Year After Year, Returning Home

On a bone-chilling rainy night, the young elite athlete Luo Sinian witnessed the darkest moment of his life. His closest friend, Brother Tong, who had been both mentor and father to him, shoved him out of harm’s way at the last second. A runaway truck struck Brother Tong and sent him flying, while his life ebbed away in a pool of blood. With his final strength, he entrusted his only concern, his eight-year-old daughter Tong Yao, to Luo Sinian.

Overwhelming guilt and a crushing promise bore down on Luo Sinian all at once. He swore through trembling lips, but could only watch as the light of Brother Tong’s life went out. Just then, a small, frightened voice came through the rain. Tong Yao, wearing a little red raincoat and clutching an old doll, stood trembling as she watched it all. She asked in bewilderment, “Uncle Luo, does Daddy hurt a lot?” Her innocent question seared Luo Sinian’s heart like a red-hot brand. All he could do was shake his head in anguish. He would never feel pain again.

At that moment, the terror and helplessness in Tong Yao’s clear eyes mingled with the body of Brother Tong, growing cold in his arms, becoming a cross Luo Sinian would bear for the rest of his life. At twenty-two, despite the obstacles that kept him from formally adopting her, he resolutely took on the responsibility of raising Tong Yao, an orphan. For ten years, he cared for her like a brother and a father, giving her shelter and the very best of everything, while building high walls in his heart called “duty” and “guilt.” But the helpless little girl from that rainy night had quietly grown up. At eighteen, Tong Yao’s dependence on Luo Sinian had turned into a burning love. And Luo Sinian, faced with feelings that should never have taken root, struggled in anguish between the chains of gratitude and a surging love, fleeing in panic. A story that began in blood...