Stars In His Eyes
Chapter 1072: Value 2

Chapter 1072: Chapter 1072: Value 2

Seeing the intense emotional turmoil in He Zhilan, He Teng quickly took over the phone. After hastily instructing He Father not to mention the matter to anyone, he brought the still-crying He Zhilan back to their room at the inn.

With no emotion on his face, He Teng stared at the tear-stained He Zhilan, feeling nothing but pain for her.

"Brother, why do they think they can just claim me whenever they want? I’ve searched for them for thirteen years. If they truly cared for me, truly loved me, truly missed me—then what were they doing during these thirteen years?" He Zhilan couldn’t even find the words to describe her soul-crushing pain.

She hated Gu En, who, even from prison, had turned her life into a chaotic mess, forcing her to live like a fugitive—escaping from her home, fleeing her familiar surroundings.

But she hated the Gu Family and the Lan Family even more. After causing her so much pain, how could they still go back to her hometown to dig up these truths?

Shouldn’t the Gu Family and the Lan Family hate the very fact that she’s Gu Zhilan even more than she does?

He Teng didn’t know how to comfort He Zhilan. Back then, He Zhilan desperately yearned to find her parents, but after all these years, her longing turned into profound hatred for them.

In the end, the root of all this hatred lay in just one word—love.

But love had become unbearable. After accumulating so many scars, all the love had been completely buried under hatred.

He Teng held the helpless and lost He Zhilan close to him, as this was the only way he could provide comfort. Through his embrace, he wanted to tell her that no matter what choices she made, she was not alone; he had always been her anchor.

He Zhilan finally fell asleep in He Teng’s arms, worn out from crying. Even in her sleep, tears lingered on her face, and her hands tightly clung to his clothes, a clear sign of the deep insecurity within her.

After placing her on the bed, He Teng got up to dampen a towel and gently wiped her face before lying down beside her.

He Teng thought, if, back when he first joined the army, he hadn’t been so silent and withdrawn—if he had spoken to his comrade Lan Li about his life—told Lan Li that his father had brought home a six-year-old girl named Zhilan as his child bride, would Lan Li have realized then that He Zhilan was actually Gu Zhilan? Would Lan Li have taken He Zhilan from the He Family and brought her back to the Gu Family?

If, fifteen years ago, he had let Lan Li know, and Lan Li had brought He Zhilan back to the Gu Family, then everything that followed wouldn’t have happened. He Zhilan would have grown up as Gu Zhilan, carefree and sheltered, surrounded by the love and protection of the Gu and Lan Families.

She would have become just like Gu En—a Little Princess of the capital, admired by all. She’d wear the finest clothes, eat the best food, and live in the most beautiful mansions.

But if that had happened, Gu Zhilan would never have been his He Teng’s wife.

He Teng wondered, if the cost of her returning to the Gu Family was that she wouldn’t belong to him, would he still make that choice?

He thought about it and decided, the answer must be yes.

Because nothing matters more than her being safe and happy.

The next morning, He Zhilan woke up. Her demeanor had distinctly quieted compared to before. Though she was awake, she didn’t speak, and simply lay silently beside He Teng, staring at the ceiling with an unreadable expression.

"If you’re awake, go freshen up. We can spend the day exploring here, and take the train tomorrow. In two or three days, we should arrive. After that, we’ll have to switch to a bus, and then Niu Rang’s fiancée Xiaojia will come pick us up in town," He Teng said. Then, he changed his mind. "Actually, let’s rest at the inn for another day. Otherwise, rushing around will wear you out."

Every word of his was laced with concern.