Chapter 128: Moving Forward
Yu Linna accompanied Wu Siyu to the site of the former orphanage, a place demolished years ago, located in a different city. It took a three-hour drive for Yu Linna to return to the city of her childhood.
The streets were unrecognizable, now lined with towering commercial buildings, a stark contrast to the old, worn-down streets of her memory, reminiscent of Beijing’s ancient hutongs. The familiar landscape had been replaced by a bustling commercial district.
She remembered the orphanage at the end of the street, a small building housing at most a hundred children. Wu Siyu had been the director.
Yu Linna had lived there for about three months before the government demolished it, leaving Wu Siyu jobless. Though there had been some compensation, it was Yu Linna who suffered the most. While other children found adoptive families, she remained unwanted. Her mixed-race appearance was a disadvantage; few wanted to adopt a child of mixed heritage.
Yu Linna then began her nomadic life, moving between at least twelve foster families each year, lucky if she could stay in the same school for a full year.
At ten, she declared her independence, moving out to live alone, with only a nominal guardian. Eight years had passed, and she had grown up, the world around her changing drastically.
“That’s where the orphanage used to be. Now, it’s a commercial building.”
Wu Siyu pointed to a towering skyscraper, now a popular entertainment hub, its exterior plastered with advertisements. The entrance was crowded with smiling people, a group of girls chatting and laughing as they entered.
“It’s changed so much.”
Seeing the transformation of her former home, Yu Linna felt a wave of nostalgia.
Time flew by; over a decade had passed in the blink of an eye.
The orphanage was gone, and she had moved on, but she still hadn’t found her place in the world.
Wu Siyu didn’t know who or where her parents were. If the police couldn’t find them, how could she?
But it was true that she had been bought from human traffickers. Whether she had been kidnapped or sold, she didn’t know.
Life was easier without attachments, without ties. But attachments, once formed, brought pain.
That was Yu Linna’s burden.
She didn’t know who her biological parents were, but she couldn’t help but feel a connection to them.
Even if they were dead, she wanted to know their names.
Even if they had sold her, she wanted to know their names.
That was all she wanted.
But it was a wish that might never be fulfilled. In a world of billions, finding her blood relatives was almost impossible.
I want to know where I came from. I want to know if they loved me.
The thought brought tears to Yu Linna’s eyes.
Wu Siyu’s words had only deepened her sorrow. She didn’t know how she had ended up in this situation. According to Aunt Wu, she had been passed around by numerous traffickers, the origin lost, making it almost impossible to trace her roots.
“Nana… let’s go back.”
Seeing her distress, Wu Siyu felt a pang of sympathy. She was still the same crybaby, always worrying her.
She knew Yu Linna was yearning for her family. Having grown up with nothing, this news about her past had stirred something within her. She had always longed for family. Unfortunately, due to the passage of time, the police couldn’t trace the original sellers, making it impossible to find any information about her parents.
Finding one’s biological family in this vast world was incredibly difficult.
Almost impossible.
For Yu Linna, finding her parents was a near-impossible dream.
Even with her DNA on file with the police, if her parents weren’t looking for her, it was useless.
And she didn’t even know if they had abandoned her or if they had been unable to protect her, leading to her being sold.
Regardless, human traffickers were the most despicable of people.
Taking the tissue Wu Siyu offered, Yu Linna wiped her tears, looking at the street, her heart gradually calming. The longing, the loneliness, began to dissipate.
Wu Siyu, worried about her, suggested they stay in the city for a couple of days, giving Yu Linna time to process everything. Yu Linna, wanting to revisit her childhood city, agreed.
That evening, they stayed at a hotel, and Wu Siyu took her on a tour of the city. She felt that Yu Linna had missed out on so much, unlike herself, who had a family, a husband, and a daughter. Yu Linna had always been alone, from the moment they met, over a decade ago, to this day.
Wu Siyu’s heart ached for her, showering her with kindness, buying her anything she wanted.
The next day, Yu Linna’s mood had lifted considerably. She revisited the site of the former orphanage, this time alone.
Standing there, gazing at the commercial building that had replaced her childhood home, she felt a wave of nostalgia. The past couldn’t be changed. She could only stand here, looking at this place where she once belonged.
“Isn’t that little Nana? Are you here on vacation?”
A familiar voice called from behind. Yu Linna turned and saw a woman wearing a gray cotton jacket and small leather shoes. Though time had left its mark on her face, she was still elegant.
“Auntie…”
“It really is little Nana! What are you doing here? Are you with friends?”
It was Zhang Jing, Nangong Ying’s mother.
If Zhang Jing was here, that meant Nangong Ying… Yu Linna turned, and sure enough, there she was, standing behind her mother, an expression of surprise on her face. She hadn’t expected to run into Yu Linna here.
The former best friends stared at each other, neither speaking.
“Xiaoying, what are you doing? Go on, aren’t you two close? Why are you just standing there?”
Zhang Jing was unaware of what had happened between her daughter and Yu Linna.
Only Nangong Ying, Yu Linna, and Ye Zhiyun knew about the betrayal, the near-assault. No one had spoken about it; naturally, no one else knew.
If Zhang Jing knew, she would be devastated.
“Mom, I want to talk to her alone.”
“I understand. You two have fun. I’ll go find your father.”
Zhang Jing tactfully gave them space, assuming they wanted some privacy to catch up.
How could she have known?
If she knew, she wouldn’t have done that.
“Linna…”
Finally alone, Nangong Ying couldn’t help but utter her name.
Her voice was filled with guilt, sorrow, and a hint of longing.
“What are you doing here?” Yu Linna asked, her tone much calmer.
“I’m here with my parents. You’re not here on vacation, are you?”
“…This… This is where the orphanage I used to live in used to be. I came back to have a look.”
She pointed to the commercial building behind her.
Yu Linna had told her about living in an orphanage for three months; Nangong Ying remembered. Looking at the building, she thought, So this is where Linna used to live.
“Nangong, do you really… have nothing to say to me?”
“…”
“Why?”
She asked again.
She had always wanted to understand Nangong Ying’s reasoning. What kind of dream was worth betraying your best friend? What kind of dream could drive someone to such lengths?
She truly couldn’t understand.
“Linna… I… It was my dream.”
“So, you sold me out, right?”
“…Yes.”
Nangong Ying finally admitted it.
She knew what she had done.
There was no turning back. When she made that decision, she hadn’t expected forgiveness.
“Nangong, I trusted you so much, and you did this to me…”
Though Yu Linna’s voice was calm, her head was bowed, her hands clenched tightly.
Sold as a child, passed around from one person to another, she had thought growing up would free her from that fate. But she had been sold again, just in a different way.
Nangong Ying didn’t reply, turning to leave, unwilling to offer any explanation. She was avoiding Yu Linna, unable to face her.
“Nangong! Did I mean nothing to you? How could you be so cruel?!”
Nangong Ying stopped, her back to Yu Linna.
“Linna, you don’t understand how difficult it is to achieve a dream. You don’t have parents; you don’t understand the yearning for recognition, for belonging. You don’t understand, not having had anything from the start. You can’t possibly understand.”
“So, that justifies what you did?! Have you forgotten? I was your friend!”
Tears streamed down Yu Linna’s face, her heart aching. Being treated this way by Nangong Ying, dismissed so casually, it hurt.
“Fine, you say I don’t understand, that I don’t have dreams. Fine! I’ll show you! I’ll show you, Nangong! I promise I will! I promise…”
She cried, she shouted, oblivious to the passersby. Though tears streamed down her face, her resolve hardened.
Nangong Ying didn’t reply, continuing on her path, disappearing from sight.
“I’m sorry, Linna. I know you’ll never forgive me.”
Her words were meaningless now, too late to mend what was broken.
Their paths had diverged; there was no chance of reconciliation.
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