Lin Zhiwei never thought that she would meet him again on such an occasion. She even thought that they had been completely lost at the fork in the road of youth and would never meet again.
The man under the spotlight was dazzling, and the outline between his brows and eyes was vaguely in memory, but the host introduced him as "Chen Xingqi". Not the casual and handsome Chen Yanan in her youth memories.
In his senior year of high school, he suddenly disappeared, like a gust of wind passing through his youth, leaving no explanation, only full of tiny regrets.
"Thank you, Mr. Chen." This was the first thing they said after a long separation. She clutched her notebook tightly and her voice was as calm as talking to a stranger.
But he found her in a deserted place, with fatigue and sincerity that she couldn't understand hidden in his eyes. "I need a reporter I can trust." What he handed over was not a temptation to rekindle an old relationship, but a pile of heavy evidence about the hidden truth and the struggles of countless people.
"Just to expose the darkness," she told herself.
It wasn't until he was pushed into the operating room covered in blood that the closed door completely shattered her disguise. "Chen Yan'an, wake up." With tears falling on the cold hospital bed, she finally dared to admit, "From my sophomore year in high school to now, I have never forgotten you. I don't want anything, as long as you are well."
When Chen Yan'an opened his eyes in severe pain, the words that kept repeating in his mind were: The people I'm most sorry for in this life are my grandfather and Lin Zhiwei.
In high school, she was the only light that walked towards him without prejudice, letting him reveal the softness hidden under the hard shell. But fate pushed him to grow up hastily, and even his name became a bargaining chip for others. He could only push her away in the most clumsy way, thinking it was protection.
Now he was lying on the hospital bed, looking at her red eyes, and suddenly understood: love never carries everything alone.
"Don't cry." His voice was hoarse but firm, "Wait for me, wait until I become Chen Yan'an again, give me a chance to chase you again."
He spent four years peeling off the "Chen Xingqi" label, proving that the original name that was deliberately hidden has never been written off; just like his feelings for her, no matter how deeply they were buried by time, are always fresh in his heart - a love that, like the name, has never truly faded.
"Lin Zhiwei," he looked into her eyes and spoke clearly and solemnly, "This time, I will use the name Chen Yan'an to love you well."
Concept: time bond, two-way growth