Lu Shiyan has always buried a guess in his heart that he has never told anyone.
He always felt that his sister Lu Xiaoxiao might be a different person inside.
This idea was not out of malice or alienation. On the contrary, it was because he cared too much about this sister and observed her in such detail.
As a professional actor who has been immersed in the entertainment industry for many years and has dealt with all kinds of characters, Lu Shiyan is confident that he is better than most people in his family at distinguishing whether a person's behavior is a manifestation of his true nature or a carefully staged act.
He was extremely convinced that the Lu Xiaoxiao, who was now bright, lively, sometimes cunning, sometimes warm, seemed to have her own light, every smile, every frown, every ounce of agility, was true from the bottom of her heart.
She is not a performer, she is who she is.
But precisely because of this, the sense of separation becomes clearer.
Lu Shiyan also clearly remembers what the "Lu Xiaoxiao" looked like a long time ago - silent, introverted, with a lingering caution and cowardice in his eyes, like a frightened deer, cautiously huddled in his corner, trying to reduce all sense of existence.
It is true that Lu Family has never treated her materially badly, and her food and clothing are of a gold standard, no different from Lu Jiaoyue. But Lu Shiyan understands in her heart that for a long time, Lu Xiaoxiao's status as "adopted daughter" to the Lu Family has always been shrouded in an unspeakable shadow of embarrassment.
Most of his family members, including himself, were not without concern for her.
But this concern is, more or less, mixed with complex projections of another girl - their biological daughter/sister Lu Jiaoyue who is connected by blood but unfortunately lost.
It was an extremely delicate state of mind: I could not help but regard her as some kind of emotional substitute and comfort, but I could always clearly realize that she was not Jiaoyue.
Lu Jiaoyue Yuxue has been cute since she was a child. She has a sweet mouth and can act coquettishly. She is the pistachio of the whole family.
However, the adopted Lu Xiaoxiao is so introverted and sensitive. It seems that he can never really integrate into the family and be close to his family without any barriers like Jiaoyue.
This will inevitably make people inadvertently reveal some... disappointment that even they themselves cannot express.
It's not that anyone is doing evil intentionally.
Lu Xiaoxiao is an innocent child who was involved in this whirlpool of fate without any fault.
But the human heart is made of flesh, and it is not a scale that can be weighed absolutely fairly. Every Lu Family person carries in his heart the longing and guilt for Jiaoyue. Just digesting this huge pain and trying to maintain a normal appearance on the surface has already exhausted his energy.
Under those circumstances, it is really too much to ask for them to pour into an adopted daughter who is taciturn and has an unpleasant temperament the same level of unreserved love as their own flesh and blood.
Even Lu Shiyan himself, in order to stick to his acting career, had a fierce confrontation with his disapproving father, left home for a long time, and was in a state of semi-separation. He had no time to take care of himself, but how much spare time could he spare to care for and care for his younger sister who also lived cautiously under the roof of the Lu Family?
But one thing, Lu Shiyan is absolutely certain: there is a huge difference between the previous Lu Xiaoxiao and the current Lu Xiaoxiao.
That is not a simple change in personality, but a completely different vitality emanating from the core.
He did not believe that a person could undergo such a transformation without experiencing earth-shaking external stimulation. He did not believe that such a dazzling soul today could be the "hidden face" of the girl before.
Then, there seems to be only one most reasonable explanation left - the soul inside has been replaced.
This idea sounds ridiculous, but... since even surreal things like Mind Reading can actually happen, then the theory of "soul exchange" does not seem to be completely impossible.
However, at the family meeting, when mother Song Zhilan vaguely expressed similar doubts, it was Lu Shiyan who stood up first, diverted the topic with a relaxed and natural tone, and deftly resolved the mother's doubts invisible.
The mentality behind this, if you think about it calmly, may be a bit cruel, but it is the tacit consensus of all family members: you know how much they love and cherish this Lu Xiaoxiao!
It was this Lu Xiaoxiao who, with her unique warmth and light, gradually dispelled the haze that had shrouded the family for many years; it was her who reconnected the once-tense emotional ties between family members; it was she who made this home full of joy and laughter again.
Who does it benefit to debunk that suspicion that is not known to be true or false? Apart from possibly destroying the hard-won happiness and peace at the moment, what else can it bring?
Choosing to maintain this "ignorance" together is a tacit understanding of Lu Shiyan... perhaps also the entire Lu Family, and it is also a kind of selfish protection.
Lu Shiyan doesn't care where this new soul comes from.
Now that she has come to this home, called him "Second Brother" and given him unreserved dependence and closeness, then he will care for her as the most beloved sister in his life.
She has proven that she is indeed a family member worthy of their full love, and that is enough.
Only occasionally, in the dead of night, the image of the old Lu Xiaoxiao hiding behind the door, secretly looking at them with a pair of wet eyes full of fear and longing, would appear in Lu Shiyan's mind uncontrollably.
At that time, his heart would always feel like being pricked unexpectedly by a fine needle, causing a dense and clear throbbing pain.
It's not true that he doesn't feel distressed.
Not only is she distressed, but she also often has endless regrets and assumptions in her heart that no one knows about: If only, when she needed warmth and affirmation the most, her family could have given her more patience, more hugs, and more gentle "It's okay, we can take it slow"... Would their endings have been different?
After all... they were the ones who personally chose to take her home and promised to give her a new family.
If... if we could turn back time, if we could do everything over again... how great would it be.
Sometimes fate actually responds to people's deepest desires.
In the early morning of this day, Lu Shiyan woke up with an extremely weird feeling.
The sunlight shines on my face through the gaps in the curtains, but it feels a little strange to the touch.
He opened his eyes, and what he saw was the familiar and long-lost ceiling - the appearance of his bedroom when he was a boy.
Lu Shiyan sat up suddenly and looked down at his hands - although the bones were still clear, they were obviously smaller and had the thinness of a young man.
He hurriedly rushed to the full-length mirror, and what was reflected in the mirror was a face that was still a little green, with sharp features in his brows and eyes, but he was definitely only fifteen or sixteen years old!
Time travel? Rebirth? What on earth is this?
The huge shock was like ice water on top, making Lu Shiyan wake up instantly.
Countless memory fragments poured into his mind, and he quickly grasped the most critical information - the current time! Jiaoyue has not been lost yet! And Xiaoxiao...Xiaoxiao has not been taken home yet!
Huge panic and an indescribable ecstasy surged at the same time. He had no time to think about this incredible situation, and only one thought exploded in his mind: He must find his parents immediately! He must stop Jiaoyue from getting lost! He must... must pick up Xiaoxiao! This time, we must not make the same mistake again!
In addition, if possible, he must confess his feelings to Yu Sangning earlier this time, and never let the 7-year disconnection happen again.
There are too many things to do and too many things that he wants to change. Since God has given him such a great gift, he must take action immediately, now!
Lu Shiyan almost stumbled out of the room and opened the door.
However, the moment the door opened, he froze on the spot.
Across the corridor, the door to my parents' bedroom was also opened at the same time.
Lu Yuan and Song Zhilan stood at the door. Their faces also had lingering sleepiness, but more of them were extremely shocked and unbelievably dazed. Their eyes were trembling and their lips were slightly open, as if they wanted to say something, but no sound came out.
Immediately afterwards, the door to the next door was also pushed open, and Lu Xunli came out. The elder brother, who had always been calm, frowned at this moment, and his face was unprecedentedly solemn and confused.
Even the door to Lu Bochen's room at the end of the corridor opened. He held on to the doorframe, although he didn't say anything, his eyes were anxious.
Without any words, with just one glance, Lu Shiyan could see the same turbulent waves as his own in the eyes of his parents and brothers, as well as those complex eyes that no young person could have.
They... are all back.
The air froze for a few seconds.
Finally, it was Lu Yuan who took a deep breath and broke the dead silence with a slightly trembling voice. "At this time, Jiaoyue is fine... she is still here."
His eyes swept over his wife, several sons, and finally landed on the door of Lu Jiaoyue, filled with a treasure that was lost and found, almost painful.
Song Zhilan's eyes instantly turned red and he nodded vigorously.
Lu Yuan's eyes swept over his family again, and his voice was low, but with an unquestionable determination. "Pack it up, let's... go take Xiaoxiao home."
They didn't communicate much about the current situation, but there was no doubt, no hesitation, and they didn't even need to explain this strange rebirth, because at this moment their goals were unprecedentedly consistent.
The first thing is to ensure the absolute safety of Jiaoyue, and then, they want to take that child back as soon as possible, that child who was inadvertently neglected by them and owed too much warmth.
They want to pour more love, more time, more attention and patience into that sensitive little girl who longs for love without reservation.
This time, she is no longer anyone's substitute.
They want her to truly feel from the first day she steps into this home that this is her home and they are the family she can rely on wholeheartedly.