into his arms without hesitation, wrapping her arms tightly around Andrew Brooks's waist, inexplicably bursting into tears, leaving the security guard watching from inside the door utterly stunned.

　　What was going on? They had seemed fine just a moment ago—why were they crying as if parting forever the moment they met? But now the security guard finally understood: these two were lovers.

　　This guy is the boyfriend of the deputy mayor's daughter! The security guard looked at Andrew Brooks's slightly trembling back with envy, even a touch of jealousy. He took a deep drag on his cigarette, then tossed the half-smoked butt and stomped it out hard.

　　……

　　……

　　The two walked hand in hand into the residential complex.

　　The weather was sweltering, but Andrew Brooks felt Emily Summers's small hand was icy cold.

　　After a few steps, Emily Summers suddenly stopped, lifted her tear-stained, lovely face, and said seriously in a low voice, “Little Andrew, you love me, not my parents. Likewise, I love you, not your family. I asked you here today because I want to come clean with my parents... Little Andrew, you must promise me, no matter what they say, you can't get angry, you can't...”

　　Emily Summers repeated “you can't” several times in a row.

　　Andrew Brooks sighed inwardly. Noah Summers was one thing, but the scornful ridicule from Emily Summers's mother, Ethan Stone, that day had pierced his sensitive and proud heart like a venomous snake—something he had never forgotten. But after more than a decade, he was no longer that naive, inexperienced college student. Now, with a heart seasoned by the world, reborn to this moment, how could he let a moment's impulse ruin this relationship again?

　　“Emily, don't worry.” Andrew Brooks gently wiped away the tears at the corner of Emily Summers's eyes and said solemnly in a low voice, “No matter what, Emily, we will always be together!”

　　……

　　……

　　The stairwell was spotless. As they walked up to the second floor, they were greeted by the newly popular maroon, sealed security door from Panpan. As Emily Summers opened the door, Andrew Brooks could almost picture Ethan Stone's aristocratic face peering down at him through the peephole.

　　Back then, he had felt only loathing; now, it was just a faint sense of melancholy.

　　They entered, and the scenes of the past replayed one by one.

　　The spacious living room, the red leather sofa, the tempered glass coffee table still holding a plastic fruit tray full of yellow bananas, and facing them, the imported 29-inch Sony color TV from Japan.

　　Everything was the same, yet everything had changed.

　　Noah Summers still sat on the sofa, looking at him coldly, holding a newspaper in his hand, pretending to read, with a half-smile, half-sneer—the kind of formulaic politician's expression Andrew Brooks had long grown used to.

　　Ethan Stone looked Andrew Brooks up and down—the tall young man in a round-necked white cotton T-shirt, light blue jeans, and cheap sneakers—her eyes filled with the same contempt as always.

　　By rights, in terms of looks and education, Andrew Brooks was outstanding among young people. But Ethan Stone simply couldn't accept that her precious only daughter had found a boyfriend from a petty, single-parent family. If not for Emily Summers's pleading, she wouldn't have even bothered to meet Andrew Brooks.

　　Emily Summers shot Andrew Brooks a look.

　　Andrew Brooks gave a bitter smile in his heart, but outwardly maintained a calm smile, bowed slightly, and greeted, “Hello, Uncle, Auntie.”

　　Noah Summers remained unmoved, the corner of his mouth twitching.

　　Ethan Stone, on the other hand, sneered and said coldly, “What's your name? Who's in your family? What do your parents do for a living?”

　　These aggressive questions had once made Andrew Brooks feel embarrassed and ashamed. He had no father; from birth, it had been just him and his mother. Only as he grew older did he gradually understand that he was the kind of illegitimate child everyone looked down on—a fatherless wild child.